Can we reach immortality via these man-made objects?
A momentous occasion, in the evolution of the chess playing Big Blue, will occur beginning tomorrow on TV. The Jeopardy show will provide a human versus computer event when IBM's Watson computer will play two human champions. This is akin to a circus act.
What is the socio-economic impact of a sentient computer? So far predictions of the future, the world of tomorrow have, for the most part, been wrong. We don't have flying cars or homes that nurture us automatically like a suckling pig. We haven't done away with money and its evils. We cannot control the weather, Stay tuned, as the best(?) is yet to come, if we don't become extinct! Remember, your thoughts are not your own!
Last night we watched "Unstoppable". It held grip on our attentions for the duration, but it was more like a newsreel, rather than a movie, as it lacked the depth of characterizations that would have mad it much better. I would give it a "C" grade and we decided it worth of a rental, but not a visit to the theater.
Are we re-wiring our brains at an early age to deal with interruptions rather than focus ? Have you ever wondered what impact cell phones, video games and PCs would have on our kids? Many of them never have any "down" time. They are constantly being bombarded with technology. They sleep with "one eye open" to interruptions from their smart phone. This cannot be good. Are we breeding a future race of ADHD individuals that are addicted to and dependent on technological enlightenment 24/7 ?
One evening a grandson was talking to his grandfather about current events. The grandson asked his grandfather what he thought about the shootings at schools, the computer age, and just things in general.
The grandfather replied, “Well, let me think a minute, I was born before:
- Television
- Penicillin
- Polio shots
- Frozen food
- Xerox
- Contact lenses
- Frisbees
- The pill
- ATM machines
- Cell Phones
There were no:
- credit cards
- laser beams
- ball-point pens
Man had not invented:
- panty hose
- air conditioners
- dishwashers
- clothes dryers
Clothes were hung out to dry in the fresh air and man hadn’t yet walked on the moon.
Your grandmother and I got married first, and then lived together.
Until I was 25, I called every man older than me, ‘Sir.’ And after I turned 25, I still called policemen and every man with a title ‘Sir.”
We were before computer-dating, dual careers, day-care centers, and group therapy.
Our lives were governed by the Ten Commandments, good judgement, and common sense…
We were taught to know the difference between right and wrong, and to stand up and take responsibility for our actions.
Serving your country was a privilege; living in this country was a bigger privilege.
We thought fast food was what people ate during Lent.
Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins.
Draft dodgers were people who closed their front doors when the evening breeze started.
Time-sharing meant time the family spent together in the evenings and weekends—not purchasing condominiums.
We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CDs, VHS tapes, DVDs, i(anything), electric typewriters, yogurt, or guys wearing earrings.
We listened to the Big Bands, Jack Benny, and the President’s speeches on our radios.
I don’t ever remember any kid blowing his brains out listening to Tommy Dorsey.
If you saw anything with ‘Made in Japan’ on it, it was junk.
The term ‘making out’ referred to how you did on your school exam.
We had 5&10 Cent stores where you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents.
Ice-cream cones, phone calls, rides on a streetcar, and a Pepsi were all a nickel.
And if you didn’t want to splurge, you could spend your nickel on enough stamps to mail one letter and two post cards.
You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600, but who could afford one? Too bad, because gas was 11 cents a gallon.
In my day:
-‘grass’ was mowed
-‘coke’ was a cold soft drink.
-‘pot’ was something your mother cooked in
-‘rock music’ was your grandmother’s lullaby.
-‘AIDS’ were helpers in the Principal’s office
-‘chip’ meant a piece of wood
-‘hardware’ was found in a hardware store
-‘software’ wasn’t even a word.
And we were the last generation to actually believe that a lady needed a husband to have a baby. No wonder people call us ‘old and confused’ and say there is a generation gap.”
How old do you think I am?
I am 60 years old.
This guy goes to a football game and three nuns are sitting in front of him with full head gear. Upset because he can't see he asks them to move.
The first nun says "We where here first".
The guy says "but I can't see a damn thing."
The second nun says "You have choices to move, my son, and we don't".
The guy says "And what choices would that be?"
The third nun says "You can go to hell, we won't be there."
An elderly man in North Carolina had owned a large farm for several years. He had a large pond in the back, fixed up really nice, along with some picnic tables, horseshoe courts, and some apple and peach trees. The pond was properly shaped and fixed up for swimming when it was built.
One evening the old farmer decided to go down to the pond, as he hadn't been there for a while, and look it over. He grabbed a five gallon bucket to bring back some fruit.
As he neared the pond, he heard voices shouting and laughing with glee. When he came closer, he realized it was a bunch of young women skinny-dipping in his pond. He made the women aware of his presence and they all went to the deep end to shield themselves.
One of the women shouted to him, "We're not coming out until you leave!"
The old man frowned and replied, "I didn't come down here to watch you ladies swim naked or make you get out of the pond naked."
Holding the bucket up he said, "I'm here to feed the alligator."
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