Putting the 'AI' in EMAIL

Friends,

Have you noticed artificial intelligence is trying to make us lazier? Whether LinkedIn recognizes someone thanking you and offers-up three one-click response options, or Gmail prods you to follow-up on an email you sent five days ago, AI wants to help. The results can be hilarious. Try typing-in the first two to three words of a sentence and then complete it by using only “next word autocomplete”. For instance, if I had any idea what I was going to say to the other two people that were doing great things... You get the idea (the words “for instance” in the preceding were my sentence kindling, the rest was all AI). The problem with not knowing where your sentence is going is knowing when it has arrived.

While we don’t yet have complex AI-generated (AI-ded?) exchanges, the trend has made me question platitudes. Lately I’ve been making an effort to be more thoughtful in my responses. The way I see it, if Google can predict my sentence or Facebook can suggest my comment, I’m just being lazy. I realize it may be a symptom of old age (geezers tend to resist, even fear, change), so I try not to get paranoid. Speaking of being lazy, Labor Day is upon us. You don’t need AI to embrace your inner sloth, just grab yourself a dozen donuts and get horizontal (it’s not pronounced LAY BORE DAY for nothing).
Happy Friday!

Comments

Donut Doodle Dandy

Dear Members and Constituents, In trying to figure-out Wednesday’s cool-looking Google Doodle ( Jorge Luis Borges’ 112 th birthday ), I stumbled across a list of Google Doodles you’ll never see. This, and a Rockies game later that day, were sufficient inspiration to get my head spinning around what other doodles Google might never noodle? I’m sure you’ll probably have a few ideas of your own, but I was able to come-up with a couple. How about a former Colorado Rockies player whose unfortunate encounter with a moth put him in the news this week? The Matt Holliday doodle might look something like this… Another item which, surprisingly enough, has not been made into a doodle are donuts. Although I was slightly taken aback to find this delicious pastry has not been featured, after the initial disappointment, I decided to take matters into my own hands and take a stab at one (perhaps Google can use it next year for national donut day )… or to celebrate Greek police having “ blown a ho...

Gilding the Donut

Friends, Despite writing about donuts (sort of) for over 20 years, I don’t believe in sugar coating, after all, honesty is the best policy. Gilding, on the other hand I’m good with. Take the church of the Society of Jesus in Quito, (AKA La Compañía). Built in fits and starts between 1597 and 1765, the volcanic rock baroque facade conceals a spectacular interior. I had the chance to go inside this week and although I had heard about the gold leaf work inside, the descriptions had not done it justice. The details from floor to ceiling transport you to another world, perhaps that’s the point. If you’re ever there, be sure to visit. And while you’re there stop by one of the many panaderías … if you’re lucky they might even have a donut. Happy Friday!

Out with the old

Friends, I’m not much for using arbitrary dates to make life changes – you can do that at any time. I am, however, very much into building and burning effigies to close out the year – an Ecuadorian tradition we call Año Viejo. The theme we chose to represent 2024 was Steamboat Willie, the Disney movie whose copyright protection had been extended through the end of 2023 by the 1998 “Mickey Mouse Protection Act”. Now that he’s in the public domain, Mickey has been rebelling and doing things his parent company would not approve (a nose ring, two earrings, smoking, a public domain tattoo and an Iron Maiden logo on his hat – a nod to Paul Di’Anno’s passing in October). Despite losing his head a few times (literally, it kept falling off) we proceeded to read his last will and testament (a playful roast of the party’s attendees), pouring accelerant and lighting a match at the stroke of midnight (after the obligatory countdown, of course). If you’re curious, you can find this year’s Año Vi...

Friday Donuts

Search This Blog