Discover the Enchanted World of Automata at New Jersey's Unique Museum

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Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2024/02/25/discover-the-enchanted-world-of-automata-at-new-jerseys-unique-museum.html

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I haven’t been there, but the museum does have its own website, so I feel like that should be linked. It’s also affiliated with the Smithsonian.

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This collection is really interesting. Worth seeking out if you’re in the area.

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It would also be nice to have a real, public-domain photo with the story rather than an AI-generated fiction.

Edit: here’s one with a creative commons license:

1728×1205 469 KB

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Yeah weird to use AI when there’s photos of the actual place.

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Well, echoing Otherbrother, for BB to use the photo, they either have to have a license, or it has to be in the public domain. I think they should do that, but it is more work than just entering a prompt into DALL-E, and always carries a risk of the photo not having been properly labelled, and then they have to deal with take down notices, etc. I can see why, from BB’s perspective, the AI approach seems better. I disagree, but I understand the logic.

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Well that’s just delightful. We had the good luck of wandering into the Cabaret Mechanical Theatre when I was young and my family took a trip to London. I’m thinking this spot might be in the cards to see if that fascination hits my little one the same way it hit me.

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So, do the easy thing which is shitty and sleazy and unethical, not the harder thing which takes a few more minutes.

This is why I’m spending less time here and about to quit altogether. I’m tired of Boing Boing pretending to care about artists, then using tools like Dall-E which are built on ripping off their hard work. Actions speak louder than words.

EDIT: Yeah, in fact, I’m done. Enjoy the site, folks. But I can’t in good conscience sit here watching this crap go down and feel it’s anything but hypocrisy.

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I wish I could say I hadn’t thought about saying goodbye myself, although for other reasons, but I can’t. So I wish you well.

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There is an Automata Conference there May 17-19. I volunteered at one of them a few years ago. I recommend it highly.

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