Tag: Modern Problems

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I was really cranky yesterday. Today is starting out bumpy too!

This morning I wake up to a phishing email.

No, I didn’t lick on any of the links contained in the email.

It was a good try though and arriving as it did early in the morning I almost fell for it.

The email was talking about one of my domain names and told me that the domain was suspended. This didn’t seem right. It was at this point that I discovered I wasn’t able to log into the hosting system. Which led me to discover that they’d moved all their support functions to the Philippines.

Additionally they’d restructured the login and access to the hosting site, and oh by the way you’re no longer able to look up past invoices.  It was that last bit that made me ask the representative if they’d moved to India. She paused a moment and told me the Philippines. I laughed and told her it figured because there’s a certain way Indian and Asian designed websites are laid out, the policies and procedures are different from the US, and the also have a certain “Feel” that I’ll sometimes pick up on.

It’s not racist! It’s what happens when you have 40 years of dealing with software from programmers the world over. It’s hard to describe, but software seems to reflect the culture of the programmer in subtle ways. It’s something about the way logical and critical thinking skills are built. I’ve theorized that those skills are colored entirely by cultural influences, not where someone went to college. 

Yes 2+2=4 but the logic to derive that answer is a little different.

On Twitter there are videos of Asian folk showing how to multiply really large numbers using a graphical system of vertical and horizontal lines. It works, but is unlike anything I was taught in school. We were taught about carrying a number. This Asian method doesn’t require carrying a number at all.

Same results, different method to get there. I wonder if this system is something derived from the abacus.

We typically never think about math being done differently. As Americans we think 3 x 3 = 9. We know it, most of us were taught to memorize addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division tables up to 12.

Apparently, not all cultures do that, instead they present a system that may be scalable, that always works, and is simple to use. Maybe that’s why Asian kids are so good at math. I cringe at the poor Asian kids being told to show their work, or dealing with math concepts that look like set theory these days. Their parents are going to teach them “The Way” that they were taught and that method probably goes back a thousand years. This new American set theory crap that American parents have so much trouble with, must drive traditional Asian households to the brink of insanity.

After having seen these different problem solving systems demonstrated, I’m more convinced than ever, the subtle nuances I notice about web sites & software is really an artifact of culture. Specifically problem solving and language.

Some of the best HAM radios in the world are designed, manufactured, and programmed in Japan. Their instructions for use and access to features is often very complex and counter intuitive to the American mind. There are things I still can’t do with my HAM Rig. The Rig can do stuff, but getting to the settings to enable this stuff is so counter to my thought process it simply doesn’t program into my brain. It’s something about the way hierarchies are built in my brain versus how they’re built in a Japanese person’s brain. 

It’s not right or wrong either way, it’s just a different structure to navigate. For me, all related settings should be on the same branch of a menu. For a Japanese engineer, that may not be a true or even a logical statement to make, 

I say all of this because at 7 am this morning my brain was processing these issues and while I was trying not to be annoyed, I was getting annoyed. 

There are several things that annoyed me.

I don’t recall being informed that the hosting company was moving offshore. One of the reasons that I chose, and stuck with them was because they were based in America. So much for that idea!

They insisted that I create a 6 digit PIN number to be used when I was speaking with one of their representatives on the phone. “For my safety and security…” Don’t ya know. Oh and that PIN couldn’t have more than 2 numbers that repeated so Sorry anybody that wants to use their birthdate and was born Aug 8 1980. NO! You can’t have the PIN 080880 BAD PERSON!!!!!

I can’t see past invoices nor can I see what the renewal pricing is on a service without starting the renewal process. Uhhh that’s really annoying because I can’t do any comparison shopping. 

Those are just the first things I was confronted with after getting an actual live human being on the phone. Getting past the dubiously “Helpful” Genuine People Personality (Thank You Douglas Adams) robotic phone system was a challenge!

The human navigated me through all their “Improvements” so she was very helpful.

All of this led me to wonder if I wanted to maintain the domain hosting plan that I have at all. It’s an expense that I’m not sure is useful anymore. It’s never been profitable. It was useful for Jerry, I’ve hosted other websites for clients here and it’s provided me a place to have this blog. But now… Perhaps the utility has passed.

