Can I Get There From Here?

Ah... the good olde days. I miss them - some times more than others.  They were the days of being able to walk at night or across a parking lot without feeling like you have a target painted on your back ... or the days of leaving home without locking doors or not thinking twice before falling asleep with the windows open. Those were the days when no one canceled you for a political opinion with which they disagreed or uninvited you from a gathering because of a personal belief. A list of these easier times could go on and on. Times have changed for sure. I think it is sad ... on more than one level. 

I notice this phenomenon as well in the topics of this blog.  I miss writing about the simple things -- a mouse in the house, being a klutz, or things like a spring-cleaning faux pas, or the "fun" that Grandkids bring to one's life.  It seems that, more and more, serious topics pop up that I feel I need to write about -- things like patriotism,  supporting the American way of life,  preserving values.  Thinking and writing about such topics is tiring and not nearly as fun. Yet the feeling that something needs to be said overrides other, lighter topics. Sometimes I simply cannot keep silent and live with my conscience.   The phrase "sitting idly by" comes to mind (Martin Luther King, Jr.)

I do search for lighter, more fun topics, and then something pops up like the DSA list of must-dos.  Sometimes it is just plain hard to escape.  It's exhausting. In the past, one reader told me that she liked my blog better when it was less serious.  I responded honestly that I did too.  That she disagreed with me on every political topic I touched may have had something to do with her disappointment in my writing and may also have been a part of her complaint.  Nevertheless, I agree -- lighter, funnier topics are preferred.  

Sometimes it is just hard to get there. I love that expression that may or may not have originated in Maine -- "You can't get there from here".   I hope that someday soon I will be able to turn back to the lighter, more fun topics -- at least once in a while.  Can I get there from here?  I know that there are a lot of fun and positive things going on in the world.  Maybe I just need to shift gears somehow or look out of a different window.  Or -- perhaps I need a break.  We will see.

I don't thank you often enough for reading this blog.  Thank you ... most sincerely.

Protect The American Dream

The Democrat Socialists of America are in the news big time. They are not what they claim to be- -- not what they would want you to think.  Watch them very carefully.  What it comes down to is that they are the killers of the American Dream. You work; they take.

Don't know about you, but I, for one, am not going to sit silently by and watch the extreme left as they attempt to take over our country and gain control over hard-working people who strive every day to make a better life for those they love.  These are the people who have earned everything they have.  Now the far left wants to take what these productive Americans have earned because, for some reason, they feel they deserve to have what they have not worked for themselves.  Up close, at least to me, the "leaders" of this "movement" appear to be a bunch of leftist spoiled brat elites who are used to having things given to them - things that they obviously have not earned themselves.  They are takers in the worst sense of the word. They will make your world dangerous.

This "taking" is socialism verging perhaps on outright communism.  It is taking from those who have worked primarily to enhance the lives of a few elite. (They don't say this, of course.  They say the opposite. They will blatantly lie to your face.)  They will say they are working to help you ...  until they get into positions of power.  Then watch out.  You end up with rich leadership driving everyone else into poverty and ... taking away most of what those not in power have built in a lifetime and ...  their freedoms as well.  Look at history, please.  Socialism has never worked -- has never turned out to be what it professes to be. 

Today's Democrat Socialists do not have your best interests at heart -- only their own.  They love the power and the wealth.  Not only will they take what you have earned, but they will also take away any ways that you have to protect yourself and those you love... including your guns. At the same time that they are taxing you into oblivion and taking away the only protection you might have, they will open the prison doors and defund or seriously weaken police departments. Some of these Democratic Socialists come right out and say this is what they will do.  They even go so far as to explain their plans to dismantle the entire government. Others sort of hem and haw about it.  Also, please note that, all the while, they travel with their own private "security details" -- you know... because they are special. They are drooling, power-hungry, sneaky, lying individuals.  Need proof? Just look at what is happening in NYC, LA, and across the country, where socialists have come to power. It's not good.  It's not what they said it would be. Look behind their smiles.

Please do your research. Spread the word. It matters even if you only get one person to see what is happening. If they share with one other person and that person shares....  You understand the process.   Awareness is key.  Then get out and vote against the Democrat Socialists. Don't allow them to ruin the greatest nation in the world, for along with that go your own personal freedoms ... not to mention everything you have worked for. One vote at a time can save America.  Please let it be yours. 

Vote while you still have that option. Let the American Dream continue.  Seeing others work hard and succeed is the path to more dreams coming true. If you see that working hard pays off, you know that your hard work will also pay off. You see the possibilities of the American Dream.

Mixed Bag

In my experience, people tend not to talk about the advantages of being "older".  I love to have this conversation. It doesn't happen nearly enough, even though it sure beats talking about aches and pains; that's for sure.  There are definitely some nice things that come with being a senior citizen.  You sort of learn to take the good with the not-so-good. I like to emphasize the good stuff. At some point, I will write about that specifically.  But ... for now ....

