Surrender is a bitter thing

It’s a morning beset by technological problems, so the mere fact that I am writing is something of a miracle. My long-time refusal to download A.I. on my devices is finally catching up with me—as I knew it would. It’s infuriating that we don’t have a choice, and that the stuff will be running in the background stealing my work whether I like it or not. Don’t tell me I can turn it off. Every serious analysis I’ve read tells me it’s still there, even when you turn off the most obvious features.

I have been tilting at this particular windmill for almost two years, and the battle is lost. It’s clear to me anyway that they’ve already scraped all my books—and reduced them to the worst possible drivel—all without my permission or any compensation. Even Substack is permitting readers to upload our work to check whether it’s A.I. That leads to scraping, too.

Aside from this, I have moral and environmental objections to A.I. None of which matter to the oligarchs. We had dinner recently with a high level employee of one of them, and she told us that the tech bros wouldn’t care if it took the last ampere of electricity and the final drop of water. They just want to come out on top of the tech race.

Which is exactly what I suspected all along.

In my past work, I knew a few multi-millionaire/billionaires, and learned first-hand the arrogance of tycoons. They are always right. No one corrects them. Everyone tells them they’re wonderful. And they are—generally speaking— (Note the em-dash. Take that A.I. analysts) small-minded, uneducated, and uncultured people, who know only one small thing: their business. There’s no philosophy, no history, no literature, no knowledge of art incorporated in their world views. But it doesn’t stop them from thinking they know it all.

Anyway, as a peon, I must bow to my tech overlords. And hating them only hurts my soul, with no impact on them. Alas.

On a brighter note: my dogs are asleep at my feet, the tall trees tower overhead, the turkeys are leaping for the bird feeders on the terrace, and my brain is my own.

And all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.

World without end.

Amen.

These posts are about finding the beauty in daily life, even amid the craziness, uncertainty, and anxiety. Reality is not going away, but these are the only days we get, so we have to relish their small beauties while we have them. If you are a paid subscriber, please know how deeply grateful I am for your support. The kindness and enthusiasm of your comments buoy me and keep me writing, but the paid subscriptions are an extra vote of confidence I truly appreciate. These posts will always be free, however, so if all you can do is share, that is helpful, too. Whatever you decide, I’m glad you’re here.

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