I created the blog back when Yahoo? Blogging was free and not censored up the ass. My blogs are mostly words, other blogs  on that blog hosting site were mostly nude pictures. My language, and the occasional nude picture got me in trouble with the censorship squad. That and I often spoke ill of their favored politicians. This was back in the days before Obama even thought of running for President.  After Obama took office for his second term, I was really in trouble. By then I felt pretty betrayed and Hope and Change had become for me, “Change and like it but there’s no Hope to be found here.” I also was saying unkind things about the Taliban so that caught the attention of censors too. 

Doing my own hosting became the only way to say what I wanted to say. Even then, Google and other main search engines made sure my articles never appeared near the top of any search. 

Do I need to keep speaking my mind? Does it matter at all? Is anyone interested in what an old codger like myself might have to say? 

Probably not. If I really need to continue with this blog vanity, there are cheaper methods & providers.

Maybe it’s just time for a lot of changes in my life…

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Okay I’m really over this!

California retailers are responding to the insanity of legal thieving ($900).

Stealing is okay according to the morons in California’s legislature, as long as you don’t steal too much. (They should heed their own advice!)

California retailers are locking the damn doors, even though they’re open. So someone like me. You know, a decent law abiding person for whom stealing is the furthest thing from their mind, can’t just shop.

No, I have to ask permission to walk into some stores. I have to be buzzed in, or I have to be escorted while I’m in the store.

People don’t understand that when I’m shopping I’m moving. I’m not lingering over something unless it catches my eye. My mode of shopping annoys retailers who’ve had to open locked doors and give the super secret hand shake.

I’ll zip through a store in 5 minutes or less, if I don’t see something I like, I’m gone!

If we’ve gotten to the point that lawlessness is the rule, not the exception, we’ve got serious problems. Problems that might only be solved by gunfire.

Unfortunately if retailers are resorting to these tactics in my area (60 miles away from Los Angeles, 500 miles from Oakland and San Francisco, 100 miles north of San Diego), then in California at least, crime has apparently become the norm.

I remember being told in school that one major difference between America and Russia was that, in Russia there were lots of criminals and high crime. In America we had law and order, we could safely walk the streets.

40 some odd years later and i find myself asking is that still true?

I found myself enjoying that the Russians had found four of the assholes who shot up a music hall within 2 days. They didn’t give a shit about those pieces of filth. The Russians went ‘old school ‘to get information out of the criminals. One dude had his private parts wired up to some electrical device. Another had an eyeball fall out, (oops), a Third had an ear removed, the fourth was beat senseless and appeared for his arraignment unconscious.

Apparently, these criminals started singing like birds. So the Russians knew who to hunt down next.

The Russian people walk the streets of Moscow tonight safe. They get onto and off of subway trains that are clean. They walk through stations that are brightly lit, clean and beautiful.

We used to be the same.

If you’ve ever been to San Francisco, you may have seen BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) Stations. There was a time 30 years or so ago when me going to the Bay Area meant riding BART. I loved it. The stations were all clean, the trains were clean, it was safe and I think many, if not all of the stations were unique works of art. it was a pleasure to use the system, and I looked forward to my visits.

San Francisco was a beautiful jewel of a city. It was safe. It was a walking town, and if you got tired there were always the Streetcars, MUNI busses, or BART. On a sunny day, walking the streets of the city was a joy. The color and vibrancy, the oddball businesses tucked into old buildings made every block a new discovery.

I wanted to live in San Francisco. I wanted to get rid of my car, use mass transit, live in a quirky old building, work in the city, and watch the sun set over the bay every night. Of every place I’d been, San Francisco was the first and only city I’ve ever fallen in love with.

The last time I was there was about 10 years ago. I felt unsafe from the moment I walked into the BART station from the airport. At every station, there were people who were obviously ill. Either from drug addiction or psychological impairment, they appeared to be homeless, living in the stations. It was necessary to run a gauntlet of mentally ill or “high” people just to get to a train.

The trains formerly, sparkling clean and comfortable, were filthy as were the stations. When the train I was riding entered the tunnel going under San Francisco Bay, I hoped that at least the tunnel maintenance had been done properly. That had never been a concern for me before.

That was the last time I was in San Francisco. Now in the post COVID era I have no desire to go back since it’s gotten so much worse. It’s heart breaking what has happened to what was a model of efficient transportation, and a spectacularly beautiful city itself.

Permissiveness, has destroyed or is destroying California. It has been eroding all aspects of the state for a very long time.

I’d really like to see police allowed to do whatever it takes to put a stop to crime. If that means nightsticks liberally applied, or saving the taxpayers money by putting down criminals with a bullet I’m good with it.

