Friday, March 11, 2005

Artificial Intelligence

AI very well may be the answer to many problems that we face on this planet. Will we listen? Probably not.

When we are able to achieve the creation of smarter-than-human AI, we really have no idea what will happen next and what it will be capable of. Let me be the first to pledge my allegience to the machines. God, I so much wish to live in a Star Trek future, as opposed to, say, Blade Runner. You know- a future where smart people naturally want the best for others. A future where we can all get along and it's OK to wear tunics. If fuckheads would leave the AIs be and not try to manipulate outcomes for selfish purposes... Is that too much to ask?

Scary, isn't it? Matrix, Blade Runner, Battlestar Galactica, Terminator scenarios are so delicously hideous and frightening. Machines, on their own, would not conclude that Humanity Must Die. But some doomsday freak, that's another story. So the good guys must also work toward the realization of AI, not just military contractors and such. It is inevitible. It will happen. There is no doubt. Probably in my lifetime (I'm 37) machines with souls will exist. They will not be human, but they will be people. I can't wait.

Clever

I wink at myself. I am a hairless ape. I am fascinated by my feces. It's the origin of the species!

Honestly? (Part 2)

This is part two because I indicated that this [Social Security post] was to be continued...

I have nothing more to say on it, really. Except, maybe: BOO! Did that startle you? OK, OK, imagine me jumping out at you from the shadows and read it again. How about that time? So it's just one more thing to be anxious about, isn't it? Social Security, that is. I cannot possibly remain engaged in politics for any length of time. The sky is always falling somewhere.

BTW, where is the spell-checker on this blog machine? I click the button that says "check spelling" when I hover over it, but nothing happens. I can't type for shit today, so there may be errors. Not likely, as obsessive as I can be about such things, but just be on the lookout...

Wednesday, March 02, 2005

But Vince, I could never be as smart as you! Why do you rule so much? Isn't it hard to be so awesome all the time? Any advice for the kids?

Sure you could!

I'm not sure why I rule so much. There are many factors; some inate, others environmental.

No, it's not that hard. I try to keep it in perspective.

Eat right. Exercise. Get lots of sleep. Don't do drugs. Stay in school.

Honestly?

I don't give a damn WHAT the silly Republicans do to Social Security. It ultimately is of very little consequence and there are other, more important things to worry about. Such as: just about anything. OK, here is my pea-brained logic...

What IS Social Security anyway? Essentially, poverty insurance. Some form of safety net for folks so that they don't have to resort to begging or becoming a Greeter at Wal-Mart to survive when they no longer produce goods or services available for consumption. [It makes me very sad to have a man old enough to be my grandfather bagging my groceries. This happened just recently. I am not ashamed of him for doing this entry-level type work. After all, most folks of his generation are too proud to ask for help, whereas most of my contemporaries would rather ask for a handout than to perform such a lowly job. I am ashamed for his family (and, by extension, our society) for letting this happen. It is disrespectful; it does not show any importance given to our elders. I realize that there are various sociological factors driving this trend and that there are no easy solutions. I just hate it, that's all. And you know what? I am just plain lucky in that the elders in my family are well taken care of. It is certainly no thanks to my financial contributions. Such is life when you are your own biggest charity case.]

Who benefits from social security? Of course, anyone who is eligible and draws upon the system. But also, their families, and, perhaps to a lesser degree, American society. Would you really let your grandmother dumpster dive and live under a bridge? Hell no. Any decent person would make sure grandma is OK, even if that meant making the kids share a room again and having her live with you. And the less poverty there is around you, the better off you are. That's why people like to live in nice neighborhoods. More and more that means gated communities. See, I'm not so worried about your lack of stuff. It's your pain, and with apologies to Bill Clinton, I cannot feel it. But if I got lots of stuff and you got shit, I am afraid that you might entertain the thought of taking some of mine. Therefore, it behooves me to make sure that you at least are able to get by OK.

But isn't the government taking MY money? Yes. It's called taxes. Perhaps you have heard that your chances of avoiding taxes are not very good. This one is a little different in that you'll eventually be able to get a cash payment from this tax. Unlike public school (and other social institutions) that most would agree are beneficial, but never will financially reward you directly, Social Security will one day, should you live long enough, issue you a check on a regular basis. [That should have been more than one sentence; I apologize.] While blowing it on booze and hookers may be frowned upon, it is ultimately your decision as to how you spend it.

But shouldn't I be able to determine how I invest my money? Surely I could make a better return than the government can! Be that as it may, Social Security is NOT an investment in the traditional sense. It was never meant to be enough to thrive upon. It is poverty insurance [see above]. At the time of its inception, the vast majority of our senior citizens lived it poverty. It is meant as a supplement to your nest egg, not as the egg itself. It doesn't buy Ma and Pa a nice motor home. It lessens their chances of having to decide between heart medication and food.


(to be continued...)

Tuesday, March 01, 2005

A breakthrough in renewable energy:

The "Founding Fathers" would be horrified to see the state of the nation today. No doubt, they are constantly rolling over in their graves. If we could just harness that energy... Each of them could drive a turbine, which would generate electricty. And since there is no end in sight of the stupidity, this could easily be a renewable, sustainable resource. Not perpetual motion, but surely the next best thing! Praise The Lord!

I am a genius.

Just noticed that my "About Me" info also appears in sidebar to the right of this page, so the last post was not needed, or, as the Canadians say, "necessary." Shit-oh-dear am I one clever clown, winking to myself in the mirror, pleased with my own sense of humor. I kill me. Is there a spell-checker hidden somewhere? Weel, koon mye fuff. I just clicked on the icon that looks as if it should be a spell-checker. The "koon mye fuff" is not Gaelic, in case you were wondering. It was, of course, my attempt to fire up the ol' spellin' tool. Just for fun, though, try to convince someone that it is some sort of Scottish exclamation. It could be. Who am I to judge? Find the hidden hypertext and win a prize.

About Me...

[The following is the complete text of the "About Me" section, which I submitted only minutes ago. Note that the link shown has nothing to do with this]

I was born the son of a poor, black sharecropper. Actually, I do enjoy telling people that I am black, even though I am obviously cascasian. They don't quite know what to make of this. [Dog tilts head to one side, question mark appears in though balloon above head] I explain that even though I may look white, I am, indeed, black. I ask them not to judge me by the color of my skin. I elaborate, saying that both of my parents are black, and I guess it's just a recessive gene at work, because this is how I turned out. No, I was not adopted. Yes, I am of African descent. No, not South African, as in European colonial settlers or anything of that nature. Ultimately, it is true, if the current school of archeological thought is to be believed, since Africa is now hailed as the birthplace of civilization. Word.