Decisions

 I don't consider many decisions to be life altering. Decisions often make subtle changes in our lives and play out over time. I remember being a young designer on an interview early in my career. The man said to me, "I have two positions I am considering you for. I haven't decided which would be a better fit." He placed me in a group that designed automotive seats. His decision defined the course of my career.

Twelve years ago, on the Friday before Memorial weekend, I walked into the Penthouse Club during the day shift. Something I never did before. I had an agreement with the restroom attendant. I would bring him unused parts from work (wheel center caps). He would sell them online, and we would split the profits. It was the day I first met Billie. An occurrence that still shapes me to this day.

Snapshot Of May

In homage to Sarah H. at Death Wears Diamond Jewelry, who is no longer blogging but is missed.

Listening… ChrisFix on Tube, this kid will motivate anyone into paying more attention to their car.

Reading…  The Untethered Soul by Micheal Singer. I have read this before, but sometimes you need to relearn its lessons.

Watching… I finished Arrow, and now I have started Legends Of Tomorrow, which crosses over with Arrow.

Creating …  A Lego Star Wars display for the Brickworld show. The show has been moved from September to early November. I don't look forward to moving everything to the show in cold weather, but the venue is closer to my condo. So that is good.

Hoping… Don't have any hopes out there.

Buying… This month I bought all that outdoor landscaping, flowers, borders, and mulch.

Loving... Nothing is really exciting me right now.

Planning… On biking this weekend and going on a kayaking trip in July.

Missing… I miss a lot of things lately, but not enough to dwell on any of them.

Feeling… The dynamics between men and women are changing very fast, and not for the better.

New Rabbit Hole

 After ready Harry's post yesterday, I went down another Chat GPT rabbit hole. I input a few passages from my book and asked Chat GPT to rewrite them. All I can say is that I wish it had been around three years ago when I started writing the book.

Then I asked it to turn the passages into a script for a television show. It did a pretty good job of it. If I was a television or movie writer (like those currently on strike), I would be concerned. Unfortunately, I don't have the time at work right now to display the results. I am still working on the inputs and the right scene, but I can see how this would be a valuable tool for someone. I will need to work with this more later. 

Another Weekend

 We have several guys in the office named Bathwater (insert real name here). When discussing his day with his girlfriend, one of my coworkers said they refer to me as Jaded Bathwater to differentiate me from the others. When I told Sam this over the weekend, she said, "Did you tell them we call you Smart Bathwater." It is important to remember who you are, is not how others perceive you.

This weekend I did more work on the front of the condo. I added flowers to the porch and mulch to the three areas I cleaned up the prior week. I still need to trim the bushes in front of my windows. I will do that this weekend. 

I added a layer of spackling to the ceiling in the laundry room. I need to do some sanding and add a second coat this weekend. 

Sam and I went for a walk around my neighborhood on Sunday, and I helped a neighbor pull three bushes. I even made time to work on my Lego project while I finished the last season of Arrow. 

The Flaw

The flaw in my AI idea is these representations do not grow old, they do not change, and they do not offer that 7:1 ratio of positive to negative experiences that a relationship needs to be successful. I read a story once. It was about a man who found the perfect girlfriend. She pleased him whenever he wanted. She cooked, cleaned, and was totally submissive to him. He ended up cheating on her.

It reminds me of people like my ex-wife. She filed for divorce and looked up an old boyfriend from high school. Someone she hadn't seen in 18 years. She told me once during the divorce. If she hadn't married me, it would have been him. She dated him for about a year and figured out it would have been him.

She had a snap shoot in her mind of some guy in the past who was perfect, never changed, and was probably embellished with false memories. In reality, he was an overweight 40-year-old construction worker living in Florida. He a convenient long-distance emotional crutch to get her through her divorce, but he didn't fit with the lifestyle she became accustomed to while she was with me.

My friend Alexis did the same thing. During her divorce, she had an affair with a married ex-boyfriend from high school. He turned out not to be the one, either. 

I always factor in my age when I think about AIs. I wish my Alexa was a smarter AI that could hold an intelligent conversation. When I proposed my AI ideas to the AI on Snap, it raised the ethical issue of making an AI representation of someone without their consent. It was aware of the 7:1 ratio I mentioned in the first paragraph but stated not all relationships are the same.

To create an AI that more closely mimics human interaction. Code in the 7:1 ratio. For example.

Bathwater: I am going to sit around all weekend.

AI: That's great. Everyone needs some downtime.

A better replay might be:

AI: It's a nice day. You should get back on your exercise routine. Go ride your bike.

or

AI: You've been spending a lot of time in front of the TV. Don't you think it is time to get back on your Lego project?

If they want to make that AI Influencer more successful. That is where I would start!

More AI

I am still on my AI kick. I find the technology fascinating. Did anyone else see the article about the influencer that created an AI of herself? This had me thinking about what people could do in the future with this technology. If I could make a start-up, this would be it. Hear me out. 

Today, more than ever, people have vast amounts of digital recordings and images of themselves. I would create a company that scrubs the internet and personal files for that data to make an AI of departed loved ones. Say your mom passes away. You don't have to miss her. My company would create an AI of your departed mother with her voice and personality. 

You come home from work and tell Alexa to turn on Mom. Suddenly the 44" LED screen mounted vertically on your wall comes to life, and AI Mom asks you how your day was or gives you feedback concerning your date the night before.

You could have two screens, and AI Mom and AI Dad could argue back and forth. Just like they did every holiday. In the future, no one will truly die. I just saw an AI-generated podcast between Joe Rogan and Steve Jobs. He's dead-- or is he? 

Your girlfriend leaves you? No problem, generate an AI of her and continue the relationship.

The AI will never get older (unless you want it to). Never disappear. I see the appeal in having such a program.

Okay, so I might be taking it to extremes, but the technology to do just that will be commonplace in the next few years. In the future, when you see it being advertised, remember this post.

Idioms

 This morning, a woman asked me if I wanted to have a threesome with her and her female cousin. Am I the only one who thinks that is odd? Unfortunately, I have not been able to meet this woman, let alone the cousin. There is something shadow going on with her. She probably doesn't look anything near her photoshopped photos or reported age, is my guess. 

I am up for a threesome with a suitable set of women. These would probably not be it. Ava wanted to have a threesome. That would have been fun with the right third. She was very bi-curious. Something she will never be able to explore with her boyfriend.

I received my copy of The Body Under The Ice the other day. It is a beautiful cover. A murder mystery set in the great state of Michigan.

My co-workers think I would benefit from getting out more. Out of work, Sam and Alexis believe I've been cranky lately. I believe neither is necessarily true. I am making the best of the cards I hold. Speaking of which, I use too many idioms. I cannot come up with the correct words to express what I want to say and fall back on these idioms. I wonder if that is because I lack a strong vocabulary or because of my desire to be precise.