The dying art of writing

Back when I was seven years old, I wrote a story about Glinda the Fish. I don't remember anything about it beyond a few vague watery adventures Glinda had. Certainly the story rambled, had no story arc, and lacked a conclusion, though I did include crayon illustrations of a very pretty and feminine fish decked out in glittery scales. Hey, I was seven.

Obviously the writing bug bit early, and I've enjoyed practicing the written word ever since.

Perhaps for this reason, the artificial-ness of writing done by artificial intelligence drives me nuts. I'm complained about this several times (here and here).

Oddly I'm conscious of times I use turns of phrase that might be misconstrued as written by AI. I submitted a magazine article recently, for example, concerning the honey hunters of Bangladesh (people who harvest wild honey in the coastal areas of that nation). In the second paragraph, I set the scene by describing what the mangrove forests are like, which included this line: "It is a moist, humid, and unforgiving ecosystem that straddles land and sea, and protects the coast from erosion during high tides, tsunamis, and cyclones."

It was the term "straddles land and sea" that I almost took out because it sounded like AI, even though it describes perfectly the placement of mangrove forests.

Similarly, one line from our recent trip to Italy also triggered my AI radar. In this blog post, I described some Roman ruins we saw, including the impressive brick work, as follows: "The fact that the brick work has held up so splendidly for thousands of years is a testimony to the skills of Roman craftsmen." It was that word "testimony" that tipped the line over into the realm of sounding artificial. It's bugged me ever since.

Every writer develops his own unique voice when mastering the craft, and I guess you could say the same applies to artificial intelligence. In a piece entitled "The Rise Of AI Writing And The Decline Of Human Voice," it states:

"New research suggests that widespread use of large language models is making language more uniform. A study conducted by University of Southern California found that after the release of ChatGPT, diversity in writing styles declined across several forms of communication, including scientific publications, local journalism, and social media posts. Researchers observed fewer differences in vocabulary choices and sentence patterns, pointing to a growing preference for polished, formulaic language. ...

"Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development analyzed more than 740,000 hours of spoken and written material and found that certain words commonly associated with ChatGPT responses are appearing more frequently in everyday communication. Words like 'delve,' 'meticulous,' 'boast,' and 'comprehend' have become increasingly common, suggesting AI-generated language may be shaping human speech habits as well. ...

"Not everyone sees that as progress. Alex Mahadevan of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies argues that AI-generated content often feels empty despite being technically sound. He described it as noticeably 'soulless' and 'mediocre,' adding, 'There's no art in it.'"

Or, as I'm fond of stating, AI writing is a lot of "blah blah nothing."

At this moment in time, we are straddling (that word!) the cusp of human-generated writing and AI writing. But the handwriting is on the wall, and the latter will become the norm. Not only is it easier (give a command, and hey presto! your essay or advertising copy is written), but the younger generation will grow up unable to discern between the real and the fake ... especially since AI shows every indication of becoming indistinguishable from the human voice. Personally I find that very sad.

I don't know how long I'll be able to cling to a career as a writer, but I'll enjoy it while I can.

Blah-blah nothing

As I'm fond of saying, it's easy to tell when AI is writing something because it uses a lot of syllables but doesn't actually say anything. Or, as I put it, it's a lot of blah-blah nothing.

Consider this magnificent award-winning photograph entitled "The Guardian" by Sameh Shahien, for example.

Glorious photo, isn't it? But this was the description below: "Beneath the scorching sky, a mother raptor shields her young with unwavering strength — a living fortress. In this rare moment, the bond between parent and offspring is laid bare in pure form: instinct, protection, and unspoken love captured with natural light. Photographed on the coast of Sharm El-Sheikh, South Sinai, Egypt, this image is both a tribute to wild maternal care and a reminder of nature’s silent guardians who watch over the next generation."

Oh puh-lease. This is nothing but a lot of polysyllabic blah-blah nothing. (And remember, AI loves to use the term "unwavering.")

To extract the full extent of the absurdity of the text, read it out loud (as I did to Don). Blah blah blah. What kind of bird is it? Couldn't AI provide basic info like that?

Blah.

Pandora's Box

In the wake of last week's brutal tech-stock selloff, Don saw a news story entitled "Anthropic’s AI Tools Decimated Tech Stocks and the Carnage Is Just Beginning." The article began: "If you’re not a coder, you have nothing to fear from Anthropic’s latest releases … unless you are invested in tech stocks, in which case it may be time to panic. In a seismic shift that’s rattling Wall Street and Silicon Valley alike, the AI powerhouse unleashed a pair of revolutionary tools – Claude Code and Cowork – that promise to redefine how software is built and managed. These innovations, which allow AI to generate code on demand and function as virtual coworkers, have triggered a brutal selloff in the software sector, erasing 25% of its value in just one week and contributing to a staggering $400 billion loss in investor wealth. This isn’t just another tech hype cycle; it’s a clear signal that AI is no longer a mere assistant but a direct threat to established industries, forcing a painful reckoning on profits, jobs, and the future of human ingenuity." [Emphasis added.]

