Chapter 3

[dias]

ChatGPT is so freakin awesome. You ask something and it starts writing the answer. I asked a technical question and it provided an answer, a correct and elaborate one!

Is this the first serious step towards the AI revolution? 

Will software engineers become obsolete? Will I be cleaning toilets at McDonald's in 5 years lol

[dias]

This is so amazing and so f*cked up at the same time. Tough times ahead...

[dias]

I gave it difficult technical questions and it provided very detailed answers. Oh that's not good. 

The model has been trained on huge datasets of all kinds it seems. It's like having all the information that exists on the internet; sort of. 

[dias]

My sound question and the response

I am getting advice from an algorithm now.... 

[Jibralta]

14 hours ago, dias said:

I am getting advice from an algorithm now.... 

Lol. 

Don't worry, nothing new there! People take advice from all sorts of formulaic venues. We love having rules to control our thoughts. The more complicated, the better--perhaps because the effort makes it easier to assign value to the rules. 

Example: main stream media! It's not exactly a software algorithm, but it almost is. There are rules for what can be said, how it can be said, when it can be said. The answer always changes with the zeitgeist.

Another example: religion. (need I say more?)

Another example: your boss.

(But yes, that software is incredible!)

____________________________

I've recently noticed this ridiculous feature in google. I assume it's probably software (or employees who aren't fluent in English (or both)). Either way, Google's QC has taken a turn for the worse!

[dias]

This AI chatbot is unbelievable. You should try it out. It's 1 minute to make an account: https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/. If it made coffee and spoke with a sexy female voice it would be my new best friend lol. 

My question:

And the answer within seconds:

...

How amazing, it writes your CV. 

You can write a freakin book like this. Authors are going to face a huge problem. 

 

[mylolita]

1 hour ago, dias said:

This AI chatbot is unbelievable. You should try it out. It's 1 minute to make an account: https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/. If it made coffee and spoke with a sexy female voice it would be my new best friend lol. 

My question:

And the answer within seconds:

...

How amazing, it writes your CV. 

You can write a freakin book like this. Authors are going to face a huge problem. 

 

Please insert some details for me Dias see what it comes out with?! 
 

I still don’t believe they can programme real creativity. If they can, my whole concept of what it means to be human has just been blown away. I don’t believe they can, actually, because you would have to have nuanced feelings and a whole life’s worth of them and just… a general “spark” we can’t put our finger on?! 
 

It’s like the cinematic idea of the “holy moment” or when you hear something like Mozart, touching God.

 

x

[Jibralta]

I actually heard today about a court case that's going to be tried in a US court with representation by an A.I. 'robot' lawyer.

[dias]

16 hours ago, mylolita said:

Please insert some details for me Dias see what it comes out with?! 

Only if they are naughty details!

16 hours ago, mylolita said:

I still don’t believe they can programme real creativity. If they can, my whole concept of what it means to be human has just been blown away. I don’t believe they can, actually, because you would have to have nuanced feelings and a whole life’s worth of them and just… a general “spark” we can’t put our finger on?! 

No it's not on this level yet. This is the thing, it is going to happen at some point, maybe not in 5-10 years time but in 50 years? It might be difficult to add consciousness on an algorithm, however, most practical things can be done without it. 

I am not sure whether coding will be the same anymore. I think it would be more about configuring things than anything else. 

Certainly many professions will become obsolete, there is no question about it. It will be like the industrial revolution with huge numbers of unemployment. 

 

[dias]

9 hours ago, Jibralta said:

I actually heard today about a court case that's going to be tried in a US court with representation by an A.I. 'robot' lawyer.

If you think about it, aside from consciousness, what do we have as human that makes us unique? Mainly, memory and the ability to connect the dots based on previous experiences (I am simplifying things apparently) . An AI algorithm does the same thing. You provide a set of data, you train the model on this dataset and based on the data it has been trained on, it connects the dots when you provide an new dataset. Basically, it learns from past experience sort of. 

This is pretty powerful.

We will live an interesting era. I am curious to see how this will play out. 

[dias]

 

How accurate is it Jib?

[mylolita]

4 hours ago, dias said:

Only if they are naughty details!

No it's not on this level yet. This is the thing, it is going to happen at some point, maybe not in 5-10 years time but in 50 years? It might be difficult to add consciousness on an algorithm, however, most practical things can be done without it. 

I am not sure whether coding will be the same anymore. I think it would be more about configuring things than anything else. 

Certainly many professions will become obsolete, there is no question about it. It will be like the industrial revolution with huge numbers of unemployment. 

 

Ha! 
 

I once read, from an evolutional standpoint point, what made us human were a few factors - the desire and need to communicate feelings, care and bury and memory of the dead (although some animals do this in a different way, elephants for example, who are highly social and very intelligent)(also, Neanderthals often buried their dead, unlike other sub sections of humans, so I read their “stupid brawny” stereotype is actually very wrong), use of tools (chimps and other birds do this as well I am sure many others), and very importantly the prediction and planning of the future. Also, the consciousness of time and that we are going to die. 
 

I would argue a need to express feelings - either in art, dance, story telling, writing, music - anything, is quite unique to humans but not totally unique, other animals also express creativity. 
 

It’s nuanced isn’t it. I suppose if I were to make an uneducated guess, it might be a whole mixture of those things. A caring for sick and elderly, where other animals would not. Creation of rituals and institutions. Chimps also have politics, so do all great apes. Actually, the more you go into it, we are just like super chimps, basically. The more you delve into biology, evolution especially, I mean, it pushes religion, for example, into the same place astrology is. 
 

We have a quest for knowledge? We do things simple for pleasure or the entertainment of it? I suppose, other animals also do this too though! 
 

