#robots #love #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #humans #emotions
“What does a robot know about love?”
That begins an Etsy TV ad, to make the point that Etsy conducts its commerce with more human activity than robot activity.
But, as time progresses, more robots and other non-human technology will be used in commerce, factories, research and many other endeavors now mostly conducted by humans.
That could have an effect on current jobs, and the jobs of the future.
For some workers, technology is moving too fast. More work that was previously done by humans is being done by machines.
] That means some good jobs are being eliminated, and those who’ve lost those jobs are having difficulty finding alternative jobs that pay as well.
It’s important to note here that no matter who is serving in the U.S. government, those jobs likely are not coming back.
With the advancement of artificial intelligence, many people who thought their jobs would never go away may have a rude awakening sometime in the future.
Make no mistake: machines and humans are not equivalent. That statement can have a good, or not so good, connotation.
For employers, machines have fewer needs – no vacations, no illness, no pensions etc. That can save them lots of money.
Machines, on the other hand, break down. If they can’t be fixed immediately, that can be a real cost to employers.
Also, customers and clients mostly prefer dealing with humans rather than machines. Though machines can try to talk back to customers, no real conversation takes place. Plus, machines have no power to actually solve problems, if a customer has one. With varying degrees of success, perhaps a machine can put a customer in touch with a human.
AI is attempting to be creative by compiling the past creativity of humans into a mechanically driven recitation.
There is no machine that can be as creative as a human. For human creativity is raw, original and direct.
Going back to the Etsy ad, robots have no ability for human emotion. Human emotion is something we all crave, no matter what type of interaction.
So, as useful as robots or AI can be in some instances, they are not human.
But, as humans, we still have to look over our shoulders lest robots or AI replace us in the workplace.
In many cases, it’s not a matter of whether that will happen. It’s a matter of when.
As humans, we have the raw, original and direct creativity to prepare for most eventualities. When replacement comes, we can, and should, be ready. Longing for the old days will not prevent the inevitable.
Peter
Monthly Archives: October 2024
WHAT WILL DETERMINE YOUR FUTURE?
#vote #RegisterToVote #choices #ChooseWisely
Decisions, not conditions, determine one’s future.
That paraphrases a partial comment by California Gov. Gavin Newsom when asked by Jen Psaki what keeps him up at night these days.
Psaki is host of “Inside With Jen Psaki” on MSNBC. The show aired Oct. 20, 2024.
Newsom was discussing the upcoming presidential election. He was explaining that voting is a decision we all can make to help determine the future.
But, digging deeper into his comment, let’s analyze how each of us determines our future.
Do we let the conditions – most of which we cannot anticipate – determine our future? Or, do we take action to determine our future?
Some believe that no matter what actions they take, their future is somehow predetermined.
Perhaps that’s what they were taught as children. Did you ever have a parent, teacher or other elder tell you that this is what you were going to do — or were meant to do — for the rest of your life?
Or, have you been affected by circumstances, from which you believe you will never recover? Some victims of recent storms may feel that way, while others are determined to rebuild, or otherwise carry on.
Many are busy creating their future. They are saving and investing their money to help ensure security. Or, they are building a business with the intention that it will succeed, perhaps beyond their wildest dreams.
Perhaps one’s imagination does not extend that far. A person may just be looking for contentment rather than wild success.
Undoubtedly, there are small things one can do to ensure that.
But, regardless of your desires for the future, it’s largely up to you to make it happen. Generally, things don’t just happen serendipitously, like winning a lottery.
Usually, they are the result of decisions one makes throughout his or her life. One may decide to go to college – or not. One may decide to work for Employer X – or not. One may decide to get married and have children – or not.
Each of these decisions individually can really help determine one’s future.
But Newsom was talking about collective decisions – decisions made by lots of people individually that can determine everyone’s future.
Voting is such a decision. If everyone who is eligible to vote registers, and then votes, the future will be different – likely better – from having many decide not to vote because, say, they don’t like the choices.
