Is it actually working? (and is it that bad?)

 Like so many people in history, I struggle to process progress. On one hand, it's inevitable and probably makes life better for people. On the other hand, many new technologies and systems are implemented without thinking through the long-term effects. Cars have been great, but they've brought a lot of pollution. Social media made it easier to stay in contact, but the way it was executed has turned the users into zombie content machines. 

And so I continue to debate my feelings on AI. Yes, it's going to make many mundane jobs easier, and it's being pushed so hard and so quickly that its inevitability seems certain. But I really don't think they've looked at the long-term effects on people, the environment and our society. As a writer, the promise of generative AI is pretty strong, and that leaves me in a position where I don't know if there will be a job for me in 10 years. 

But there is one positive side to all of this technology that I think might illuminate a long-term benefit for all of us, and that's accessibility. When used in the right way, all of this technology can be very inclusive and democratizing. 

When used the right way.

Case in point is Minecraft YouTuber, GoodTimesWithScar or just Scar for short. Scar is a YouTube gamer I've followed for nearly a decade during my own Minecraft journey, and he's an incredibly talented and creative builder in the game. But, most importantly for this conversation, he's also a disabled person. From what he's told his viewers, he suffers from a severe autoimmune disease that's left him in a wheelchair, dependent on oxygen and a flurry of other medical interventions. He's absent for long spells at a time as he battles with his health issues and the usual rigamarole of life.

But here's where we see the positives of technology. Obviously, on the surface, we have medical technology not only keeping him alive but helping him to maintain some mobility and capability. But we also have social media, low-cost video production technology and the internet, giving him a job and a community. I can't say exactly what he makes, but he seems to make enough to help support his life a bit, and he brings inspiration and entertainment to thousands, possibly millions of people. In the 1990s, he probably would have just been kept alive, and before that, I'm not sure we'd have the wonder of Scar to enjoy. 

Sure, all he's doing is playing a game, but it's entertaining and giving him a role in society. So, what does this mean for the rest of us? 

My hope is that as technology takes the terrible jobs, the rest of us get to explore our creative and expressive sides more. Honestly, I want people like Scar to get first dibs. I think that's the first step of the transition and one that we're already in. And don't get me wrong, there are myriads of fully capable people, both physically and mentally, doing the same job as Scar. So they're ahead of the curve a bit. 

But don't think that's the end game being planned by the Illuminati - I'm sure they're happy to just inhale all of the money and wealth and leave the rest of us picking through trash piles for new styles and inventions. Hence, my assertion at the top that these technologies aren't being thought through long-term. 

Who's to say? Lots of the oracles and pundits are predicting big societal change over the next decade or two, and I think we're well overdue. So maybe, just maybe, my music career becomes the norm and not just some weird guy trying to convince you that kazoo is cool. 

The Lie - Winner Winner (chicken dinner)

Every couple of weeks or so, my family will cook up a whole chicken for Sunday supper. I know, it reeks of trad-wife traditionalism, but it's less about tradition and more about trying to do some cooking that will help the rest of the week go smoother. 

When I get a chicken, I want to be able to gorge myself on Sunday night, but also have something for my sandwich on Monday and my fried rice on Wednesday. And most importantly, I need to boil up all of the otherwise unused bits of the carcass into chicken broth I can freeze and use for soup and sauces over the next few weeks. 

But there is a problem. Over the last few years, it's been nearly impossible to buy a full-sized - or at least reasonably sized - full chicken at the grocery store. They're all small "fryer" sized, which means I barely get the full supper meal in, and the small amount of broth it makes is almost a waste of my time. This past weekend, I actually went to the trouble of buying a 2-pack of these chickens just so that I ended up with the leftovers that I wanted and needed. And that worked for sure. We ended up with a full Sunday supper, 6 litres of chicken broth and enough leftover chicken for chicken pitas at supper last night and some chicken for lunchtime sandwiches this week. Anything leftover by Wednesday will become a highly desirable treat for the dogs. 

I think this pivot to only small fryer chickens is an intentional act by the grocers. Smaller chickens are cheaper to produce, you can fit more chickens in the same area and turn through more product by harvesting them small. And at best, you get a couple of meals out of one for a small family. If they made them larger, they'd need to spend more on feed, space and transportation for only marginally more income. I can imagine they get less profitable as they grow larger. 

Not to mention, if a single chicken can meat (get it?) the protein needs of a family for most of a week, then you aren't buying deli meat, boxed broth or another package of chicken to feed everyone. 

Of course, living in Saskatchewan, the Hutterites are always an option, and I take advantage of their chickens whenever I can. Not only are they larger, but they also taste so much better. It's like garden tomato versus grocery tomato. There really isn't a comparison; it's so good. But I'm not in a position where I can just call up a Hutterite. Not to mention, they're usually selling like a dozen at a time, and I'm not exactly swimming in extra cash at all times. 

I guess that's just living in late-stage capitalism for you. 

I will say this. If the apocalypse we've all been praying for since Y2K finally comes around, getting my hands on some good chickens will be an early priority for me. Goats are probably a good option too, but I think I know enough about chickens to muddle my way through and have a reasonable source of food moving forward. Plus, they're manageable by 1 or 2 people. I don't think I could handle a whole cow by myself.  

And you can bet that I'll be growing those chickens nice, big and fat. 

Communication Breakdown

I recently took out a membership with a federal political party. For the sake of this conversation, the specific party isn't important. My thought was that with all of the wild stuff happening in the United States right now, being actively involved in democracy is pretty important, right now and having a party membership would be a good start to getting into the process. 

A coworker with whom I talk politics had invited me to join, so there was a person-to-person, grassroots element to it. It felt like a good first step.

But it went immediately south. Because within 20 minutes of sending in my membership form, the emails started - and they haven't stopped. I receive something like 5-10 emails per day from the party and related members. It's so much. I am not reading any of it because there's no filter. And it's occurred to me that this may be exactly why I haven't been involved in politics/democracy directly. There's just too much noise. 

I'm kind of sickly diligent about unsubscribing to emails I don't want. Everything you buy online is followed by a daily "buy more" email, and it's easy for me to turn that off. But in this case, if I turn off those emails, then they just have my $25, and I'm not further along the path.  

I've mentioned before how Hank Green compares our new discovery of social media to the upheaval that happened after the launch of the printing press. I think this is a symptom of the same problem. We've all been given this infinite broadcast capacity, but we've never yet figured out how to make it palatable, or even manageable for a consumer who is not infinite. 

I think it's part of why I've focused so hard on the live part of my music lately. At least there I'm talking and dealing with people in person. I'm resistant to starting a mailing list or even recording an album because I feel like it's destined to just be dumped into the noise. At a venue, I have your attention. 

This is a real and new problem we could be applying AI to. Rather than training it to do the jobs that people do well, maybe it could do this job that people can't do. Sort through all of this communication and give me the parts that are important. Deliver me the bad news at the right time. Delete 4 out of 5 emails that come in from that place where I bought new shoes. 

And here I am with a blog, just adding more noise to the ocean. Oh well. At least it's just one person who's being overwhelmed.