2009 w/ endless revisions into 2024.
SIDELINE JUMPSTART
Since the inception of human history, planet-home became the staging ground for one gory, convoluted power dance of 3 partners; Gods, ruling elites, us—the great mass. But here on out, our planet will host yet another, formidable partner. High-thinking technology. The full-on, replacement of us kind. This unprecedented, 4th partner actuality, isn’t just a sci-fi fantasy flick anymore and it been the us-partner, being sidelined. We allowed this. Without much ado, we meekly followed a lead expressly geared to shuffle us to the wayside and if we keep allowing such, history will credit us; the great mass of right-now, as the one who sealed a grave fate onto all humanity, here on out. Quickly, we need to come up with a new dance move. Yes, we must loudly question this newday lead. This is our watch and it’s called The Human Experiment—for a damn good reason.
In the Rearview.
Control of the mass has forever been--one irresistible carrot. Why, is a great question but ever since the Gods were realized, rulers have used them to control communal us. From every expanding dynasty and empire; Pharaohs to Incan Kings, Roman to Ottoman Empires, from within every tribe and clan, BC thru AD and still, the blood of the mass has drenched every corner of this planet’s soil, and darkened every ocean, all cuz power-lusting mortals—get crazed for the kind of supremacy that comes from controlling us. Yet, masses seem destined to forever overlook this. From Luna to Sol, Yahweh to Baal, Zeus to Saturn and onto the days of Judaism, Christianity, Islam and every sect in between; Catholics, Protestants, Sunnis, Shiites, masses zealously remember whatever dogma will incite them to defend their beliefs, but only belatedly, if at all, remember that for every power-crazed egomaniac who ever used the Gods to pit masses against one another, did so for their own--self-serving grandeur.
I’ve wondered about our own predecessors; those who laid exhausted and caked with blood, fighting for their beliefs. How many of those final breaths, beseeched God to help their sons to never forget, what they had forgotten? How many wished they would’ve rallied preventive solidarity before this jig’s frenzied crescendo swirled them, leaving them heaped upon Earth’s floor, dying in piled gore? Now, a whole new powerhouse has arrived and we’ve yet to cement in our noggins that we, are the partner in charge of maintaining solidarity and this must be done before we--become another exploited mass yet again.
Real-Time Reality.
Thoughts about newday technology, are usually about the unquestionably grand ways it comes packaged in; every phone, audio, video, computers for absolutely everything. First came satellites; orbiting for over 60 years now. Then came the personal computer in 1981; a home fixture for over 40 years now. And when the 1990s came on, so did some buzz about how a web would connect us and boy did it! We searched for news, trivia, specific interests, we chatted with anyone we could, we took education to every nook and cranny. By simply tapping away on handy-dandy PCs; now plugged into this web, we caused it to grow-n-grow til it did, cast a web over the entire world! Yep. Sci-fi futuristic visions, now real-time realities which did indeed arrive--all on our watch.
The 1940s, marks the inception to a slow incubation for Artificial Intelligence. The actual birth; another relatively slow process, transpired during the 1980s to 1990s. And there’s several reasons for this slow-mo incubation and birth but the primary holdup, stemmed from just where, artificial intelligence would draw from. After all, artificial is to mean replicated and human intel, is the source. Monitoring us then, would first need to be set in place. Then, the ability to broadly share what was being extracted, would also need set in place. So the first step must-haves for AI-replicating, couldn’t much take off til PCs and the big.www came about. All captivating changes to be sure but the 1990s, also marks when our rather dismal, 30-year stall really started to dig its heels in.
We can equate the monitoring of us; to then share the data being extracted from us, to the baby stages for artificial intelligence. We can equate the tech-replicating stages that followed, to this AI-babe zooming thru its toddler stages, which transpired primarily from out of work arenas; the very heartbeat to our communal existence. When the heady appeal to replace workers with newday-its captivated corp/industry elites, they provided the feast for that zooming growth spurt. Off they rushed to invest billions into the 1st generation software rounds to monitor us, thus enabling the 2nd generation replicating rounds to replace us. When this began happening where I work; nearly 20 years ago now, I wondered where all this recogging was gonna stop so, I started to learn. It didn’t take long to realize—there’s some truly imminent, darksides to this newday tech-road we’ve suddenly been flung on. But when I went to share my newfound education with coworkers, friends, family, there was only a few sparks of awareness registering for them as well, and that’s when I knew—I wasn’t the only commoner being caught so unaware.
Raising Awareness.
First, we’ve got to accept that the scary tech-future, is already here.
During the struggling years of learning how and what to write, I kept a keen eye out for current news about replacement technology because, I began to notice something was amiss. There wasn’t much to read. I found this odd cuz by the time I started to write this fun little project in 2009, there was a full-blown recession on our doorstep and unemployment was skyrocketing. Why wasn’t replacement technology; the type invading every industry, the type not here to assist workers, not here to provide upgrade room but expressly here to kick workers right out the door, why wasn’t this unprecedented change for—how work gets done, not being pounced on by every news outlet we support? Well, once pondered, a vague awareness descended. Like a stage setting being lowered from the curtains above, down came--the convoluted power dance of time. A single ponderance, is what began my unwitting detour, which still refuses to end.
Since we all know any type of technology is today’s cash cow, it was easy enough to surmise the obvious from there. The kind meant to replace entire workforces, would be the very type powerhouses wouldn’t want attention drawn to. So, we indulged them. Why? I’ve spent years trying to strike up chats about the most pressing subject we face and still, we don’t want to talk about it. Why? Well, I found some of this answer pasted on the mirror. Had replacement technology not been shoved in my face, it’s doubtful I would’ve learned about it either. The trick then, is just a matter of getting us all to see that if we keep taking to the sidelines, then regardless of who stares down a machine meant to steal their lifeline today, that will be all of us, en-masse, tomorrow. Turns out, this trick aint easy to master. For years, we’ve been apprised of the imminence we now face and still, we remain unmoved. Why? Yep, it’s convoluted alright.
It’s now 2024. The conversation about this most pressing topic we face, is finally rising above the din. Chatbots, brought it to the surface. Yet, this stuff isn’t ever going away, and the decent kind of life experience we hope even our own kids get to chance, hinges on us impeding this replacement saga now—not too late tomorrow. Maybe this offering will help, maybe not but somehow--this is the message that’s got to get thru. And though many of us now know what was once quite ominous, many don’t. So we back up, to catch up. And if you’ll cut me some slack, this offering will work well-enough to jumpstart--what every mass must initiate, in order to trudge peacefully forward.
Raw Power.
Let’s start here. Partnered with today’s bloodless-pumping partner, exploiting us has become child’s play. Communication is raw power and--its technology’s base nature. Yep. Spreading the word of God has come a long way. Today’s masses have been swept away in a mountainous, communication explosion and the ability to disseminate what leads we’re expected to follow, has swiftly advanced to a science. Political/corporate heavies, now come college trained in slick communication savvy so there’s no need to present themselves in regal tom-tom flare anymore cuz their drum beating skills have well advanced. Just notice how they talk to us; how they never veer from what’s scripted, even if that script—is nowhere in sight. This includes aspiring juniors. The politically correct, auto-spew mode, now comes standard for both man and machine. And the means to disseminate fact or farce, to then snap their fingers for convincing PowerPoint presentations to poof-appear for added backup measure, all comes replete with profuse, audio/video pixeled-infusions. The raw power of communication, likely eclipses the raw power of money now. Commercials are a great example. Billions are now spent, to make communicating commercials for the potential, untold billions in return.
Adulthood.
In the year 2525~ZE, is a song about 500 years from now but it hit the billboards around 50 years ago. Back then, most of us were young adults, kids or not yet a gleam. Had the songwriter’s realized technologies exceedingly fast growth rate, I doubt they would’ve overshot their mark 500 years. So here we are already. Job-eliminating technologies aren’t harmless, assistive or even fun. Rather, they provide much of the building blocks for tomorrow’s, Superintelligence nightmare. A nightmare, referred to as Strong AI or what I envision as just one, invincible Super-Goliath.
Our once darling Baby-Goliath, is already a teenager. Already, it’s replacing complete and wholly complex--human body parts and outputs. Teen-Goliath, is predicted to reach adulthood by 2029. Development markers indicating it has arrived, are defined as: technology capable of self-correction and self-duplication. Yep, robots. This vastly intelligent it, will come fully armed to function--completely independent of humans. So, choose whatever tech-thriller helps you picture what this utterly means, just choose to accept this is our nearly-here actuality, and it’s way past time we move from the sidelines cuz by the time 2029 gets here, then will be too damn late. *Penned in 2009, the pages to our previous decade quickly turned. We are now, firmly in the countdown decade.
Today’s chapter isn’t yesterday’s repetitive-automation, Luddite chapter. Today’s human-derived, full-on tech-replicating capabilities, came on lickety-split and regardless of when it actually got going--the human vs machine showdown is here in full swing. It’s imperative that we; not just rulers, gain a much better grasp on the socio-everything impact, our newday partner brings to the floor. This includes a renewed appreciation about what it actually means to be human. We must reappraise our nature, quirks, values, now up against something entirely alien to--The Human Experiment.