It gets worse: "Anthropic’s Claude Code stands out as a game-changer, enabling users to create custom software with minimal input, effectively automating what was once the domain of skilled programmers. Paired with Cowork, a suite of plugins that lets AI agents handle collaborative tasks like a full-time employee, these tools represent a leap toward AI autonomy."

So now AI is poised to gut the jobs of the very industry that created it.

When Don read this out loud, my comment was, "What have we unleashed?'

I come from a family of nerds. I have engineers scattered among all my relatives. We have friends deeply involved in software creation. Are their positions in jeopardy?

Pandora's Box indeed.

Not on speaking terms ... with AI

As you can imagine, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is on everyone's mind, particularly those whose jobs or livelihoods are threatened by the new technology. As a writer, I'm grateful I've carved my niche with both my fiction and nonfiction editors before AI became a threat. (That said, I have yet to meet an editor who even remotely wants or encourages AI submissions.)

Recently, while lurking on a writer's forum, the discussion turned to using AI as an aid in generating cover art. One woman, seeking a prototype for a western-themed romance cover, wrote the following, which had the whole forum cracking up (and proved this woman can write!).

She started by giving the AI some prompts, and it went downhill from there:

"I tried AI to do scene suggestions. I prompted it to give me two people, a man and a woman, on a horse fleeing through the wilderness. I got two horses. I politely said they needed to be on the same horse. This time it was two horses with riders fleeing a fire. I, more firmly, said they needed to be riding the same horse. I got two horses with the riders using English saddles. I refrained from calling AI an idiot and went back through the list. I finally got two riders on the same horse. But they were missing legs. With gritted teeth, I said 'TWO PEOPLE, A MAN AND A WOMAN, ON A SINGLE HORSE, WESTERN SADDLE, EACH HUMAN HAVING TWO LEGS, FLEEING THROUGH THE WILDERNESS, NOT RUNNING FROM A FIRE.' I got one horse, one rider, no bridle, and a fire.

I'm currently not speaking to AI."

Join the club, honey.

Scary videos

Recently I saw a compendium of short (perhaps ten seconds apiece) videos showing Ring camera footage of house cats chasing away bears that got too close to babies on porches. That may seem like a very specific category, but there you go. I couldn't locate the original collection I watched, but you can see a few of them in these YouTube shorts:

• Here

• Here

• Here

• Here

There were more, but you get the idea.

It wasn't until I started wondering just how many stupid parents were leaving their babies unattended on porches that I noticed the fleeting logo floating around the screen:

I wouldn't have paid attention to this logo except by chance, just the day before, Older Daughter had shown me a video with the same jumping logo and explained how "Sora" is the automatic logo placed on AI videos created by Open AI. Specifically, "Sora is an AI model that can create realistic and imaginative scenes from text instructions," according to the website. Older Daughter also mentioned how some people are trying to scrub the logo by glossing over it, so if you see a video with random blurry blotches jumping around, it's the logo that's been removed.

Keep in mind that Open AI is free. There are other AI video programs that cost money, but put out a superior product (and presumably don't have a telltale logo jumping around on the screen). But even with the free program, you must admit these videos are awesomely realistic – and in that realism, they're terrifying. What happens when the video doesn't depict a heroic cat saving a baby? What happens, instead, when kindly Mr. Smith down the road is shown shoplifting from the nearby corner store? Or worse?

"Show me the man and I'll show you the crime" was a chilling statement variously attributed to Stalin or other Soviet-era miscreants. Artificial intelligence offers tools to achieve this in a way the Stalinists could only dream of.

Those cute cat videos aren't so cute after all.

Creepy technology

I came across a video recently in which some dude (speaking at double-fast speed) was describing the problem with smart technology, specifically what happens when companies abruptly decide to no longer support the product.

I didn't watch the whole thing, in large part because the double-fast speed of the speaker was driving me nuts, but I got enough of the gist to know I never, ever want any sort of smart technology in our home.

Yeah yeah, I know I'm typing this blog post on "smart" technology, but trust me when I say that's about the smartest thing we have. It's interesting how the older I get, the more I regress in terms of what I think makes for an attractive product, to wit: Is it manually operated?

