A Test of Three Tales

Just to give people here an idea of what sort of thing they’ll be able to find at AI CENTRAL, I posed three different AI text engines the same very specific challenge: a 2,500-word story in the style of a brilliant author. Bonus points if you can guess which author it was from this excerpt from one of the three entrants:

The Scarlet Visitor

The city of Paradyse rose from the sea like a dream of gold and shadow, its towers clawing at the sky, its streets winding in serpentine coils. Ships from distant lands brought spices, silks, and secrets to its harbors, but none so strange as the vessel that came on the eve of the Festival of Masks.

It was a ship without a name, its sails the color of dried blood, its hull black as a starless night. The dockmaster, a wizened man named Orlan, squinted at it through the salt-haze and crossed himself—though he could not say why. When the gangplank descended, only one figure emerged: a woman wrapped in a scarlet cloak, her face hidden behind a veil of silver lace.

She moved through the city like a whisper, her steps soundless, her presence drawing eyes yet leaving no impression. The people of Paradyse were accustomed to strangeness—this was a city where nobles wore living jewels that whispered secrets, where the dead sometimes walked the markets at dusk—but there was something about her that unsettled even the most jaded souls.

The woman took lodging at the Inn of the Twisted Serpent, a place frequented by those who did not wish to be found. The innkeeper, Madame Vex, was a creature of sharp angles and sharper wits, her fingers adorned with rings that could sting like scorpions. She offered the stranger a room without asking for coin, sensing that some debts were best left unspoken.

“How long will you stay in our fair city?” Madame Vex inquired, her voice like honeyed poison.

The woman lifted her veil just enough to sip her wine. Her lips were the same crimson as her cloak. “Until my business is concluded.”

“And what business is that?”

A smile, fleeting as a knife’s gleam. “The oldest kind.”

And there is a very clear and obvious winner, which may be of interest to some of the writers here. Visit AI CENTRAL to read all three entrants and see the verdict.

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Delta Narcissism Confirmed

The narcissism of the Delta tends to strike most people as counterintuitive… until they stop and think about the actual behavioral pattern:

The more I work with the public, the more I understand Vox Day’s principle of Delta Narcissism and the average Joe’s undying urge to offer unsolicited advice and needless “improvements.”

Every week where I work, supplies arrive and I stock the storerooms with them. I open the cardboard boxes with an old key on my keyring, slicing through the tape. Sometimes the tape is tough or the box is crooked and you have to struggle a bit. Every week, there are other workers who see me opening boxes and rip my keys out of my hands so they can show me the “right way” to do it. Their “right way” always ends up being the exact same thing I’m already doing, and they soon encounter just as much difficulty as I did. They don’t ask permission, but they just can’t help themselves from dropping everything they’re doing just so they can show me how much more competent and helpful they are. These are nice people, I like my coworkers, but damn if it doesn’t irritate me.

One of the most important social lessons I’ve learned is to STOP. FUCKING. HELPING.

Things are what we observe them to be, not what we think they should be. By all means, be ready to help others. But, as a general rule, respect them enough to wait for them to ask for it.

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Introducing AI Central

As I did some years ago with Alpha Game, and as I have done with Sigma Game and Castalia Library, I have created a new site to host posts and discussions related to artificial intelligence and its use in producing music, illustrations, text, and video in order to avoid monopolizing the discourse here where most of the readership really isn’t that interested in it. In looking around, I saw that most of the sites that discuss AI regularly do so from a skeptic’s perspective or a programming perspective, and I wanted a site that can focus instead on AI as it is actually used by creative people today and going forward into the future.

So, if it’s a subject that is of interest to you, or if you are an AI creator yourself, please consider subscribing to AI CENTRAL and perhaps even contemplate providing an occasional guest post showing off your work and explaining what you used to produce it. My plan is to post once daily, which given my current music backlog will not be a problem for at least the next four months even if I don’t log into Suno at all.

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Owning the Alphas

McRapey shows his fellow Gamma males how it’s done.

Take that, all you status-anxious males. Feel the burn! Feel the rage! Of course, he’s not projecting at all. No, there isn’t a man on the planet less anxious about his status than John M. Scalzi. So stunning. And brave.

Please clap.

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Why Iran Won’t Strike Back

Simplicius believes that Iran will not retaliate by attacking Israel with anything more than symbolic gestures:

Israel is at a crossroads, which I have described before: the country is in a downward spiral and has only one remaining chance to seize history to secure its survival. Why? The reasons are almost too long to list in this one brief article alone, but they include demographics, as well as the decline of Zionism and rise of “noticing” in the West which means in a generation or two, support for Israel may dwindle to the point where it will be engulfed by regional enemies.

