Building Castles High
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.
Anxious to clear up my To Do list, I promised myself that I’d stick around the house and work on my various projects rather than take off with one of my Meetup groups.
It was an ambitious plan and I really thought I could pull it off.
But the hours went by, the sun came out and I ended up sitting on a bench in Shore Road Park watching three absolutely adorable children chasing after bubbles.
In my defense, it was a beautiful day, and these kids were just so darn cute, running around every time one of their parents sent out another wave of bubbles.
It didn’t occur to me until later that sitting on a park bench watching children play is a real senior citizen move. And even though I am one, I probably shouldn’t give in to the stereotype.
I got such a lift watching these kids, though, and I marveled at the simplicity of their little game. No computers, no smartphones, and TV. Just a couple of bubble blowers and two loving parents.
I’m getting more fearful of technology. The Writers Guild went on strike last week, so the late-night show content that I normally watch on YouTube most mornings has dried up.
Electric Dreams
One of the issues is the use of ChatGPT, a natural language processing tool driven by AI technology.
Writers fear the program can either severely reduce—and perhaps one day eliminate—the need for human authors.
I’ve heard that the quality of the ChatGPT writing is pretty bad, but that’s just for the moment.
I guess I always thought there would be a place for writers.
No matter how far society advanced, no matter how amazing the technology, I just assumed there would always be a need for somebody who had a way with words.
I really don’t know what else to do with myself if I can’t write. I write for a living, and while my fiction has yet to put money in bank account, it still means a lot to me.
The thought that technology could make me and my ideas obsolete is frightening.
But there were more pressing concerns on this Saturday in the park.
As I watched those beautiful children playing, an armed psychotic shot up a shopping mall in Texas killing 8 people including a married couple and one of their two children.
I can’t keep dedicating entire posts to mass shootings. They happen so frequently now that I don’t know what else to write.
Maybe ChatGPT can come up with something new to say about these weekly slaughters that unscrupulous politicians refuse to address beyond the “thoughts and prayers" line—which has a rather robotic ring to it.
Forever Blowing Bubbles
Our technology may be advancing but humans are regressing. We carry around computers in our pockets, but we can’t go into a mall, a church, or a classroom without worrying that an AR-15 wielding monster might storm the place and shoot us to pieces.
The image that stays with me from this latest rampage is the aerial footage of shoppers emerging from that blood-soaked mall with their hands raised like their prisoners.
It’s emblematic of this country’s surrender to the plague of mass shootings. We have given up.
As I sat on the bench, the oldest the three kids, who was about 4 years old, came running up me in pursuit of a runaway bubble, which popped before he could get to it.
When I smiled, he gave a light tap on the foot with this plastic bubble blower he was carrying. He returned a short time ago with his little brother and gave me two more taps on the foot. I was feeling pretty good.
But now I wonder what the world will be like when these kids grow up.
Will technology reshape how they experience the world, producing art that is untouched by human emotions?
Will their schools and workplaces become fortresses, and will they don body armor as a matter of course?
And will anyone chase after bubbles?
Comments
Yes, I have to be honest: I really enjoyed watching those kids playing. I'll get to the to do list sooner or later.
Take care!
We have been discussing similar concerns with AI in my cartooning community. My take is that AI produces shite work, but nobody cars, since most of everything is shite anyway.
My time at the drawing board with pen scratching on paper is my escape from the internet and the news and the end of the days.
That's the scary thing about AI. It's crap but it's just good enough. People call that stuff that McDonald's "food" because they don't know any better.
Escaping to work on your art sounds like a good plan.
I am confident that you can find other things to write about other than entire posts on mass shootings. You just did that by describing your experience watching those children blowing bubbles. I'm sure there will be others just as pleasant.
Hey, Dorothy!
I can certainly see that you love writing--and I love reading your posts.
I don't think you're missing much in the AI news department. Whatever happens will happen and we'll deal with it the best way we can.
Take care!