Judging A.I. Books by Their Covers – Thoughts from December 10 and 16, 2023

December 10, 2023

I was talking with a coworker about artificial intelligence and other technologies. He was mentioning things most people don’t know or care about. It’s the kind of thought experiment conversation I like. I’m usually the one who brings up real-world issues with the technology. Eventually, I will get business cards with “Reality Expert” written on them. Thinking is my hobby, but reality is my career. He brought up many theoretical technologies with no real thought to how many people would or could use them. Only the super-rich can use new technologies. Real people are not a component of these conversations.

I finished Barbra Streisand’s autobiography earlier today. It was 48 hours of listening so I’m filled with Streisand facts I will soon forget. Most of them I’ve already forgotten. I don’t listen to people’s stories to hear facts about their lives. Their stories help me understand myself and the people in my life. Because someone is famous doesn’t make them completely unrelatable. We all have minor forms of fame. People know us who we don’t know well. The more fame you have, the more controlled your life must be. Your money and fame don’t come with happiness and health if you don’t actively seek them. Money and fame can cause more problems than they prevent.

The other day, some people were discussing animals. They were talking about animals behaving badly as if they were talking about human behavior. Cannibalism, rape, murder, and other horrible human behaviors were used to describe the animal’s behaviors. What is unacceptable among humans can simply be a natural behavior in animals. We forget our rules of a civilized society are not natural. If an animal acts against the natural balance of nature, they will not last. The only rule in nature is trying to stay alive. These seemingly horrible behaviors from animals only point out how unnatural humans have become.

Humans don’t murder each other as a general rule, but we slowly ruin each other’s lives with our behavior. We torture others with our unnatural behavior. Some people forget or deny we came from apes and other animals. We are just another animal. If we ignore others because we think we’re better than them, we are no better than lions who banish a member of their pride because they are weak. Our intelligence only makes our behavior seem pettier and more unethical. When you murder or torture people because they don’t believe the same things you do, you prove how far from intelligent people we as a society still are. Truly intelligent people don’t have a concept of hate. Hating is what people do when they act like animals. It’s not what intelligent humans do.

December 16, 2023

Today, I’m going to talk about why and how to judge a book by its cover. The books I’m talking about are people. Should you judge someone by their outward appearance? The answer is yes, but my judgement is probably not for the same reason as most people. I don’t judge people for physical appearance or things they can’t change. I judge things they wear or things they do to their bodies that were decisions on their part. People choose to make statements to the world with their appearance. These statements can be positive or negative. When they are negative, I judge them harshly. There is enough negativity in the world. We don’t need more of it spread by people’s appearances.

Most rich people choose their fashions based on their economic status. Old money will dress differently than newer money. They dress to impress other rich people. Their appearance says, “Stay away from me unless you have at least as much money as me.” If these people are going to waste their money on expensive clothes, I’m going to judge them for it. Spending money on proving their social status is not a skill improving them as people. Focusing only on your social/economic status will draw your focus away from what’s important. Your clothes shouldn’t represent you as a person. They should just cover the shame of your naked body.