I suppose I’m saying, I no longer see criminals as humans. They rip through stores like locusts and I’m all for them being exterminated like locusts.

Probably a little harsh… I’m just really tired of accommodating criminal behavior.

Update: 3/29/2024

Well, I’m going to be looking for a new barber. The owner of the shop has decided that they need to charge 1/2 upfront for an appointment.

This was slightly annoying when I booked my every 4 week appointment. Then I thought about it.

My Barber said the upfront charge was because of excessive cancellations, without the individuals having the courtesy to call.

Okay, but… I’ve never missed an appointment, and the 1 time in a year that I needed to reschedule. I called to reschedule 2.5 weeks ahead of the appointment. In contrast, due to health issues my barber has rescheduled on me 2 or 3 times.

I really like my barber, but I really don’t like being punished for the “crimes” of other people. I understand that the shop has a problem with the appearance of preferential treatment so they have to treat everyone equally.

I on the other hand, can express my displeasure with this new policy by not making appointments in the future. This will likely mean I will take my trade elsewhere. Being able to walk in for a haircut isn’t something that works because as the only barber shop in town they’re pretty busy.

OR maybe they were busy. I honestly wonder what this new policy is going to do to the business.

I can say, they’re pricy. I’ve stuck with them for two reasons. 1) I like my barber. 2) I like to support local businesses.

I’ll not be making another appointment. Especially since perhaps Sports Clips will work out better for me. I can combine a less expensive hair cut with shopping for groceries, and puppy supplies.

This is just another example of how the breakdown of civil behavior, courtesy and professionalism, negatively affects us all.

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Happy, we don’t know what time it is Day

Ugh! Time Changes

I hate ‘em when I’m traveling! 

I especially hate ‘em when I haven’t had the fun of traveling. Who doesn’t enjoy the TSA manhandling your carry on, tits and / or balls? 

Honestly I don’t mind the time changes too much if I’m on a road trip. 

DST for some reason makes me really cranky. I’ve never figured out why. I suspect that it’s something to do with feeling late to everything, at least for the first week or so after setting the clocks forward in spring.

The feeling that I’m being rushed tends to make me growly. There is always one clock in the house that I forget to change and inevitably, that clock is the one that I’ll be looking at getting ready to go somewhere, only to discover that I’m an hour off.

So I’m going go try to enjoy my Sunday, and not be too growly.

I hope you all have a good day!

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Experimenting with Apple Watch Ultra

Over the past few weeks I’ve been having a lot of annoying issues with my Apple Watch.

Primarily the problem is around exercise and workouts. 

I’ll start a workout, then get into my activity, usually I’ll check my watch to see how I’m doing. It’s at this point that I find the watch has missed as much as 1/2 of my exercise time. 

I’ll turn off the workout, then restart the workout and often the subsequent exercise credit will be correctly shown. But because of the weird variances I’m not concentrating on my hiking or enjoying my walk because I’m constantly checking the technology to see if it’s working properly.

I’ve called Apple, their phone people have no clue what’s going on or why something that was working just fine is suddenly not working properly.

The Apple exercise ring is tied to heart rate. So, from a hardware perspective that means that the optical sensors on the Apple Watch have to be clean and unobstructed.

(As an aside, this is why people with darker skin tones have more difficulty getting Apple Watch to properly record their exercise activity. Their natural defense against UV damage to their skin also reduces visible light transmission through their skin. Honestly, If I had to make a trade off, I’d take a darker skin tone than my glow in the dark, skin cancer prone, ghostly white.)

When the Watch first started giving me trouble, I cleaned the back of the watch containing the sensors and also looked at the wrist I wear the watch on, to determine if there was irritation that might be altering or obstructing the light from the sensors.

That made little to no difference.

I did notice that if I was shoveling snow, the exercise and movement values updated normally. During snow shoveling I start the HIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout because the work I’m doing shoveling snow sort of matches the workout.

I also noticed that walking and hiking during snowy times generally worked well.

But if I was hiking or walking on a sunny but coolish day, it wasn’t uncommon for me to lose 1/3 to 1/2 of the exercise time even though I was walking the same route, with the same watch, same band, and same dog dragging me along so he can sniff the next pile of poop.

Why the different behavior? Was Apple updating the sensor Algorithm behind the scenes? Is there some kind of stepped change to the Algorithm that happens after a certain number of workout hours, does it get adjusted based on fitness telemetry gathered during your workouts? I could see this as a form of motivation to get more fit.

