We Risk Becoming The ‘Spacers’ Of Asimov’s Robot Series

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

If you want a glimpse into one possible future for the world, look no further than the “Spacers” of the Isaac Asimov Robot series of novels. The specific book I would recommend is “Robots of Dawn.”

The Spacers lived a long time, but they also use androids as the basis of their civilization. This leads to them becoming stagnate and never expanding beyond a core set of planets — I think it was something like 100.

Meanwhile, other humans, who didn’t rely upon androids so much ultimately took over the galaxy. Anyway, the Spacers of Robots of Dawn are very relevant to today’s discourse about AI and robotics.

Philadelphia May Be Next Place Visited By ICE’s Jackbooted Thugs

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

For some reason, there is a rumor floating around that ICE’s next invasion point is Philadelphia. There has been a lot of talk about how rough the fine folks of The City Of Brotherly Love are compared to Minneapolis but, I don’t know.

I would like to THINK that that is the case. I would love it if ICE got the shit scared out of them by the people of Philly. And, yet, I have my doubts. Not that Philly people can’t do it, but for some reason ICE has managed to go into places like Chicago and Washing D.C. and…nothing.

There wasn’t nearly the push back that we’ve seen in Minnesota.

Anyway, as I keep saying, because of mission creep, I suspect that ICE is going to literally become American’s SS. They’re going to go way past just enforcing immigration laws into becoming fascists that just knock heads when necessary at the behest of Trump.

Hollywood Is Cooked, But Actors Should Be Fine

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

While it’s really scary to think that Hollywood may be about to implode because of AI, I think actors as a profession should be fine. The transition will be turbulent, but once we reached the AI Hollywood Singularity, all the actors who lose their job because of AI will go into live theatre that will pick up the slack.

I think this will be the biggest change in Hollywood since the advent of the talkies.

So, what will happen is, instead of going to Hollywood, actors will want to go to Broadway. And, as such, the local live theatre will see a huge influx of actors as people want something that is real and live in real life.

That, at least, is the most hopeful outcome.

I suppose that it’s possible that people just want care and the entire Hollywood industry will implode and, lulz, their won’t be any jobs for actors at all. That’s kind of the dystopian outcome.

But I’m hopeful.

It’s Interesting That Spotify Hasn’t Leaned Into AI More

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

While Spotify is beginning to do more with AI, they have all this data about users it’s interesting that they haven’t done *more* with AI. What I would do is use one of the better open source AIs and use that as the interface for Spotify.

That would be interesting.

It would be be interesting if you had instead of a cacophony all these songs to choose from — a datastorm, if you will — you would have a Knowledge Navigator type situation that would be at your beck and call.

That seems to be the logical progression of things, all things considered. It would be interesting, if nothing else.

Abolishing ICE Is The Moderate Position At This Point

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Trump has his SS now, apparently, with a whistleblower claiming that ICE agents are being told they can just crash into your house and seize you as necessary. I keep expecting ICE, because of mission creep, to show up on my front doorstep and demand me explain my online ranting.

It’s just a matter of time at this point, I fear.

I’ve decided that I while I won’t fight back, I will stand my ground. I know my rights and if I’m not doing anything untoward, I’m in the right. I’m going to scream at the top of my lungs — and have some choice words for some MAGA people I know — as I get dragged out into the night.

‘26.2’

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Allegedly, according to some weather apps, where I live is set to get as much as 26.2 inches of snow this weekend. Apparently, however, not only is that complete bullshit, but weather conditions have change to the point that we’ll all be lucky to get anything but a little bit of icy rain.

But if we did get that much snow, the thing I would worry about, of course, is the lights going out. I got some perishables that I would not have to heat with that in mind, but of course, I’ve started to eat them already.

And, yet, I think I’m safe. I don’t think we’re getting that much snow and I will hopefully get off my ass and start back to working on the novel starting as soon as possible.

I Really Need To Get Back To Writing On This Scifi Dramedy I’m Working On

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I have been kind of zoning out the last few days, now that I’ve entered, yet again, the “bad guys closing in” part of the novel. What I hope to do is really be more thoughtful about what I write so I won’t have as much work to do down the road.

The key thing I’m going to have to do is stop being so lazy when it comes to my scene summaries. It’s fine to use AI to write scene summaries, but it’s not fine to hone a little bit too close to what AI proposes for the scene when you actually sit down to write.

So, what I think I’m going to do is read the scene summaries a few times and then just write without using them as so much of a literal guide. That way, anything I write will be completely in my own voice.

That’s the goal, at least.

I don’t want anyone to just roll their eyes at me and say I’ve just written AI slop instead of a novel with my own hands. So, in the second half of the novel I really hope to prove to myself — if no one else — that I’m the author of the novel and not AI.

If We Appease Trump On Greenland, Canada Is Next

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

We have to accept that we are in a new age, a new era. America is now run by a mad king, an America Caligula, and as such we have to look at things in a different way.

If we just lulz Greenland and let Trump seize it, then Canada will be next. And given the fact that Trump is, like, the Foundation series’ The Mule, he probably will get away with it. He probably will invade Canada, destroy all that and while there will be a lot of upheaval in the USA because of it, it’s not like he’ll be impeached and convicted.

Trump is, for the moment at least, not only a mad king, but a god-king. There’s just nothing we can do about the situation. Or, at least, there’s nothing we’re willing to do about the situation.

The US democratic political system is going to implode and it definitely looks as though China, the USA and Russia will divide the globe up into different spheres of influence.

Thankfully, Russia has an economy the size of Italy, so it can only do so much trouble in Europe unless it uses nukes — which is highly unlikely.

As for the USA, my fears about either dying in a camp or being thrown out a window by an ICE agent are growing…more possible, if not probable.

Not Great, Guys: Christians Now Have New ‘Persecution Porn’ To Goon To

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I suppose it was inevitable that there would be some screw up on the part of the center-Left in Minnesota so MAGA would have some sort of talking point. Something, anything, that they could pivot to whenever the tragic murder of Renee Good came up.

Well, it happened.

For some dumb reason, some protesters got it in their head to actually protest during a church service. Don Lemon was there for some reason. Anyway, I kind of feel sorry for Lemon — because of fucking racism, he’s going to be tared and feathered as being a part of the demonstration when as best I can tell, he was just there when it happened.

Anyway, now the two sides have their respective reasons to be angry and to talk past the other side.

I’m Worried That Mad King Trump Will Demand A Constitutional Convent

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

We have a long, long, long three years ahead of us when it comes to Trump. And, as such, there are any number of ways that he could really screw things up. Given his love of besmirching anything that anyone holds sacred, it seems logical that Trump would inevitably go after the Constitution.

There are a few excuses I could imagine him using to do such a thing. One, the most obvious one, is so he can run for a third term. The second, less obvious, but equally potent to the MAGA base would be to pass a balanced budge amendment.

I say all of this in the context of a growing suspicion on my part that Trump is a Russian agent of some sort. Putin notoriously pass through a series of constitutional changes in Russia as he was consolidating power. It would make a lot of sense if Trump did too, because, lulz, form follows function.

As such, Trump has such an absolute hold on the American political system that once he broached the subject of a Constitutional Convention, there would be no stopping it happening.

And, as I understand it, there’s no avoiding the very real possibility that any such convention would be populated primarily with MAGA participants so Trump would, at last, make America Trumplandia once and for all on an existential basis.