The other major reason: nascent technologies have created parity between Israel and its foes, where groups like Hamas and Hezbollah can use cheap but highly technologically effective weapons to deal accurate, disabling damage to Israel’s most critical and sensitive infrastructure. The same goes for Iran: the country has come of age and mastered rocketry and newfangled drone warfare to the point where the numbers simply do not work in Israel’s favor in any future war.

Israel once had the backing of the world’s most dominant ‘superpower’ alliance of Western nations, now the tides of history have simply shifted against Israel’s favor.

Now there are reports Iran may “declare war” on Israel. I remain skeptical for the following reason: Iran has no true overriding capability to fully ‘submit’ Israel into a state of debellatio. Israel has the nukes, and presumably, Iran as of yet does not. No amount of conventional missiles could make Israel simply surrender, and as such a declaration of war has no real meaning. Neither do the two countries share a border so it’s not like Iranian troops can somehow flood Israel to capture its capital.

Any overwhelming attack that could critically wound Israel may provoke an Israeli nuclear response—further proving Iran does not have the escalatory advantage or trump card. That is like Ukraine “declaring war” on Russia—what possible meaning would that have? Ukraine does not have the escalatory dominance to ever ‘submit’ Russia in any way, and the only objective of true ‘war’ is just that—total victory and the subjugation of the adversary. Thus, I see no logical way war can be declared, unless Iran did finally secretly hatch that bomb and is ready to use it. The only other possibility is for PR reasons to satisfy the demands of the angry populace, before declaring victory after some arbitrary objectives have been carried out via a series of strikes, and calling it a day.

I think his analysis is perspicacious. The attack on Iran is far from devastating, and the loss of a few Boomers in charge is hardly debilitating or even necessarily unwelcome to their younger successors. There were not Israeli jets flying over Tehran as if it were Lebanon; the attack mostly consisted of missiles launched from well outside Iranian airspace combined with a secret drone attack from within Iran that suspiciously resembles the recent attack by the Kiev regime on Russian airfields.

And, as Simplicius pointed out, at present, Iran’s ability to defeat Israel is nearly as impossible as Israel’s ability to defeat Iran.

But as with China vis-a-vis the USA and Russia vis-a-vis NATO, time is on Iran’s side. Israel didn’t attack Iran yesterday out of a position of strength, but rather, weakness and desperation. It attacked Iran while it still can, while it still has enough of a technological and operational advantage to do so.

Therefore, it would probably be wise for Iran to settle for a few symbolic missile and drone launches before following the lead of its Chinese and Russian partners in simply waiting for the US support that sustains Israel to collapse, as it is already in the process of doing.

Of course, the fact that this makes long-term strategic sense doesn’t mean that events will proceed accordingly. But given the restraint shown by Iran on previous occasions, I think Simplicius is correct to anticipate that similar restraint will be shown here.

An analysis of the effectiveness of the Israeli strike, which makes it sound as if the initial reports were highly exaggerated, and therefore makes it even more likely that any Iranian response will be symbolic.

An Israeli attempt to decapitate the Iranian military leadership also appears to have largely failed, with only one reasonably confirmed senior casualty at this time – GEN Salami, commander of the IRGC since 2019. I’ve seen a report that he was quite ill and thus remained in his home unlike the rest of the Iranian senior leadership. Recall that Khamenei was taken to a secure location some time ago, so it’s not like the Iranians didn’t have warning or were complacent about getting into shelter. Two or three people connected to the Iranian nuclear program also seem to have been assassinated, but in real terms this isn’t going to affect a program that is already largely – if not entirely – complete.

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Israel’s Satanic Elite Revealed

Christian Zionists have been greatly deceived, if the reports coming out of the Israeli media about at least an influential subset of the Israeli elite are true.

The story broke with an investigative report published by Israel Hayom, which unearthed a long-standing pattern of ritual sexual abuse, psychological manipulation, and spiritual desecration occurring not on the margins of society but from within its most sacred institutions. Survivors speak of torment that begins in early childhood and lasts decades, often committed under the guise of religious observance.

