ARCHIVES ADVERTISING iTOONS INDEX TERMS EMAIL eSTORE SHOW HACK! LINKS PODCASTS KOMIX

cyberbarf

UPSCALE NEWS

There have been AI Video Upscale software services that can take a creator's 1080 p video and create a high quality 4K video for uploading on streaming and SNS platforms. The software requires manipulation of the raw video files frame by fame in order to get crystal and crisp images. This is a creator's choice to use AI to enhance their video.

In the past few months, creators found out that AI was manipulating their videos without their knowledge or consent.

In late August, ArsTechnica reported that for months, YouTubers have been quietly griping that something looked off in their recent video uploads. Users reported strange artifacts, edge distortion, and distracting smoothness that gives the appearance of AI alteration. If you have ever zoomed in close after taking a photo with your smartphone only to notice things look oversharpened or like an oil painting, that's the artifact of Google's video processing test. The Atlantic reported viewers have noticed “extra punchy shadows,” “weirdly sharp edges,” and a smoothed-out look to footage that makes it look “like plastic.” It was concluded that YouTube is using AI to tweak videos on its platform,

YouTube claimed the feature is not based on generative AI but instead uses “traditional machine learning” to reduce blur and noise while sharpening the image. This explanation that it was using it to “clarify” videos drew more criticism as corporatespeak: it is still AI being used to modify videos. A popular music channel made a video about this issue that lead to more creator videos from other fields finding their work being altered. Sam Does Art found that his recent sketchbook images had been altered by YouTube to the point of redoing his pencil lines to almost "clip art" style. He determined that this was not just a high contrast filter or compression app, but AI changing his actual art work.

Later, Google confirmed that it has been testing a feature on YouTube shorts that uses AI to artificially enhance videos. The company claims this is part of its mission to “provide the best video quality,” but the artist community immediately complained that it was done without notifying creators or giving an option to opt out of “the experiment.”

ARTISTS HAVE BEEN UPSET THAT AI FIRMS HAVE SCRAPPED THEIR WORK WITHOUT PERMISSION OR COMPENSATION TO STEAL THEIR ART. ARTISTS ARE NOW MORE OUTRAGED THAT AI IS CHANGING THEIR ACTUAL POSTED WORK WITHOUT PERMISSION.

The issue created a firestorm of opinion and conspiracy theories. There's a theory that YouTube is trying to get people used to AI generated content, so they can keep people engaged, on the site, and watching ads. It is true AI generation companies are pouring billions of investor dollars into making AI the new standard for all types of IP: music, video, photography, literature and artwork. If the general public does not “accept” AI generated work, then the whole AI business model fails. But instead of getting the public to accept AI, what if it imbeds AI into everything so as to “train humans” not to realize they are getting AI slop?

Concurrently, we have noticed less blatant AI images in our SNS feeds. There are probably several reasons for this. First, the novelty of AI images has worn off to the causal user or viewer. People still have short attention spans. Second, many AI artists have ethically stated that their work is AI generated as to combat artistic fraud allegations. There was another recent art contest where an AI generated image won a prize in which participants blew out of the water as clearly fake AI that somehow got past the judges. The prize was withdrawn because the contest rules prohibited the use of AI in the completed piece. But there is probably many undetected, rule-violating AI works being spread as human artwork.

It has been widely reported that bots (of all kinds) make up more than half of the internet posts, comments and engagements. As one Reddit user stated “My content is getting smaller and smaller as youtubers quit and the platform is flooded (with bots). I have less than 20 channels I'm subbed to now and it's so difficult finding quality content for the type of videos I like since they're so easy to fill with bullshit and AI generate. I was watching a channel for a month or so with one million subs just to find out a bunch of the information was wrong and some of it outright made up. I'd filled my brain and spread so much misinformation by accident and it was oddly disturbing.”

