Human Stuff

I’ve been thinking about the way, when you walk

down a crowded aisle, people pull in their legs

to let you by. Or how strangers still say “bless you”

when someone sneezes, a leftover

from the Bubonic plague. “Don’t die,” we are saying.

And sometimes, when you spill lemons

from your grocery bag, someone else will help you

pick them up. Mostl

“The division of the world into intrinsically opposed hordes and swarms attacks the very notion of shared humanity. I refuse to indulge in the despair that accepts the logic of the enemies of mankind."

Oliver Burkeman sums up my views on AI and creativity pretty well:

To start with, picture this scenario. You’re at home, feeling lonely and sorry for yourself, when the phone rings out of the blue. It’s an old friend, checking in on you. For an hour, you have one of those rare, wonderful, uplifting conversations; by the time you hang up, you’re glow

Our professional and technological capabilities have been increasing exponentially, but our ability to use them wisely has not. We are building vast, complex civilizations, but that very complexity is in danger of overwhelming us, creating huge and unintended consequences for the planet and all those that inhabit it.

No one feels like they’re getting much done. Which isn’t surprising when you remember many people are devoting 5 to 12 hours per day to consuming digital content: lurking social by day, binging streaming by night.

-8Ball, Sean Monahan