Saturday 17 August 2024

A Very Rare Photo.


Two boys, no phones, and a TV covered over with a swimming towel. This is a scene almost unknown in today's world.

Boo Boo (not looking too happy) and The Cherub playing a board game quietly together at home. 


Maybe in Thailand things are different, but here in 'Yerp' one hardly ever sees anyone without their nose glued to a phone. They follow them, talk to them, and are told what to think by them. And if 'influencers' really do influence; they are also influenced by them. Very little in Gen Z lives happens without their phones being involved.

I am aware that the world is changing, and that life for our children and grandchildren will be very different than it was for us, but I still don't like to see fellow humans living their entire lives through a small hand-held device. Personally I don't even wear a watch, and haven't for about 30 years.

If predictions are correct, and AI really does begin to replace human endeavor, then we must expect more machines, more technology, and less human effort. Money will be replaced by 'credit', shops will be replaced by giant warehouses that deliver by drone, and mankind will exist solely to eat and be entertained.

Life could easily become pretty pointless.

 

22 comments:

  1. Shades of "Brave New World"?

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    1. Maybe someone will see sense, and we'll all return to being active humans again.

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  2. Board games are popular here still. Most of our grandchildren play backgammon and at family gatherings we play quiz, and other games. But phones are never far away.

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    1. I'm not sure if the boys have phones, but I suspect they do. It's probably their father who restricts the usage.

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  3. Cluedo has been dusted off and played on recent visits from our children. Not sure why. (Have you seen the film WALL-E? The humans are just as you describe.)

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    1. No, I haven't seen WALL-E; but it sounds like something I might avoid.

      I liked Cluedo. I also liked Snakes and Ladders that I played with the boys. There are plenty of good board games around.

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  4. As a partially deaf person my mobile phone has become a useful tool. I can communicate via text or WhatsApp and, as a last resort, using my Bluetooth hearing aids.

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    1. My wife has Bluetooth hearing aids. It all gets a bit confusing at times.

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  5. Good to see them playing a game of chess, and the TV covered over!
    It's not so much a brave new world as a sad new world. Photos of the females who proclaim to be "Influencers" amuse me - they all look exactly the same, with no individuality at all. I have no idea what they are supposed to influence, but they must have a following of those youngsters who can't think for themselves.

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    1. I was hearing about an 'influencer' who, when asked what she did, she replied "nothing". She literally filmed herself looking through drawers, or doing the washing-up, and somehow managed to make lots of money on Tic Tok. What a bizarre world we live in.

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  6. Good to learn chess at an early age.

    I don’t have a problem with smart phones - am using mine to type this. I use my phone to pay for things, read news, keep in contact with people, research etc etc. probably pretty much everything you do on your computer and more.

    My does bother me is Gen X use of social media. I read a couple of surveys that Gen X get most of their news from this source. Given the amount of rubbish that is on social media it is pretty worrying - look at all the misinformation that spread after the Southport stabbings and look what happened later!

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    1. My oldest (Kimbo) uses his phone for just about everything, but he's not obsessed with it. He has a VERY busy life, and it makes everything so much easier.

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  7. Advancement in phone and media technology has happened with little consideration for the human cost. It's like we have to adapt and catch up somehow when it should be there to serve us.

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    1. I use mine as a camera, and for contacting people through WhatsApp. That's about it!

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  8. AI learns from what humans have provided, we will still need artists, thinkers, and writers to feed the machine. It is good to see kids without phones glued to their hands.

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    1. I was just thinking that we'll need farmers, but having seen some of the huge Factory Farms I doubt if we will.

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  9. Wow, I am hoping, if it gets even close to that there will be a resistance to it SO fierce as to stop the people seeking the power to see it is futile.
    That is why , we fight to keep our guns in the U.S. to stop government takeover of our lives if needs be. love Beth

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    1. Human resistance, if it's strong enough, will always succeed. I just hope people will take the time to express their fears.

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    2. I do, but it doesn't have a Sim card in it. I simply use the FREE services.

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  10. You are not alone in your dislike of the dominance of iPhone use today. I recently listened to a broadcast about this topic. People called in and reported being with another person and this person taking phone calls, reading messages and surfing the web..
    mostly ignoring the person sitting with them. The behavior sends the message: Nobody is more important than my phone dialogues. Schools are also banning phones in the classroom due to the distraction from learning. Regarding AI, my hope is it will take-on mundane jobs that nobody wants to do and/or facilitate work to make each day as productive as possible. Health care in particular should benefit greatly. Imagine sitting at a computer typing in symptoms and test results and getting a diagnosis with a suggested plan of action. Some MD's are encouraging this and others are dissing it with all their might. We shall see how it all shakes out.

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    1. I agree about health care. I'm sure that medicine will take huge steps forward over the next few decades.

      I see people all the time, in restaurants, ignoring each other and concentrating on their phones. Just a week ago I watched a couple do exactly that during their entire meal.

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