Copy-Cat Precision.
Today's technologies, replicate what a human does by way of patterned, computations of values. These ordered sets of commands; algorithms, are the AI-guts inside Teen-Goliath. However, many human traits can’t be mimicked but whether that matters, is the million-dollar question for the human future. Because of this, many terms are now prefaced with bio-this or techno-that and already, an unbelievable array of machines are here and affordably packaged for any application envisioned. Most every vision, is expressly concocted to replicate or replace--every human output.
There are 3 replication/replacement zones: advanced motor skills, computing data, communication. Basically, once thumbs came about, once higher brain functions came about, and once the expansion of our intelligence via broadly shared information came about, these changes separated humans from the rest of the pack long ago so technology, is really our only known rival. Machines; inanimate its packaged in a variety of ways housing all those pre-built artificial thoughts and outputs, already surpass many human outputs impressively well—alarmingly well, so an old term has been dusted off to help shed contrasting light about what it actually means to be human. Aptly coined humanism, this stuff makes each of us a one-of-a-kind, never to be duplicated, not even once. The 1st slated use of humanism was back in 1832 in Webster’s: Humanism, encompasses individual dignity and worth; our capacity for self-realization thru reasoning.
I’ve come to understand humanism and consciousness, are basically synonymous. Awareness; including that of original thoughts, comes consciously into view exclusively from a bio-humanistic way and humans, constantly have original thoughts. Our thought process is so natural, we hardly consider how it happens but, brainiacs sure do. By way of reverse engineering of human brain processes, then patterned in some algorithmic mimicry of our brain’s synaptic neuron, firing-way-to-a-thought, AI-tech has also, already mastered our intellectual capabilities impressively well, alarmingly well. But the very essence of how, we actually derive at original thought, is of great value in our showdown with machines. This will probably be our kid’s only and precious--last frontier.
Original thoughts are intrinsically derived meaning, we somehow hatch countless wonderments; some of which we become consciously aware of, but all from a process that likely transpires throughout our entire being--not just within our brain. In this showdown with AI, hold onto this vital tidbit. How humans derive at a thought, can’t be mimicked cuz--there’s no recipe up-there for even one baked thought. It’s by way of our incomprehensible humanism, that our emotions simmer; awaiting to be beckoned, that our ponderances brew; awaiting to be nurtured. From our pulsating toes to burning ears, from pounding hearts to scalps that tingle, emotions roil all about. Emotions, create the very gel that provides immense and immeasurable values about faith and belief, that what we choose to do--has purpose. Yeah, we’re only just human ~RBM, but being human is so utterly amazing and complex, we still don’t even know the half to us!
Talk the Talk.
Intimacy, is a state-of-being embracing the best of how it feels to be human, and can provide few words to convey a host of heart-pounding thoughts and emotions. For all other aspects, sounds and gestures are how communal animals communicate and for us, we use words. Evidently words--not thoughts, are easy to build patterns from so machines, now communicate in a sort of algorithmic expression. We call it data or info but it’s all referred to as intelligence; another old term with renewed meaning, Now who woulda thunk, this word means much more than a person’s IQ! I’m basing which topics I believe need a better understanding by us—from me! I’m average. So like me, most of us enjoy average intelligence but cuz we now have this wholly unparalleled, smartypant now living with us, new light is being shed on the full breadth of intelligence.
Intelligence, is also parceled into 3 stages. Pre-communication days, mark the inception of human intelligence. The middle is marked by widely shared intelligence where we currently reside, and the incomprehensible days just ahead, close the final chapter on intelligence--for pureform humans. Intelligence breakdown is the ability to share and duplicate what’s stored. Why brainiacs like grouping things into 3’s I don’t know but I do know—we can store, share and duplicate information very well! So well in fact, we went and invented its that can store, share and duplicate so much better than us; by ginormous leaps-n-bounds better than us, we’re quickly becoming obsolete! We are ushering in a zenith kind of intelligence that will make our intelligence seem archaic; like we never advanced beyond the prehistoric days of mere grunts and gestures! These very intelligence measures; storing, sharing, duplicating, are the very measures machines already do vastly superior to us; the bio-human—1.0 model.
Add to this intelligence offset--Exponential. This term; used almost exclusively regarding anything about technologies fast adaptation rate, is a rate we need to keep locked in the forefront of our noggins. The snail’s pace of human adaptation, is now up against an intelligence that adapts at lightning speed. Slow-mo adapting us, are still scratching our heads over how to use yesterday’s tech-gadgets, while today’s are already being replaced with tomorrow’s. And if we’d get over being so damn enamored with all these entertaining gadgets, we might awaken to see what we can still innately feel a wariness of; as to why history so aptly reminds us--never to dismiss innate wariness. There’s some fast-paced trades going on alright. While we’ve been downright preoccupied with trading off yesterday’s must-haves with today’s, our ruling cadres have been downright obsessed playing their timeworn game of replacing commoner-us with the latest-n-greatest higher-intelligent badass only this time--it aint human.
Freakin’ Colossal.
Obviously, artificial intelligence gorges on human intelligence. Nearly overnight, the human world gave way to feeding every scrap of our intelligence into the mother of it all--the web of the world. Here, we may as well consider newday technology to be synonymous with the big.www cuz this web, interfaces most every other technology so thoroughly, it’s considered to be: a behemoth metasystem that has grown even beyond the inventor’s imagination. Behemoth, speaks for itself as something freakin’ colossal. As for metasystem, I had to search for this definition online cuz once I embarked on this trek, it didn’t take long to realize that many terms about newday technology, aren’t found in yesterday’s hardcover dictionaries and still, many tech-words have yet to land in online dictionaries. This observation, further testifies to how fast these changes are hitting us.
I found the word metasystem, was initially coined in the 1980s. Metasystem summary: “A system from beyond, or a control of systems of systems.” Peter Russell’s 1982 book--The Global Brain, couples the meaning of metasystem with the big.www for more summary: “As the internet becomes faster, more intelligent, more ubiquitous and more encompassing, it increasingly ties us together in a single information processing system that functions like a brain or an organic whole--for planet Earth.” This technology, invented by humans just yesterday, has clearly evolved. This behemoth metasystem; still in the throes of growing pains no less, is already perceived as Earth’s organic brain. So, I then had to look up organic cuz up til then, I thought natural had the exclusive here. Nope. For the apt use of the web’s organic brain, I found: “Having an organization similar in its complexity to that of living things, characterized by the systematic arrangement of parts; elements fitting together in a unified, organic whole.” These 3 systematic elements; satellites, machines, the web, literally control nearly every newday technology out there and it can’t be stressed enough--all of this is just awakening.
In the blink of our eye, this metasystem not only monitors our every move, but commands every conceivable, ever-changing failsafe override within our human world of communications, commerce, banking and nearly every powered-necessity including electrical grids that keep us from freezing, and life-dependent water systems. In a blink, this trio morphed into a self-governing powerhouse, literality controlling most every aspect to our human existence. Because of the interfacing ways of today’s tech, this is why I envision just one, Goliath monstrosity. A Goliath, we’ve become wholly reliant on, and now sits formidably snug--in our driver’s seat.
Irresistible Carrot.
Monitoring. It provides thee feast, for Artificial Intelligence. By monitoring how we do what, interfaced patterns are then built by the gazillions, then sold for millions of uses, for the billions to be made. And behind such massive wads spent to prepare this feast, resides all that’s truly convoluted. Regardless, before we completely concede to all that seems so unstoppable, let’s break it down some. Maybe then, we can dispel some of that overwhelmedness, that comes with all that’s so truly convoluted.
Every scrap of monitored-data extracted from us for whatever motive, can easily be fed into the behemoth brain-web of the world where it just sits ripe-n-ready, to be compiled for whatever schemes run in the background—greasing it all. We know this so we need to speak it. Corp/industries and governments, are the entities feeding the growth of total human control and replacement technologies. Regardless of all the justifications they dish us, their actions indisputably testify to the scant consideration they are giving towards our freedoms and lifeline jobs of right now, or to the future consequences of what they are unleashing onto our kids—for their truly unfathomable tomorrow.
During the past several decades, the big.www became the forbidding staging ground to provide an army of experts--funded by corporations and governments, to splay us wide open. An army, made up of experts from every field; anthropologists, scientists, mathematicians, technologists and every data-miner in between. They hover over our mouse clicks and words, to compile data about us for every conceivable prospect. Our smartphones help them zero in on us even more. How we shop, socialize, love or rage; everything about us including our exact location, currently has a carte blanche pass to invade most every aspect of what humans used to consider--private.
