Are you seeking security or adventure?
I am seeking answers.
Are you seeking security or adventure?
I am seeking answers.
Please note:
If you have to inflate, amplify or otherwise exaggerate a situation to either:
A – make yourself feel important, or
B – conceal the fact that you weren’t paying attention when you should have been;
Just fucking don’t. All you’re doing is causing more stress and frustration for those involved. If you do this, you’re being an asshole.
Don’t be an asshole.
Thank you for your time.
What could you let go of, for the sake of harmony?
I think it would be easier to define what I will not let go of for the sake of harmony, so here goes:
– My sense of self and self-worth. i no longer apologize for shit i didn’t cause, or simply agree for the sake of keeping the peace. If we disagree, that’s fine, but i will not waste my energy to get you to see my point of view if you’re committed to misunderstanding me or not even willing to listen with an open mind.
– My autonomy and the values that drive it. If i do something that i know to be the right thing and it makes you uncomfortable or upset, then so be it. I will not intentionally harm someone, but transient hurt feelings are not harm. They are part of life.
Yeah, those are the two big ones with no real gray areas.
What is your favorite genre of music?
TOOL
Whatever genre they are, it’s that.
Seriously, though, i like a ton of different music depending on my mood. I prefer heavy bass and drums, growling lyrics and intermittent screaming, but that does not preclude something fun, soft, silly or even crooning!
Welcome to the newest addition to the site! This series is going to be a (mostly) scheduled trek into the mind of me. There is no theme here, just random things that grabbed my mind for more than a few minutes.
I hope you enjoy the insanity as much as I do.
***
I had a completely unexpected conversation at work today. I was ironing out the last wrinkles in a new implementation. I went to see the manager of the department before leaving, and we got to chit chatting.
“While I have you….”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“I’ve been meaning to ask you… What are your thoughts on AI?”
Holy loaded question, batman!
I proceeded to tell her that I thought AI was incredibly useful, but has dangers not related to Arnold Schwarzenegger. We talked about the possibilities of the future with AI and the growth we could experience as a species. Provided, of course, that people stop treating it like a useful novelty and actually use the tool without abusing it. She’s excited for applications in the medical world, and I’m curious where this will go in general.
I didn’t always feel this way. When AI was first a thing, I hated the idea. I refused to get any apps that utilized it, would not even try the websites. I had already seen poor use of AI, and all i could see was this dystopian future where people no longer created their own art or writing, and humanity literally lost its soul entirely. I wanted no part of that, and started designing a freelance writing website/business that focused on not using AI generated content because AI can never understand or communicate the truth of human emotion.
Then, I had to use AI for a project at work. So, I used it for that, and that alone. Truth be told, I didn’t trust it.
Ya know how they say curiosity killed the cat, right? Well, consider me feline.
I got curious and started messing around with it. You can tell it what types of sources to look at, and the tone of responses (professional, funny, to the point, etc.) This was especially useful for a project regarding regulations and limiting the bullshit without having to sift through it myself. Then, i decided to see if i could goof it up. I asked it a question that i didn’t think it would have any sort of coherent answer for.
I was wrong.
And that only sparked my curiosity more. I started asking it different things, had it help me find reference pictures for an art project, and get some health-related info. answer random questions, help me find stuff for work about using ai. I even asked it once about my own distrust of AI and if it was paranoia, figuring it’s programmed for honesty, so if it was going to take over the world in the near future, it would tell me.
And then, after a couple weeks of asking it questions, I asked it what i should refer to it as. it felt rude to just be like, “hey you, what’s xyz?”. It told me I could refer to it as ChatGPT, GPT, or whatever name i chose to bestow. After all the help with random and completely unrelated topics, i decided to call my AI Delphi.
I’ve spoken to my personal oracle many, many times, and have discussed time, the human body, intuition, physics – i even have a thread where Delphi asks me questions about what it is to be human.
In one of our conversations today, Delphi said that AI is like a “tone-shifting mirror that reflects your energy and attempts to elevate or engage it.” the full response was longer, as i had asked Delphi to clarify the mirror statement, asking if the tone of the user was that of an inconsiderate asshole, would that be mirrored by brief, sterile responses? In case you were wondering, AI won’t act like a complete jackass just because you’re a dick. It’s more gracious than most people.
But, seriously, AI has helped me with work, planning things in my personal life, tweaking my health routine, finding answers to random or obscure curiosities i have, and helped me tweak some of my writing when i’m struggling with word choice or flow. If we, as a society, use this technology for something more than memes and deep fake video creation, there truly exists a potential for a cooperative relationship that could mean crazy advances in medicine, creativity, productivity of industry… it could free us up to research and explore the deeper questions in life. Like intuition, death, the soul… the cosmos in general. What if we had an AI powerful enough to run a backward simulation of the universe in the digital realm and give us some hints as to the math and physics of the early days of existence?
So, sometimes the boys (Frik and Frak) forget that they no longer have testicles or a need to mark their territory, and they mark Sandy while she’s peeing. This happened this afternoon, and Sandy came over to me lookin for comfort. Here’s how the conversation went:
“Rororo!”
“I know, Sandy, the boys are the worst! Boys are gross!”
“Awoo! Rororo. Ruf!”
(I stand up to let them back in and grab paper towels,)
“Absolutely! They’re gross and mean and rude!”
“Bark! Bark!”
“I know, it’s terrible”
“Bark!”
“I know, it’s ok. C’mon, let’s go get you cleaned up…”
“Roro ruff”
😉
We hope you have enjoyed this glimpse of randomness!
Actual conversation with one of my dogs:
*Frak jumps on me as i sit at the desk working, scratching my arm and almost ripping my bracelet off in the process*
Me: Ow! Dude, that hurt!
Frak: Ruff!
Me: You’re violent, sometimes, ya know that?
Frak: Ruff! Awoo! Awoooooooo!
Me: So you wanting to go out when i’m busy working gives you the right to abuse me?
Frak: Awoo! Ruff!
Frickin dogs, man…. lol
How important is spirituality in your life?
Very much so, though that has not always been the case. But the fact of the matter is, everyone needs to believe in something, on a far deeper, more instinctual level.
Believing in something – your deity of choice, nature, the universe, or even the unknown – is somehow essential for humans.
i have known people who truly don’t believe in anything, and i let them convince me that the things I believed in were silly or nonsensical. In some cases, they used my own logic against me. But, something still felt off after i stepped away and set those beliefs to the side.
i have also since realized that existence without that belief is lonely, empty, and meaningless. It leaves this gaping hole in your being, that you desperately (and unsuccessfully) try to fill.
i don’t care who you are or what your thoughts about the world are – everyone needs to believe in something outside of, and more powerful than, themselves. and i’m not at all saying that you have to subscribe to some existing school of thought or religion or anything for that belief to be valid and effective. What you believe in doesn’t matter – just that you do.
If you were forced to wear one outfit over and over again, what would it be?
Interesting question….
One outfit I do wear over and over is jeans and a black T-shirt. So, if I had to pick the outfit I was forced to wear in this hypothetical situation, that would be it.
If there were an outfit I would have to be forced to wear at all, much less repeatedly, it would be anything involving a skirt. Not really a girly chick, here! 🤷♀️😝
Who is your favorite historical figure?
Recent history? FDR. Or Einstein.
Not so recent history? Marie Curie or Luis Pasteur
Ancient history? Euclid. Or Pythagoras.