Bats vs AI

Faced with a choice of writing about AI and the potential annihilation of mankind or about something lighter, I ... after minimal consideration ... have selected Bats as the topic of this week's blog. Speaking here from personal experience with bats ...  I once was more than a bit startled to find one hanging from the ceiling in my sunroom ... and ... after serious consideration and donning multiple layers of protective gear including goggles and gloves, sucked it up in my vacuum cleaner while it was sleeping or maybe just hanging there already dead.  I didn't check.  Anyway ...  Bats seem to be a part our lives here in rural NW PA. I am not alone in this. Example?  I  recently I received an email from a dear friend that had me laughing out loud all alone at my computer.  She recounted that she was minding her own business, in the safety and comfort of her own home, when .... "whoosh" - a bat swooped by.  Now, if you have ever watched bats come out of trees at dusk or have had the unfortunate experience of having one actually inside your home, you understand that "whooshing" experience.  Outside bats are rather impressive to watch. One watches from a safe distance.  Inside bats - NO! You can actually feel the whoosh as it swoops by. Personally, I think they enjoy aiming for the head of an innocent human.

This email (you will see it below) began with an emoji of a flying bat... not a cute bat emoji -- a creepy bat emoji reminiscent of Dracula.  I found it hysterically funny... and to top it off, she wrote the email in the third person, referring to herself by her own name as if she were some sort of observer safely removed from the situation, recounting what she is observing when she actually was the one being "whooshed" and then self-imprisoned in a bathroom. Again -- hysterically funny.  If you knew her, you would agree. She never cowers from anything. Hope you will find this as funny as I do.  I should confess that I once thought that locking my porch door would keep the bear out that was running toward it.  Luckily it opted not to jump the pasture fence on its way toward me and did a 90 º turn instead... much to my relief. Anyway ...

I quote that email paragraph now with names changed to protect the innocent:  

🦇.  So, Lucy is minding her own business, watching TV, enjoying her nightly g/t when.........whoosh........ a bat flies around the great room.  As you know, Lucy is not a 'bat fan'. She shrieks and shuts herself in the bathroom, hoping Ricky (her husband) is a wee bit concerned.  Long story.... shortened a bit...... bat lands in the closet in a bedroom, upstairs, the one with the mirrored doors.  Ricky stands guard, holding a racket to give it a thump should it move, until Little Ricky (their son), the bat hunter, arrives to save the day.  He has two rackets.... kills it dead .... and pitches it outside. ....  Enough excitement for one evening.  Good grief.  Bats just need to just stay outside.  They are not good 'indoor animals'.   😵‍💫

                                                        ~~~~~~~

Nothing controversial about that opinion. Wonder if AI has a solution to the problems that whooshing bats create when indoors?  We should keep AI busy with solving those kinds of dilemmas instead of fretting about the power of AI in the future.  We should make a To Do list to keep AI totally absorbed with finding solutions to problems that would make our everyday lives better across the entire globe. We could start with bats and move slowly through things like ant invasions and groundhogs that dig wherever they feel like it.  Then there are also the more important issues like solving world hunger, creating lasting peace across the world, etc.  A collective To Do list could keep AI busy forever.  Nice, right?

Who Knew?

Sleeping like a normal person is not my best talent.  I tend to wake up in what most would consider the middle of the night.  I actually don't mind this unless, of course, I have to stay up later than 8 PM.  Anyway  -- when one tends to go online in what I consider to be the lovely, peaceful wee hours of the morning, it is easy to run across unusual tidbits of information that even though you could live without knowing -- may start off the day in an interesting way.  Further  -- in my opinion --  interesting tidbits of information are, perhaps, underrated or all too often -- ignored.

Now ...  before I reveal my latest find, I must qualify that I did not verify the accuracy of any of these relationships.  I just accept the validity because I choose to believe. I figure this willing suspension of disbelief is okay in this situation, and just plain fun.  The source is a genealogist named Christopher Child, who is highly respected in his field from what I can find out.

So... here we go.  The following pairs of celebrities are cousins -- some close and some distant. 

• Katy Perry and Taylor Swift
• Lady Gaga and Madonna
• Glenn Close and Brooke Shields 

And ... my personal fave for no logical reason:

• RuPaul and Cory Booker (I think I even see a family resemblance here. Apparently, I am not alone in this.)

So... I know this isn't as inspirational as a thought for the day, but ... I'm hoping you might also find it to be fun. Fun is a good thing, methinks.

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.