Just yesterday, a technology once used exclusively for military and criminal use only, is now being toyed with like some innocent kind of fun for internet advertising. Brain-Scan Technology; once used to figure out how pilots distinguish friends from foe, then went over to the criminal lie detection camp where there, it goes by the name of brain-fingerprinting, has since sidled into the camp of corralling consumer bucks where there, it goes by the name--neuromarketing. Evidently, we have a brainwave tagged P300 which machines can track, registering within a fraction of a second, a spark from a heatwave whenever our brain gleans a blip of info--we barely even focused on. The idea is to use it on us online; not yet to slide subliminal messages into our brain but rather, to peer at our very thoughts, to track which messages snag our focus! Really? So I looked for some examples. I was relieved to find controversy, comes with this incredibly invasive scheme. But in a capitalistic world, consumer products advance--once accepted.
The Crux.
AI-its, will never have original thought. I’d guess this is so commonly realized, we disregard plausible tech-future scenarios while bolstering some naïve sense of human supremacy; some Godly ordained, king-of-this-hill entitlement. This false sense of security may just be the gravest blunder we can succumb to--at this Human vs Machine Juncture.
No machine will ever feel a thing, will never be compelled to do, one measly thing. Inanimate its, will never be intrinsically guided by faith, belief, purpose. Its, will never just once, wish their wonderments would take a break so sleep can drift in. Its, will never benefit from common-sense, intuitive, reactionary or gut-instinct gauges. Not one humanistic trait; so not one original thought, will ever be fully mimicked by any AI-it. But, here’s the trillion-buck crux to this showdown. When an AI-database is a gazillion times larger than ours; growing by the second for calculating decisions and to base reasoning from, will humanistic traits still hold value? This isn’t my ponderance but the one our guides are currently eschewing on. But, they don’t hold an exclusive on this premier decision. By blind default acceptance or not, this is ultimately--our decision to make.
Will we, allow this vastly intelligent entity to overcome us simply by deeming that intelligence, is really the only significant human value? Regardless of how AI-its get packaged--will we, come to accept decision-making processes for humans are best performed by an ever-growing behemoth, unhuman intelligence? A powerhouse smarty, that will almost instantly, derive at all decisions for us, from a colossal database of intel that never gelled; not even for a second--in one speck of emotional glue. No understanding, no empathy, not a flicker of eons-derived, intrinsically brewed wisdom to draw from, not even a lick of sense about purpose--to guide even one decision. A new king of this hill that will never, have one original thought, will certainly never feel heartfelt appreciation or love, will never comprehend a thing to include the value of integrity, honor, trust. Of all the wizened ways we arrive at decision-making, Super-Goliath will never ever benefit from. And last but not least, Super-G will never swell with awe, while pondering over a single grandeur on this gem of a planet, we all know and feel, is our home sweet home. And my trillion-buck question is: if we default—who then decides?
Looking Back to see Forward.
The Human Experiment, advanced largely by rulership conquest’s of lands and riches; by using the mass as their weapons, the mass as their slaves. Garnering titanic powerbases at the expense of the mass, was done by terrorization; by tapping a very powerful humanistic trait--shear human fear. Masses, eventually countered by tapping other powerful traits; belief, faith, conviction—purpose, and managed to inch humanity forward in-spite of the endless line of crazed tyrants bent on deterring them. So today, we live in a privileged time afforded to us by one helluva blood-soaked road, newly paved in Democracy-type, Commerce-based ways.
Basically, nothing much is supposed to advance today unless a commerce avenue paves the way by currency earned—not pillaged, and taxes paid—not plundered. We are the primary reason anything advances. Either we use lots of something, or something is used to control lots of us. A commerce-based society, is probably as good as it gets for peaceful coexistence but in order to remain so--we must be able to earn a living. Democracy-type systems, are probably as good as it gets for communal-us to be fairly governed by but for this to work, from our earned income--we must pay taxes. And so, many tech-tools advance cuz we are free to purchase most anything we want so we purchase a great deal of them which is why we can hardly keep up with all the latest must-haves! This Democracy/Commerce way of existing, means we’re supposed to be the grease and the cogs, enabling the big wheels to keep churning. A system, intended to be influenced by us; by using our voice for the direction we want to go, by using our money to grease whatever gears we choose. But, that’s no longer the deal. Invasive technologies, usurped what freedom once meant, and is overtaking our jobs. Its first stop gorging was in higher-pay job markets but nowadays, it’s a wide open smorgasbord. The grease and gears to our wheels, are completely being recogged by powerhouses fueling these unpresented upending’s. We, didn’t do this to us. We, stiffen at the very thought of overlord control and, we damn sure didn’t give the go-ahead to have our job ladder downsized back to a stepping stool!
This thing called Freedom.
There are several running themes in this series and freedom is one; the measure of travel for--The Human Experiment. No, I’m not some anti-government zealot and we need to forgo tagging ourselves with deriding labels. Remember, vigilantly wary is the tag we proudly need to sport--and quickly. And though we are aware that many masses still exist oppressed; still struggle to gain any measure of freedom we enjoy, it’s cuz freer-us are the ones who stalled out so epically, indicates that we don’t or won’t, see how precarious our freedoms now teeter. In case we don’t, I opted to hammer on this. In case we won’t, I opted for the longform approach, hoping to help loosen our blinders!
Monitoring technologies, are designed to monitor anything. Monitoring a test-tube experiment is no different than monitoring a human workforce, consuming mass or society-general. Gathering data about any monitored group of anything, is for intelligence seeking. The problem with monitoring free, ethically grounded humans, is exactly who is monitoring us and for hells sake why? Today’s monitored masses are the very test groups used to provide Teen-Goliath more intelligence. We are the guinea pigs being used, enabling rulers and corporations--to better control and/or replace us. Fact and Period!
Technologies once began as handy tools for humans to use. And while most developed to assist humankind, others developed to control humankind. And so today; with satellites everywhere above interconnected to every manner of surveillance everywhere below, we are witnessing a profoundly new, powerful stage for total control unfolding and this is also fact--no matter how it’s softened and sold to us. This singular aspect of technology, sucks from the many plump data feeds tapped into us: government, commercial, personal, work arenas. Tentacles, the ginormous information technology database can so easily suck from. Called IT, this is the fastest growing tech-sector all across the globe. Next-up, brain-scanning and all manner of sensors and trackers are already set to follow the audio/video leads--already fully entrenched. We must realize and now, that without opposition, these next-up must-have control tools--will transpire.
Information, is the new gold standard and is sold to the highest bidder. Monitored info mined from us then compiled; and not just within the confines of trusty governments but extracted from us by anyone armed with an agenda and some bucks, now holds more value than our wildest paranoia can conjure. Confidential information; along with precise tabs on our very location, comprise the very backbone freedom stems from. We've trudged to a juncture where we must honestly question just how free we really are cuz that freedom validating backbone—we've already lost. Used responsibly or not, technology quickly adapts. If we don’t say whoa, it should come as no surprise when we find our own damn pixel screens are traitorously snooping on us! This is where we’re at. Exponential is what we’re up against. Where does this leave our kids for their tomorrow?
We’ve only just glimpsed the rate in which newday technology adapts and already, who controls who? We need to stop kidding ourselves about how benign newday technology is and, we need to stop kidding ourselves about how impotent powermongers have become in today’s freer societies. We are the privileged benefactors of an incredible, freer-than-ever existence. I’ve wondered how many past societies naïvely believed they had arrived at some freedom finish line; believed their progeny would never have to experience another round of oppression—just before they did. There is, something powerfully innate in humans, expressly bound to what freedom entails, and its why freedom measures the travel for--The Human Experiment. But, freedom isn’t a guaranteed permanence. Rather, freedom must be attended to by each and every mass, and that definitely includes--free wheelin’ us.
How's the Condition Our Condition is in? ~ FE.
The general consensus about what caused an entire world to hit recession levels during the previous decade is—there is no consensus! Wikipedia; an online resource, probably sums it up best. “Experts have assigned varying weight to blame factors such as: complacent regulatory norms, those in power abused the financial system resulting in huge losses, stock market greed, huge disparity between the haves and have-nots, industry decline, real estate bubbles and dot.com busts.” Well, however the blame gets divvied, we can’t let it escape our notice that every attributing factor behind an entire global recession, stemmed from powerhouse’s manipulating anything they could, purely for their gain. Nothing new here. Masses still, suffer the consequences.
Though seemingly civilized, workforce tech-replacement agendas need to be seen for what they are fueled to do. They are called job-eliminators for good reason. Yet, to run a Google search using that phrase, articles pop-up about how to not, botch a job interview. Using the phrase replacement technology, articles pop-up about replacing older computer systems, knees and hips. Only during the just-lately years, did I find articles about job-eliminating technologies reach Googles top 10 searches. Here, it needs noted. We are the ones—who usher queries up that chart, which means that we, didn't show much concern over what was happening to our jobs--til long after the fact.
The first, of scant job-eliminator articles I found was in 2010 by The LA Times. Titled: Recession spurs faster replacement of workers with technology. The cited appeal to do so is cuz--workers are a headache. It went on to explain why we’re headaches and we’ll cover that on down the road. It’s the summary, that’s apt to consider now. “If cheap technology is available, you substitute it for people. Economists say the savings reaped from replacing employees with machines can be channeled elsewhere, leading to job creation in other sectors. Short term employment loss, will be fine in the medium to long run.” So nearly 15 years have since passed and still, the medium to long run has yet to begin. The jobs that could’ve been--were way overblown. Why?
