I’m reading a LOT about AI lately, and I’m learning that the world really is changing right under our feet. Most people are unaware, but big changes are coming. And I’m not sure if those changes will make our lives better or worse.

• Medical advice and diagnosis will be nearly 100% AI-driven. MDs and nurses better get used to patients armed with credible diagnoses and reams of information.
• Digital security / cybersecurity is in for a wild ride. AI-driven threats will make most current online security useless.
• Writing – generating content that people read – is in big trouble. LLMs can write almost anything at this point. There are tools that can detect AI-generated text, but many people cannot detect the same. And many people won’t care that their new favorite author is a bot.
• Within a year it will be foolish to believe ANYTHING you see or read online. Very convincing fictions, text, image, audio and video, will be used to generate a large percentage of everything online. It will look and seem real – 99% of people won’t be able to tell the difference.
• All professionals in data-intensive jobs – lawyers, accountants, engineers, data analysts – will get their jobs turned inside out. Radically changed. Maybe replaced, but definitely changed.
• Countries and companies that can afford to build frontier-level LLMs will have (already have?) a huge economic advantage over those who can’t. The US, China, maybe the EU, maybe the Saudis – will do fine. Everyone else…relegated to second or third world status.
• AI-generated content is already influencing US elections. Voters are influenced by media, and media is about to get overrun by AI content.
• The ability of frontier-level LLMs to act independently, to gather information and take real-world action based on conclusions from that information, grows every day. It’s already waaaay past what I would consider safe.
• Our collective ability to understand the implications of frontier-level AI is pathetic. We have no laws, no governance, no rules, that will help us keep the genie in the bottle. I’m reading and thinking about this a lot, and I can’t see where this all leads. We could be building Skynet right now. And this hard-to-understand change is happening when US leadership is at an all-time low.

What’s happening right now is both a shitshow and wildly fascinating. We may be building a wonderful new world, or we may be building a demon that will destroy us quickly. It’s really hard to know.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! From Heather Cox Richardson today:

It looks as if Trump’s war on Iran has cost the U.S. the lives of thirteen service members, injuries to 400 more, and at least $132 billion so far in immediate costs, lost income, and higher consumer costs, only to leave the U.S. in a significantly worse place with regard to Iran than before Trump started bombing. 

The costs to the world have been significantly higher in terms both of lives—beginning with more than 175 Iranian schoolchildren and their teachers—and of economies.

Here’s a nice summary of Mr. Art of the Deal’s Memorandum of Understanding Memorandum of Fucking Surrender.

Well done. Plus, so much winning even beyond Iran!

Trump Administration to Pay $765 Million to Cancel 4 More Wind Projects  

Reflecting Pool algae blooms have roared back, reaching highest levels in years 

Republicans fear Trump is hurting their chances.  He can’t understand why. 

Seems clear to me that Convict Donny is spiraling down the drain. Even his cult members can see the decline and the dementia. The incompetence. The only real question is does it come to a head before or after he’s completely ruined the US.

The article about the Feds paying companies to stop wind farm developments is particularly galling. Because Trump has some weird phobia about wind farms, he’s spending our tax dollars to stop them. Sure, I’d go all NIMBY if there was one planned for my neighborhood, but farms in the god-forsaken TX panhandle, or atop some uninhabited mountain ridge…let them be. It’s mostly free energy. But spending our money just to buy the investors out – that’s criminal. I’m sure at this moment multiple VCs are spinning up new wind farm developments, anticipating they’ll get a zero risk buyout from the US government.

On more esoteric subjects, I’m spending some time trying to grok both sides of the AI argument by reading the incredibly verbose advocates of each side:

Argument A – AI is economically unfeasible and is a dead end, supporting only Capex-focused investors.

Argument B – We’re already in The Singularity, and AGI (artificial general intelligence) and ASI (artificial super intelligence) are just around the corner. AGI and ASI will transform the world.

Proponents of each are quite persuasive. It’s also possible that both extremes are true. This is turning out to be a very, very interesting period for tech and society. I keep wishing I hadn’t checked out of professional life.

Now, off to work. Gotta clear leaves off the driveway and fix some of the window smears our window cleaners left yesterday. Nothin’ but fun.

I have no idea what’s going on in the minds of twenty-somethings. This take on voting rights by the tradwife wing of conservative America is shocking. From Digby:

“My perspective as a Christian woman,” one young woman says, “is that my husband and I are one flesh. I vote the same way he does, so honestly, I would be okay with giving up my right to vote, because I know that he would represent me well.” Another chimes in that her daughter won’t need to be able to vote because she knows she’ll marry a godly man.

The viewpoint is shocking and even laughable when most people are exposed to it for the first time. And it does give rise to a number of questions.

Vance posts a couple of snarky comments from social media:

These women, Vance writes, are “willing to bargain away their own personhood for what they perceive to be the security of marriage and motherhood.”

I’m starting to believe that the age of 18 or 21 is way too soon to let people make any significant life decisions. Like getting married or voting. They’re biological adults, but they’re mental morons. We really, really need some civics and history education for young Americans. Maybe before voting they should take (and pass) the same citizenship tests as naturalized citizens. And Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale should be required reading for all high schoolers.

