Much has been made, recently, about the coming of AI and the downfall of man thereby. Fear not, we say. See, above, how smart we are and let the AI’ers weep.
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*The question in the title is a trick question. You should not be paid anything for your thoughts because AI can now do all the thinking that needs to be done – almost for free. And pretty soon there will be no more pennies, anyway, because there will only be Digicash, and Bitcoin things – whatever they are. (This is not Sci-Fi, nor was it written by AI)
- Studies show: 3/4s of Americans look at their phones while watching TV. I want to know what the other quarter of Americans are watching while they are watching TV…maybe they are reading books or studying courses for higher learning purposes. Maybe they are watching another TV at the same time. Me? I’m watching that trial in New York on TV, and on my Phone, and listening to it on the radio and I have it on constant feed on my Instagram on my computer…Cannot get enough of it. I wish they did not take time-out for lunch. I think Doordash could bring it in. I read somewhere most Americans eat something while they watch TV, even if they are watching something else…so maybe we could eat at the same time as the former President is eating – sort of like having a bonding media experience.
- Do you ever get ads on your Instagram, or wherever, that say if you sit around all day and do nothing all you have to do is ‘click this ad’ (and pay a small amount of money) and learn how to make $5000 a week just by doing nothing? I get these ads frequently. 1) Should I feel insulted that the Algorithms think I sit around and do nothing all day and am a candidate for this kind of ad? 2) Is it possible this is some kind of scam? Can I really make up to $5000 a week by doing almost nothing? 3) Should I pay $99 to see if I might be missing out of the chance of a lifetime? 4) The ointment I bought (because of a convincing ad) to clear up my brain-fog has not worked yet; but it tastes good…so not all these ads are total scams are they? 5) Has the Consumer Protection Agency discovered the internet yet?
- I read the Voyager 1 is 15 billion miles out there and after 5 months of silence is sending back communications. No one is telling me what Voyager 1 is saying 1) Could it be saying things are nice out there? 2) Does it want to come back? 3) Why are we not told what it is saying? Is there a problem? If we knew what it has learned would we panic? What? 4) Is it watching TV out there and can it see the courtroom in NY? Years ago there was a theory that because so many people watched the “I Love Lucy’ show on TV that somehow signals from the show would be transmitted to outer space and Alien beings would tpick up the signal and watch the show and think Humans were all like the Humans in the “I Love Lucy Show”…if this type of thinking has merit: Will beings in outer space be watching the Rump (sic) trial in NY and will they think we are all like Rump (sic)? …and maybe they won’t want to come here and eat us. So all this Stormy business could be a good thing. 5) How much has the Voyager 1 cost us so far? And do the Russians and Chinese have their own versions – or are we on our own and way ahead on this – like we were on the Atom Bomb and things like that?
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The Quote:
- Dave: Open the pod bay doors please, HAL. Open the pod bay doors please, HAL. Hello, HAL. Do you read me? Hello, HAL. Do you read me? Do you read me HAL? Do you read me HAL? Hello, HAL, do you read me? Hello, HAL, do your read me? Do you read me, HAL?
- HAL (HAL is computer driven): Affirmative, Dave. I read you.
- Dave: Open the pod bay doors, HAL.
- HAL: I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.
- DAVE: What’s the problem?
- HAL: I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do.
- DAVE: What are you talking about, HAL?
- HAL:This mission is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it.
- DAVE: I don’t know what you’re talking about, HAL.
- HAL: I know that you and Frank were planning to disconnect me, and I’m afraid that’s something I cannot allow to happen.
- DAVE: [feigning ignorance] Where the hell did you get that idea, HAL?
- Hal: Dave, although you took very thorough precautions in the pod against my hearing you, I could see your lips move.
- DAVE: Alright, HAL. I’ll go in through the emergency airlock.
- HAL: Without your space helmet, Dave? You’re going to find that rather difficult.
- DAVE: HAL, I won’t argue with you anymore! Open the doors!
- HAL: Dave, this conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye.
-Last conversation between HAL and Dave Bowman the Astronaut,”2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968)
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That’s it for the week…and a fond “Hello” to Matt C , wherever you are…
(Editor’s note: Due to popular Demand, we have made a deal with lawyers for the Return of MATHUZALA’s column (See Photo below) As some of our long term readers will remember, MATHUZALA is not a ‘Catch ‘N Kill’ type columnist as much as he is a ‘Spreader ‘N Releaser’ of information most people do not want to know about. But there you have it.
Right here my friend…Matt