Regardless of how mum the media remained about all this, why didn’t we force bullhorn coverage on the impact job-eliminators were wreaking on our decent-pay job scene? In America, low-pay and part-time jobs were the primary sectors that finally lowered our unemployment back to pre-recession levels and this still applies in this latest update round! As for the most viable tracker about homeplate health, that’s called median household income which continues to hover where it was 30 years ago. As for the overall health of any nation, this viable tracker is about gross production vs gross debt where in America, we typically hovered around a healthy 63%; something we haven’t seen since the 1990s when Baby-G started gorging away on our lifeline jobs. Coincidence? I seriously doubt it. Future predictions for the health of industrialized nations, are downright scary. This means those in charge of predicting--already realize what we need to quickly realize! Yet still; like 15 years after we should’ve blared the alarm, the tech-giddy spin department continues to preen about a rosy tech future just ahead. However, if that rosy future doesn’t include decent-pay and stable job markets; the very targets job-eliminators were expressly geared to gobble up in the first place, then we will have to rethink our freer way of existing. Are we all prepared to do that?
I’m beginning to question Experts.
My common-sense meter sputters every time I read experts regale us with job eliminator virtues. The industrial, then automated eras, ushered in non-thinking tools in manual arenas and flourished--cuz there was still upgrade room for human workers! Obviously, today’s higher-thinking technologies just about caps the full replication of human outputs! Do not fall for the Luddite hoodwink! Also, be very wary of the assurance that real soon, this Tech-Godsend will include a whole host of innovative tech-applications that’ll free us up to do lots of other things! Hmm…what things? What kind of stuff, do we really need, that we don’t already have too much of? Already, we’re being tagged as a throwaway society for hells sake! As for upgrade room, we won’t all become techies but it doesn’t matter now cuz already, Teen-G is gorging away on those jobs too. Yesterday’s unemployment lines already included upgraded workers. Today, the tech-sector is again; so not the first time, slashing away big chunks of their human workforce. Our world, now hosts 8 billion humans. Millions--like 1 out of 8 of us, are unemployed and/or starving! Unless we want to be fed and cared for cattle style, we need our own damn paycheck!
Predictions based upon well-patterned human tendencies, are grounded in sound logic. Predictions based on a never before experienced, unhuman replacement reality, has me wondering what qualifications actually tag these giddy tech guys as experts? I did read one plausible assessment contributing to today’s conundrums which deserves fair consideration. The gist of it has technology at the forefront where production, supply, demand and wages—are no longer in-sync. This assessment, has something to do with a tech-era cusping its knee-curve paradigm shift. Basically, our overstuffed Teen-G has been slumbering, belching away on all that gorging—preparing for its next growth spurt. We, must think for ourselves--what in hell will its next growth spurt mean to us?
Relegated to Headache Status.
I originally penned this for the American mass but that was before I grasped the full scope. So, I then went to insert nation-specifics in for a more inclusive scope but soon realized that was beyond my caliber—and mortal timeframe. 15 years and still counting, speaks volumes. Anyway; and for years and at the very least here in America, we’ve been told how efficient industries have become by replacing us with its, and to a very reckless degree--this is one dubious claim. But, since we’re actually being replaced with the damn stuff, we should consider why machines are attracting corp/industry billions. The claim that workers are a headache, is one way to say we come with too much messy baggage; that we’ve become a bang no longer worth the buck. We aren’t worth upgrading anymore cuz technology is being hyped as cheaper and less messy; two more dubious claims worth closer inspection. Sure, we all have a few coworkers who cause our heads to ache too but all of us—really?
All Earthlings, are all infants in this unprecedented way to exist. Nobody, has competent experts able to guarantee us how it’s all gonna work out just fine. So whoever stumbles onto this from wherever; as-in the big.www is global, take from my American perspective what’s relatable and apply it to your own country specifics but do not wait for Americans to lead this charge cuz that might not happen. We, are currently entangled in a helluva powermonger stranglehold, and it’s a nightmare of a mess going on here!
The Dance of The Ages.
I chose a Macabre Dance for this writing’s artwork; not to depict an afterlife jig but rather, the pre-dance that so often leads--to afterlife. By the volumes, history reminds us how godawful this timeworn power dance goes but nowadays, we have real-time, explicitly graphic reminders; in full color no less, to aid in jarring our memory about what’s become endless. Blood looks like shadows in black & white videos ~JP. During the writing years, the Mid-East bore much of the burden of reminding us how this jig rocks. When 2022 opened, Putin took it upon himself to remind us how egomaniacs roll. Now, it’s Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis who are wantonly, piling up the gore.
Every era that spiraled backwards before inching forward, did so cuz not too many rulership’s were compelled to advance humanity in any altruistic, ethical way. This hasn’t changed. Today’s corporate/political ruling cadres are, yesterday’s dominators but with 2 notable exceptions. They are now supposed to comply with basic decency ethos a free mass requires and, market acceptance is supposed to govern what a consuming free mass deems worthy to advance. Sure, many corporate elites enjoy lucrative stability in their dog-eat-dog world governed by market demand and yet, they still manage to keep basic common decencies as their guiding beacon. We must acknowledge, support and elevate--this distinct group. The rest of the pack, are just the same ole’ junkyard dogs of yesterday. When riveted only on the stock market, when salivating over the many human replacement options utterly detrimental to our very being, they are not ethically driven. Their in-it-for-today recklessness, has indisputably messed with the very wheels providing this communal beast--the one and only proven means for peaceful coexistence.
The dance of the ages, will cycle gory messes around again and again til finally but finally--some mass comes along to change this dance up. What’s become so damn timeworn, is brought about by a survival of the fittest ticking; we hail from the animal kingdom. Basic civility, evolved to help distance ourselves from barbaric behavior. And while civility often looks to be regressing in other parts of the world, it’s right here in the industrialized world that we must see the replacement going on--right under our noses.
The wads being made from today’s developmental stages, is set to one screeching, high-stakes pitch and it’s a tempo that’s taking us all down one dark path. Grappling for control over nuclear fission, will seem trite compared to the grappling over Super-Goliath. We, won’t need experts to tell us what’s guaranteed to ensue once this cash cow runaway arrives at that Pandora's Box! And the only opposition powerful enough to prevent the unleashing of all the mayhem found in that box? Us.
It's our turn. It's our watch.
Each day, we are blasted with overwhelming quandaries that need our attention. We wrestle over which governing measures we should find time to keep an eye on, and what causes we should scrape up an effort to contribute to, right up until retreat wins us over. To sit by the fire, read a novel, watch sports or partake in some other mindlessness, overrides any desire to actually make a difference, somewhere, somehow. This comprises my biggest headscratcher of 15 years. What could I possibly write, to help dislodge us from whatever retreat holds appeal? And what got me to least try; well other than music, came from--The Federalist Papers. A required read back when I was in school but didn’t connect then, what it has since. Actually, this book is a compilation of regularly written articles sprinkled into colonial newspapers back in 1787, as a means to elevate the virtues of America’s Constitution. This regular diet of info gave the mass time to chat about a constitution—for the people, that only a mass consensus from the people—could ensure. This is where I copped my regular installment notion from; it’s just that Newsweek never took me up on my offer. But the value of doling out a regular diet remains. Mulling time, is all-important. Readers, will simply have to dole out for themselves the recommended, one-a-day installment.
Another tidbit that came from this book was that even back then; back when the instrument that spells out our very freedoms was on shaky ground—was cuz of spin. Spin, was slung at the mass then, leaving them uncertain—just as its doing to us now. We aren’t experiencing anything new. Rather, today’s spin comes out of one ginormous, info-deluge set to overload capacity! Even the very instrument that spells out our freedoms has become a polarizing issue! Every topic is polarized around here nowadays! This has me wondering just how deep our dissolution runs? Well, however deep Americans aren’t alone. The swell of angst is rising up all over the place. Something, is definitely coming undone. It's getting rough out there, high water everywhere~ BD.
Today’s realities, are heavy in magnitude just like yesterday’s were. Overwhelming tribulations, which humanity came up against but overcame and/or adapted to. So the only monumental difference between forever and now, is newday technology. It now works the clock and it, runs on nano-time. Adaptation, won’t be in the cards any time soon for us so don’t fall for that hoodwink either. To overcome—is our only viable option.
The authors of The Federalist Papers wrote under the pseudonym—Publius; a Roman Senator assigned to hashing out societal parameters that were just and right for the public of those times. I suspect these authors used a pseudonym, so that the public would focus more on what’s being written, than who’s doing the writing. If so or even if not, that was another delivery option I copped from this book which definitely cajoled my skittish sidekick! Truly, it doesn’t much matter who writes this summons but rather, that someone is, and even if they are not—highly qualified.
This endeavor began as an awareness-raising mission. It ended to become our very own--Mass Summons. We must elevate vigilant wariness, and we must erect our very own trustworthy baseplate to unify at, hence--Mass Summons. Besides, we are way past the luxury of having another great read for today, only to be forgotten tomorrow. What we need is to get a move-on and now before another tech-anything gets irreversibly entrenched cuz one thing is certain--backwards is not forwards.
