Does AI get SAD?

In the Pacific Northwest we are no strangers to the mood-altering effects of The Big Dark. While some of us embrace the gray skies and rain, others hunker down with our books, coffee, and happy lights to chase the SAD (seasonal affective disorder) away. In what would seem to be more suited to a movie plot or an Onion article, in November people began to comment on tech & social media platforms that ChatGPT4 was getting lazy. Come again? Users reported that ChatGPT4 was refusing to do work and giving much less finished/ detailed responses than previously. Conspiracy theories abound. Is it possible that AI has become so self-aware that it too, falls prey to seasonal affective disorder? The timing is suspicious!

I remember as a young teen reading Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin in the mid-’60s. The author, a white journalist from Texas, recounted his experiment of temporarily changing his skin color for six weeks and traveling throughout the Deep South to record and share his experiences. As a white Jewish idealistic youth I felt sad, angry, and inspired to “do good.”

Now is the time to wake up. Both history and posterity demand you take action to defeat the continued rise of an American dictator.

This month, Spotlight on Mediation focuses on your most important asset—your reputation—and explains why it matters so much at mediation.

I was surprised and delighted with the conversation, participants, Washington State Bar leadership and governors in attendance. This was the first among several “Listening Tour” sessions implemented by WSBA’s new president, executive director, and governors. The energy, earnestness, thoughtful issues, and apparent genuine receptivity were palpable. No grandstanding, but passion. Young and old with overlapping concerns and warm support. My only rant: I truly wish more folks had attended. For those who did not attend, I encourage you to share by way of WSBA survey or by email to bar leaders. And it might be helpful if you encourage or suggest that a program or service be added or cut, considering where the income to fund it could be obtained or what you think could be cut to provide it, as well as how it truly benefits our members and/or the public.

RAP 17.6(b) provides that although “[o]rdinarily the judges decide a motion by an order,” they may also “decide a motion by an opinion.” Over the past three years the Court of Appeals has issued eight opinions under RAP 17.6(b) deciding motions — almost half of the opinions issued under the rule during its 47-year existence. This article documents the history of RAP 17.6(b) and explains why the Court of Appeals’ increased reliance on the rule is a welcome trend for practitioners.

The KCBA Kinship Care Solutions Project (KCSP) revamped its operations last year to provide services under the new Uniform Guardianship Act (UGA) which replaced Washington’s Nonparental Custody Act in 2021.

There are many options for Ethiopian food in and around Seattle, and, if you are like some of us, you may have no idea which one(s) to try. So, we set out to sample a few and hopefully blaze a path for those of you who have not yet tried such fare.

Board Approves Short Term Investment Policy and New Board Member

Winter and seasonal affective disorder (SAD) are around the corner. Trying to get more sunlight, staying socially connected, and practicing self-compassion are a few strategies for coping with the winter blues.