ONE
The following headline confused me:
Trump, 79, Deletes Weird AI Video Shilling Magic Beds (see here).
Was Weird Al selling magic beds? Magic beds?! How does that relate to President Trump? What’s going on?
The problem is the font: a capital I (as in AI) can look like a lowercase l (as in Al).
So the headline should really be:
Trump, 79, Deletes Weird Artificial Intelligence Video Shilling Magic Beds.
This case is particularly confusing because:
a) Weird AI videos clearly means Videos that Weird Al has that go with his songs.
While we’re on this topic, here are some Weird Al videos related to computer science or math:
The first two songs are dated but I still like them. They also show that Weird Al has had (and still has) a long career.
b) The story, even when understood completely, is really weird.
TWO
I pointed out the Weird AI vs Weird Al issue to a fellow Weird Al fan, and he emailed me the following links:
McDonald's Making job Applicants Take Weird AI Personality Tests
MAGA Rep Weights in on Sydney Seeney Jeans Debate with Weird AI Ad
A Weird AI Camera With a Human Name is Coming for Your Cell Phone
Leith Ross Denounces Weird AI Songs Uploaded to Their Spotify Profile
Why We Don't Believe MIT Nanda's Weird Al Study
Anthropic Researchers Discover the weird AI Proble: Why thinking longer makes models dumber
Samsung phones are getting a weird AI shopping platform nobody asked for
THREE
0) The one with Weird AI Songs is the most confusing since that clearly means songs by Weird Al.
1) Am I the first person to notice this? Of course not-- see here
2) Has someone used this confusion? Of course--see here
3) Will this confusion help or hurt Weird AL's career? Time will teLL.
What about A1 (McMahon)?
ReplyDeleteMark Riedl wrote a parody lyrics generators called Weird AI Yankovic.
ReplyDeleteHe could have called it The Weird Al AI
DeleteThe first comment for that song is funny.
ReplyDelete"It's 2025, I still don't have 100 gigs of ram or a 40 inch widescreen monitor."
(For my readers)- its the first comment about the video ITS ALL ABOUT THE PENTIUMS.
DeleteThis post needed a sans serif font.
ReplyDeleteThe headlines I presented did not use a font that distinguiushed
DeleteAl (AL) from AI (Artificial intelligence) so neither did I. So you should be saying that those articles should have used a different font.
When I read this post, Al looks different from AI.
DeleteThen you have better eyesight than I do.
DeleteTo the tune of Juvenile Back that Azz Up
ReplyDeletehere is BACK THAT MATH UP, a rep set song about the Big Five OGs in reverse mathematics
Yeah…
Proofs in the club tonight
Second-order arithmetic, tight
If you like axioms minimal and clean
Let me see you work that theorem machine
Hook (Chorus)
Back that math up
Prove it just enough
No stronger than needed
Yeah, back that math up
Back that math up
From weak to buff
If your theorem’s dancing
Let me see which system’s enough
Verse 1 – RCA₀ (Base System)
Start real low, computable flow
Recursive sets, that’s all we know
Δ¹₀ comprehension, induction light
If it’s constructive, we good all night
No fancy existence, keep it real slim
If you can’t compute it, don’t bring it in
This the baseline groove, foundational cut
If it works in RCA₀, yeah, back that math up
Hook
Back that math up
Keep it lean, keep it rough
If your theorem moves smooth
Tell me: RCA₀ enough?
Verse 2 – WKL₀ (Weak König’s Lemma)
Trees infinite, paths might show
Binary branching, let’s see it go
Compactness creeping, just a little flair
Closed intervals? Yeah, they still there
Not too strong, but not too bare
Analysis light with a touch of care
When existence whispers but don’t erupt
You in WKL₀—back that math up
Hook
Back that math up
Infinite trees stand up
If your proof finds a path
Let me see you WKL it up
Verse 3 – ACA₀ (Arithmetical Comprehension)
Now we talking sets defined by number talk
Quantifiers stepping when predicates walk
Full arithmetic comprehension on deck
Turing jump? Yeah, what’d you expect
Sequences, ranges, structure intact
If it’s arithmetical, we got that fact
When your theorem gets a little abrupt
That’s ACA₀—back that math up
Hook
Back that math up
Quantifiers stack up
If your proof needs jumps
Better ACA it up
Verse 4 – ATR₀ (Arithmetical Transfinite Recursion)
Ordinal vibes, recursion deep
Climbing well-orders, no loss of sleep
Define it step-by-step past the finite line
Transfinite rhythm, still arithmetical fine
Comparing orders, hierarchy clean
Proof theory flexing, if you know what I mean
When your recursion just won’t shut up
That’s ATR₀—back that math up
Hook
Back that math up
Well-orders line up
If your proof goes transfinite
Let me see you ATR it up
Verse 5 – Π¹₁-CA₀ (Π¹₁ Comprehension)
Okay now—big leagues, heavy sound
Second-order power when you come around
Quantify over sets, no holding back
Descriptive strength in a serious stack
This ain’t casual, this maximum might
If your theorem breathes Π¹₁ light
When existence goes absolutely nuts
Π¹₁-CA₀—back that math up
Final Hook / Outro
Back that math up
From weak to tough
Reverse Mathematics tell me
Which axioms enough
Yeah, back that math up
Proofs line it up
If you know your strength
Let me see you rank it up