To jumpstart a move from the sideline, it begins with belief. We must believe; which happens to be a human exclusive capability, that we are not powerless to effect change because together--we most surely are not.
I could use somebody. Somebody like you ~ KOL.
Most Sincerely Yours, Publius.
In the Rearview.
Control of the mass has forever been--one irresistible carrot. Why, is a great question but ever since the Gods were realized, rulers have used them to control communal us. From every expanding dynasty and empire; Pharaohs to Incan Kings, Roman to Ottoman Empires, from within every tribe and clan, BC thru AD and still, the blood of the mass has drenched every corner of this planet’s soil, and darkened every ocean, all cuz power-lusting mortals—get crazed for the kind of supremacy that comes from controlling us. Yet, masses seem destined to forever overlook this. From Luna to Sol, Yahweh to Baal, Zeus to Saturn and onto the days of Judaism, Christianity, Islam and every sect in between; Catholics, Protestants, Sunnis, Shiites, masses zealously remember whatever dogma will incite them to defend their beliefs, but only belatedly, if at all, remember that for every power-crazed egomaniac who ever used the Gods to pit masses against one another, did so for their own--self-serving grandeur.
I’ve wondered about our own predecessors; those who laid exhausted and caked with blood, fighting for their beliefs. How many of those final breaths, beseeched God to help their sons to never forget, what they had forgotten? How many wished they would’ve rallied preventive solidarity before this jig’s frenzied crescendo swirled them, leaving them heaped upon Earth’s floor, dying in piled gore? Now, a whole new powerhouse has arrived and we’ve yet to cement in our noggins that we, are the partner in charge of maintaining solidarity and this must be done before we--become another exploited mass yet again.
Real-Time Reality.
Thoughts about newday technology, are usually about the unquestionably grand ways it comes packaged in; every phone, audio, video, computers for absolutely everything. First came satellites; orbiting for over 60 years now. Then came the personal computer in 1981; a home fixture for over 40 years now. And when the 1990s came on, so did some buzz about how a web would connect us and boy did it! We searched for news, trivia, specific interests, we chatted with anyone we could, we took education to every nook and cranny. By simply tapping away on handy-dandy PCs; now plugged into this web, we caused it to grow-n-grow til it did, cast a web over the entire world! Yep. Sci-fi futuristic visions, now real-time realities which did indeed arrive--all on our watch.
The 1940s, marks the inception to a slow incubation for Artificial Intelligence. The actual birth; another relatively slow process, transpired during the 1980s to 1990s. And there’s several reasons for this slow-mo incubation and birth but the primary holdup, stemmed from just where, artificial intelligence would draw from. After all, artificial is to mean replicated and human intel, is the source. Monitoring us then, would first need to be set in place. Then, the ability to broadly share what was being extracted, would also need set in place. So the first step must-haves for AI-replicating, couldn’t much take off til PCs and the big.www came about. All captivating changes to be sure but the 1990s, also marks when our rather dismal, 30-year stall really started to dig its heels in.
We can equate the monitoring of us; to then share the data being extracted from us, to the baby stages for artificial intelligence. We can equate the tech-replicating stages that followed, to this AI-babe zooming thru its toddler stages, which transpired primarily from out of work arenas; the very heartbeat to our communal existence. When the heady appeal to replace workers with newday-its captivated corp/industry elites, they provided the feast for that zooming growth spurt. Off they rushed to invest billions into the 1st generation software rounds to monitor us, thus enabling the 2nd generation replicating rounds to replace us. When this began happening where I work; nearly 20 years ago now, I wondered where all this recogging was gonna stop so, I started to learn. It didn’t take long to realize—there’s some truly imminent, darksides to this newday tech-road we’ve suddenly been flung on. But when I went to share my newfound education with coworkers, friends, family, there was only a few sparks of awareness registering for them as well, and that’s when I knew—I wasn’t the only commoner being caught so unaware.
Raising Awareness.
First, we’ve got to accept that the scary tech-future, is already here.
During the struggling years of learning how and what to write, I kept a keen eye out for current news about replacement technology because, I began to notice something was amiss. There wasn’t much to read. I found this odd cuz by the time I started to write this fun little project in 2009, there was a full-blown recession on our doorstep and unemployment was skyrocketing. Why wasn’t replacement technology; the type invading every industry, the type not here to assist workers, not here to provide upgrade room but expressly here to kick workers right out the door, why wasn’t this unprecedented change for—how work gets done, not being pounced on by every news outlet we support? Well, once pondered, a vague awareness descended. Like a stage setting being lowered from the curtains above, down came--the convoluted power dance of time. A single ponderance, is what began my unwitting detour, which still refuses to end.
Since we all know any type of technology is today’s cash cow, it was easy enough to surmise the obvious from there. The kind meant to replace entire workforces, would be the very type powerhouses wouldn’t want attention drawn to. So, we indulged them. Why? I’ve spent years trying to strike up chats about the most pressing subject we face and still, we don’t want to talk about it. Why? Well, I found some of this answer pasted on the mirror. Had replacement technology not been shoved in my face, it’s doubtful I would’ve learned about it either. The trick then, is just a matter of getting us all to see that if we keep taking to the sidelines, then regardless of who stares down a machine meant to steal their lifeline today, that will be all of us, en-masse, tomorrow. Turns out, this trick aint easy to master. For years, we’ve been apprised of the imminence we now face and still, we remain unmoved. Why? Yep, it’s convoluted alright.
It’s now 2024. The conversation about this most pressing topic we face, is finally rising above the din. Chatbots, brought it to the surface. Yet, this stuff isn’t ever going away, and the decent kind of life experience we hope even our own kids get to chance, hinges on us impeding this replacement saga now—not too late tomorrow. Maybe this offering will help, maybe not but somehow--this is the message that’s got to get thru. And though many of us now know what was once quite ominous, many don’t. So we back up, to catch up. And if you’ll cut me some slack, this offering will work well-enough to jumpstart--what every mass must initiate, in order to trudge peacefully forward.
Raw Power.
Let’s start here. Partnered with today’s bloodless-pumping partner, exploiting us has become child’s play. Communication is raw power and--its technology’s base nature. Yep. Spreading the word of God has come a long way. Today’s masses have been swept away in a mountainous, communication explosion and the ability to disseminate what leads we’re expected to follow, has swiftly advanced to a science. Political/corporate heavies, now come college trained in slick communication savvy so there’s no need to present themselves in regal tom-tom flare anymore cuz their drum beating skills have well advanced. Just notice how they talk to us; how they never veer from what’s scripted, even if that script—is nowhere in sight. This includes aspiring juniors. The politically correct, auto-spew mode, now comes standard for both man and machine. And the means to disseminate fact or farce, to then snap their fingers for convincing PowerPoint presentations to poof-appear for added backup measure, all comes replete with profuse, audio/video pixeled-infusions. The raw power of communication, likely eclipses the raw power of money now. Commercials are a great example. Billions are now spent, to make communicating commercials for the potential, untold billions in return.
Adulthood.
In the year 2525~ZE, is a song about 500 years from now but it hit the billboards around 50 years ago. Back then, most of us were young adults, kids or not yet a gleam. Had the songwriter’s realized technologies exceedingly fast growth rate, I doubt they would’ve overshot their mark 500 years. So here we are already. Job-eliminating technologies aren’t harmless, assistive or even fun. Rather, they provide much of the building blocks for tomorrow’s, Superintelligence nightmare. A nightmare, referred to as Strong AI or what I envision as just one, invincible Super-Goliath.
Our once darling Baby-Goliath, is already a teenager. Already, it’s replacing complete and wholly complex--human body parts and outputs. Teen-Goliath, is predicted to reach adulthood by 2029. Development markers indicating it has arrived, are defined as: technology capable of self-correction and self-duplication. Yep, robots. This vastly intelligent it, will come fully armed to function--completely independent of humans. So, choose whatever tech-thriller helps you picture what this utterly means, just choose to accept this is our nearly-here actuality, and it’s way past time we move from the sidelines cuz by the time 2029 gets here, then will be too damn late. *Penned in 2009, the pages to our previous decade quickly turned. We are now, firmly in the countdown decade.
Today’s chapter isn’t yesterday’s repetitive-automation, Luddite chapter. Today’s human-derived, full-on tech-replicating capabilities, came on lickety-split and regardless of when it actually got going--the human vs machine showdown is here in full swing. It’s imperative that we; not just rulers, gain a much better grasp on the socio-everything impact, our newday partner brings to the floor. This includes a renewed appreciation about what it actually means to be human. We must reappraise our nature, quirks, values, now up against something entirely alien to--The Human Experiment.
Copy-Cat Precision.
Today's technologies, replicate what a human does by way of patterned, computations of values. These ordered sets of commands; algorithms, are the AI-guts inside Teen-Goliath. However, many human traits can’t be mimicked but whether that matters, is the million-dollar question for the human future. Because of this, many terms are now prefaced with bio-this or techno-that and already, an unbelievable array of machines are here and affordably packaged for any application envisioned. Most every vision, is expressly concocted to replicate or replace--every human output.
