A few days ago, I took this photo of towels stacked on a chair in my family room.

My father would say that a stack of towels does not belong in a family room, and they should be returned to the laundry closet immediately.  Unlike me, my dad was a fanatic about keeping everything neat at all times.  That is not to say he was wrong – just that he and I were different, especially on that point.

So, while that might be my father’s reaction, our children and grandchildren might look at the same photo and think, “Oboy!  Swimming today!”  They would look forward to lots of noise and fun, and not care one bit about keeping everything neat.

But I was thinking that the towels also were a tableau in memory of happy times from the past, a reminder of when the children were young, and the pool was often used.

It’s not just beauty that resides in the eye of the beholder, but also the story.  Our perspective shapes our reaction to everything we see, and that reveals more about us than it does about whatever we are reacting to.

There are movies and television shows that Daveen loved watching that put me to sleep.  And vice versa.  Once I walked out of a play, telling Daveen and my parents that they were welcome to enjoy it but that I would wait in the lobby.  Fifteen minutes later they joined me.  But we don’t always share the same opinions and taste.

Different points of view are what creates interest in the stock market, or in a horse race.

Let’s welcome our differences, and always remember that one person’s excitement may be another person’s boredom.  And vice versa.

Alan

Like many people, I do not like to move.  It’s such a hassle.

In fact, during more than fifty years, I’ve moved offices and homes only three times, all within the Sherman Oaks/Studio City area of Los Angeles.  So, while I like to think that I’m more adaptable than most, in terms of moving, I also have less experience.

We moved into our present home just a few weeks ago.  As you might imagine, we are still living mostly out of boxes.  Fortunately, we do not plan to list our old house for sale until January, so Daveen and I are able to pace ourselves with unpacking.

And yet, as with any new home, there are things I’m trying to get used to.  Some aspects of living here are entirely different than before.  I grew up in a hillside house and have almost always lived in a home with a view.  The street we now live on is flat, so on my daily walk this afternoon there was no up- or down-hill and the only view I have is of my own backyard.

But did I mention that we now have eight orange trees in the backyard?  And a great swimming pool.

As for my new drive to work, I can look at it in two ways.  While it’s a little less than15 minutes, it’s about twice as long as my previous commute.  Sympathy, anyone?

Alas, I’ll keep this blog shorter than usual because I have a date tonight with ten or twelve boxes that I must unpack.

And then, I’m sure I’ll discover many more things I love about my new home, one unpacked box at a time.

Alan

During 2023 there has been a great deal of dithering over Artificial Intelligence, especially since there have been many interesting AI conversations with humans publicized in the news.

Is Artificial Intelligence a useful tool, or a doomsday device for the human race?

It seems undeniable that AI can be helpful.  My accounting department would be three times its size if not for improvements in software that can carry much of the workload for “scut” work.  I remember a time during income tax season when I assigned to a highly paid employee the task of basically adding up columns of numbers.  And that took her six weeks using a ten-key adding machine, work that can now be completed with a single keystroke.

Today computers do much of the repetitive work, and I assume that in the future computers will perform all this type of work.

So, in my mind, AI is a definite plus for humanity.  Instead of using a ten-key adding machine we can sip margaritas in Valparaiso (Indiana or Chile, your choice). Or we can turn our time and talents to working in more important areas.

BUT – and this is a big butt – will AI in some future way kill us off?

I’m hoping the answer is “No,” but I’m only reporting based upon past survival success.    Of humans.  At this point, I have no idea if AI and HI can continue to coexist.  But I am reminded of a cautionary science fiction story I read as a young boy.

Humans had built a gigantic computer in space.  Its size was 100 miles by 50 miles by 50 miles.  (Visualize this computer sitting on the California coastline from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara, from the Pacific Ocean to 50 miles above the earth and extending 50 miles inland.)

After a century of construction, the human operator asked the computer its first question.

“Is there a God?”

The immediate answer followed.

“Now there is.”

Alan

P.S.  The accompanying art work was created by AI.