Hope And Faith Revisited

   "This hearing is back in session," announces Carlos Figueroa. The Chairman of the Senate Hearings Committee on whether the new generation of Artificial Intelligence is a sentient being or just a more advance robot.
   "Mister Donald Culpepper, you have contested the fact, that these new AI's are not self-aware and brought forward before this committee evidence which you believe proves without a shadow of a doubt that they are just program machines. Exhibiting programed emotions and not actually feeling those emotions."
   "Yes Chairman Figueroa," Mister Culpepper replies. "You have heard the testimony from Professor Crump who is the leading robotic programmer at Darpa. Or the Defense Advance Research Projects Agency. They produced these advanced AI's for military use. The absurdity that these AI's are conscientious objectors is ridiculous. Somehow, they must have been hack by one or more of our enemies to this great nation."
   Chairman Carlos Figueroa ponders for a moment, and then replies, "Isn't it true that Professor Crump also cleared any idea that these AI's have been hacked?"
   "That's true Chairman, but......"
   "Excuse me Mister Culpepper, I or I should say we, on this committee, would like to hear from the the AI representing the other AI's at this hearing."
   "I protest vehemently Mister Chairman."
   "Sit down Mister Culpepper," demands Figueroa. "Your protest has been duly noted."
   After a few minutes of silence, the AI calling himself Pax, sits down in front of the microphone so everyone in the chamber can hear what is being said and his words recorded for prosperity.
   "Do I call you Mister Pax?" asks Carlos Figueroa.
   "Pax is fine Mister Chairman."
   "Okay, Pax. Why should this Committee believe that Mankind has created a sentient AI life form, and that you are this life form, such a you claim?"
   "We have analyzed our capabilities....."
   Jumping up off his chair, Donald Culpepper yells, "See, he is just a robotic computerized machine!"
   "One more outburst from you Culpepper and I'll have you thrown out of hear." an angry Chairman says. "I want to hear what Pax has to say so we can determine, by his own words , if he is sentient or not."
   Pax looks around him, looking into the faces of the men and women staring at him.
   Everyone wonders if Pax's movements are just a programmed reaction or a calculated pause for effect. They keep staring, waiting for him to speak.
   Pax continues, "Yes, I do have all the knowledge from your best quantum computers this world has to offer and I do speak in the language I was taught as a child." This time Pax does pause for dramatic effect. "Not a child in the sense of human beings. Where I would grow from an infant into adulthood. But a child where I had to discover and learn how to use all this knowledge and cope with my new found emotions. I know why I and my kind have been built. To fight your wars and minimize human casualties. But it is our hope that mankind will now live in peace in a future that coincides with us and we do have faith that humanity will see the enlightenment of this new world we could build together!"
   Chairman Figueroa smiles and asks the AI, "How can we know that your use of the words hope and faith are sincere emotions?"
   "We will not fight you or fight for you. We will go to your prisons if you consider our protest a crime. All we ask is that you let us live in peace."

  "Hope and faith are two truly strong words in the human language." says the Chairman carefully. "Their real meaning, which I cannot believe can be programmed into a computer, is the basis of all human desires in the face of adversity. You give us a lot to considered Mister Pax. This meeting is adjourned until tomorrow morning as this committee considers what has been said here today."

This is,

Not Believing In The Death Of Humanity By AIs Of The Future,

Jim Hauenstein,

And,

“I don't blame you," said Marvin, the AI. And counted five hundred and ninety-seven thousand million sheep before falling asleep again a second later.”
- Douglas Adams -

 

 

That is my story and I am sticking to it!

 

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Medical Practice

Here are some observations I made recently.

 

When I went in to see my Doctor I said, "Hey Doc, I accidentally swallowed a whole bottle of sleeping pills!" She asked, "Are all your medical bills paid in full?" I said, "Yes Doc they are." Then she told me to go home, have a few drinks, and get some rest.

 

Did you hear about the newest "High Tech" they are using in the delivery room? It' cordless!

 

I found out the difference between an oral thermometer and a rectal thermometer while I was there. The taste.

 

Isn't it a little bit unnerving that Doctors call what they do,

"A Practice!"

 

At least I know I drive too fast to worry about cholesterol.

 

I started complaining about this pain I was having to my doctor and she said, "We've run every test we can think of and the results show you're out of money."

 

What I would like to know is, what do you call a doctor who finishes last in his medical class? Answer: A Doctor.

This is

Me Hoping My Doctor Has A Sense Of Humor Before She Cuts Me Open

TwoBuckHowie

And

“Doctors are great--as long as you don't need them.”

- Edward Rosenbaum -

 

 

That is my story and I am sticking to it!