When one is starving, usually he or she grabs what’s available to eat. Choices are immaterial.
There are choices in this election. Some may not like the choices offered. But, choosing the one you think is the best alternative – not necessarily the ultimate alternative – can help determine one’s individual and everyone’s collective futures.
Choose wisely, but, whomever you choose, vote.
Peter
Decisions, not conditions, determine one’s future.
That paraphrases a partial comment by California Gov. Gavin Newsom when asked by Jen Psaki what keeps him up at night these days.
Psaki is host of “Inside With Jen Psaki” on MSNBC. The show aired Oct. 20, 2024.
Newsom was discussing the upcoming presidential election. He was explaining that voting is a decision we all can make to help determine the future.
But, digging deeper into his comment, let’s analyze how each of us determines our future.
Do we let the conditions – most of which we cannot anticipate – determine our future? Or, do we take action to determine our future?
Some believe that no matter what actions they take, their future is somehow predetermined.
Perhaps that’s what they were taught as children. Did you ever have a parent, teacher or other elder tell you that this is what you were going to do — or were meant to do — for the rest of your life?
Or, have you been affected by circumstances, from which you believe you will never recover? Some victims of recent storms may feel that way, while others are determined to rebuild, or otherwise carry on.
Many are busy creating their future. They are saving and investing their money to help ensure security. Or, they are building a business with the intention that it will succeed, perhaps beyond their wildest dreams.
Perhaps one’s imagination does not extend that far. A person may just be looking for contentment rather than wild success.
Undoubtedly, there are small things one can do to ensure that.
But, regardless of your desires for the future, it’s largely up to you to make it happen. Generally, things don’t just happen serendipitously, like winning a lottery.
Usually, they are the result of decisions one makes throughout his or her life. One may decide to go to college – or not. One may decide to work for Employer X – or not. One may decide to get married and have children – or not.
Each of these decisions individually can really help determine one’s future.
But Newsom was talking about collective decisions – decisions made by lots of people individually that can determine everyone’s future.
Voting is such a decision. If everyone who is eligible to vote registers, and then votes, the future will be different – likely better – from having many decide not to vote because, say, they don’t like the choices.
When one is starving, usually he or she grabs what’s available to eat. Choices are immaterial.
There are choices in this election. Some may not like the choices offered. But, choosing the one you think is the best alternative – not necessarily the ultimate alternative – can help determine one’s individual and everyone’s collective futures.
Choose wisely, but, whomever you choose, vote.
Peter
CLIMATE CHANGE IS HERE; WE HAVE TO ACT
#storms #hurricanes #ClimateChange #Helene #Milton
If you still don’t believe the climate is changing, look at the quantity and severity of the 2024 storms.
First, Helene. Second, Milton a week or so afterward.
In fact, Milton had grown to a Category 5 hurricane (the worst) before it hit land.
Florida got the double whammy of both storms consecutively, as debris from Helene had yet to be cleared before Milton hit.
Some folks on Florida’s Gulf Coast had gone nearly 50 years before being affected by storms. Then, they got a double hit.
Though the damage is not as bad as predicted it could have been, it will probably take years for places like Florida and Western North Carolina to fully recover from the destruction.
Climate change is happening worldwide. In fact, many migrants are coming to the U.S. because the climate in their countries has become so severe they cannot make a living as farmers etc.
Western North Carolina, shielded by the Blue Ridge Mountains, has learned that it is not immune from storm devastation.
All this means that sea levels will eventually rise, perhaps rendering expensive beachfront properties nearly worthless.
Will property insurers give up insuring properties in some areas? In some cases, they already have. Though most people devastated by storms say they will rebuild, how long with the rebuilding take, and how long will it last before the next storm comes along?
All hands, and minds, need to be on deck to try to mitigate this change as best we can.