The information required simply to use new gadgets astounds me. I saw a screen capture recently of a Samsung smart washer's control panel in which the user was directed to "go to settings and allow permissions for Contacts, Telephone, Location, Camera." Camera? CAMERA? On a washing machine? Why must "contacts, telephone, location, camera" be enabled to wash one's tidy whiteys? Seriously, why?

What I find extraordinary about the whole Internet of Things is how we voluntarily put our necks in the noose. None of us – with the exception of those with disabilities or other physical limitations – need "smart" appliances or lights or heating systems or vacuums or any other Internet of Things technology. These things are mere conveniences … until they're not.

Remember when a Google glitch caused thousands of people to be locked out of their homes? Lights or appliances wouldn't work, and people were left sitting in the dark and wondering why they ever thought smart technology was the way to go.

We're surrendering the most intimate details of our lives to smart technology: Wristwatches that monitor our heartbeat, toilets that analyze our "anal print," mattress pads that track our bedroom activities … the list of invasive technology is endless.

Don and I don't need a refrigerator hooked up to the internet. We don't need a smart mattress cover communicating activities to a central location. We don't need smart cars that tell us where to go or how to drive. We don't need windows that close when it rains or lowers the blinds when it's sunny. We don't need a washing machine that starts remotely. We don't need smart toilets with a built-in Alexa to "set the mood." We don't need lighting that turns itself on or off upon request. We don't need smart ovens that download recipes and lets us play games while dinner is cooking. We don't need smart aromatherapy diffusers to make the house smell nice. We don't need smart TVs that take over and perform functions we didn't ask for and don’t want. We don't need smart shoes that lace themselves and customize to our feet. We don't need a Fitbit to track and report our every movement, down to our heartbeat and footsteps. We don't need smart phones that spy on every movement, every message, every conversation, every banking transaction and every trip we take.

Ironic, isn't it, how the lyrics from the song "Every Breath You Take" (by the aptly named group The Police) turned out to be so prescient: "Every breath you take / Every move you make / Every bond you break / Every step you take / I'll be watching you. Every single day / Every word you say / Every game you play / Every night you stay / I'll be watching you. Oh can't you see / You belong to me?"

Okay, rant over.

Bots answering bots

Mornings and evenings, I let Younger Daughter's parrot out of her cage for some cage-free time. She spends some of that time flying around to various landing spots in the house, but most of the time she's on my fist while I'm at my computer, preening her feathers and just being sociable.

During these times, since I can't type on the keyboard, I either read the news (morning) or scan through various stupid YouTube videos (evening) ... which is how I found myself watching a best-of-the-month version of "Incredible Moments Caught on Camera" the other day

The video snippets themselves were interesting enough ... but the voice-over narration was abysmal. That's because it was all AI.

Artificial intelligence, as I'm fond of saying, is easy to spot because it conveys a lot of blah-blah nothing. It's fond of multi-syllabic words but somehow fails to impart any real information. Consider a few narratives that accompanied some of the video clips:

• (Regarding seagulls flocking on a beach): "Birds soar in the sky like streaks of freedom carrying hope."

• (Regarding a whale being freed from debris): "The humpback whale was rescued, a moment filled with hope and touching."

• (Regarding the massive and tragic explosion in Beirut): "The entire atmosphere trembled as explosions erupted, and everyone was compelled to turn and observe, pondering the events that had transpired."

• (Regarding a security camera catching tornado damage in the lobby of a business decorated for Christmas): "The Christmas tree and the windows were both devastated by the tornado. Oh no! This holiday season is unquestionably excessively heated. The glass door is likely being refreshed in a manner that no one desires, and the stunning Christmas tree was unable to withstand the forces of nature."

• (Regarding a tornado dark with debris): "Look! a massive black tornado containing a cloud of dust. It resembles a massive vacuum cleaner from the heavens and the earth, but it does not clean. Rather, it causes destruction. Please exercise caution and refrain from approaching."

Honestly, I could have watched it without sound, but the deeper I got into the video, the more comical the AI narration became. It was like verbal diarrhea.

Periodically the AI voice would interrupt itself to urge viewers to "kindly leave a comment in the remarks section below." So, curious, I scrolled down to the comments section. And what did I see?

• "Every second of this was truly breathtaking."

• "I’m always fascinated by the majestic beauty of nature in this video."

• "Who else got goosebumps watching this? Truly incredible!"

• "Absolutely mesmerizing!"

• "Every single moment in this video amazes me."

• "Wow, these moments are truly unbelievable!"

• "Wow, some of these moments are truly unbelievable!"