Yes, we have also found that YouTube is home to many FAKE channels spewing outright lies and misinformation. It clearly shows up on sports related fan content, produced by alleged fan or team sites. They follow a pattern of clickbait thumbnail that does not follow normal headline information principles. For example, in mid August, a baseball channel proclaimed breaking news of a blockbuster All-Star trade. But any baseball fan would know, the trade deadline expired in July. It was a hoax or a bot trying to gather views. Apparently, a person can a channel and let chatGPT and video bots to create total fake news for profit. To our knowledge, YouTube has not demonetized any bot channels.

It used to be considered that upscale meant being more expensive, of a higher class, more valuable, or more exclusive as in a neighborhood. But in 2025, the word has now embodied a very negative connotation in the art community.

cyberbarf

TAKE DOWNS BAD BUSINESS

The music industry has been fraught with perils for artists, bands and songwriters. It is a legally complex field where various rights have to be spelled out, retained or assigned which can lead to various pieces of a work having separate copyright infringement and royalty rights. Just because you buy a song by your favorite artist does not mean that artist is getting the majority of its revenue, if at all. The rights holders can be different; music publishers, songwriter credits, and sound recording holders.

There has been a recent avalanche of criticism over how music rights holders are attempting to take down YouTube sites that use music on their channels. Music educator Rick Beato, Professor of Rock and in the UK Justin Hawkins, a professional musician, have all had a flurry of copyright removal notices claiming infringement for using the holder's songs. The main instigator is Warner Music Group, the company that holds a vast catalogue of sound recording copyrights. What has happened is that a copyright owner can file a claim to YouTube. It can take it as a take down notice, meaning the channel operator must take down the video using its music or a Content ID claim, stating that its music in the video is unlicensed so the owner will take all the video's revenue for the infringement The effect is the same to the channel operator: no revenue from the content they made. For a content channel that has millions of subscribers and views, the channel revenue is their livelihood. And YouTube will take down a creator's channel if it gets three copyright strikes.

Some creators think there are AI bots making blanket copyright claims to YouTube, but in reality it is probably a third party contractor combing through keywords (artist names, song titles, etc) with the possible help of AI. It is like setting up a fishing pole and waiting to find someone using your song in order to snare some money. It may not be a lot of money. Beato stated that one YouTube short of less than a minute using seconds of a copyrighted song with 250,000 views made $32.

The problem with this demand and take down system is that it is a kangaroo court set up by YouTube. A claim gets filed, the creator can file a response, and a non-lawyer employee makes a decision. If you appeal a decision and lose, it is a strike against your channel. Beato has had to hire a full-time lawyer to fight these claims because all of his use of music is "fair use."

Fair use is a statutory defense to a copyright infringement claim. Fair use means the use of copyrighted material without permission or license for the purpose of criticism, commentary, news, reporting, teaching, scholarship or research. Fair use doctrine promotes “freedom of expression” and transformative use to enhance culture. Many copyright attorneys advocate that YouTube channels that react to music songs, break them down on how to play on an instrument, or part of an interview with the original artist are all fair uses.

The problem with the YouTube system is that is extremely burdensome to the channel operator. The copyright claimant does not have to prove anything with its notice. It is not a court of law. The channel owner has to raise a legal defense, fair use, to strike the notice. And the defense may not be accepted or understood. Why did YouTube become the arbitrator of such claims on its platform? YouTube was afraid that it would get sued for contributory infringement or its rights in videos would be compromised. YouTube decided to work with rights holders to create a system that is beneficial to rights holders. YouTube decided to protect itself first. It uses its Terms of Service to force these illegitimate claims to have merit.

Is this the only way to arbitrate claims? Normally, a copyright holder must enforce its rights. There are two jurisdictional forums it could choose: Copyright Claim Board or federal courts. The Copyright Claim Board under the US Copyright Office was created to resolve small claim copyright disputes of under $30,000. The federal district courts under Title 28 have original jurisdiction over copyright laws. A copyright infringement lawsuit allows the copyright holder to receive in damages: actual damages and profits from Defendant, or statutory damages starting at $750 to $30,000 per infringing work, or if willful violation found $150,000. With these statutory awards, why does rightsholders not sue infringing YouTube channel operators?

