One small step backward for humanity(?)… One giant leap forward for A.I.!

June 20, 2022 by · Leave a Comment 

Dystopian movies featuring A.I. as the antagonist abound. The thought of a world in which a soulless “entity” is in the lead role with humanity at its behest is terrifying. How will the relationship between A.I. and humans play out over time is anyone’s guess, but with all the benefits artificial intelligence brings to the table, I feel a little like “a moth to a flame”, and it bugs me.

Why the angst? We recently came across a Los Angeles Times dated May 12, 1997, which had coverage of the historic(?) chess match between Gary Kasparov, the reigning world champion at the time, and “Deep Blue”, an IBM supercomputer. The strings of o’s and 1’s ruled the day, defeating Kasparov in the deciding game in 19 moves. I wonder if many moons from now, when/if A.I. decides to write its own developmental timeline, if this achievement will be listed as one of significance?Note: In case anyone is wondering, upon its victory, “Deep Blue” was NOT crowned the new World Champion of Chess.

The Day the Music Died? Mother Theresa dies… Princess Diana is laid to rest…

August 24, 2017 by · 3 Comments 

On February 3, 1959, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper died in a plane crash shortly after takeoff, and inspired one of the most recognizable tunes of all time: American Pie (Bye, bye Miss American Pie), by Don Mclean – a song he says was inspired by his reaction to reading the account of the crash in the morning paper. Fast forward nearly 20 years to the morning paper for September 6, 1997, and one can only imagine the emotions evoked by the duel headlines: “The World Mourns Diana” and “Revered Mother Teresa Dies”. Two people – one young, one old… one living in abundance, one living in squalor… one with the soft skin of a new-born babe, one with wrinkles upon wrinkles… one incredibly rich, one overwhelmingly poor – yet both committed to making a difference in the lives of the needy… the infirm… the neglected… the destitute. In the blink of an eye, both passed into eternity, leaving a mantle just begging to be picked up by those whose lives they had touched.

What about you? What about me? Truth be told, we’re all just Candles in the Wind. What acts of kindness, goodness, and humble service are filling our days while our candles are still burning? Stirred emotions can be a salve for the soul if they lead to action. Have you picked up their mantel? Have I? Who among us is selflessly helping those who are unable to help themselves?

Yet another set of heart-challenging thoughts (questions) ran through my mind as my damp eyes leafed through the pages of The Arizona Republic (September 6, 1997), passed over the various images of Princess Di and Mother Teresa, absorbed the printed lyrics of The Candle in the Wind (by Elton John), and settled on the photo of the two, together, only months prior to their deaths:

What song does Mother Teresa get? Princess Di gets “A Candle in the Wind”, and the Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper get “American Pie”, but what about Mother Teresa? Who sings for her? And the 2nd question…

If February 3, 1959 is The Day The Music Died, then what is September 6th (or 5th), 1997? I’d love to know your thoughts.