Top Stories
Stories in FYI that you’ll love, handpicked by our team.
Why, Oh Why, I Hunt AI!
There have been some excellent articles and comments recently around AI-created content (which I understand) and bots/scripts (of which I am learning). It is a good reminder for me that just because we publish something doesn't mean that everyone/anyone has seen it, much less remembered it.
Judey KalchikPublished 20 days ago in FYIIn The 6ix: A Black Baker Rises to the Top
The man made good cakes. And following an apprenticeship, he got a job as a baker. It was 1861, he was nineteen years old. It wasn’t his first job - he’d been working since he was a kid to pay for school supplies - and it wouldn’t be his last. For the next sixteen years he kneaded dough, decorated cakes, baked pies. Then, he started driving horse-drawn cabs for his uncle’s livery stable. Years later, at the age of fifty-two, he became Toronto’s first Black elected politician.
Marie WilsonPublished 3 years ago in FYIA warning to online writers to keep their eyes wide open
Don't have your eyes wide shut If you believe that writers on any site are one big happy family you would be mistaken. I don't intend to be a Debbie Downer or Negative Nancy but to share the truth. If you write online you should keep your eyes wide open because there are predators among us.
Cheryl E PrestonPublished 3 months ago in FYIProducing a Vocal Story With Your Phone Or Tablet
Oh, no! Your PC or Chromebook is on the blitz, and you must get a new one or wait for repairs. Or, instead, you’ve gone on vacation and forgotten to bring your laptop with you. Either way, writing and posting to Vocal is now put on hold until you return to your device or buy a new one.
Mother CombsPublished 4 months ago in FYIScottish Folklore: Cat Sìth
Sleek, silent, and graceful, the Cat Sìth is one of the most feared creatures of Scottish mythology. Taking the form of a black cat with a white spot on its chest, Cat Sìth are incredibly large; around the size of a medium or large dog depending on which sources you consider. Though the name Cat Sìth can be loosely translated to 'Fairy Cat', many sources do not consider them fairy creatures, but shape shifters.
S. A. CrawfordPublished 5 months ago in FYICelebrate Samhain the Witchy Way
'Tis the Season of the Witch and it’s time to get spooky. I love Halloween. It has always been my favourite holiday since I can remember. When I reached the age of sixteen, my mum introduced me to the world of witchcraft and everything heathen. I felt like Sabrina the Teenage Witch joining my coven and I finally felt like I belonged somewhere.
Rosie J. SargentPublished 5 months ago in FYILet's Give Thanks To These Vocal Creators
Introduction Most of us write on Vocal to get our work read, and we need to reciprocate by reading and commenting both on Vocal and Facebook and other social media platforms.
Mike Singleton - MikeydredPublished 7 months ago in FYIThe reason I changed my mind about AI
This article has been assisted in part by AI AI assistance is different than a totally artificially generated article When I first heard about writers using AI to pen articles I was angry. As a natural-born writer since the age of 12 I cringed at the thought of mass-produced articles replacing wording that comes from the heart but I have since changed my mind. There is no way artificial intelligence can ever replace storytelling from the heart but it can be an assist in getting facts. AI at this time only has information through 2021 so anything more recent will not benefit. I asked ChatGPT to tell me about Meghan Markle and here is what I received verbatim.
Cheryl E PrestonPublished 8 months ago in FYIShit's Happening
I was first made aware of this in 1978, in San Francisco. I was driving behind an old Ford Pickup and this piece of wisdom was pasted to the back bumper.
A Tragedy of Titanic Proportions
Like everybody else around the world, since Sunday I have been glued to the news media following the disappearance of the OceanGate submersible, Titan. I am sure that we all hoped beyond hope that what happened was simply a technical glitch in the communications system.
Ryan O'BryanPublished 9 months ago in FYIFinding Your Writer's Voice
Hello lovelies, misfits, weirdos and fellow outcasts. I hope you are well and doing your best as always. I am not a big fan of AI being used for writing other than an editing tool. The one thing about AI writing I dislike is how monotonal the voice is. It is all the same voice, just clones upon clones; collective voices taken from other people's work. The voice lacks creative flare, and the pain and suffering that is the human existence.
Rosie J. SargentPublished 10 months ago in FYIThe Scandal of Andover Workhouse
Hello, my lovelies, fellow Andoverians and other weirdos and misfits out there who may be reading. I hope you're all well and doing your best as always, it's pretty rough out there at the moment.
Rosie J. SargentPublished 10 months ago in FYI