Because filing a lawsuit courts money (court costs, attorneys fees), it requires specific pleading of your case, and a requirement that the complaint is valid under the circumstances. A defendant/alleged infringer has to plead fair use as an affirmative defense and prove that it is entitled to it. This also costs time and money as copyright fair use trials involved determination of all the facts and circumstances between the parties and the use of the work.

Since YouTube channel owners fear three copyright strikes to have their video channel deleted, many do not contest the Content ID claim which gives al revenue to the copyright claimant. Or the video is voluntarily taken down, ending any revenue to the creator. If there is a claim filed and YouTube gives the revenue to the claimant, and the decision is reversed, the channel creator does not get that money back even though it did nothing wrong and the claimant had no right to the money. Once YouTube pays out it is done. No clawbacks.

Creators are at a huge disadvantage. It costs money to fight claims to keep a little money. The vocal creators may feel they are being targeted to be made an example of so other channels do not contest Content ID claims. Could the creators rise up and file their own class action against YouTube and the rightsholders for tortuous interference with their contract and legal rights? Perhaps, but there are many unknown legal hurdles in their way, including YouTube's Terms of Service being found unconscionable or unenforceable, to rightholders defense that it does not have to balance a fair use claim against the unauthorized use of its music in filing a claim, either with YouTube or a court of law. What could happen is that YouTube could protect video channels that truly are “fair use” creators with a certification that would automatically block copyright infringement claims, then putting the burden on the rightsholder to prove otherwise.

Many people, including creators and musicians, wonder why music publishers, record labels and rights holders are going after people who are promoting their artists and songs. The music industry is in a weak economic state. Music streaming services pay virtually nothing for music plays. Album and single sales have fallen off from its peak in the 1980s-1990s. It appears that the music industry thinks that offending people promoting their artists with take down notices is an easy way to make a new, easy revenue source. Critics would counter to day that plan is bad business.

iToons

cyberbarf

MISSING PERSONS CULTURE

One thing the Internet is good at is bringing cultures together. The sharing of information and news stories is a positive.

But in those news reports, there is also a lot of negative things. Things that someone in the West could never imagine. This is something we just found out about.

Johatsu (Japanese for “evaporation”) refers to the people in Japan who purposely vanish from their established lives without a trace. The Johatsu disappear from their lives, often to escape shame from society. People vanish for a number of reasons, including depression, addiction, sexual impropriety, and desire for isolation. Sometimes, it is used to escape domestic violence, gambling debt, religious cults, stalkers, employers, and difficult family situations. The shame of job loss, divorce, and even failing an exam can also motivate people to disappear. It has been theorized that Japan's harsh work culture in combination with the lack of familial and community support has contributed to the prevalence of this action in Japan. Furthermore, quitting a company is seen as shameful in Japanese culture. Suicide, working to death (karoshi), and becoming Johatsu are thus potential outcomes. Vanishing can also spare the family the high costs that can be associated with suicide (e.g. debts, cleanup fees, and disruption-of service fees in the context of platform jumpers). Similar societal pressures have been theorized relatively high suicide rate. In Japan, the topic of Johatsu is taboo in regular conversation, like the topic of suicide. It has been estimated that 100,000 Japanese people disappear annually.

It came to our attention in a NY Post feature story about a new book on this subject. It turns out that there is an underground industry that helps people vanish from their own lives. A shadow economy has emerged to service those who want never to be found - - who want to make their disappearances look like abductions, their homes look like they have been robbed, no paper trail or financial transactions to track them down. Many lost souls wind up in lost cities of their own making. The city of Sanya, the author writes, is not located on any map. Technically, it does not even exist. It is a slum within Tokyo, one whose name has been erased by authorities. What work can be found here is run by the yakuza, the Japanese mafia, or employers looking for cheap, off-the-books labor. The evaporated live in tiny, squalid hotel rooms, often without Internet or private toilets.

On the flip side, there is a small industry of detectives who are hired to find vanished family members. For a family, it may be as simple as closure (is the person alive or dead?). Or it could be to find the reason why the person ran away. Or it could be to find the person as a means of collecting a debt.

