One of the advantages of being human is we can go out and about and meet other people IRL. There are moves to bring AI there too. But AI doesn't make cake.
" I prefer to pay for things in the real world with cash" and "... online connections are fragile without real life follow up. There is something about meeting people face to face that allows relationships to stand the test of time." Yes!
We pay with cash as much as possible and feel the squeeze from the self-checkouts as fewer accept cash these days. (Whole Foods Market, now owned by Amazon, has no more cash-accepting self check outs.) And, face to face is key - I agree with you 100%. I hope you have a blast at the festival.
Awwww . . . Molly! I hope the swimming helps her and her discomfort eases.
I love ("love" in jumbo letters and emboldened) your illustration of your walk between Weston and Easton, past the mustard fields and dust bathing birds. Striking and simply wonderful.
Thanks for sharing how Ai impacts your work. I use a lower case "i" in "Ai" as an indication of what I think of it.
re: dislike of using or being in the presence of an AI wearable device that was recording you "knowing that yet more of my data was being used to train AI for free." Some of the companies behind those devices claim they don't use recordings to train AI models, nor save the data once you've deleted it from your device.** I can see situations where recording events that AI summarizes and gives actionable suggestions for would be useful. As the volunteer note-taker for many meetings I would welcome a tool like that, as long as everyone present agreed to being recorded. But the human and environmental costs look ominous even for limited uses and give me pause. How does one stay efficient/competitive without atrophying one's memory, spatial processing and attention span? Or not hurt the environment because AI data centers require so much power? In the U.S. cigarettes come with a health warning. Maybe digital tools should, too. ("Warning: Reliance on this device has been shown to lower users' abilities to think and function on their own...")
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** “The creators of Bee and Limitless say they encrypt your data, delete recordings when you delete conversations or your account, and don’t train AI models on the feeds. They also say they don’t sell your data to advertisers; they get revenue via hardware and subscriptions sales. Plaud doesn’t sell data either.” - Joanna Stern, Wall Street Journal article: "I Recorded Everything I Said for Three Months. AI Has Replaced My Memory", April 30, 2025.
" I prefer to pay for things in the real world with cash" and "... online connections are fragile without real life follow up. There is something about meeting people face to face that allows relationships to stand the test of time." Yes!
We pay with cash as much as possible and feel the squeeze from the self-checkouts as fewer accept cash these days. (Whole Foods Market, now owned by Amazon, has no more cash-accepting self check outs.) And, face to face is key - I agree with you 100%. I hope you have a blast at the festival.
Awwww . . . Molly! I hope the swimming helps her and her discomfort eases.
I love ("love" in jumbo letters and emboldened) your illustration of your walk between Weston and Easton, past the mustard fields and dust bathing birds. Striking and simply wonderful.
Thanks for sharing how Ai impacts your work. I use a lower case "i" in "Ai" as an indication of what I think of it.
re: dislike of using or being in the presence of an AI wearable device that was recording you "knowing that yet more of my data was being used to train AI for free." Some of the companies behind those devices claim they don't use recordings to train AI models, nor save the data once you've deleted it from your device.** I can see situations where recording events that AI summarizes and gives actionable suggestions for would be useful. As the volunteer note-taker for many meetings I would welcome a tool like that, as long as everyone present agreed to being recorded. But the human and environmental costs look ominous even for limited uses and give me pause. How does one stay efficient/competitive without atrophying one's memory, spatial processing and attention span? Or not hurt the environment because AI data centers require so much power? In the U.S. cigarettes come with a health warning. Maybe digital tools should, too. ("Warning: Reliance on this device has been shown to lower users' abilities to think and function on their own...")
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** “The creators of Bee and Limitless say they encrypt your data, delete recordings when you delete conversations or your account, and don’t train AI models on the feeds. They also say they don’t sell your data to advertisers; they get revenue via hardware and subscriptions sales. Plaud doesn’t sell data either.” - Joanna Stern, Wall Street Journal article: "I Recorded Everything I Said for Three Months. AI Has Replaced My Memory", April 30, 2025.
I still find that WRITING notes helps my brain remember, but I use dictation for speed.
The Lakes is so much fun. I’m glad you’ll be meeting up with Margreet. Wish I could join you!
Thanks.
This!!! I'm very much looking forward to meeting you in person! Get well soon wishes to Molly!
Yippee! She is much better at the moment – sitting on my lap in a cafe, getting scratches as I try and write.