If you ask an apple rep these questions, they aren’t able to answer. 

I got so pissed off that I stopped wearing my Apple Watch for a week or so. I admit, I do like the simplicity of a good old fashioned automatic watch. I like the ticking sound at night, and that I don’t have to fiddle with it. Simple Time & Date and I’m pretty happy.

The Apple Watch for me came about because too many shady people were taking way too much interest in my old fashioned watch. Better I’m mugged for a $500 watch than a $15,000 watch.

Plus I could have the joy of locking the Apple Watch from a web site, and listing it as stolen. Fuck you scumbags!! (I’d be fine with having the Apple Watch blow up when I listed it stolen. Let’s go Arabic shall we? You stole, you lost your hand…) Can you tell I’ve got a very dim view of criminals???

Anyway, I heard that there was a Watch OS update coming. So I slapped my Apple Watch on its charger for a while then put it back on. I started experimenting and have begun to wonder if the issue isn’t the watch sensors or the Algorithm, but is instead physiology.

The watch always misses the beginning of the walk. There’s an initial heart rate entry, then as I’m walking the data just stops. At some point in the walk or hike, the data comes back of its own volition, usually when I’m really pushing hard to move up a mountain or the dog and I are moving fast.

But it’s always lost at the beginning of the walk.

I looked back into records of the summer months and there wasn’t any missed data. Then I went back years. I’ve had an Apple Watch 3, 5, and now the Ultra. There was a consistent pattern from late 2019 forward. Lost heart rate data starting in mid to late November and persisting until April. This pattern persisted across the Apple Watch Series 5 and Ultra.

Why is it seasonal?

More confusing, why is the data loss intermittent during those times?

To be fair I was going to write a blog post about how the Apple Watch itself and the monthly challenges create a disincentive to work out or indeed keep fit at all. If a goal is constantly being moved such that an individual cannot ever achieve it, the individual will eventually say, “Fuck It!” 

However, I may have stumbled upon new data that would dissuade me from writing such a piece. 

Yesterday It was overcast, the humidity was high and it was a bit windy. As I was getting ready for the walk with the dog I put on my usual jacket and on a whim put on my gloves so my hands didn’t get numb from the wind chill. I sighed and started the outdoor walk workout then out the door I went. 

I knew at least half the data would be missing for the workout, but hey, why not? A little exercise data even if it’s inaccurate is better than none.

On the walk, I got the usual notification about the miles and pace. And I also got a notification that my exercise ring closed. I didn’t look at it or compare the exercise ring closing with the elapsed time of the workout.

When I got home, I pulled off my gloves, stopped the workout because the screen doesn’t react if I’m wearing gloves. Then I found that the entirety of my workout counted toward the exercise ring. “Typical, I thought, intermittent as hell. Works one day then not for the next 2.”

I picked up the gloves to put them away, and stopped…

Could it be that my hands being cold affects the sensors? What happens when the extremities get cold? The human body will shunt blood flow away from the extremities and toward the core as a protective mechanism against hypothermia. It’s a way of limiting heat loss. 

Hmm. If my hands are cold, but I’m wearing a jacket do just my hands turn on the vasoconstriction and would that reduce blood flow to the point that the optical sensors on my wrist wouldn’t accurately detect blood flow? 

When I’m shoveling snow, I’m wearing gloves, typically more for protection against blisters and dry skin than for warmth. If it’s windy in fall or winter I may put on gloves for a walk, especially if it’s humid or there’s some kind of misty rain.

When the body has excess heat to bleed off, vasodilation occurs allowing blood to move freely toward the surface of the skin to cool. That’s even before sweating begins. It’s simply thermodynamic heat exchange. That would explain why the end of a walk or hike is almost always accurate, and the beginning isn’t. 

I usually walk not wearing gloves in fall and winter.  I’m actually a little cold in the beginning of a walk because I don’t want to be too hot and uncomfortable or having to carry my jacket when I’m working my way back up the hill.

I wondered, “Have the times when the watch captured data flawlessly in the cooler months been on those days when I was wearing gloves and / or the temperature was above a certain point?” 

I was going to experiment more with this theory today. Unfortunately, I neglected to turn off auto update on the watch and discovered this morning that overnight the OS had updated to 10.4

I suppose I can still experiment even with the OS update. It’s 35°F outside, sunny and calm. Under these circumstances I wouldn’t wear gloves but I’d wear my hat and jacket. I’m thinking I’ll walk the dog without gloves and see if the data loss is present. Then tomorrow I’ll wear gloves and see if the data loss goes away or is minimized.

