Current reading includes attempt to stretch cerebral processors with unfamiliar information, in the form of Max Tegmark's "Life 3.0", subtitled "Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence" ... raising all sorts of fascinating philosophical questions, not least why the AI entity offering alternative words for the blog does not recognise "fascinating" but suggests fascinarpting instead ... in its defence learning does occur and the correct and desired word is inserted eventually, though the question is: why is not AI pre-loaded with a current dictionary, or dictionaries to allow foreign words too? Technical stuff passes by, but speed of change is noted and possibilities incorporated into current reality tunnel ... possibilities, of course, become probabilities and actualities according to choices made at each stage ... dystopian outcomes as likely as utopian ones ... and any and all available if indeed we inhabit an infinity of parallel worlds ... before which ...
... awareness shows immediate consequences of smart phones making us stupid ... car drivers decapitated by texting while driving ... less dramatic, the insidious perils of holding phones to ears, or carrying them close to sensitive body parts like ovaries ... FB presentation this morning suggests digital dementia becoming a thing, as AI hijacks our minds ... smart chip implants already tested and ready to go, first to correct neurological problems, then as "enhancer of intelligence", though how academic qualifications are factored in is a question yet to be asked ... or, more likely, is being asked, without clear cut answers ...
Observing pilgrims wired up for sound and vision, each step of the route marked, leads to the oft asked question of what constitutes an authentic pilgrimage ... since baggage can be carried ahead, which necessitates a pre-planned daily destination, since herd mentality may lead to the whole Way turning into a moving party ... since taxis are about to ease the pain ... though tragically eschewed by German pilgrim on the Via de la Plata in the height of summer this year, on the long stage from Caceres to Canavaral via the Alcantara reservoir and its closed Albergue ... not the only one to have died through heat stroke or related causes this hot summer ...
Observing sheep grazing on daily walks in Stanhope and Show visitors similarly grazing on snacks and drinks as they wander about, a question arises as to whether an evolutionary return loop is opening up ... the problem compounded for humans by the poisonous,sugar laden rubbish being consumed ... the progress towards homo "sapiens" enabled by shifting from grass diets to denser foods such as corpses ... anyway, evolution, though on an extended timescale, is not complete, and is likely branching into many different versions of homo, hopefully at least one worthy of the word "wise" alongside ...
An inspirational video on FB from Patch Adams points to our opportunity, as conscious creatures also conscious of our consciousness, to keep the often disturbing mainstream consensus reality in awareness, whilst dwelling in paradise, focusing on what we want to see and do ... in his case work with sick children compassionately, showing that laughter is just as important as all technical and pharmaceutical medicine. .. just because we can't do everything everywhere, doesn't mean we can't do something somewhere ... and that often turns out to be where we are right now ...
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