Ms Hubbel, thank you on many levels. An old geezer by most standards, and like others who've commented wishing I were better able to tell if 'it's Memorex or...'
Met you on your Andes adventure, and thought, hmm, amusing, honest, bare-assed; immediately shared with a hiking friend who, through the years, has met some of the challenges you described
'Good fun, I'll read more', I thought
Thank goodness I have!
You're candour is more than refreshing; it challenges me each day to be better
As for AI, as I understand, it began, much like the web, as a tool to improve, to expand, to explore, to help. It appears I'm wrong. It has rapidly become acquisitive, profit-making (sadly, what isn't now?), and controlling. [Please see Iain McGilchrist writing on left brain / right brain attributes in today's messes, and Naomi Klein, esp Doppelgänger]
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has"
.. feels to me - like expressing your opinion - whether mistaken or correct led to ‘public consequences.. & has now continued to spark ‘overthink which has led to ‘overexplain apologia here in ‘public ‘substack..
So what’s the upside - if any .. for your readers.. specifically me ! ? (i take no prisoners..)
I’m to accept ‘a pig in a poke - some ‘attorney wrote something that you read & divined as AI & you ‘called him out.. (hurtin his feelings.. & inflaming his substack fans & homies.. who turned on you - who then .. well whatever ..
Hell.. If ‘any publicity is good publicity… the attorney owes you Gratitude.. !
& just imagine the all-conquering daily dopamine hit he scores just savouring the ass kicking he delivered.. a heroic win for him .. & yet now yer pals - privately makin nice to each other ..
what the fuck was his topic ? The AI was so damn shitty you spotted it right off ?
What’s the takeaway here ? Sackcloth & ashes ? Spill gal ! 🦎🏴☠️
Thomas, you consider this "overthink," which is your perfect right. My point isn't the AI. It's that social media creates a place where we over react, act like jerks or worse, and then such situations then become the perfect Petri dish to look at what we do why we do it, and take responsibility for it. That may not work for you. And it was a she , not a he. For what it's worth it was a fine reminder of how the no-guardrails environment of the internet makes it all too easy to be an asshole in public, but by the same token, being able to clean it up is also a powerful statement. That may not work for you. With the utmost of respect Thomas, such work is for me, not necessarily for any one reader. It may not give you the slightest value at all- just as there are many readers who could care less about my travel exploits and who are far more interested in musings about this very thing. That's the beauty of the platform. Not everyone is going to get my points, not everyone is going to care, and not everyone is going to agree. This lawyer wasn't on Substack, and nobody else chimed in so I don't know where you got all that. The whole exchange was strictly between us, and handled between us, and ended well because we both showed up better. Given how too many of such exchanges end far worse, it was worth sharing. Maybe not for you, but for others.
Thomas, I find it very hard to follow your writing. Simplicity is a fine thing, and it's a lot easier to respond if you would clarify your point. If you don't understand the basics of my article and what I was conveying, that is perfectly all right. You are under no compunction to put in that much effort. I need to move on with my day, my workout, my writing, my chores. Thanks for engaging.
Powerful post, Julia. As a therapist, I know first-hand the healing potential of admitting a mistake to a client (a missed moment of understanding or empathy; the not quite right words or expressions said); my willingness to acknowledge these 'empathic breaks' typically become incredibly powerful 'repair' experiences for the client, and I know I grow from acknowledging my 'missing the mark' as well. Your experience yesterday, and your sharing how you handled it here, will be a gift to many.
Many thanks Rebecca. I think that so many of us miss terrific opportunities to grow out of the fear of looking foolish or faulty. Of course we're both much of the time but we're determined not to look at those parts, as though they make us bad. They make us human. The way I see it, the more we embrace the human bits of ourselves, the greater the permission to evolve above them. They are the stepping stones.
Don't know enough about AI to know if I'd even recognize it being used. That in itself is scary, and the landscape of insults and hurtful remarks that you find on social media maybe scarier, still. For me, the big takeaway from your piece is that you owned your cause in the matter, yes -- but even more, you stood up for remembering kindness instead of hate -- and in these times that's no small thing, and a reminder that I can't hear enough.
that's very kind of you. We forget that when we own our mistakes we lighten the load on everyone involved. That doesn't mean own others' too, which is a real problem for too many. But we can own ours. And that's very powerful.
I have friends who are regularly posting AI "nature" photos that are stunningly beautiful but anything but natural. I sigh and scroll on past and make a point to like the photos of photographers I know who pictures may be just as impressive but are adjusted no more than necessary to make them pleasing to the photographer.
I'm an avid user of Photoshop and a couple of other AI media restoration apps. They are simply amazing. The goal is to make the photo look like it did originally AND maybe add a bit of color or clarity to make look you would see from any phone camera today.