There are 3 replication/replacement zones: advanced motor skills, computing data, communication. Basically, once thumbs came about, once higher brain functions came about, and once the expansion of our intelligence via broadly shared information came about, these changes separated humans from the rest of the pack long ago so technology, is really our only known rival. Machines; inanimate its packaged in a variety of ways housing all those pre-built artificial thoughts and outputs, already surpass many human outputs impressively well—alarmingly well, so an old term has been dusted off to help shed contrasting light about what it actually means to be human. Aptly coined humanism, this stuff makes each of us a one-of-a-kind, never to be duplicated, not even once. The 1st slated use of humanism was back in 1832 in Webster’s: Humanism, encompasses individual dignity and worth; our capacity for self-realization thru reasoning.
I’ve come to understand humanism and consciousness, are basically synonymous. Awareness; including that of original thoughts, comes consciously into view exclusively from a bio-humanistic way and humans, constantly have original thoughts. Our thought process is so natural, we hardly consider how it happens but, brainiacs sure do. By way of reverse engineering of human brain processes, then patterned in some algorithmic mimicry of our brain’s synaptic neuron, firing-way-to-a-thought, AI-tech has also, already mastered our intellectual capabilities impressively well, alarmingly well. But the very essence of how, we actually derive at original thought, is of great value in our showdown with machines. This will probably be our kid’s only and precious--last frontier.
Original thoughts are intrinsically derived meaning, we somehow hatch countless wonderments; some of which we become consciously aware of, but all from a process that likely transpires throughout our entire being--not just within our brain. In this showdown with AI, hold onto this vital tidbit. How humans derive at a thought, can’t be mimicked cuz--there’s no recipe up-there for even one baked thought. It’s by way of our incomprehensible humanism, that our emotions simmer; awaiting to be beckoned, that our ponderances brew; awaiting to be nurtured. From our pulsating toes to burning ears, from pounding hearts to scalps that tingle, emotions roil all about. Emotions, create the very gel that provides immense and immeasurable values about faith and belief, that what we choose to do--has purpose. Yeah, we’re only just human ~RBM, but being human is so utterly amazing and complex, we still don’t even know the half to us!
Talk the Talk.
Intimacy, is a state-of-being embracing the best of how it feels to be human, and can provide few words to convey a host of heart-pounding thoughts and emotions. For all other aspects, sounds and gestures are how communal animals communicate and for us, we use words. Evidently words--not thoughts, are easy to build patterns from so machines, now communicate in a sort of algorithmic expression. We call it data or info but it’s all referred to as intelligence; another old term with renewed meaning, Now who woulda thunk, this word means much more than a person’s IQ! I’m basing which topics I believe need a better understanding by us—from me! I’m average. So like me, most of us enjoy average intelligence but cuz we now have this wholly unparalleled, smartypant now living with us, new light is being shed on the full breadth of intelligence.
Intelligence, is also parceled into 3 stages. Pre-communication days, mark the inception of human intelligence. The middle is marked by widely shared intelligence where we currently reside, and the incomprehensible days just ahead, close the final chapter on intelligence--for pureform humans. Intelligence breakdown is the ability to share and duplicate what’s stored. Why brainiacs like grouping things into 3’s I don’t know but I do know—we can store, share and duplicate information very well! So well in fact, we went and invented its that can store, share and duplicate so much better than us; by ginormous leaps-n-bounds better than us, we’re quickly becoming obsolete! We are ushering in a zenith kind of intelligence that will make our intelligence seem archaic; like we never advanced beyond the prehistoric days of mere grunts and gestures! These very intelligence measures; storing, sharing, duplicating, are the very measures machines already do vastly superior to us; the bio-human—1.0 model.
Add to this intelligence offset--Exponential. This term; used almost exclusively regarding anything about technologies fast adaptation rate, is a rate we need to keep locked in the forefront of our noggins. The snail’s pace of human adaptation, is now up against an intelligence that adapts at lightning speed. Slow-mo adapting us, are still scratching our heads over how to use yesterday’s tech-gadgets, while today’s are already being replaced with tomorrow’s. And if we’d get over being so damn enamored with all these entertaining gadgets, we might awaken to see what we can still innately feel a wariness of; as to why history so aptly reminds us--never to dismiss innate wariness. There’s some fast-paced trades going on alright. While we’ve been downright preoccupied with trading off yesterday’s must-haves with today’s, our ruling cadres have been downright obsessed playing their timeworn game of replacing commoner-us with the latest-n-greatest higher-intelligent badass only this time--it aint human.
Freakin’ Colossal.
Obviously, artificial intelligence gorges on human intelligence. Nearly overnight, the human world gave way to feeding every scrap of our intelligence into the mother of it all--the web of the world. Here, we may as well consider newday technology to be synonymous with the big.www cuz this web, interfaces most every other technology so thoroughly, it’s considered to be: a behemoth metasystem that has grown even beyond the inventor’s imagination. Behemoth, speaks for itself as something freakin’ colossal. As for metasystem, I had to search for this definition online cuz once I embarked on this trek, it didn’t take long to realize that many terms about newday technology, aren’t found in yesterday’s hardcover dictionaries and still, many tech-words have yet to land in online dictionaries. This observation, further testifies to how fast these changes are hitting us.
I found the word metasystem, was initially coined in the 1980s. Metasystem summary: “A system from beyond, or a control of systems of systems.” Peter Russell’s 1982 book--The Global Brain, couples the meaning of metasystem with the big.www for more summary: “As the internet becomes faster, more intelligent, more ubiquitous and more encompassing, it increasingly ties us together in a single information processing system that functions like a brain or an organic whole--for planet Earth.” This technology, invented by humans just yesterday, has clearly evolved. This behemoth metasystem; still in the throes of growing pains no less, is already perceived as Earth’s organic brain. So, I then had to look up organic cuz up til then, I thought natural had the exclusive here. Nope. For the apt use of the web’s organic brain, I found: “Having an organization similar in its complexity to that of living things, characterized by the systematic arrangement of parts; elements fitting together in a unified, organic whole.” These 3 systematic elements; satellites, machines, the web, literally control nearly every newday technology out there and it can’t be stressed enough--all of this is just awakening.
In the blink of our eye, this metasystem not only monitors our every move, but commands every conceivable, ever-changing failsafe override within our human world of communications, commerce, banking and nearly every powered-necessity including electrical grids that keep us from freezing, and life-dependent water systems. In a blink, this trio morphed into a self-governing powerhouse, literality controlling most every aspect to our human existence. Because of the interfacing ways of today’s tech, this is why I envision just one, Goliath monstrosity. A Goliath, we’ve become wholly reliant on, and now sits formidably snug--in our driver’s seat.
Irresistible Carrot.
Monitoring. It provides thee feast, for Artificial Intelligence. By monitoring how we do what, interfaced patterns are then built by the gazillions, then sold for millions of uses, for the billions to be made. And behind such massive wads spent to prepare this feast, resides all that’s truly convoluted. Regardless, before we completely concede to all that seems so unstoppable, let’s break it down some. Maybe then, we can dispel some of that overwhelmedness, that comes with all that’s so truly convoluted.
Every scrap of monitored-data extracted from us for whatever motive, can easily be fed into the behemoth brain-web of the world where it just sits ripe-n-ready, to be compiled for whatever schemes run in the background—greasing it all. We know this so we need to speak it. Corp/industries and governments, are the entities feeding the growth of total human control and replacement technologies. Regardless of all the justifications they dish us, their actions indisputably testify to the scant consideration they are giving towards our freedoms and lifeline jobs of right now, or to the future consequences of what they are unleashing onto our kids—for their truly unfathomable tomorrow.
During the past several decades, the big.www became the forbidding staging ground to provide an army of experts--funded by corporations and governments, to splay us wide open. An army, made up of experts from every field; anthropologists, scientists, mathematicians, technologists and every data-miner in between. They hover over our mouse clicks and words, to compile data about us for every conceivable prospect. Our smartphones help them zero in on us even more. How we shop, socialize, love or rage; everything about us including our exact location, currently has a carte blanche pass to invade most every aspect of what humans used to consider--private.
Just yesterday, a technology once used exclusively for military and criminal use only, is now being toyed with like some innocent kind of fun for internet advertising. Brain-Scan Technology; once used to figure out how pilots distinguish friends from foe, then went over to the criminal lie detection camp where there, it goes by the name of brain-fingerprinting, has since sidled into the camp of corralling consumer bucks where there, it goes by the name--neuromarketing. Evidently, we have a brainwave tagged P300 which machines can track, registering within a fraction of a second, a spark from a heatwave whenever our brain gleans a blip of info--we barely even focused on. The idea is to use it on us online; not yet to slide subliminal messages into our brain but rather, to peer at our very thoughts, to track which messages snag our focus! Really? So I looked for some examples. I was relieved to find controversy, comes with this incredibly invasive scheme. But in a capitalistic world, consumer products advance--once accepted.
