AI is a Tool...and It is Usable

The Master Control Program is going to destroy us along with help from VIKI and Skynet. Actually, I do not believe this in the slightest. Do I think there will eventually be a world filled with AI programs like this? Sure. However, we also have to consider that as far as we think we can take AI, we will also be able to take the safety protocols that far so that Sarah Conner will remain safe. So then why is everyone so worried about AI to start with? Well, I think it boils down to how people are interpreting what is happening with the technology. Many people think that it is some sort of entity that is going to act like it does in the movies. The truth is actually it is more akin to a new tool that is becoming more and more advanced and useful, which then leads people to want to use it in more ways. That is not necessarily a bad thing, even if some people do inherently have bad things in mind for it. At the end of the day though, one has to think about AI like an electric drill. Before its invention, the only way to drill holes was to wind a spoon shaped knife down into the thing you wanted a hole in. It took a long time and a lot of elbow grease. Then as drill bits got better and the electric motor became a staple, the electric drill was mainstream. Now, and I am reaching here, it can be used as a potential murder weapon. However, this does not make electric drills unusable or somehow a hateful creation that should never be looked at again. They are used to build many wonderful things and that is what we have to focus on while also trying to stop the dangerous ways they can be used. There is also another faction that feels AI is making things too easy for us. However, I can also give great examples of driving cars from place to place instead of walking, or talking on phones instead of sending letters, or even something as simple as using a calculator to add numbers. Imagine the first person to use one of those and how “lazy” he must have seemed. All in all, I feel AI will be a good thing for humanity, but its evolution will follow that of humanity. It will not be a perfect uphill line; it will be many trials and tribulations and many people working on it nonstop to bring it to a sort of “weird science” area where it will still have many flaws but will be the greater part of what helps the world keep moving forward. With any luck we will reach a point where we are using AI as a proper tool while not needing the help of Bruce Boxleitner, Will Smith, or Michael Biehn to keep us safe. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

July is a Wasted Month

Summer is riding right along and with July most of the way done I realize that it has been quite a waste of a month. Think about it: you start the month with a big cookout, or cookouts, and a spending spree on a mess of fireworks. Then there is usually a birthday or two that have some form of outside event, because it is the sunny season, and then you pace through the rest of the month trying not to spend any money or time outside. By the time August arrives, you are more than celebrating National Air Conditioning day because it is tremendously hot and your suntan is now sunburn. I know there is nothing to be done about this. We cannot just skip an entire month, but can we at least acknowledge that it is not as enjoyable as everyone makes it out to be. Let’s be honest, warm weather is nice and it makes it easier to do things outside that we couldn’t during colder seasons, but opening up our pool is not fun, it is a new chore. Next year, I fully intend to plan out my July with Spongebob’s Indoors song in mind. I also fully intend to ignore as much “traditional” July fun as possible. With the exception of ice cream. Because ice cream is great no matter what month it is. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

A Peek Behind the Curtain

Oftentimes when I am working at writing these rambles, it is not as easy as throwing an idea at the wall and then writing about it. Many times, I have to actively try to say something in these, even if all I intend to do is ramble. Most of these rambles are made even harder because talking is easy once a conversation has already started, but I purposefully have to start the conversation with an opening line. Once I get going it is easy enough to just type for a solid 5 minutes and get something down, but that start is very difficult at the best of times. The other 10% of the time I just write until I am tired of typing and then I wait a day and proofread and see if there are any improvements to be made, or if I even want to release the ramble at all. Let’s be honest, not all of them are worth reading, even if they are not necessarily supposed to be completely sensible. To be straight with everyone, I just wanted to give a glimpse into how my process works and maybe that starts a conversation about work in any form. The start, the ongoing processes that keep the work moving, and the struggle to keep coming back. The easiest part is the end. All I have to say is, “But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time,” and I am done.

P.S. See you next time.