FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Tobi]

There's a lot of discussion about Artificial Intelligence these days. A friend of mine - she is mineral collector, artist, photographer and software specialist - introduced me into the A.I based creation of mineral images. Here are some of the images that the A.I. created for us when we entered some specifications just for fun:

[Carles Millan]

No need to attend mineral fairs anymore...

[Roger Warin]

As with wine, I prefer the naturalness of the terroir.
The calculator has destroyed our mental calculation, artificial intelligence will destroy ours. But it could be an excellent tool in the best of worlds!

[alfredo]

AI-generated stories, college essays, "news", art, and now "mineral" photos... the most stupid thing ever invented by the human race. Please do not encourage it by posting these kinds of pictures.

[James Catmur]

Alfredo, it is just a new toy and people will play with it. There is little we can do to halt the tide, but once they have played I hope it will calm down.

[alfredo]

I'm just wondering how long it will be before some robot registers on Mindat and starts adding imaginary localities and imaginary mineral photos to the database? Within a year, I bet. Humanity is doomed. ;))

[Roger Warin]

Hi,
About the crystal support matrix.
This topic is somewhat off topic. However, the notion of the support (the matrix) intervenes.
In a glass bottle, the cork is the only support for the appearance of organic crystal seeds.
In a glass bottle, the stopper is the only support for the occurrence of crystalline germs.
When the young wine is aged in the cellar, the lees are deposited and at the same time, tartar crystals appear only on contact with the cork, which by its roughness and its cellulosic nature is a favorable ground for inducing the appearance of crystalline germs from various organic salts including acidic K tartrates or sodium-potassium tartrate. Already in the old processes, chemical manipulations intervened to clarify and stabilize the wines.
These tartrates have a very weak crystalline symmetry, either triclinic or monoclinic. Today, chemists control winemaking… there are no more sodium-potassium tartar crystals.
Because of the chemists who control everything, I never found crystals again.
Yet I still open bottles...

[alfredo]

Roger, I still occasionally find tartrate crystals on corks. I don't think that is under the control of the chemists, but rather it depends on the storage conditions. Perhaps it precipitates when the storage conditions are too cold?

[Roger Warin]

Alfredo,
Winemaking techniques have improved. It is no longer necessary to wait 5 or 10 years to taste a drinkable wine.
Chemists in France have corrected winemaking methods, I think.
It is not artificial intelligence, it is an economic subject.
And then many synthetic corks are no longer crystallization sites!

[James Catmur]

Sadly, it seems many human already do imaginary localities, either to match incorrect labels or to hide the true source of new material. The AI will have to catch up.

[lluis]

Hi, Roger

I am a chemist. And, sadly for us, we DO NOT control,nothing. Just our areas of work (some batter, some, well, ehem..., less...)
Tartrates in corks are just evolution of wines... If a chemist needs to put hands in wine, well, again "ehem.....", it is not wine.
Chemistry is around in all places, but chemists, by our own sorrow, we are not those wizards... (or warlocks, as anyone wish)

Anyway, best regards from a member of a very bad said community (that is good, it has chemistry. How many times heard? ... and just a lie, chemistry is there... Maybe not chemists, but by sure chemistry

Lluís

[Roger Warin]

Luis,
I have great respect for chemists. They are the ones who can provide a solution to the various pollutions. I am obviously a (old) chemist and chemistry made me happy!
Just look at the current evolution of batteries. The chemist is employed by the wine industry to improve winemaking yields and avoid side reactions that tarnish the quality of wine.
In France, there are university services for the study of wine. It is no longer an empirical science in some respects.
Currently, I'm writing a paper on the Irons and why of the Widmanstätten patterns. Obviously, I am not making this up, but I am trying to explain to our local audience the extraterrestrial origin of these bands.
The classification of irons is complex. Exsolutions are often called upon to explain.
In “natural” wine, there are also exsolutions of impurities such as tartrates and wine lees. And as in mineralogy, the choice of growth site for the seed crystal depends on its affinities. Here the tartrate lands on the cork, especially when it was still in cork!
But my conclusion is the following, red wine is good for your health because it contains antioxidants, including resveratrol, a polyphenol. With moderation says the Minister of Health!