The Crux.
AI-its, will never have original thought. I’d guess this is so commonly realized, we disregard plausible tech-future scenarios while bolstering some naïve sense of human supremacy; some Godly ordained, king-of-this-hill entitlement. This false sense of security may just be the gravest blunder we can succumb to--at this Human vs Machine Juncture.
No machine will ever feel a thing, will never be compelled to do, one measly thing. Inanimate its, will never be intrinsically guided by faith, belief, purpose. Its, will never just once, wish their wonderments would take a break so sleep can drift in. Its, will never benefit from common-sense, intuitive, reactionary or gut-instinct gauges. Not one humanistic trait; so not one original thought, will ever be fully mimicked by any AI-it. But, here’s the trillion-buck crux to this showdown. When an AI-database is a gazillion times larger than ours; growing by the second for calculating decisions and to base reasoning from, will humanistic traits still hold value? This isn’t my ponderance but the one our guides are currently eschewing on. But, they don’t hold an exclusive on this premier decision. By blind default acceptance or not, this is ultimately--our decision to make.
Will we, allow this vastly intelligent entity to overcome us simply by deeming that intelligence, is really the only significant human value? Regardless of how AI-its get packaged--will we, come to accept decision-making processes for humans are best performed by an ever-growing behemoth, unhuman intelligence? A powerhouse smarty, that will almost instantly, derive at all decisions for us, from a colossal database of intel that never gelled; not even for a second--in one speck of emotional glue. No understanding, no empathy, not a flicker of eons-derived, intrinsically brewed wisdom to draw from, not even a lick of sense about purpose--to guide even one decision. A new king of this hill that will never, have one original thought, will certainly never feel heartfelt appreciation or love, will never comprehend a thing to include the value of integrity, honor, trust. Of all the wizened ways we arrive at decision-making, Super-Goliath will never ever benefit from. And last but not least, Super-G will never swell with awe, while pondering over a single grandeur on this gem of a planet, we all know and feel, is our home sweet home. And my trillion-buck question is: if we default—who then decides?
Looking Back to see Forward.
The Human Experiment, advanced largely by rulership conquest’s of lands and riches; by using the mass as their weapons, the mass as their slaves. Garnering titanic powerbases at the expense of the mass, was done by terrorization; by tapping a very powerful humanistic trait--shear human fear. Masses, eventually countered by tapping other powerful traits; belief, faith, conviction—purpose, and managed to inch humanity forward in-spite of the endless line of crazed tyrants bent on deterring them. So today, we live in a privileged time afforded to us by one helluva blood-soaked road, newly paved in Democracy-type, Commerce-based ways.
Basically, nothing much is supposed to advance today unless a commerce avenue paves the way by currency earned—not pillaged, and taxes paid—not plundered. We are the primary reason anything advances. Either we use lots of something, or something is used to control lots of us. A commerce-based society, is probably as good as it gets for peaceful coexistence but in order to remain so--we must be able to earn a living. Democracy-type systems, are probably as good as it gets for communal-us to be fairly governed by but for this to work, from our earned income--we must pay taxes. And so, many tech-tools advance cuz we are free to purchase most anything we want so we purchase a great deal of them which is why we can hardly keep up with all the latest must-haves! This Democracy/Commerce way of existing, means we’re supposed to be the grease and the cogs, enabling the big wheels to keep churning. A system, intended to be influenced by us; by using our voice for the direction we want to go, by using our money to grease whatever gears we choose. But, that’s no longer the deal. Invasive technologies, usurped what freedom once meant, and is overtaking our jobs. Its first stop gorging was in higher-pay job markets but nowadays, it’s a wide open smorgasbord. The grease and gears to our wheels, are completely being recogged by powerhouses fueling these unpresented upending’s. We, didn’t do this to us. We, stiffen at the very thought of overlord control and, we damn sure didn’t give the go-ahead to have our job ladder downsized back to a stepping stool!
This thing called Freedom.
There are several running themes in this series and freedom is one; the measure of travel for--The Human Experiment. No, I’m not some anti-government zealot and we need to forgo tagging ourselves with deriding labels. Remember, vigilantly wary is the tag we proudly need to sport--and quickly. And though we are aware that many masses still exist oppressed; still struggle to gain any measure of freedom we enjoy, it’s cuz freer-us are the ones who stalled out so epically, indicates that we don’t or won’t, see how precarious our freedoms now teeter. In case we don’t, I opted to hammer on this. In case we won’t, I opted for the longform approach, hoping to help loosen our blinders!
Monitoring technologies, are designed to monitor anything. Monitoring a test-tube experiment is no different than monitoring a human workforce, consuming mass or society-general. Gathering data about any monitored group of anything, is for intelligence seeking. The problem with monitoring free, ethically grounded humans, is exactly who is monitoring us and for hells sake why? Today’s monitored masses are the very test groups used to provide Teen-Goliath more intelligence. We are the guinea pigs being used, enabling rulers and corporations--to better control and/or replace us. Fact and Period!
Technologies once began as handy tools for humans to use. And while most developed to assist humankind, others developed to control humankind. And so today; with satellites everywhere above interconnected to every manner of surveillance everywhere below, we are witnessing a profoundly new, powerful stage for total control unfolding and this is also fact--no matter how it’s softened and sold to us. This singular aspect of technology, sucks from the many plump data feeds tapped into us: government, commercial, personal, work arenas. Tentacles, the ginormous information technology database can so easily suck from. Called IT, this is the fastest growing tech-sector all across the globe. Next-up, brain-scanning and all manner of sensors and trackers are already set to follow the audio/video leads--already fully entrenched. We must realize and now, that without opposition, these next-up must-have control tools--will transpire.
Information, is the new gold standard and is sold to the highest bidder. Monitored info mined from us then compiled; and not just within the confines of trusty governments but extracted from us by anyone armed with an agenda and some bucks, now holds more value than our wildest paranoia can conjure. Confidential information; along with precise tabs on our very location, comprise the very backbone freedom stems from. We've trudged to a juncture where we must honestly question just how free we really are cuz that freedom validating backbone—we've already lost. Used responsibly or not, technology quickly adapts. If we don’t say whoa, it should come as no surprise when we find our own damn pixel screens are traitorously snooping on us! This is where we’re at. Exponential is what we’re up against. Where does this leave our kids for their tomorrow?
We’ve only just glimpsed the rate in which newday technology adapts and already, who controls who? We need to stop kidding ourselves about how benign newday technology is and, we need to stop kidding ourselves about how impotent powermongers have become in today’s freer societies. We are the privileged benefactors of an incredible, freer-than-ever existence. I’ve wondered how many past societies naïvely believed they had arrived at some freedom finish line; believed their progeny would never have to experience another round of oppression—just before they did. There is, something powerfully innate in humans, expressly bound to what freedom entails, and its why freedom measures the travel for--The Human Experiment. But, freedom isn’t a guaranteed permanence. Rather, freedom must be attended to by each and every mass, and that definitely includes--free wheelin’ us.
How's the Condition Our Condition is in? ~ FE.
The general consensus about what caused an entire world to hit recession levels during the previous decade is—there is no consensus! Wikipedia; an online resource, probably sums it up best. “Experts have assigned varying weight to blame factors such as: complacent regulatory norms, those in power abused the financial system resulting in huge losses, stock market greed, huge disparity between the haves and have-nots, industry decline, real estate bubbles and dot.com busts.” Well, however the blame gets divvied, we can’t let it escape our notice that every attributing factor behind an entire global recession, stemmed from powerhouse’s manipulating anything they could, purely for their gain. Nothing new here. Masses still, suffer the consequences.
Though seemingly civilized, workforce tech-replacement agendas need to be seen for what they are fueled to do. They are called job-eliminators for good reason. Yet, to run a Google search using that phrase, articles pop-up about how to not, botch a job interview. Using the phrase replacement technology, articles pop-up about replacing older computer systems, knees and hips. Only during the just-lately years, did I find articles about job-eliminating technologies reach Googles top 10 searches. Here, it needs noted. We are the ones—who usher queries up that chart, which means that we, didn't show much concern over what was happening to our jobs--til long after the fact.
The first, of scant job-eliminator articles I found was in 2010 by The LA Times. Titled: Recession spurs faster replacement of workers with technology. The cited appeal to do so is cuz--workers are a headache. It went on to explain why we’re headaches and we’ll cover that on down the road. It’s the summary, that’s apt to consider now. “If cheap technology is available, you substitute it for people. Economists say the savings reaped from replacing employees with machines can be channeled elsewhere, leading to job creation in other sectors. Short term employment loss, will be fine in the medium to long run.” So nearly 15 years have since passed and still, the medium to long run has yet to begin. The jobs that could’ve been--were way overblown. Why?