If you are about my age, you will understand the following. By the time one becomes a septuagenarian, one has learned a bit about how fragile life is, about how fast it can change, about coincidences, and about how the small things may turn out to be the most wonderful or terrible bits of one's life. One single moment can last a lifetime. Some are beyond wonderful. Others -- cloud and hang on.

Was reading a Fredrik Backman book recently entitled My Friends.  I have read several of his books -- always find them thought-provoking. There is a lot to think about in this one. Think I may have even written about this particular book before. Anyway ... in this one, Backman writes at one point about Heaven.  One of the characters speculates that an eternity of one moment in life when a person felt really good is what your Heaven will be.  Got me to thinking -- is it possible to pick that one moment in an entire lifetime that felt the best... a moment of a feeling of joy that you would want to last an eternity?  I just don't know. I have many wonderful moments to consider.  Hope you do as well.

Sometimes, though, I wonder if the bad memories do come in stronger than the good ones.  Those are the moments when you fought back tears because you knew if you let them start, they would never stop.  (Backman wrote about that as well.) We have all been there.  Thinking back on those dark times, I think that, if possible, it is most important to remember those other moments -- the ones of unbounded joy. Hopefully the light can drive out the dark.

This contrasting mix of light and dark - of happiness and sadness - is a part of living that is hard for me to describe.  I am no Fredrik Backman. No doubt about it.  Life is not dull ... a mixed bag for certain.

Camper Robots

 

Perhaps we each have our own favorite "things" to do. I think, though, that there are many Interests that have become subcultures.  It’s like people who go to soccer games half way around the world, or devoted NASCAR fans, or people who travel long distances for antique car shows.  They probably think I am a boring person because I like to stay at home. Then again I am a Jeep Wrangler person - at least for now. Jeepers are definitely a subculture -- we even have our own wave and share ducks. Another case in point ... campers. I have a good friend who camps in a small camper almost every weekend on a nearby lake. She and her husband have “camper” friends during the summer weekends and so look forward to the comradery.  It’s their thing.  They share food and campfires, etc.  I think I would like the food and the fire-side chats ...  although ... I would have to adjust to staying up later. I would not, however, like doing all the normal chores in a smaller space.  

On a different level of camping, it looks to me like some of the World Cup Soccer people from other countries rented those huge RVs to travel across the US from place to place.  I follow one of them on FaceBook who has been here for two months – loving every minute – he and his wife even rescued a dog that was abandoned along the roadside.  They now plan/hope to move to the US of A because the UK has become so socialist and sad… not to mention specifically the lack of freedoms -- like being sent to jail for what you say online.  Anyway -- they have experienced America in what I think of as a traveling house.  Amazing.  Wonder if he knew how to drive on the right side of the road before coming here and if he knew how to back up in one of those? I don’t even like backing up my driveway from the mailbox. I simply cannot imagine driving in reverse in any type of camper – trailer kind or traveling house kind.  Yikes.  (I have always secretly admired those who manage driving semi tractor trailer trucks, large construction and farm equipment, and ... bus drivers. They are awesome.)

Anyway --  I don't want to tow or drive any kind of camper, but it is fun to think about. Maybe if I had a robot to clean the camper and do the driving and cooking.... Hmm ... camper robots... bet they could figure out how to park a camper no matter what size -- and even how to drive it in reverse if necessary.   Now that is an interesting idea.  Someone should mention that to Elon. Oh wait -- I  bet he already thought of it. Then again -- robots of any sort are sort of creepy.  Don't think I would want to share a camper with one even if I could throw a sheet over it at night or put it into a camper robot closet and keep it there except when needed.  (If there were such a thing as a camper robot closet, mine would have a strong lock on the door.  Just sayin'.)

Shadow Profiling

 

Guess what I have been learning about?  

Talking about a Yeti backpack near a phone on one day and finding ads for one on Facebook (Meta) the next?   Shadow Profiling

Discovering that your Echo Dot or Alexa recorded a private conversation that you were having with someone at your kitchen table?   Shadow Profiling

Visiting a website only to find other links to what you were looking for pop up in your texts?  Shadow Profiling

Email from Amazon "You've got deals!"  Shadow Profiling

Someone you know being denied access to Facebook perhaps because they have the same name or email address of someone else who was thrown off/blocked from that platform. Why?   Shadow Profiling

Shadow Profiling is everywhere.  It builds a file on you without you even knowing it ... even if you clear your search history. One article I read, said that large data collection agencies may know more about you than you do yourself and are projecting what you will probably purchase, where you may vacation, what you worry about or find interesting, etc. They then sell that information to companies who then target their ads toward your interests and concerns. And  -- perhaps  that is not the scariest part.