I spent time (much to my wonder and joy) in my grandfather's darkroom. He was a master landscape photographer. He would spend hours changing filters and using the cropping tools of 60+ years ago to turn a great photo into to a stunning one.
Photoshop and other tools give us this power and it's joy to use them. And, I trust the integrity of my photographer friends to use this tools in ways that bring us the joy of seeing the world through there eyes.
How's that for rambling all over the place! I guess the moral of the story is that I'm sad that some people can't understand that four arching rainbows can't possibly be perfectly aligned with tornado funnels making the whole picture look like a cathedral. The sun can't shine four directions at once. Physics just makes it impossible.
You can make art with AI. Just let us know the tools you're using.
Artificial flavors are cheap imitations of the real thing, and definitely not as good. Artificial flowers are not fragrant, or as good as the real thing. Given that everything tagged as "artificial" is a pale imitation of the real thing, it seems clear to me that artificial intelligence is a simulacrum of the real thing. It can raise the dead, as in the case of the recent comedy bit reconstituted from George Carlin's work, but that performance was flat and lacked the usual Carlin nuance, wit, and truth. Mercifully Carlin's daughter shut it down. While AI can do good in some areas, like x-ray interpretation, as with all new things it has been portrayed as the must-have secret sauce to be built into every product from a car to a toothbrush. It's the new gilding to make products more costly, and more profitable to the makers. It's also brought us new quandaries reminiscent of the old ad slogan for cassette tapes. "Is it live or is it Memorex?" can now be rephrased as "Is it real or is it AI?"
That was really nice. It made your point well. There is too much hate online and in real life today, so seeing someone own up to a mistake is refreshing. More people should do it. Thank you!
can't tell you how much I like this post.
Far too many people equate apology with loss of status or authority -- and that causes a whole lot of unnecessary pain.
So well said Jan and so true. When the apology is called for it's cleansing.
Ms Hubbel, thank you on many levels. An old geezer by most standards, and like others who've commented wishing I were better able to tell if 'it's Memorex or...'
Met you on your Andes adventure, and thought, hmm, amusing, honest, bare-assed; immediately shared with a hiking friend who, through the years, has met some of the challenges you described
'Good fun, I'll read more', I thought
Thank goodness I have!
You're candour is more than refreshing; it challenges me each day to be better
As for AI, as I understand, it began, much like the web, as a tool to improve, to expand, to explore, to help. It appears I'm wrong. It has rapidly become acquisitive, profit-making (sadly, what isn't now?), and controlling. [Please see Iain McGilchrist writing on left brain / right brain attributes in today's messes, and Naomi Klein, esp Doppelgänger]
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has"
I hope Margaret Mead continues to be right
Many thanks once again
Tom thank you so kindly for this note. Amid all the ugliness that we all have to navigate, I appreciate this so much.
.. feels to me - like expressing your opinion - whether mistaken or correct led to ‘public consequences.. & has now continued to spark ‘overthink which has led to ‘overexplain apologia here in ‘public ‘substack..
So what’s the upside - if any .. for your readers.. specifically me ! ? (i take no prisoners..)
I’m to accept ‘a pig in a poke - some ‘attorney wrote something that you read & divined as AI & you ‘called him out.. (hurtin his feelings.. & inflaming his substack fans & homies.. who turned on you - who then .. well whatever ..
Hell.. If ‘any publicity is good publicity… the attorney owes you Gratitude.. !
& just imagine the all-conquering daily dopamine hit he scores just savouring the ass kicking he delivered.. a heroic win for him .. & yet now yer pals - privately makin nice to each other ..
what the fuck was his topic ? The AI was so damn shitty you spotted it right off ?
What’s the takeaway here ? Sackcloth & ashes ? Spill gal ! 🦎🏴☠️
Thomas, you consider this "overthink," which is your perfect right. My point isn't the AI. It's that social media creates a place where we over react, act like jerks or worse, and then such situations then become the perfect Petri dish to look at what we do why we do it, and take responsibility for it. That may not work for you. And it was a she , not a he. For what it's worth it was a fine reminder of how the no-guardrails environment of the internet makes it all too easy to be an asshole in public, but by the same token, being able to clean it up is also a powerful statement. That may not work for you. With the utmost of respect Thomas, such work is for me, not necessarily for any one reader. It may not give you the slightest value at all- just as there are many readers who could care less about my travel exploits and who are far more interested in musings about this very thing. That's the beauty of the platform. Not everyone is going to get my points, not everyone is going to care, and not everyone is going to agree. This lawyer wasn't on Substack, and nobody else chimed in so I don't know where you got all that. The whole exchange was strictly between us, and handled between us, and ended well because we both showed up better. Given how too many of such exchanges end far worse, it was worth sharing. Maybe not for you, but for others.
.. was the ‘media’ you deemed AI .. ‘might appear’ to have triggered 🧨 the whole shebang .. non ?