Regardless of how mum the media remained about all this, why didn’t we force bullhorn coverage on the impact job-eliminators were wreaking on our decent-pay job scene? In America, low-pay and part-time jobs were the primary sectors that finally lowered our unemployment back to pre-recession levels and this still applies in this latest update round! As for the most viable tracker about homeplate health, that’s called median household income which continues to hover where it was 30 years ago. As for the overall health of any nation, this viable tracker is about gross production vs gross debt where in America, we typically hovered around a healthy 63%; something we haven’t seen since the 1990s when Baby-G started gorging away on our lifeline jobs. Coincidence? I seriously doubt it. Future predictions for the health of industrialized nations, are downright scary. This means those in charge of predicting--already realize what we need to quickly realize! Yet still; like 15 years after we should’ve blared the alarm, the tech-giddy spin department continues to preen about a rosy tech future just ahead. However, if that rosy future doesn’t include decent-pay and stable job markets; the very targets job-eliminators were expressly geared to gobble up in the first place, then we will have to rethink our freer way of existing. Are we all prepared to do that?
I’m beginning to question Experts.
My common-sense meter sputters every time I read experts regale us with job eliminator virtues. The industrial, then automated eras, ushered in non-thinking tools in manual arenas and flourished--cuz there was still upgrade room for human workers! Obviously, today’s higher-thinking technologies just about caps the full replication of human outputs! Do not fall for the Luddite hoodwink! Also, be very wary of the assurance that real soon, this Tech-Godsend will include a whole host of innovative tech-applications that’ll free us up to do lots of other things! Hmm…what things? What kind of stuff, do we really need, that we don’t already have too much of? Already, we’re being tagged as a throwaway society for hells sake! As for upgrade room, we won’t all become techies but it doesn’t matter now cuz already, Teen-G is gorging away on those jobs too. Yesterday’s unemployment lines already included upgraded workers. Today, the tech-sector is again; so not the first time, slashing away big chunks of their human workforce. Our world, now hosts 8 billion humans. Millions--like 1 out of 8 of us, are unemployed and/or starving! Unless we want to be fed and cared for cattle style, we need our own damn paycheck!
Predictions based upon well-patterned human tendencies, are grounded in sound logic. Predictions based on a never before experienced, unhuman replacement reality, has me wondering what qualifications actually tag these giddy tech guys as experts? I did read one plausible assessment contributing to today’s conundrums which deserves fair consideration. The gist of it has technology at the forefront where production, supply, demand and wages—are no longer in-sync. This assessment, has something to do with a tech-era cusping its knee-curve paradigm shift. Basically, our overstuffed Teen-G has been slumbering, belching away on all that gorging—preparing for its next growth spurt. We, must think for ourselves--what in hell will its next growth spurt mean to us?
Relegated to Headache Status.
I originally penned this for the American mass but that was before I grasped the full scope. So, I then went to insert nation-specifics in for a more inclusive scope but soon realized that was beyond my caliber—and mortal timeframe. 15 years and still counting, speaks volumes. Anyway; and for years and at the very least here in America, we’ve been told how efficient industries have become by replacing us with its, and to a very reckless degree--this is one dubious claim. But, since we’re actually being replaced with the damn stuff, we should consider why machines are attracting corp/industry billions. The claim that workers are a headache, is one way to say we come with too much messy baggage; that we’ve become a bang no longer worth the buck. We aren’t worth upgrading anymore cuz technology is being hyped as cheaper and less messy; two more dubious claims worth closer inspection. Sure, we all have a few coworkers who cause our heads to ache too but all of us—really?
All Earthlings, are all infants in this unprecedented way to exist. Nobody, has competent experts able to guarantee us how it’s all gonna work out just fine. So whoever stumbles onto this from wherever; as-in the big.www is global, take from my American perspective what’s relatable and apply it to your own country specifics but do not wait for Americans to lead this charge cuz that might not happen. We, are currently entangled in a helluva powermonger stranglehold, and it’s a nightmare of a mess going on here!
The Dance of The Ages.
I chose a Macabre Dance for this writing’s artwork; not to depict an afterlife jig but rather, the pre-dance that so often leads--to afterlife. By the volumes, history reminds us how godawful this timeworn power dance goes but nowadays, we have real-time, explicitly graphic reminders; in full color no less, to aid in jarring our memory about what’s become endless. Blood looks like shadows in black & white videos ~JP. During the writing years, the Mid-East bore much of the burden of reminding us how this jig rocks. When 2022 opened, Putin took it upon himself to remind us how egomaniacs roll. Now, it’s Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis who are wantonly, piling up the gore.
Every era that spiraled backwards before inching forward, did so cuz not too many rulership’s were compelled to advance humanity in any altruistic, ethical way. This hasn’t changed. Today’s corporate/political ruling cadres are, yesterday’s dominators but with 2 notable exceptions. They are now supposed to comply with basic decency ethos a free mass requires and, market acceptance is supposed to govern what a consuming free mass deems worthy to advance. Sure, many corporate elites enjoy lucrative stability in their dog-eat-dog world governed by market demand and yet, they still manage to keep basic common decencies as their guiding beacon. We must acknowledge, support and elevate--this distinct group. The rest of the pack, are just the same ole’ junkyard dogs of yesterday. When riveted only on the stock market, when salivating over the many human replacement options utterly detrimental to our very being, they are not ethically driven. Their in-it-for-today recklessness, has indisputably messed with the very wheels providing this communal beast--the one and only proven means for peaceful coexistence.
The dance of the ages, will cycle gory messes around again and again til finally but finally--some mass comes along to change this dance up. What’s become so damn timeworn, is brought about by a survival of the fittest ticking; we hail from the animal kingdom. Basic civility, evolved to help distance ourselves from barbaric behavior. And while civility often looks to be regressing in other parts of the world, it’s right here in the industrialized world that we must see the replacement going on--right under our noses.
The wads being made from today’s developmental stages, is set to one screeching, high-stakes pitch and it’s a tempo that’s taking us all down one dark path. Grappling for control over nuclear fission, will seem trite compared to the grappling over Super-Goliath. We, won’t need experts to tell us what’s guaranteed to ensue once this cash cow runaway arrives at that Pandora's Box! And the only opposition powerful enough to prevent the unleashing of all the mayhem found in that box? Us.
It's our turn. It's our watch.
Each day, we are blasted with overwhelming quandaries that need our attention. We wrestle over which governing measures we should find time to keep an eye on, and what causes we should scrape up an effort to contribute to, right up until retreat wins us over. To sit by the fire, read a novel, watch sports or partake in some other mindlessness, overrides any desire to actually make a difference, somewhere, somehow. This comprises my biggest headscratcher of 15 years. What could I possibly write, to help dislodge us from whatever retreat holds appeal? And what got me to least try; well other than music, came from--The Federalist Papers. A required read back when I was in school but didn’t connect then, what it has since. Actually, this book is a compilation of regularly written articles sprinkled into colonial newspapers back in 1787, as a means to elevate the virtues of America’s Constitution. This regular diet of info gave the mass time to chat about a constitution—for the people, that only a mass consensus from the people—could ensure. This is where I copped my regular installment notion from; it’s just that Newsweek never took me up on my offer. But the value of doling out a regular diet remains. Mulling time, is all-important. Readers, will simply have to dole out for themselves the recommended, one-a-day installment.
Another tidbit that came from this book was that even back then; back when the instrument that spells out our very freedoms was on shaky ground—was cuz of spin. Spin, was slung at the mass then, leaving them uncertain—just as its doing to us now. We aren’t experiencing anything new. Rather, today’s spin comes out of one ginormous, info-deluge set to overload capacity! Even the very instrument that spells out our freedoms has become a polarizing issue! Every topic is polarized around here nowadays! This has me wondering just how deep our dissolution runs? Well, however deep Americans aren’t alone. The swell of angst is rising up all over the place. Something, is definitely coming undone. It's getting rough out there, high water everywhere~ BD.
Today’s realities, are heavy in magnitude just like yesterday’s were. Overwhelming tribulations, which humanity came up against but overcame and/or adapted to. So the only monumental difference between forever and now, is newday technology. It now works the clock and it, runs on nano-time. Adaptation, won’t be in the cards any time soon for us so don’t fall for that hoodwink either. To overcome—is our only viable option.
The authors of The Federalist Papers wrote under the pseudonym—Publius; a Roman Senator assigned to hashing out societal parameters that were just and right for the public of those times. I suspect these authors used a pseudonym, so that the public would focus more on what’s being written, than who’s doing the writing. If so or even if not, that was another delivery option I copped from this book which definitely cajoled my skittish sidekick! Truly, it doesn’t much matter who writes this summons but rather, that someone is, and even if they are not—highly qualified.
This endeavor began as an awareness-raising mission. It ended to become our very own--Mass Summons. We must elevate vigilant wariness, and we must erect our very own trustworthy baseplate to unify at, hence--Mass Summons. Besides, we are way past the luxury of having another great read for today, only to be forgotten tomorrow. What we need is to get a move-on and now before another tech-anything gets irreversibly entrenched cuz one thing is certain--backwards is not forwards.
To jumpstart a move from the sideline, it begins with belief. We must believe; which happens to be a human exclusive capability, that we are not powerless to effect change because together--we most surely are not.
I could use somebody. Somebody like you ~ KOL.
Most Sincerely Yours, Publius.