It will be no easy task. Property near water has become the most desirable, yet the most vulnerable.
If we do nothing, it will only get worse. So, we have to do something. We have to try new ways to protect people and property from these frequent severe storms. Mitigation ideas and potential solutions are already out there, but the will to enact them is still missing.
Perhaps a new building material will be widely available to withstand these storms.
Perhaps we should not build so close to water that even the smallest storm-generated waves could do real damage.
Certainly, it will take money for this mitigation. But, money alone won’t solve the problem. The money has to be combined with innovation, keeping in mind that all the manmade innovation in the world cannot always defeat Mother Nature.
The other issue is time. We can’t wait years for the innovation, or the will to enact it, to come. It has to come ASAP.
So, as we continue to brace for more severe storms, we have to first recognize the problem. Denying a problem won’t make it go away.
Then, we have to put the best scientists, unrestricted by political or financial constraints, to work finding solutions.
The storms will always come. How we prepare for them, and recover from them, will be the key to the planet’s survival as we know it.
Peter
If you still don’t believe the climate is changing, look at the quantity and severity of the 2024 storms.
First, Helene. Second, Milton a week or so afterward.
In fact, Milton had grown to a Category 5 hurricane (the worst) before it hit land.
Florida got the double whammy of both storms consecutively, as debris from Helene had yet to be cleared before Milton hit.
Some folks on Florida’s Gulf Coast had gone nearly 50 years before being affected by storms. Then, they got a double hit.
Though the damage is not as bad as predicted it could have been, it will probably take years for places like Florida and Western North Carolina to fully recover from the destruction.
Climate change is happening worldwide. In fact, many migrants are coming to the U.S. because the climate in their countries has become so severe they cannot make a living as farmers etc.
Western North Carolina, shielded by the Blue Ridge Mountains, has learned that it is not immune from storm devastation.
All this means that sea levels will eventually rise, perhaps rendering expensive beachfront properties nearly worthless.
Will property insurers give up insuring properties in some areas? In some cases, they already have. Though most people devastated by storms say they will rebuild, how long with the rebuilding take, and how long will it last before the next storm comes along?
All hands, and minds, need to be on deck to try to mitigate this change as best we can.
It will be no easy task. Property near water has become the most desirable, yet the most vulnerable.
If we do nothing, it will only get worse. So, we have to do something. We have to try new ways to protect people and property from these frequent severe storms. Mitigation ideas and potential solutions are already out there, but the will to enact them is still missing.
Perhaps a new building material will be widely available to withstand these storms.
Perhaps we should not build so close to water that even the smallest storm-generated waves could do real damage.
Certainly, it will take money for this mitigation. But, money alone won’t solve the problem. The money has to be combined with innovation, keeping in mind that all the manmade innovation in the world cannot always defeat Mother Nature.
The other issue is time. We can’t wait years for the innovation, or the will to enact it, to come. It has to come ASAP.
So, as we continue to brace for more severe storms, we have to first recognize the problem. Denying a problem won’t make it go away.
Then, we have to put the best scientists, unrestricted by political or financial constraints, to work finding solutions.
The storms will always come. How we prepare for them, and recover from them, will be the key to the planet’s survival as we know it.
Peter
WILL THERE EVER BE ENOUGH HOUSING?
#housing #AffordableHousing #ExpensiveHousing #RecyclingProperty
It seems in many places, particularly fast-growing areas, they can’t build enough housing.
We are seeing apartments, or condos, being built next to big shopping areas, usually in commercially zoned areas and not for residences. If shopping traffic weren’t enough, residents now have to navigate streets around supermarkets and other retail outlets.
These apartments or condos are convenient, since residents can walk to the store(s), restaurants etc. But, would you want your outside balcony overlooking streets clogged with shopping traffic? Do you want to breathe that smoggy air every nice, summer night?
If you have to travel to work, how long will it take you to get out of these clogged streets, or back in when you come home? In short, say, a five-mile commute could take you 45 minutes or an hour, because of traffic.