Israeli children, some as young as infants, were subjected to methodical abuse masked in religious ritual. Survivors describe ceremonies invoking biblically-vilified deities, conducted by members of observant Jewish communities. As a survivor named Noga recalled: “The gods I remember are Baal Peor and Ashtoreth… our lord Peor and our lady Ashtoreth.”

 More than ten women between the ages of 20-45 with whom we spoke describe a severe phenomenon raising serious concern that in Israel, like many countries worldwide, organized sexual abuse of children is occurring right under everyone’s nose.

The culprits are not fringe radicals. These are individuals who keep kosher, celebrate the Sabbath, and adhere to the minutiae of Jewish law even as they engage in acts so depraved that they defy comprehension. Some of these perpetrators are qualified to blow the shofar on Rosh Hashanah — a high privilege among observant Jews. Family members, most of whom may have once been victims themselves, are often the ones who hand over their little ones to these monsters.

Several rabbis’ names appeared repeatedly in survivor testimonies. Multiple complaints filed at different police stations across Israel were quickly nipped in the bud. According to the Jerusalem Post, which followed up on the Hayom report, “doctors, educators, police officers, and past and present members of the Knesset were involved in these abuses.”

The police have known about this for a year, but they don’t have the tools to deal with it. The people who will fall are very, very senior figures. These people run communities and government agencies. They threaten us. 

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it. And these are also the same people who are pulling the strings in the Kiev regime, the European Commission, the US Congress, and apparently, the Trump administration right now. Because the Kiev elite, the EU elite, the UK elite, the US elite, and the Israeli elite are one and the same. They all worship the same satanic gods in the same abhorrent way as their predecessors in Technochtitlan and other historical centers of horror.

It’s the group that George Bush named “the New World Order”, Vladimir Putin described as “the Empire of Lies”, and Philip K. Dick called “The Empire That Never Ended”. We call it Clown World. And it is these elites, not the people of the nations over which they rule, who are the genuine bad guys. Pretty much every other major conflict, including both Ukraine and Iran, is a distraction that Clown World utilizes to weaken their enemies and protect themselves from being targeted.

I wonder if it might be these recent revelations, and not the Iranian nuclear program, that is behind the timing of yesterday’s Israeli attack on Iran. Because it was going to be very difficult to hide behind the usual shields of antisemitism and Holocaustianity when it is the Israeli media reporting on the crimes and all of the victims are Jews.

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Israel Attacks Iran

“Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense. President Trump and the Administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel.” – Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State

Since Hal Turner was spot-on about this one, I’ll quote him on the breaking news.

  • Multiple reports from several countries are saying “hundreds” of fighter jets and drones are in the air over differing parts of Iraq, heading into Iran to attack – right now: 8:13 PM EDT 12-June-2025
  • Massive explosions reported all over Tehran. Israel may be going for a leadership decapitation strike.
  • Netanyahu’s motorcade has entered the Mossad command bunker.
  • Israeli army radio (GLZ) confirms IAF strikes targeting Iran
  • Initial reports of explosions at Natanz and Fordow in Iran. These are the main nuclear facilities.
  • Doron Kaddish (IDF Radio): Senior officials tell me that Israel is preparing for multiple days of combat with Iran.
  • Operation Name: Nation of Lions

However, Larry Johnson reported prior to the attack that the US would be directly involved in it.

Donald Trump apparently has decided to attack Iran. Mark this date. It is the beginning of the end of the Trump Presidency. Trump has been persuaded that the Iranian air defense is weak and that a US bombing run will eliminate any chance that Iran can build a nuclear device. He has been a victim of lies. He will shortly discover, if these attacks take place, that Iran retains a significant capability to shoot down US aircraft. In fact, I fully expect Iran will capture and put on display several US air force officers in the next week.

Simplicius is dubious that Israel or the USA can even reach the nuclear sites that Israel is seeking to destroy: In short, Iran’s underground nuclear infrastructure is now too deep, too complex, and too protected to be taken out militarily.

My take is that Israel is going it alone with the expectation that if Iran hammers them hard enough and looks like it is winning, AIPAC will be able to exert enough pressure on President Trump to force the US military to intervene and rescue them from the consequences of their own actions.

UPDATE: It appears that Israel was successful with its targeted assassinations and that Secretary of State Rubio lied because the USA was definitely involved. It also appears that Iran is likely to declare war on Israel and be supported by North Korea, Russia, and presumably, China.