No doubt people can live off the grid, in a cashless society, but in minimal, harsh living conditions. But after 60 years, this choice has become almost institutionalized as the reasons why the people vanished.

cyberbarf

QUICK BYTES CYBERCULTURE

BURN DOWN THE HOUSE. President Trump continues his loathsome executive order streak by proclaiming that burning the US flag is now illegal. This mandate is unconstitutional since clear, historical Supreme Court decisions have found that flag burning is protected speech under the First Amendment. But following the law is not a requirement for the President's DOJ. It tried to criminalize a protester who threw a subway sandwich at federal ICE agent. The grand jury refused to indict the man. There may be still hope in the American justice system.

NOT WHAT YOU ASKED FOR. Republicans were outraged that there is a full-fledged communist running for New York City mayor. It worries the conservative bloc that someone with those anti-capitalism, state controlled, socialism will destroy the USA core capitalism values. But the same voices are silent when President Trump's unilateral tariffs without Congressional approval, trade deals that require US companies to give the government ten percentage of their shares, or federal troops roaming local streets. Aren't those actions more dangerous, socialist or fascist than the farthest left Democrat?

ONCE YOU GO GREEN. Dating a troll will take its toll. “Shrekking” is a new word for age-old behavior that involves settling for a relationship with someone less attractive than you. The trend is based on the idea that a beautiful Princess Fiona took a chance on the green ogre and she had her happily ever after. However, in reality, there is a twist: when you get Shrekked, the person you lowered your standards for still ends up hurting you and not treating you the way you had hoped, according to dating experts. The moral of the story is simple: do not follow Hollywood story lines, create your own.

TV VIEWING. The TV viewing habit numbers are in for July, 2025. Streaming services dominate TV viewing with 47.3 percent. Cable viewing is second at 22.2 percent. Broadcast television is third at 18.4 percent. Other is at 12.1 percent. What is Other? Could it be Internet viewing content on IG, YouTube or TikTok? In any event, all those subscriptions you pay for streaming platforms is paying off for those companies.

cyberbarf

FOUND BUT NOT LOST ON THE INTERNET

We were aware that the deadliest animal in the Midwest is Bambi's family because deer dart across the roads to cause highway speed vehicle collisions. But this map shows the most deadly animal by state. It is interesting that the top human predators are territorial. Some are the usual suspects (sharks, snakes) but what is the deal with moose and feral hogs?

Source: facebook/terriblemaps

Stadium food has gotten into SNS crazy. Weird combinations, messy meals shoulder to shoulder with fans in the soccer stands. But the Danes have developed what they call The French Dog, a hollowed out roll filled with sauces then stuffed with a sausage. Why did the Danes call it French? Is it animosity or envy? Is it the wurst name you could have thought of?

Source: neatorama/X

A Swedish golf course got an idea from professional golf TV broadcasts to put a tracer on a tee box. A tracer shows the direction of a tee shot down the fairway. The result an abstract artwork of amateur golfers. It is hard being a caddy.

Source:facebook/Golf Gods

cyberbarf

THE WHETHER REPORT

cyberbarf

STATUS

Question: Whether the United States power in foreign policy is at an historic low?

* Educated Guess

* Possible

* Probable

* Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

* Doubtful

* Vapor Dream

Question: Whether Trump's executive orders trying to reverse clear constitutional rights will prevail?

* Educated Guess

* Possible

* Probable

* Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

* Doubtful

* Vapor Dream

Question: Whether Trump's tariffs will have a substantial impact on year end holiday shopping budgets?

* Educated Guess

* Possible

* Probable

* Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

* Doubtful

* Vapor Dream

OUR STORE IS STILL UNDER RE-CONSTRUCTION.

THE WAIT IS ALMOST OVER.

APOLOGIES.

LADIES' JAMS

MULTIPLE STYLES-COLORS

PINDERMEDIA.COM STORE!

PRICES TO SUBJECT TO CHANGE

PLEASE REVIEW E-STORE SITE FOR CURRENT SALES