• "Truly mesmerizing! Every moment captured here is a reminder of how incredible the world can be."

• "These moments make me wonder if I’m dreaming!"

Yes, AI is leaving comments to the AI narration and saying ... blah-blah nothing. Bots answering bots.

(It's also worth noting a couple of irritable comments from real live viewers, to wit: "I've started watching these on mute. The commentary is just so inane. AI voice, pretending to have emotions, telling me what emotions and thoughts I should have... ridiculous." Definitely not AI-generated.)

Artificial intelligence. The wave of the future. Please exercise caution and refrain from approaching.

When the world grinds to a halt

Older Daughter was summoned for jury duty this morning. She dressed nicely and drove to our very small rural county seat to report for duty. What she thought was going to be a very long day of civic responsibilities turned into a very short jaunt. She was home within a couple hours.

Why? Because the global cyber security outage that happened early Friday morning even impacted the local court system, which was unable to access its own information as a result.

This is, needless to say, a massive vulnerability in an inter-connected system of anything. It's not that cybersecurity isn't necessary; but by having one access point – apparently globally – then it's vulnerable to massive disruptions. Even a very small rural county seat is affected.

Everyone is reporting the "blue screens of death."

As of this writing, the IT outage has affected banking, transportation and logistics, medical systems, news organizations, sporting events, manufacturing, supply chains, package deliveries (i.e. FedEx, UPS, Amazon),  government services, retail and e-commerce, education, and much more. As one source noted, the worldwide IT outage seemed a little "like Y2K, except it actually happened this time."

Time to check in, dear readers. Who has been impacted, and how?

The weirdness of artificial intelligence

As a writer, I've been keeping an eye on AI writing programs such as Chat GTP. So far, I'm not overly worried. Most AI-written pieces are a lot of blah-blah nothing, but of course the technology is still in its infancy.

Interestingly, Older Daughter is in more of a position to observe AI usage than I am. She volunteers in screening applicants for a live-action roleplay game, and per the rules she must refuse any AI-written applications. As a result, she sees TONS of AI stuff, and has learned instantly to identify the fake from the real, even if the fake has been run through a "humanizer."

One of the keys to identifying AI text – aside from its "perfect" grammar that no one seems to know these days – is the usage of two words: "unwavering" and "intricate." For whatever reason, AI-written text loves those two words, despite the fact that comparatively they're seldom used in real (human) writing.

In fact, consider this Twitter post:

Other words favored by AI include: commendable, innovative, meticulous, notable, and versatile.

Still, AI has its worrisome moments. For example, Older Daughter asked ChatGTP to write a bio for ... me. Most of the information was factually accurate, with one screaming exception: It had me as the co-author of a book on preschool psychology I'd never even heard of. (Can't remember the name, sorry.) The book exists, but its two co-authors clearly aren't me. Whee, nothing like misinformation!

AI can also provide laughs. We all sat around and howled with laughter a few nights ago when Older Daughter input the following prompt to ChatGTP: "Write me a few paragraphs about Don, a brilliant woodworker attempting to survive in a grim post apocalyptic world."

Here's what ChatGTP wrote, with those favorite words bolded:

In the aftermath of a catastrophic event that plunged the world into darkness, Don emerged as a beacon of resilience amidst the chaos. Once a humble carpenter, his mastery of woodworking became his greatest asset in this grim post-apocalyptic world. With a keen eye for detail and an unwavering determination, Don sought to carve out a semblance of normalcy amid the ruins.

In a world where resources were scarce and survival was a daily struggle, Don's craftsmanship became invaluable. With nothing but salvaged wood and basic tools, he fashioned shelters, furniture, and tools essential for survival. Each creation bore the mark of his skill and dedication, a testament to the enduring human spirit in the face of adversity.

But Don's talents extended beyond mere utility; they offered a glimmer of hope in a desolate landscape. His intricate carvings and sculptures served as reminders of beauty in a world consumed by darkness. Whether it was a delicately carved figurine or an ornate relief depicting scenes of a lost civilization, Don's artistry breathed life into the desolation, offering solace to those who dared to dream of a better world.

Despite the harsh realities of his existence, Don remained steadfast in his resolve to endure and rebuild. With each stroke of his chisel and every piece of wood shaped by his hands, he defied the despair that threatened to engulf him. For in the heart of this post-apocalyptic wasteland, Don found purpose and meaning through his craft, a testament to the enduring power of human creativity in the face of adversity.