At that point in time - something .. some process - some ‘reaction unfolded .. a mechanical or synaptic ‘say wha ?? ! !’
That ‘media (haha .. ‘that massage’ !) is ‘a pig in a poke - & ‘what this is all about .. & i for one - ain’t buyin
What that woman ‘conveyed to you - after your ‘response/opinion .. ensued..
.. but you gots it all sorted out neow .. well amen eh ! Hallelujah
& Who said ‘all’s well .. that ends.’ ? 🦎🏴☠️🎬
Thomas, I find it very hard to follow your writing. Simplicity is a fine thing, and it's a lot easier to respond if you would clarify your point. If you don't understand the basics of my article and what I was conveying, that is perfectly all right. You are under no compunction to put in that much effort. I need to move on with my day, my workout, my writing, my chores. Thanks for engaging.
.. Your welcome, thanks 🦎🏴☠️🎬 .. ‘every day, i go to school ..
As do I, Thomas.
Powerful post, Julia. As a therapist, I know first-hand the healing potential of admitting a mistake to a client (a missed moment of understanding or empathy; the not quite right words or expressions said); my willingness to acknowledge these 'empathic breaks' typically become incredibly powerful 'repair' experiences for the client, and I know I grow from acknowledging my 'missing the mark' as well. Your experience yesterday, and your sharing how you handled it here, will be a gift to many.
Many thanks Rebecca. I think that so many of us miss terrific opportunities to grow out of the fear of looking foolish or faulty. Of course we're both much of the time but we're determined not to look at those parts, as though they make us bad. They make us human. The way I see it, the more we embrace the human bits of ourselves, the greater the permission to evolve above them. They are the stepping stones.
Your comment here reminds me of the wisdom contained in Rumi's poem, 'The Guest House'. Linking it to you here in case you don't know it: https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/guest-house/
A reminder that I am not reading classical literature anywhere near enough. Thank you. It was gorgeous.
what ?
Don't know enough about AI to know if I'd even recognize it being used. That in itself is scary, and the landscape of insults and hurtful remarks that you find on social media maybe scarier, still. For me, the big takeaway from your piece is that you owned your cause in the matter, yes -- but even more, you stood up for remembering kindness instead of hate -- and in these times that's no small thing, and a reminder that I can't hear enough.
that's very kind of you. We forget that when we own our mistakes we lighten the load on everyone involved. That doesn't mean own others' too, which is a real problem for too many. But we can own ours. And that's very powerful.
sigh
I have friends who are regularly posting AI "nature" photos that are stunningly beautiful but anything but natural. I sigh and scroll on past and make a point to like the photos of photographers I know who pictures may be just as impressive but are adjusted no more than necessary to make them pleasing to the photographer.
I'm an avid user of Photoshop and a couple of other AI media restoration apps. They are simply amazing. The goal is to make the photo look like it did originally AND maybe add a bit of color or clarity to make look you would see from any phone camera today.
I spent time (much to my wonder and joy) in my grandfather's darkroom. He was a master landscape photographer. He would spend hours changing filters and using the cropping tools of 60+ years ago to turn a great photo into to a stunning one.
Photoshop and other tools give us this power and it's joy to use them. And, I trust the integrity of my photographer friends to use this tools in ways that bring us the joy of seeing the world through there eyes.
How's that for rambling all over the place! I guess the moral of the story is that I'm sad that some people can't understand that four arching rainbows can't possibly be perfectly aligned with tornado funnels making the whole picture look like a cathedral. The sun can't shine four directions at once. Physics just makes it impossible.
You can make art with AI. Just let us know the tools you're using.
Well said, Warren. I fear its abuse. It's not going to be pretty, unfortunately. As long as there is profit, people will abuse such tools.
Artificial flavors are cheap imitations of the real thing, and definitely not as good. Artificial flowers are not fragrant, or as good as the real thing. Given that everything tagged as "artificial" is a pale imitation of the real thing, it seems clear to me that artificial intelligence is a simulacrum of the real thing. It can raise the dead, as in the case of the recent comedy bit reconstituted from George Carlin's work, but that performance was flat and lacked the usual Carlin nuance, wit, and truth. Mercifully Carlin's daughter shut it down. While AI can do good in some areas, like x-ray interpretation, as with all new things it has been portrayed as the must-have secret sauce to be built into every product from a car to a toothbrush. It's the new gilding to make products more costly, and more profitable to the makers. It's also brought us new quandaries reminiscent of the old ad slogan for cassette tapes. "Is it live or is it Memorex?" can now be rephrased as "Is it real or is it AI?"
That was really nice. It made your point well. There is too much hate online and in real life today, so seeing someone own up to a mistake is refreshing. More people should do it. Thank you!
Yes, besides which, as my former mentor/hero said, "I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear." MLK, Jr.
Well said, Gary. Thank you.
It really feels clean. But boy it is hard work.