this post was submitted on 03 Jul 2025
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This happened one day in the window well outside my office. I got banned from r/pics for posting it. (infosec.pub)
submitted 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) by mgenehoffman@sh.itjust.works to c/pics@lemmy.world
127 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

I guess some people thought it was AI, but just a cool moment in my basement window well.

Edit: taken with my iPhone several years ago since that’s all I had with me when it happened so quickly.

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[–] Couldbealeotard@lemmy.world 37 points 2 days ago (14 children)

To be fair, I totally understand why people think it's AI. Between the phone camera processes and the extreme postprocessing, this looks more deep fried than some memes I've seen. It almost looks like it's got a cartoon filter applied.

Add on the fact that OP is trying hard to down play how much editing has been done, it starts to feel like it doesn't add up. If OP posted the unedited photo to show the bad phone sharpening and admitted how much editing was done on top of that, people would understand what they are looking at.

Don't get me wrong, it looks cool, but when someone says "oh, no I just took this with my phone", I look at that and think that's not the whole truth.

[–] floquant@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 2 days ago

Yeah exactly, it's a cool shot, but to me it looks like a scan of an oil on canvas painting.

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[–] BlameTheAntifa@lemmy.world 66 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (12 children)

I remember trying to warn people on Reddit that their anti-AI crusades were going to hurt real people making real art, especially surrealists, and got banned from a bunch of art subs for being “pro-AI” as a result. Actually, they phrased it in far more hurtful and inflammatory ways, like “advocating theft.” Apparently caring about not hurting real human beings making real human art is “advocating theft.”

I don’t miss Reddit. That place was bad for my mental health.

P.S. This photo is beautiful and I’m happy you had a mind to capture it and share it. Thank you.

[–] Jakeroxs@sh.itjust.works 10 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

It's the same shit on lemmy

I was watching a video yesterday where the video author said it was sketchy that another ytber had used an AI voice but still credited the original voice actor the Ai voice was based on, the voice actor also chimed in that they agreed and were still being paid even though the AI voice was being used.

Literally every time I see arguments against AI from creative it's because losing income/stealing, he hit both those and yet that is still not good enough.

The goal posts will ever shift and the rage will never end.

[–] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

I got banned from a fandom subreddit for pointing out that a certain fan remaster was (partially, with tons of manual work) made with ML models. Specifically with oldschool GANs, and some smaller, older models as part of a deinterlacing pipeline, from before 'generative AI' was even a term.

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[–] BlameTheAntifa@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

In my own anecdotal experience, it’s been a lot better here, but I’m sure instance, communities, etc all have an impact. I have noticed a slight uptick in toxicity recently, but once I started using Voyager’s tagging feature I realized the perpetrators are almost always the same 4 people.

[–] Cethin@lemmy.zip 6 points 2 days ago

Well, also AI is hurting actual human beings. We should be fighting against it too. Yeah, be careful of crossfire, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't fire at all.

[–] mgenehoffman@sh.itjust.works 8 points 3 days ago

Thank you! And yes, I mean I realize it’s a two sided battle. I legitimately hate gen AI and what it was done to the art world. My current career is in the process of being completely devoured by AI and taking photos is something that brings me a lot of joy and connects me to the real world, so it’s infuriating to have both the loss of my career and denigration of my photography due to AI.

[–] chunes@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

It's the same thing for writing. Use a single emdash and you get accused of using LLMs. It's like, no, I'm literate. I read books. Sorry for paying attention in class..

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[–] k0e3@lemmy.ca 134 points 3 days ago (1 children)

He is the chosen cone!

[–] Reverendender@sh.itjust.works 49 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I for one, welcome our new pinecone overlord.

[–] Aatube@kbin.melroy.org 19 points 3 days ago

in fact i pine over its shining beauty

[–] sprite0@sh.itjust.works 92 points 3 days ago (3 children)

the ai witchhunt gets a bit silly, sorry you got caught up in v it. very cool photo!

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[–] surph_ninja@lemmy.world 17 points 2 days ago

The default subs are controlled by people involved with karma farming. Some of them are so bad that the mods will ban anyone with a high number of upvotes to prevent them from competing with the bots.

Funny enough, I bet the same mods will let a bot report your pic in a few months.

[–] dumbass@quokk.au 63 points 3 days ago (1 children)

[–] vxx@lemmy.world 29 points 3 days ago (7 children)

Too much HDR. I can see why they thought it's AI.

Still a nice shot. The composion and framing is nice.

[–] otter@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Composition*, fellow human.

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[–] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 40 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (4 children)

こんにちは!

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[–] anubis119@lemmy.world 46 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I highly doubt AI would properly generate a Fibonacci sequence in the pinecones.

[–] Lembot_0004@discuss.online 41 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Eat it for permanent +0 to HP.

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[–] OldManBOMBIN@lemmy.world 21 points 3 days ago

I have a mental image of you in a basement sweatshop in Philadelphia- the air is full of smoke and there's a constant barrage of German speeches and gunfire being played over the loudspeaker, broken only by the occasional steam whistle. You take a longing glance out the window, wishing you were on one of the higher floors so you could jump. And there is it.

Pinecone.

[–] shark_phenomenon@lemmy.world 12 points 2 days ago

r/pics is a massive joke anyways. Screw that sub!

[–] hakunawazo@lemmy.world 11 points 2 days ago

conus pineae divinae

[–] LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 10 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (4 children)

"Obviously" has been a conclusive reason to condemn things since social media began. So of course "obviously AI" falls under that impeccable standard.

Also just curious, is taking photos with an iPhone something people apologize for now? I don't keep up with all the latest acceptibility rules.

[–] mgenehoffman@sh.itjust.works 7 points 2 days ago (2 children)

It was more to denote the presence of Apple’s processing algorithms, which are possibly part of why people think it’s AI or painted. Lots of people on Reddit thought it was a painting and some pointed to the painterly look of details when zoomed into.

Lots of discussion about that being the result of Apple’s fusion algo, which merges many rapidly taken exposures to eliminate noise, at the expense of real detail.

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[–] HugeNerd@lemmy.ca 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Thomas Kinkade's pinecone.

[–] pineapplelover@lemmy.dbzer0.com 21 points 3 days ago

Welcome to lemmy

[–] nthavoc@lemmy.today 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Since the light is hitting things just right, probably put some random objects or action figures in there to see if people notice. Every day is a new story! Cool picture by the way.

[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 7 points 2 days ago

the light is hitting things just right

[–] ApollosArrow@lemmy.world 10 points 3 days ago (2 children)

TIL what a window well is. I would honestly love to see what it looks like from outside. Is there some kind of covered up grate on top?

[–] mgenehoffman@sh.itjust.works 32 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Here it is several years later. It’s an office that I rent. The landlord apparently does not care about maintaining the windows.

[–] jacksilver@lemmy.world 8 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I was so confused by the image initially as I hadn't seen a window well that deep before. This follow-up picture made it all click, thanks for sharing.

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[–] acockworkorange@mander.xyz 11 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Well, stop feeding reddit's AI machine.

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