Then Older Daughter gave ChatGPT another prompt: "Write a few paragraphs about Carl, an inspector of intertubes surviving in a post apocalyptic world." (Note she misspelled "inner tubes" as "intertubes." Didn't matter to ChatGTP. It took the words and ran.) This is what she got:

In the aftermath of the cataclysm that reshaped the world, Carl found himself thrust into an unexpected role as an inspector of intertubes, a vital but often overlooked aspect of survival in the post-apocalyptic landscape. Once a mundane occupation in the pre-apocalyptic world, inspecting intertubes became a matter of life and death in the harsh realities of the new world order.

Armed with little more than a flashlight and a keen eye for detail, Carl traversed the barren wastelands in search of intact intertubes, the lifelines of communication and transportation in this fractured world. With every inspection, he meticulously scrutinized each tube for signs of wear, damage, or contamination, knowing that a single flaw could spell disaster for those who relied on them for survival.

Carl's expertise extended beyond mere inspection; he became a guardian of knowledge, teaching others the importance of maintaining and preserving the intertubes that linked scattered communities across the ravaged landscape. Through his tireless efforts, he ensured that these vital arteries of communication remained functional, bridging the gaps between isolated pockets of humanity and fostering a sense of connection in an otherwise disconnected world.

But Carl's mission was not without its challenges. In a world where resources were scarce and dangers lurked at every turn, he faced constant threats from marauders, scavengers, and the elements themselves. Yet, he pressed on, driven by a sense of duty and a belief that the intertubes held the key to rebuilding civilization from the ashes of the old world.

As the days turned into years, Carl's efforts bore fruit, as the network of intertubes he helped maintain became a lifeline for those struggling to survive in the harsh new reality. Through his unwavering dedication and perseverance, Carl emerged as a beacon of hope in a world consumed by darkness, proving that even in the face of devastation, the human spirit could endure.

See what I mean about a lot of blah-blah nothing?

In some ways, this is encouraging. As a writer, methinks I'm not likely to be replaced by a computer any time soon.

Blah blah blah.

Backing up the laptop

As many of you know, I'm a fanatic when it comes to backing up my laptop. My dad (a computer expert and retired electrical engineer) hammered that wisdom into my brain years ago, and I've never regretted following his advice. Indeed, backing up has saved my fanny any number of times.

The information contained on my laptop is probably the single most valuable thing I possess. It includes all my writing and all my photos (somewhere on the order of 110,000+ of them!). I would be devastated to lose these data, hence my fanaticism in backing up.

Needless to say, I never use "the cloud" for this purpose (which is not a celestial weather formation, but merely someone else's computer). I used to back up to an external hard drive, but a couple years ago Don bought me a thumb drive which holds a massive amount of data – on the order of 512 gigabytes.

This faithful little thumb drive has served me well. Every Saturday, when my work week is finished, I first back up this blog (a harsh lesson from Granny Miller many years ago), and then I do a full-scale backup of my computer, including any new photos I uploaded. Because this represents so much data, I usually budget about three hours for the whole shebang. My archive of photos is so massive that it took about fifteen hours – no exaggeration – to back up the entire thing the first time I used the thumb drive. For this reason, I don't re-back-up the full photo archive each week, but instead just add any new photos I take.

A few weeks ago, I turned to Don and said, "I'd like you to do some research and make a purchase for me. I'd like to get another thumb drive for an extra backup." Backups to backups are always wise. (Besides, such a purchase is a write-off on our taxes.)

Anyway, he did his research and purchased a larger thumb drive, one terabyte in size.

You can see the size comparison below with my old thumb drive.

But how well does it work? I plugged it into my USB port and sample-copied a file with a bunch of photos. It was done so quickly I hardly had time to blink. Whoa!

Encouraged, I spontaneously decided to back up my entire archive of photos (remember, in excess of 110,000 pix). It – took – fifteen – minutes. Remember, the old thumb drive took about fifteen hours!

So I settled in to back up all my documents, a process that took three hours with my old thumb drive. The new thumb drive took twelve minutes. Twelve minutes!

So I'm hooked. This is a marvelous little bit of technology, and it offers me great peace of mind.

While you may not have 110,000+ photos to preserve, I strongly urge everyone to heed my father's advice and back up your computer. You won't regret it.

UPDATE: To those concerned about faulty thumb drives: No worries, I've tested this thumb drive and verified the contents, and it works perfectly. We did purchase another (cheaper) terabyte thumb drive and it didn't work at all, so I understand the concerns. Also, since we have another terabyte thumb drive ordered and on the way, and since the backup times are now so much shorter, I'll do two full-scale backups each week, and the second thumb drive will be stored in our fireproof safe where we also keep our vital documents.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Comical historical note: Here's a one megabyte hard drive being shipped by by IBM in 1956.