Speaking of reading, I’m re-reading an obscure Greg Bear trilogy called War Dogs. It’s the story of first contact, a war with aliens, and Mars colonization all told from the point of view of a front-line soldier. It’s very, very good. Bear is an under-appreciated author, one of science fiction’s “killer-Bs” from southern CA (Bear, Bedford, and Brin).

As I fight through accumulated time zone debt, I’m also watching some World Cup action. It’s irritating to have to watch it on Fox – even their commercials contain conservative propaganda – but the games are really good. It’s LOTS better than watching American football. Call me a convert.

Back to the driving range today to try and find my golf swing after an eventful month of travel. After about 30 hours sitting in an airliner seat, plus maybe double that amount sitting in cars/vans, my fitness and flexibility isn’t great. Time to work on that.

Back in Socal after a long, hard travel day. Three hour drive to Nashville, a three hour wait at the airport (flight was delayed), then a 4.5 hour flight to SAN – must’ve been some big headwinds. Landed at 5pm in SD, so traffic was at its worst. I decided to stop at Costco and shop (company coming, need lots of provisions) rather than just sit in traffic. So I made it home at 7pm, about 13 hours after leaving Cleveland TN. Felt every minute of it.

Having said that, if you’re going to be stuck in an airport for a while, Nashville is a good one. Modern, spacious, good food, good seating options, and lots of live music in bars and restaurants. So that part was OK.

Today it’s mostly rest and recover mode. Some light chores around the house.

And of course I’m catching up on the news, drinking coffee. Some quick thoughts:

• The UFC fight on the White House lawn was a new low for American dignity, and that’s saying a lot. Really sad.
• I’m laughing my ass off about the Washington Monument reflecting pool turning green with algae. Everything Trump touches dies.
• The end of the Iran war/not a war is laughable. Actually tragic, but laugh is all you can do about our dimwitted federal government. We made more enemies in the Middle East, killed a lot of innocent people, blew through billions of dollars, wrecked the global economy…for absolutely nothing. Iran is in a stronger position after the war than before. Nice job.
• I was very sorry to hear about the B-52 crashing at Edwards AFB. A true tragedy. But what do you expect when you’re flying 65 year old aircraft? The B-52s should be retired, right now – they qualify for Social Security, fergawdsake.. They’re a relic of another time, another era in warfare. We don’t need them today.
• The NY Times has a compelling, long article about Jeffrey Epstein’s suspicious death. It supports my contention that he was murdered, silenced by people who he might have testified about. I’d say Convict Donny is a prime suspect. We’ll never know the truth.
• Zac Brown and Nate Bargatze just became dead to me after performing/appearing at Trump’s UFC/Idiocracy shit show. As a celebrity, you support Convict Donny, you lose my support. Period. Same for Roku, a company just bought by Fox. I’ve bought a lot of Roku gear over the years, but no more.
• Convict Donny is in Europe, at the G7 again. Any minute now he’s going to do something that will embarrass America further – it’s inevitable. You put a spoiled child in a group of adults, and the child is going to act out. Wait for it.

That’s it for now. Time to get my golf game in shape, as a month’s worth of birthday golf starts on Thursday.

I’m in Cleveland, TN tonight for my brother’s memorial service tomorrow. I’m as tired as I’ve ever been – not an exaggeration. I’ll go to bed early tonight and wake up based on whatever my body decides is morning. Might be 1am, might be 3, who the fuck knows. But this is appropriately the end of the road – from this point on I have two brothers to lean on, not three. A sobering thought.

The flight from SAN to BNA was awesome – I barely remember it. I was so tired I slept hard most of the way. Started in San Diego, woke up in Nashville a minute later. Sweet. The drive from Nashville to Cleveland was great until I hit Chattanooga. Three interstate lanes became one, and I went 5 miles in one hour. Ugh. But I’m here, probably for the last time in my life. It’s a nice area, but without Don there’s no draw. There’s a nephew to consider, and I’m giving that some thought.

I find that the more weary I get the less I give a fuck about what I say. My two brothers (plus Deeanne) and I had a meal tonight and the service wasn’t great. Normally I’m verrrrry polite, but tonight I let people know when they didn’t do so well. Maybe that’s why oldsters have that reputation – at some point, feeling sick and tired, you just can’t ignore even little slights. That sounds petty, and perhaps it is. I may have to work on that.

Tomorrow we say a final goodbye to Don. Breaks my heart. But that’s the reality of it – we’re here, and then we’re not. I hope our consciousness survives the death of the body, but who knows?

I can’t decide on any pictures to capture the moment tonight. Words will have to do.

Sixty seven years old, gone way too soon. Here he is with wife and son ready to go to our high school football reunion in 2003. Better days.

He is already missed.

Yikes. Up at oh-dark-30 yesterday and today, due to two weeks in the Euro time zone I suppose. Going further west tomorrow will be a challenge. I’m zoning out hard about 830pm here (530pm) on Left Coast. And tomorrow I have a Rush concert in LA at 730pm PST, or about 130am on my body clock. Better find some rest along the way.