In another housing area, cities are constructing housing units from old shipping containers. Yes, these are small, cramped units, but if they can keep people from living on the street, who cares?
The key to housing is affordability. Million-dollar homes are being built in places that were designed for the working-class buyer.
Can that be sustained in the long term?
Developers are working on building more affordable houses, apartments and condos. But, with the ever-increasing cost of materials, there is only so low their prices can go.
As more people are working from home, many downtown office buildings are seeing vacancies on a large scale.
New office space is attractive to expanding businesses, so these businesses will leave older office space in favor of new.
Some cities are looking at converting these old office buildings into affordable apartments, but that may be easier said than done.
Will the owners of that old office space accept lower rent for an apartment, vs. an office? Yes, occupancy is almost always better than vacancy, but can these office developers sustain their property values if these buildings suddenly become residences? The financial performance of these office developers, and their investors, could be greatly affected.
Can, and will, governments subsidize these office-to-apartment conversions over the long haul?
Will the occupants of these units require the kind of property management the offices did?
All these questions tell us of a housing market in flux. Rents, selling prices and other housing costs have gone through the roof. Many people elect to live on the street because they cannot afford rent.
Young, growing families are forgoing, or postponing, buying starter homes because they cannot afford the steep prices. Plus, they face competition from investors with wads of cash to buy houses outright, with no mortgage.
Housing is a finite commodity. There is only so much land, and only so many builders out there.
Innovators are working diligently to come up with ways to recycle properties no longer being used as originally intended.
Let’s hope all concerned can create an equilibrium in the housing market fairly soon.
Peter
It seems in many places, particularly fast-growing areas, they can’t build enough housing.
We are seeing apartments, or condos, being built next to big shopping areas, usually in commercially zoned areas and not for residences. If shopping traffic weren’t enough, residents now have to navigate streets around supermarkets and other retail outlets.
These apartments or condos are convenient, since residents can walk to the store(s), restaurants etc. But, would you want your outside balcony overlooking streets clogged with shopping traffic? Do you want to breathe that smoggy air every nice, summer night?
If you have to travel to work, how long will it take you to get out of these clogged streets, or back in when you come home? In short, say, a five-mile commute could take you 45 minutes or an hour, because of traffic.
In another housing area, cities are constructing housing units from old shipping containers. Yes, these are small, cramped units, but if they can keep people from living on the street, who cares?
The key to housing is affordability. Million-dollar homes are being built in places that were designed for the working-class buyer.
Can that be sustained in the long term?
Developers are working on building more affordable houses, apartments and condos. But, with the ever-increasing cost of materials, there is only so low their prices can go.
As more people are working from home, many downtown office buildings are seeing vacancies on a large scale.
New office space is attractive to expanding businesses, so these businesses will leave older office space in favor of new.
Some cities are looking at converting these old office buildings into affordable apartments, but that may be easier said than done.
Will the owners of that old office space accept lower rent for an apartment, vs. an office? Yes, occupancy is almost always better than vacancy, but can these office developers sustain their property values if these buildings suddenly become residences? The financial performance of these office developers, and their investors, could be greatly affected.
Can, and will, governments subsidize these office-to-apartment conversions over the long haul?
Will the occupants of these units require the kind of property management the offices did?
All these questions tell us of a housing market in flux. Rents, selling prices and other housing costs have gone through the roof. Many people elect to live on the street because they cannot afford rent.
Young, growing families are forgoing, or postponing, buying starter homes because they cannot afford the steep prices. Plus, they face competition from investors with wads of cash to buy houses outright, with no mortgage.
Housing is a finite commodity. There is only so much land, and only so many builders out there.
Innovators are working diligently to come up with ways to recycle properties no longer being used as originally intended.
Let’s hope all concerned can create an equilibrium in the housing market fairly soon.
Peter