I was not planning on another post this week, but I wanted to just reflect a bit on a few things, as there is much to think about. This blog has been becoming more of a personal journal than anything, as I seem to write more in it than I do in my personal journal. However, I still utilize the journal as there are thoughts obviously that would not be in line to share here, as we all have that personal dimension to our being which requires some sanctity. I have talked at length about journaling before, so I won't get into that here. Rather, I am doing one of those posts that more or less goes with the flow of my thoughts, as sometimes there is something profound or insightful that comes from that too.
The first thing that comes of the top of my head is this blog itself - 15 years! It is hard to fathom that, and it continues to grow too. The blog initially started when I lived in Largo, FL, and was something that Barbara said I should do. It turned out to be a decent idea, and thankfully it did. 15 years later, I am still going with it. I am not sure how much longer I will continue to write, but this year seems to be more than usual - the "blog book" I usually have published and bound every year will be huge this year, but that's OK. In time, I am still thinking about gleaning through all this to create the skeletons of future books I want to publish, so we'll see what happens.
One thing that many probably noticed missing this year is the post about the anniversary of my music collection. I began that collection officially on October 1, 1982, and in the process I have lost that collection twice and had to rebuild from scratch. I suppose that this would be a good time to tell everyone what has happened.
When we were forced to move last year, I ended up leaving the bulk of my music collection behind. It was one of the most heartbreaking things I have ever had to do, because at that point I had pretty much every recording I was ever looking for. Now, this does not mean I lost everything, as I did manage to salvage my larger boxed LP sets, and still have those thankfully. But, I have had to buy new CDs - I have a much smaller collection than I used to have now - and I have had to rethink my music collection a bit. One thing that turned out to be very fortunate for me was the greater availability of MP3 recordings that could be saved on flash drives, and starting this Spring I was able to begin collecting a bunch of those. I have two large orders of those on the horizon, as I found a couple of good resources that pretty much have every item I used to have on CD as MP3 downloads, and I can get them at a huge fraction of the original cost. At this point, a collection I used to have of over 3400 recordings now fits into a box in the palm of my hand, and it can now go anywhere I go too. With CDs also kind of going by the wayside (they don't sell like they used to in all honesty) it looks like digital downloads may be the way of the future, and I am fine with that. A thumb-size flash drive can hold up to 500 gbs of data, and when that is broken down into sound tracks, that means a library of potentially 300 or more CDs per drive. So, about 8 of those drives can hold a huge collection of recordings. I will still buy some vinyl and some CDs too, as not everything is digitally available yet, but for the foreseeable future I see the flash drive as being the new face of my music collection, and it is somewhat exciting to think about.
There was a fantasy I had as a young kid that I wished I could shrink everything I owned into a small box, and then I can take it anywhere. With so many pieces of music, books, and films now available to download (both free and at cost), it looks more like a possibility these days to do these things. And, after the events of last year as well as my ever-increasing reality that I am no longer getting any younger, there is a sort of practicality in this. I recall several years ago watching the various incarnations of Star Trek, and especially later with TNG and DS9, I recall how data was preserved - it was stored on these long drinking straw-like glass sticks that could contain the whole documented legacy of a small civilization, and I am looking at my flash drives now and seeing how much of a prophetic reality that became. Star Trek seems to be the impetus for a lot of things, including even the cell phone now - 50 years ago, no one would have ever imagined that you could possess a phone with the whole world at your fingertips, yet here we are. It is practically a necessity now to have a cell phone, and much like a Star Trek tricorder, you can do anything with it. Technology is a blessing in many ways, but it also can be a liability too if it is misused, which is why I want to briefly address this thing with AI.
AI (artificial intelligence) is the new popular topic of conversation, and it is starting to show up everywhere. Last year, I was joking with one of my students when I announced the final exam, and they said "Oh, I can use AI to do that." I half-jokingly said, "why did you tell me that? You know I am going to be checking for that now." The student of course was kidding, and in all honesty he was smart enough to get a decent grade on his exam anyway, but it highlights what could be a potential liability of AI technologies. AI can provide answers, compose projects, and even simulate a human being with just the click of a few keys. But, is that good? I feel a bit concerned about it, because God has already given us the most sophisticated information processing system in our brains, and ultimately AI owes its existence to a human brain. It took a brilliant and gifted person to create AI technology, something a mere machine cannot do. However, if we start to make people more dependent on AI technology, it will lead to a deficiency in things such as critical thinking, creativity, and other things God endowed us with which are inherent to the human body. A machine can never recreate or replace that, and why people advocate for that is beyond me. Take these transhumanists for example - I think of Kevin Warwicke, who frankly is about the creepiest human being I have ever encountered. Warwicke wants to turn himself into a cyborg, and when he talks about it in his rather weird, sinister British brogue, I see red flags going up all over the place. There are people who have studied Bible prophecy that view transhumanism (rightly) as a potential tool of a future antichrist, and it's a valid concern. Whether they are right or not remains to be seen, but they are seeing something that doesn't add up. Now, does this mean all AI technology is evil? I cannot say I hold that view in all honesty, as I think that if used responsibly, AI could be a valuable tool. Also, despite the fact that AI may have some value to transhumanism, I don't think AI and transhumanism are the same, and therefore I dispell any conspiracy theories I hear about it. But, it still does pose some legitimate concerns, and if it starts to be used to redefine what humanity and personhood are, then I would say it is over the line. That leads me to a couple of concluding thoughts.
Technology is wonderful, and in many ways we should feel blessed to live in an era when technology does have its benefits. As a responsible tool in the right hands, technology has the potential of making some rather difficult areas of life more efficient, and it also opens up some doors of possibility we never had. For that, I am thankful. However, as imperfect as human nature is, the potential for abuse and addiction of technological innovation is there, and we have to set boundaries so as to keep our utilization of it focused. I myself am thankful for my cellphone and laptop, and do use them extensively, and I also am excited to be able to preserve a whole vintage music collection in a format that easily fits into the palm of my hand. That being said though, let's never allow technological innovation to rob us of what makes us unique as human beings overall, but more so as individuals created in the image God made us. The key is moderation, balance, and focus, the same ideas we should exercise with anything, and tech is no different.
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to ramble more today, and I will return soon.