As far as I can tell Shadow Profiling began with Facebook., but now who knows how many other companies are doing it?  Apparently it has been big business for a long time.  (As usual I am behind a bit.) "Meta's advertising data infrastructure has become the most sophisticated surveillance system in human history" according to a TIAMAT article I read that was posted last March.  But -- you don't even have to be on Facebook to have your information gathered and shared.  If you are even in a photo that someone posts,  facial recognition has captured you and is inferring things about your activities and relationships from the photo. Meta is building a file and spreading/selling your information. All of this -- plus -- cameras are everywhere.

Then again, if you are actually on Meta, the thing is that this is not just information gathered from what you post, like, tag, etc., it is also information from other sources including legal, health and financial .. information that you assumed was protected when you accessed them through an app, for example.   

Further - the more one interacts with AI, the more your Shadow Profile expands.  Unless you become an "off-grid hermit" there doesn't seem to be anything you can do about it.  Most of the information is benign, but still....  It appears that the best we can do is follow and support legislation on how and when companies can gather and share our personal information.  That and carefully read Privacy Policies and not agree to anything that makes you edgy. If the site asks me if it can track, my answer is no - always.  Not even sure that makes a difference.  Scary.

Fortunately there are companies now that are at work to make your privacy a part of the "architecture of their infrastructure" -- to empower you to protect your privacy and all data.  No one makes it easy for you to figure this all out however.  Who do you trust?

In some ways this lack of privacy has become who we are.  It crept in ... slowly... while we were unaware that it was even there  -- sort of like the socialist candidates in the Democrat party are creeping into power throughout the country. Some of them pretend to be one thing and turn out to be another. It's deceptive.  Personally I am totally uncomfortable with both Shadow Profiling and Socialist Democrats.

Time to pay attention on more than one front. It's a lot.

Chat GPT on Me

 

Back to Chat GPT one final time....  I typed in:  What is the blog  "From Pencil Box to Keyboard" by Nan Mick all about?  Actually I asked that question in two different ways. One Chat GPT result  (the one I like best of the two it offered before I could take a my next breath) is ...

...the blog is best described as a celebration of curiosity, creativity and lifelong learning through writing.

Rather than focusing one one subject, the blog weaves together essays about:

• The joy of discovering new ideas, often in unexpected ways.
• Reflections on everyday experiences that reveal larger life lessons. 
• Reading, writing, and the creative process.
• Personal growth, resilience, and finding meaning in ordinary moments.
• The transition from childhood wonder -- the "pencil box" -- to sharing thoughts in today's digital world -- the "keyboard"

The writing style is reflective and conversational, inviting readers to slow down, notice the world around them, and appreciate that learning doesn't end with school.  Many posts use analogies, storytelling and gentle humor to encourage readers to see familiar experiences from a fresh perspective.

The title itself symbolizes a lifelong journey; from the simple tools of childhood learning to the modern tools of communication, while emphasizing that curiosity and imagination remain the most important tools of all.

Who knew?  And here I thought, that for the last twelve years, I had been merely writing some thoughts that I might share with other Boomers  -- sometimes serious ... sometimes making fun of myself ... and ... sometimes trying to be funny in a world that is sometimes/often very not funny. 

You Tell Me

Have been reading lately about books being published that were written in part or entirely by Artificial Intelligence.  With that in mind I decided to ask Chat GPT to write a couple of sentences about a blog I was writing.  I wanted to see how my writing compared with AI's.  

I asked Chat GPT to please write a sentence about the fun of learning something new by accident.   This was its response in a matter of a nanosecond:         

          Learning something new brings a special kind of joy, like discovering a hidden             trail that leads to a beautiful view you never knew was there.

Then I asked it to please write a two-sentence version of the same topic only using an analogy and once again -- instantaneously was a response:

           Learning something new by accident is like taking a wrong turn on a hike                    and discovering a beautiful hidden waterfall  The surprise makes the                            lesson more exciting, turning an ordinary moment into an unexpected                          adventure.

It is obvious to me that AI yearns for the outdoor experience.  I sort of feel sorry for it.  Hmmm...   Where does AI live exactly?  It's sort of like the Internet in that, isn't it?  You can't see it, hear it, smell it, taste or touch it.  It's just there somewhere with no shape or sound -- influencing almost every aspect of your life.  Sort of creepy really. I also noticed that I used the word "please" when interacting with Chat GPT. Why?  I mean what am I "talking' to? That is sort of creepy too.

Now here is the sentence that I wrote:

           For me it was like discovering a 20 dollar bill in the pocket of a pair of jeans               that I hadn't worn in six months.    

Personally I like my words better, but AI writes faster and way better than I expected and that is in some way disappointing to me.  Would love to know what you think about this whole thing. You tell me... please.  

Next week-- just one more question for AI and then I am going to stop writing about it. At least that's the plan. Am still hoping that a human being has more personality than an entity that no one I know totally understands. I prefer human potential.