  •  Iran is beginning to report the names of the senior officials who have been killed so far: 
    • Salami Hussein – Chief of Staff of the IRGC
    • Sardar Rashid – Very Senior Commander in the IRGC.
    • Dr. Feridon Abbas – Senior Nuclear Scientist.
    • Dr. Tehranchi – Senior Nuclear Scientist.
    • Gholam-Ali Rashid, commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya organization
  • Mossad head Dadi Barnea and Minister Ron Dermer did not fly to Washington. The briefing by an Israeli official as if they were supposed to meet Steve Witkoff before the sixth round of talks was part of the deception.  
  • North Korea will provide military support to Iran.
  • “CENTCOM is on high alert, the US will defend itself and Israel if Iran retaliates,” Trump said, according to Fox News.

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NATO is Dead

No one is willing to die to defend modern Europe, especially in the aftermath of the mass invasion by the Third World:

Ukraine’s former foreign minister has starkly warned that British mothers must accept their sons have to die defending Europe, otherwise there is no Nato. Dmytro Kuleba told Metro that Vladimir Putin’s goal was to ‘expose’ the ‘falsehood’ of the Nato alliance, which has a mutual assistance clause that compels its members to fight for each other in the event of an attack of another member.

He said: ‘Putin may invade Nato territory soon – so now what? Is Nato going to send a division to fight back? ‘Many people believe that the real test for Nato is whether the US is going to fight for Europe. The real test will be whether British mothers will actually accept that their sons have to die for Finland or Estonia or Poland. If they don’t, there is no Nato.’

The chilling warning comes after Germany’s spy chief warned that Putin is plotting to attack a Nato territory to test the bloc’s mutual assistance clause.

I doubt there is a single British mother who is willing to accept that her son has to die to defend Finland, Estonia, or Poland. Certainly no American mothers are. The time to defend Europe was when Germany first started importing Gastarbeitern from Turkey. Why would anyone die to defend Europe from Russians when they weren’t even allowed to protest the invasion by Africans and Arabs?

If that is the metric, NATO is already dead.

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Is Israel Rolling the Dice Again

The US government appears to be bracing for another Israeli attack on Iran:

The US has begun evacuating non-essential personnel and family members from its embassies and military bases in the Middle East in light of escalating tensions with Iran. The move follows President Donald Trump’s accusation that Tehran is “slow-walking” negotiations.

“Based on our latest analysis, we decided to reduce the footprint of our Mission in Iraq,” the State Department said in an emailed statement to the media on Wednesday. Reuters cited a US official as saying that voluntary departures had also been authorized at the embassies in Kuwait and Bahrain.

The Pentagon has likewise approved the departure of family members from military installations in the region. “CENTCOM is working in close coordination with our Department of State counterparts, as well as our allies and partners in the region, to maintain a constant state of readiness to support any number of missions around the world at any time,” a defense official told reporters.

According to the Washington Post, American intelligence officials are concerned that Israel may strike Iranian nuclear facilities without US consent.

Well, Netanyahu has gotten away with invading Gaza and committing any number of atrocities there and managed to remove the Assad regime from Syria. So, it’s probably to be expected that the more aggressive elements of the Israeli government are in the ascendance and thinking that a) it’s not going to get any easier over time, b) they’ve gotten away with everything so far, and c) it’s easier to get forgiveness than permission.

I expect they’re also counting on their Israeli-flag-waving senators and congressmen to pressure the US military to bail them out if they get in over their heads with Iran. That’s the only part of their projected analysis with which I disagree, because I’m fairly certain that both the Israelis and the US politicians are significantly overestimating the Israeli-US capabilities vis-a-vis the Iranian-Russian-Chinese capabilities. We’ve seen that with regards to Ukraine, NATO, and Russia, we’ve seen it with regards to Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and the Red Sea, and so it would be a surprise if it wasn’t happening again.

Underestimation of enemy forces and capabilities is absolutely normal in wartime. It’s observable going back to Athens and the failed Sicilian Expedition. Which is why the first question you should ask yourself whenever looking at a military conflict is this: which side appears to be overestimating its own capabilities and/or underestimating the capabilities of its enemy?

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Dialectic > Rhetoric

The very best rhetoric is when it aligns perfectly with the dialectical truth.

That’s the sort of thing that the acronym BTFO was invented for. But it’s nice that Rep. Jordan helped underline why Conservative Inc. is suddenly pushing for NET ZERO IMMIGRATION and no more legal or illegal immigrants from THE THIRD WORLD.

That sound you heard was the Overton Window shifting. Not nearly far enough, of course, but it has moved substantially.

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