I just looked at the first Youtube videos from last night’s FIRST Rush concert in a decade or more. They look and sound great, so I’m stoked for Tuesday night, late or not. Annika Niles crushed it as drummer, so that’s settled. It’ll be interesting to see what the VIP package I bought along with the pricey seats will be, but whatever it is, I know the show will be stellar. Here’s a taste.

Took a quick trip to Crescent Hill for an early morning 9 holes, playing before an expected storm. Felt great, and after a 3 week layoff my swing was as good as it gets (for me). I finally started getting my right side into the swing and hit it very, very well. Three miles of walking hills carrying clubs before 830am, in moderate heat/humidity. Feels great.

In 24 hours we’ll be mid flight, on way to Socal. And the Rush show.

In the meantime, here’s a nice little creek with boats near Ross Castle, in Killarney. The Ross castle story is a long one, for another day.

It’s still June 6, and we’re back in Trumpistan. Boston, to be precise. We’re waiting on a flight to Nashville, a flight that we would not have taken except for wanting to see my brother. Which won’t happen, but that’s a story for another time.

JetBlue, our connection after Aer Lingus, has a weird, weird process of not assigning seats until 50 minutes before departure. Really? I thought Southwest was quirky. Never flown JB before, probably won’t again. So here we sit in Boston waiting to know where we’ll sit on the next flight. With my luck it’ll be on the wing or in the restroom.

On the way in I decided to listen to some music instead of reading, and I really enjoyed listening to all of my usual tunes via headphones. Wolf Alice, Rush, Tame Impala, Blue Oyster Cult…I was rocking at 30K feet over Greenland. I might become a headphones guy after all – the sounds were really good. As an engineer and a gear freak, I love speakers and amps, but music played straight through headphones…it’s pretty great. Pure. I can hear a few things that I don’t hear with any of my systems, and that’s saying a lot.

Speaking of systems, I just bought a sweet Harman Kardon 330c on eBay, and it’ll get delivered to CA in 4-5 days. It should sound spectacular with the Spatials. Call it a Fathers Day gift or a birthday gift. I bought it while chilling out in the back of nowhere, Ireland – actually, on the upper lake of the national park in Killarney. Weird. Almost as weird as buying our KY house sight unseen while on a volcano in Hawaii. But that’s the way I seem to roll. That said, the KY house was almost exactly 1000x the price of the HK, so…not a big deal.

Another hour and we’ll be off to TN. Yee haw.

I’m waaaay behind posting items about the trip. In Dublin airport lounge now, waiting for our flight to Boston, connecting to Nashville. Nashville, because we wanted to see my ill brother before going further west.

We’re on our way back to Trumpistan, and the news from there is predictably not good. Maddening, like this note from a health conference. All the shit that Convict Donny and his minions want to impose on US citizens is done in the name of “security”. Fuck them. We won’t be secure until we root out every last MAGA minion in every branch of government. It’ll take a generation. Here’s another atrocity example – convicted criminals get favors from the Preznit, again and again.

It’s pretty sad, going home to a place being destroyed from within. Unless something dramatic/wonderful happens, we have many more months of destruction to put up with.

In the meantime, here’s a picture of the windy wild Kerry Cliffs.

It’s Tuesday, June 2, even though my WordPress account thinks it’s June 1. My Mac has been wonky since I fired it up this morning – it rebooted itself unexpectedly, so…we’ll see what’s up. It’s mostly working now.

The last 24 hours after arriving in Ireland have been interesting. We arrived in a foggy, driving rain that only got worse as we were driven toward the coast and our hotel, the Armada House. I checked the weather and the outlook for our entire stay is/was the same – rain, fog, etc. Our first impressions of Ireland were a bit rough.

The Armada House was first class, though we were only there for about 12 hours. We had a meal across the street at the Armada Hotel – great seafood, as expected from a North Atlantic island. The next morning we had a short drive up the western coast of Ireland to the Cliffs of Moher, an allegedly beautiful sight. We couldn’t see it much at first, as the fog was in, thick and cold. Not conducive to sightseeing. Here’s a selfie and what we saw of the Cliffs.

It was cold and windy. Of course.

We decided to leave and visited the shops toward the entrance. Just as we were leaving, it cleared up a bit. Of course. So here’s a slightly better view of the Cliffs that we got by hustling back the quarter mile to the view.

After that we had a looooong 3.5 hour drive from Moher to Dingle, where we are in the middle of a 2-night stay at Pax House. Pax House was advertised by our travel agent as the highlight of our two week vacation, so we had high expectations. When we arrived, the House met expectations, but our promised room did not. The travel agent messed up and booked us what is politely referred to as a “Snug Room”, a tiny room without a view, underground ( a basement). It was a shock, to say the least, given what we paid and what the travel agent knew. I had a few tense go-arounds with the agent, and we’ve got it mostly sorted out by now. We’re still in the Snug Room, but we have some significant compensations/reconciliations for that. I did pretty well not letting this setback ruin even a day of our vacation.

Today we had a great tour around the Dingle peninsula. I’ll post about that later.