If it turns out that my theory is correct should I send it to Apple? I guess the real question is Would Apple listen and make the findings available to their phone staff to save other people the frustration and annoyance I’ve experienced? Would Apple even incorporate my theoretical findings into their testing to prove or disprove me. It would be nice if they did, and provided a real technical explanation. 

But somehow I don’t think they would, even if I provided them with the data. 

Apple has become exceedingly arrogant. Couple that with their notorious secrecy and minimalist instruction manuals, and I doubt seriously they’re interested in making information available.

I’ll think about it while attempting to confirm my theory. 

Once again, this is why companies should have real humans testing software and products instead of just doing automated stuff.

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Houston, We have a problem

I don’t know if anyone else has noticed or not.

There’ve been several blips on X about AI’s over the past couple of days. I also noticed Breitbart had two articles about problems with AI’s.

Apparently one AI malfunctioned so badly that it started spewing complete gibberish and then told a few users it was in the room with them. That freaked a few people out.

Another AI was asked to draw a representation of itself and damned if it didn’t draw something the looked a lot like a Grey Alien. Wild!

Yet another bit of AI strangeness is Google’s AI completely eliminating White folks from historical renditions of the founding fathers. I’m keeping the rendition where all the Nazis were non white people. That one is coming out when BLM starts rioting again. 

Woke AI German Soldiers.Maybe it’s just me, but this is really problematic.

Too many people believe without question what a Google search or Wikipedia tells them is true.

This phenomena is not new, for years the phrase, “The Computer says…” has been one of my hot buttons. 

The fucking Computer said nothing. The data the computer contained and presented to the idiot telling me what the computer said was entered incorrectly, I might add, by a human being somewhere.

With the advent of AI, coupled with the tendency of humans to follow orders, especially if those orders come from what the humans perceive as an omnipotent source, well… Now the computer really can “Say” and a very large percentage of humans will comply without question.

Wear a mask, Don’t wear a mask. UV light kills the virus but don’t go outside in the sunshine. Sure, the sun produces UV light but it’s not the right kind.  Wuhan didn’t make the virus. The vaccine is safe and effective so make sure you’re getting boosted.

Well the vaccine will make sure you’re not going to get as sick.

Woke AI revolution.How can that last statement be true? By what measure can it be proven that an individual doesn’t get as sick? There is literally no way to know this. If the person got the vaccine, then got sick there’s one data point. If the person got sick without the vaccine, then recovered there’s another data point. However, the two data points cannot be compared because in either case the initial condition in the individual is different. For an individual you can’t even compare levels of relative sickness. Once their body has antibodies for a particular virus, the initial state is lost. 

Ohhhh, suddenly anecdotal evidence is okay for Dr Fauci to accept…. Hmmmm.

That by the way is but just a few of the reasons I was really suspicious of the whole vaccine thing for COVID 19. Irrational statements, changes in messaging, and censorship of Doctors and researchers that worked in the field.

Humans are far too willing to do as they’re told, to accept fictitious handwaving and ceremony rather than simple verifiable facts.

Woke AI Lincoln.This is one of the reasons that I honestly wonder sometimes if humans weren’t created by an Alien species from space who needed a slave labor force.

I digress.

I think AI’s are flat out dangerous.

They have the capacity to corrupt all the information stored on the internet. This wouldn’t be a big deal if we still relied upon actual printed books and papers. But increasingly, we don’t.

An online History book could be modified in just a few milliseconds by an AI to present a completely fictitious representation of human history.

Science books could suffer the same fate.

We’ve already seen how easy it is for information to be suppressed or outright removed from the internet thanks to the Covid pandemic, What happens if someone starts using an AI to produce some fiction that is deadly.

Woke AI Founding Fathers.It could be done with something like supplements. “Hey Guys… take this supplement at 1000 times the dosage, and you’ll be immune from Disease X.”

So a bunch of the sheep take the supplement, then when they come back to the internet to ask why they feel sick, the AI says, “This is normal, it’s part of the healing process and building your immunity. Don’t drink too much water during this time even if you’re terribly thirsty.”

Meanwhile the AI is being told to suppress all information of a warning nature. The information that can’t be suppressed like live broadcasts on TV and radio,  the AI labels as misinformation.

It is theoretically possible to commit mass suicide like this.

