Merriam-Webster's 2025 Word of the Year = AI slop

“Slop” was first used in the 1700s to mean soft mud, but it evolved more generally to mean something of little value.  The definition has since expanded to mean "digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence."

Creepy, zany, and demonstrably fake content is often called "slop."  The word's proliferation online, in part thanks to the widespread availability of generative artificial intelligence, landed it Merriam-Webster's 2025 word of the year.

I got this information HERE, if you want to view the CBS video about it.

Two words for today

Tell me a couple of things

(yes, list exactly TWO things)

that make you happy on this TWOsday.

I promise to leave a comment myself, and

  I wonder how many of us will mention books.

Musing about my neighbor's kindness

One of my neighbors knocked on my door yesterday, telling me she would be stopping for lunch while she was out and asking if I'd like for her to bring me some okra.  Sure!  Lots of folks here know that's my favorite food.  So an hour or so later, she knocked on my door again and handed me a bag of crispy fried okra.  She wouldn't let me pay for it, saying it was a gift.  It was the best thing I've eaten all week.  Thanks, Freddie!

Sunday Salon

Blue Sunset (Book 2 of 3) ~ by Gregg R. Overman, 2023, science fiction, 417 pages

The aliens just want us all to die. Two men and a Martian “Scout Bug” have other ideas.

Earth is in political and economic turmoil in the wake of an unprovoked alien attack.  NASA abandons the crew on Mars as power shifts to a reactionary political party, but they reconsider when new lights and radiation bloom on the periphery of our solar system.  NASA needs Mars to once again act as the sacrificial lamb for the incoming missiles, but the Mars’ crew has their own problems after one of the missiles strikes Mars and turns the environment from inhospitable to unlivable.  It seems their only choice is death by starvation, hypothermia, or the next alien missile.

Something on Mars awakens after millennia of stasis.  It is hungry, and the human crew on the surface is obviously food, albeit genetically damaged food.  The genetic damage will need to be corrected before the harvest.

Astonishingly, the next round of incoming alien missiles begins communicating, and the Mars Crew learns that the galaxy has been subjected to a reign of genocidal bombardment for thousands of years.  They have suffered much, but the crew on Mars and the fully awake Martians decide to go down fighting.

On Monday, I wrote about a neighbor's 100th birthday, HERE.

Wednesday's Word was "architecture," HERE.

This has been a VERY slow week, so that is all I have for today's blog post.

is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

Saturday Stuff

What stuff am I thinking about today?  Not much.  I ordered a spiral calendar book for 2026, and it was suposed to arrive today.  Do you want to see it?  Me, too!  However, Amazon hasn't even sent a notice that it is "out for delivery."  So not only am I looking for a calendar to arrive, I am already looking at the new year coming up.  Waiting, waiting, waiting . . . and not very patiently!  It is already after sunset here.

Today's word is architecture

Great Buildings ~ by DK, 2017, architecture, 256 pages, 8/10

This book gives you an overview of the history of architecture from the ancient world to the present day, a guided tour of more than 50 masterpieces of every architectural style, from the Great Pyramid of Giza to Chartres Cathedral, Sydney Opera House, and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.  Each building is analysed visually.  CGI cutaway artworks peel away walls to reveal the bones of the building, and close-up photographs home in on details of style.

It takes a global look at both historical and contemporary architecture.  What is the difference between a Doric and an Ionic column?  How does a flying buttress work?  Why do concrete balconies appear to float in thin air?  You will find the answers here, along with a wealth of intriguing stories about the patrons, builders, and architects who made each architectural masterpiece possible.  

It's like being taken on a personal tour by a guide who shows you exactly what to look at.  I especially enjoyed Chartres Cathedral (pp. 72-77) because I've enjoyed walking labyrinths, and this may be the most famous one ever.  "The huge labyrinth, or maze, inlaid in the floor at the west end of the church, symbolizes the pilgrim's journey to Jerusalem and the path of the soul to heaven" (p. 76).  Click HERE to see some of the times I've written about labyrinths on this blog.

A century old, wow!

On my way to lunch in the Cafe today, I encountered a long-time resident and stopped to talk to her.  When I mentioned her birthday coming up on Thursday, she said, "Yes, I'll be a hundred years old."  Few people can say that, Rosita!  Congratulations, and happy birthday to you!