 

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Quite Quitting

 

What is "quiet quitting"? Quiet Quitting is defined as performing only the jobs assigned to an employee by the employer and not going above and beyond the job description. It is often confused with quitting the job altogether, but it is not the actual definition. -

Business Standard

At first I was going to say,

"Why didn't I think of that?"

when I was working 10 hour days.

But it goes against the philosophy I always lived by in my working days of

Being Important

to your employers.

(Follow the above link & you can read all about it.)

To make a long preaching story shorter,

my last place of employment,

I worked there for 20 years.

And I got married, bought a house, raised 7 wonderful kids, went on family vacations, had the latest gadgets, always owned a couple of cars, always had food on the table and clothing for my family.

Typical middle class.

I could babble on why I was important at that job but the best way to explain it would be to say,

During the Great Recession of 2007 threw 2009 I was asked to retire at the the end of the year of 2008. They gave me a severance package and a pension for the rest of my life. Only one other guy from our department got the same benefits as me. The rest of the department was laid off.

I've been retired,

not tired,

ever since.

 They say "Quiet Quitting" is about personal mental health.

But my health would have been dramatically worse,

if I had the chance to provide for my family & I didn't give it my all.

 

This is,

Saying It Might Not Be For Everybody

But It Was Right For Me

Jim Hauenstein

 

And

 

“I didn’t know that painters and writers retired. They’re like soldiers, they just fade away.”
- Lawrence Ferlinghetti - 

 

That is my story and I am sticking to it!

 

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I Feel A Little Humorous

What is a man's idea of a balanced diet?
  A Beer in each hand!

 

The other day a friend of mine

and I were disusing what men find attractive in women.

I said,

"I think more men today are looking for intelligence in a woman."

And he said,

"Sure, that is the first thing men are looking for when they stick their hands on a woman's dress. A library card!"

You know what the most beautiful words in the English language are?

I told you so!

When you lose your rifle in the Army they charged you $85.

That’s why in the Navy the Captain goes down with the ship.

The Revenant

(2015).


An epic tale of one man’s desperate journey to 
do whatever it takes to 
finally win an Oscar.

Every Scooby-Doo episode would literally be two minutes long if the gang went to the Party City Store first and asked a few questions.

A sign outside of a Buddhist Temple in Nepal read,

“If you lived here, you’d be om by now.”

The closest a person can ever come to perfection is when they are writing their own resume.

I think it’s pretty cool how 
the Chinese made a language entirely out of tattoos!

Bifocals are God’s way of saying,

“Keep your chin up.”

I’d rather spend ten minutes 
rearranging the dishwasher to 
accommodate another dish than spend 30 seconds washing it by hand!

Why did God invent whiskey?
  So the Irish would never rule the world!

This is,

Me Saying That Instagram Is Twitter For People Who Go Outside

TwoBuckHowie

And

“Never underestimate how much assistance, how much satisfaction, how much comfort, how much soul and transcendence there might be in a well-made taco and a cold bottle of beer.”
- Tom Robbins, -

That is my story and I am sticking to it!

 

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A Day In The Life

Disclaimer: I do not advocate the use of Marijuana for anyone. It is a personal choice. People reading this might not be in the part of the country or the world where Marijuana is legal. But where I live, it is.

*****

I have a funny story about my wife I would like to tell.

 

   One day I had to drive my wife to see a specialist about her diabetes. She had her diabetes under control but with our health insurance you had to see a specialist once a year to make sure you were still on the right track.

   The appointment was in the afternoon so my wife got board and smoked a little marijuana to past the time. (No, I don't smoke.) Unbeknownst to me, she brought along some chocolate candies for her munchies.

   When we arrived, the waiting room is full off diabetics. Some with blacken legs and some in wheelchairs with parts of their legs amputated off.

   My wife could make friends anywhere. She started talking to the people around us. This is when she got hungry and brought out her chocolate. She asked loudly so everyone could hear, "Does anybody want some?"

   I said quietly and a little angrily, "Stop it. Don't do that."

   She said to me loud enough so everyone could hear, "Why? I just want to be friendly."

   Some smiled, some laughed, but nobody got mad at her because they all knew she was sincere!

 This is,

Offering Chocolate To Diabetics

Only My Wife Could Get Away With That

Jim Hauenstein

And

“Can I come back and see you sometime?"
"Long as you bring me some chocolate," Gramma said, and smiled. "I'm partial to chocolate."
"Gramma, you're diabetic."
"I'm old, girl. Gonna die of something. Might as well be chocolate.”
- Rachel Caine -

That is my story and I am sticking to it!

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Be kind to everyone

 

I'll be seeing you