Being Human

AI vs Reading and Writing

Another terrific article from James Marriott from The Times.

People aren’t reading. Especially kids.

Their attention spans can’t handle it. It’s social media of course.

University students are all using Chat GPT and its ilk to write their essays.

Since the 2010s every metric of intelligence testing is showing in the west we are getting dumber. 

And more unhappy.

Marriott: 

“Reading and writing are the cornerstones of thought: serious reading, I suspect, is the one habit that unites virtually every man and woman of genius who has ever lived. It may turn out that to abolish reading and writing is almost to abolish human genius.”

The ability to add, to take away, to alter, to delete - all part of the process of working through and developing complex ideas, arguments and  theories. It’s the reason Ancient Greece forged ahead above other iron age civilisations, and gave us the great stories, the great philosophers, the Olympic Games and baclava.

What does AI offer us? 

Well, all those bullshit jobs will be gone in 24 months. That’s what they say.

But we heard that from Keynes in the 30s who predicted a 15 hour week by 1980, so terrified of automation was he.

Several people predicted in the 1960s that by now we would have mostly leisure time.

Instead people worked longer hours in even more meaningless jobs. 

I’m sure AI will rise up  and engulf us, and today's bullshit jobs will be made to look as worthwhile as being a barrister or doctor by comparison.

The AI professor gives the following advice:

Opposable thumbs

I did some research on this. Pandas have pseudo-opposable thumbs - a boney protrusion from the wrist helps them grasp bamboo while they still have 5 fingers on each hand. Orang-utans and gorillas also have opposable thumbs. So do koalas and opossums which aren’t even primates.

Evolution is endlessly fascinating.

I blame the 80s (part 3)

The Fairlight in the 1980s was the start of making music without musicians. All that dreadful Trevor Horn-produced stuff with the screeches that’s aged particularly badly.

You know they’ve auto-tuned Freddie Mercury on the latest Queen re-releases?

It doesn’t even sound like him.

Perfection is not human.

It’s something to aim for, that’s always out of reach.

Being human is human.

Whatever that means.

Len’s Radio

I went to view a bedsit nearly 30 years ago.

I met the landlord and the present lodger. 

“Everything you see here is part of the room.” Said the landlord.

“Not the radio.” Whispered Len.

“No.” Agreed the landlord. “The radio is Len’s. Len will be taking his radio.” 

At that moment he looked at me as if I was coveting Len’s radio.

“That’s fine. I have a radio.”

“You must not play it loudly. There are other tenants in the house.”

“Yup. Sure.”

“So everything you see here is part of the rent.”

“Yes”

“But not the radio.”

It was Pinteresque I tell you.

PINTERESQUE!

Pure gold.

‘Me nan used to sell canoes…’

“Tell us your name and ONE interesting fact about you.” Said the young group facilitator.

“Geraint. Er... I used to be a stonemason.”

“Colin, and I used to bob-sled for Great Britain.”

“Martin. I was an armed robber until I got the teaching job.” 

“Janet. I love dancing. I’ve pilates on Wednesdays. Me favourite song’s shite but I’m going to play it anyway from my tinny iPhone through Zoom…wait for it…this bit coming up…no hang on…yeah that bit there; love that! Me daughter’s moved in down the road, well it’s actually Hever Close but we count it as down the road. I did the marathon in 2010. Did I tell you about my daughter? She’s a bilge engineer for the council and her aunt -that’s me husband’s sister not my sister - not my sister at all -  got her the job. I love goin’ on ‘oliday. Here’s me ‘oliday photos (again, from the iPhone). Here we are in Torremolinos. Oh no, I think that’s Lanzarote…pauses…shows several more. That’s not my son - that’s the waiter. Lovely lad - can’t remember his name…what was his name Les?...”

…continues until hell freezes over.

I

DON’T

FUCKING

CARE.

I needed therapy after the group therapy.

Turns out I have a zero-tolerance attitude towards any form of tolerance whatsoever.

Pound Notes to be redesigned

Generic as balls

So one of the categories for the new banknotes is 'Noteworthy Milestones.' 

Why not add 'Significant KPIs' and where is 'Positive Outcomes'?

Honestly, has this committee been doing any work at all?

“Everyone’s wanking but the biscuit remains dry.” 

W.H. Auden, 1913. 

As pertinent today as it ever was.