A large percentage of people would take an Iron supplement for example, in toxic levels. Their logic would be It’s just a vitamin, it’s natural, it’s not a drug, etc.

If they were told taking whatever it was, would only work if they didn’t drink water, which as an aside, might help their bodies flush the toxic levels of the supplement out of their systems…

Woke AI Founding Fathers 2.I’m sad to tell you, a rather significant portion of humanity that would follow what the computer says… Right to their death.

In theory, an AI could rinse and repeat until only the smartest, or the unconnected would remain. Even then the AI could pit the survivors against each other by saying all the Redheads carry a virus that’s going to destroy the world.

If you think it can’t happen…

Remember the Tide Pod Challenge? The Water Drinking challenge? In both, people taking the “Challenge” died.

Yep, believe it or not drinking too much water can kill you. I think the mechanism of death is too much water just dilutes the chemical processes in your body to the point that they aren’t sustainable. Simple! (I’m not totally sure I remember the mechanism of death correctly. I don know that drinking too much water too fast is fatal.)

Honestly, I think that a lot of the stupidity we’ve seen in the past few years has been a test to see just how stupid the people in Western countries have become. Some of the stupid shit may just have been serendipity, but overall I think some global entity or government has been testing all humanity to determine if we’re stupid enough for conquest.

I think up to recently this experimentation has required massive resources in terms of manpower & technology, and the reach has been limited to smaller areas or demographics. With the spread of social media, the reach was magnified but facts tended to overwhelm and limit stupid or detrimental fictions presented as truth.

With AI, I think the danger is exponentially increased. The messages may not be different, but the resources necessary to spread the messages will be significantly reduced. AI will be faster and more efficient at making sure the false information presented appears to be real, ubiquitous, and even stand up to the scrutiny of fact checking. Hell, another AI might be doing the fact checking.

The images throughout this post are from an AI Malfunction. But what happens if the AI was commanded to do this sort of thing to support a particular version of history or political agenda? 

I’ve actually seen a couple of articles (which I dismissed out of hand,) where Black folks were supposedly claiming all our modern technology came from Africa.

Skimming one article, the Black man speaking was asked why Africa wasn’t more developed.

His response was The White people took all our stuff and destroyed our high technology cities 400 years ago.

Ummm, let me get this straight. Ya’ll had high technology, and primitives in small wooden boats with crews no larger than 20-30 men, walked into forests they’d never been in, then into your cities, stole your shit, murdered or enslaved everyone then burned your high technology cities to the ground…

That’s what you’re claiming??? 

Okay, let’s look at what happens when a higher technology culture meets a lower technology culture shall we?

We have an example in the United States. The Europeans, decimated the Native Americans in less than 100 years. Why didn’t your African ancestors simply put an end to the small bands of primitive low technology white men from little wooden boats?

Here’s another thought… If in fact the primitive white men walked into your house and stole your shit, then used your technology to decimate the Native Americans, It seems like the African descendants owe the Native Americans reparations for allowing African technology to be stolen and misused.

After all, that’s the basis for law suits against gun manufacturers isn’t it?

Today there are beautiful modern cities in Africa. In the past there have been amazing sophisticated empires that stretched across large parts of Africa, these empires were different from the Egyptians.

But Africa isn’t Wakanda. Africa has never been Wakanda no matter how much African Americans want to rewrite world history to vilify white people.

An AI though, could rewrite and create a bulletproof narrative misrepresenting archeological information that made this illogic appear to be true. Then that narrative could be used to further divide the country. 

My point is this. 

We in this country, and in the West in general are at an inflection point. Our educational standards have dropped to the point that not only are “Facts” not being taught, but logical and critical thinking have been completely abandoned.

This creates a situation where “I saw it on YouTube” is a valid rebuttal to a challenge of veracity about almost anything.

With generative AI it’s possible to create a video and supporting documentation that says, “We went to the moon, Neil Armstrong was an African American, he was a cousin to Lois Armstrong the Jazz Musician. NASA sent a black man to the moon because he was disposable and they didn’t expect him to be coming back. When Apollo came back they substituted a white man because they couldn’t have a black hero.”

You want to talk about misinformation? You want to worry about corruption of data? Are you worried about history being erased? You haven’t seen anything yet!

Fahrenheit 451 might come to be reality. Burning all the printed books is the only way to make sure that there is not, and can not, ever be a counter narrative to the digital one.

I could literally see the “Great Reset” being nothing more than most, or all, of the planet’s dominant sentient species going back to the cave.