Such an interesting thing to think about. 
 

We are at the mercy of primal needs and desires whilst battling a higher internal quest that asks we take control or put aside our “animal” traits. Everything is still animalistic though, because we are, after all, animals. We have social hierarchies just like other animals. Brain and brawn are replaced by money and power, but it’s all the same, same game just, slightly different rules. Health and vitality and strength and intelligence all win out. 
 

I always remember an old health visitor I used to be fond of coming round. She once told me, when referring to looking after the kids, “It’s about survival.” I thought well bloomin’ heck that’s dramatic isn’t it! But actually, it is. It really is. If you get the basics covered, and can play and toy and indulge and have leisure time, you are actually in deep luxury, even in the simplest of moments. She saw terrible things and dealt with horrible cases so, everything was boiled down too reality and “it’s not so bad if your kid isn’t eating organic 24/7” just like when soldiers come home from war seeing death risk and destruction and their wife is having a meltdown about the cooker not working and they want to flip and tell her “it doesn’t matter!” because they have seen the real priority of things.

 

Wow, that was a tangent! 
 

But back to your solider post actually Dias! I agree, by the way. I watched a great interview with an ex SAS guy. I think British soldiers are a lot different to their American counterparts. You might find it very very interesting. One of their mottos is, “Just a little further.” He also said nothing every went to plan, nothing does in war, it is strange and surreal, and that thinking on his feet and making quick decisions was what he liked about the army. 
 

 

Anyway, AI huh. I don’t like the idea of it much at all. I know it’s everywhere anyway and inevitable. What on earth is with these glasses anyway like a phone on your eyeballs? Oh Lord! Actually LIVING online now. Zero break. The whole reality is filtered through digital web like gaze. Literally nearly the Matrix. I want OUT! 
 

In ten years time you might find me bare foot in a cottage somewhere with the wind battering the stone front while I throw corn to the chickens. I kid you not. 
 

I always remember my Dad saying in the 60s when he was at school, teachers would joke in the year 2000 all their jobs will be obsolete. It didn’t quite happen but it was 1/4 at least correct or more. God knows. God knows! 
 

x

[mylolita]

Ask it - “what is love?”

 

x

[mylolita]

14 hours ago, Jibralta said:

I actually heard today about a court case that's going to be tried in a US court with representation by an A.I. 'robot' lawyer.

Whaaaat! 
 

There is so much nuance in social situations though, I wonder how they can programme this?

 

For example, a lawyer might turn to the jury and schmooze them, crack a joke to the Judge, alter tone and direction of questioning if they read body language and changed situations at a split second. I can’t believe a robot can do this. Can it read body language and tone? An extremely nuanced complex thing? 
 

I’m interested and horrified Jib! 
 

I wonder how it pans out? 

x

[Jibralta]

8 hours ago, dias said:

How accurate is it Jib?

It reads well, but it's missing major elements (like structure, construction phasing, project delivery, client demands, stakeholder demands, coordination between the trades, etc.) and the information it does provide is oversimplified and incomplete. This computer obviously has no experience working in the architecture industry 😂

But seriously, it's like an elementary school version of the big picture. It does (amazingly) give the sense of having some expertise, but the more I look at it, the more problems I see. 

[mylolita]

11 hours ago, dias said:

I watched it till the end. Interesting interview. Yes, at first glance, there is a difference but I think it's mostly the typical difference of people saying the same things in a different manner  What I am trying to say is, they both have very similar opinions, always moving forward, always pushing a bit further, improving yourself etc etc but they express it in a different way since they are from different countries. Jocko expressed the same beliefs in an American way, "Billy" in a British way. He seems a nice guy btw.

I really relate to the Special Forces mentality despite the fact I don't like taking orders and a tad non-conformist. It's probably the only sane people left in this world, especially nowadays with this woke/degenerate/wimpy culture. 

And I do agree with him, the male role model does not exist anymore. I guess it's a combination of factors. Probably the mothers of our parents generation spent too much time babysitting the boys (my mother included, thank God we took after Dad and happened to be ambitious and liked difficult things) which resulted in very complacent young men not doing difficult things. Second, it's a woman's world nowadays, the culture and the media are all about women (to the point of harmful) and stupid woke stuff. I believe it would naturally get fixed in the next generations, trends change depending on the conditions. 

It seems we don't face real difficulties anymore and I believe it's necessary for boys and men to face obstacles and tough situations. You know, I see more young girls moving around the globe and working hard and more young guys getting complacent doing menial jobs and "enjoy" life doing nothing. I really don't understand why. It's certainly beneficial for everyone to do difficult things but for guys it's kind of essential. 

If we don't have anything serious to do we are throwing tantrums because the cooker is not working. It's human nature to be busy with something. If there is not something serious to be occupied with we are arguing over stupid stuff. That's why I like living in a different country, I have more serious things to do than arguing with my neighbor over petty stupid stuff like I am doing in Athens.  

 

I couldn't agree more Dias and I see it in myself so often as a cursed millennial. I expect everything handed to me on a silver platter, minimal to no effort. Life just isn't like this.

 

I often think about an on-trend example regarding this. Our need for "perfection" and "having it all" but also "indulging ourselves".

For example, the trend our generation has towards having children. If you want them, there is this mentality, especially amongst my friends who are the same age as me, and also my sister, who is just under two years younger than me, is - you have to have everything perfect and sorted and be in this amazing financial position and have done everything you wanted to do! Live the life you wanted to live! I hear it time and time again. People know deep down, once children come, your world flips and it can no longer be about you and your needs as number one anymore, it just can't, not if you aspire to be a good parent. Millenial attitude to me is - me me me! Now now now! Like a child. And I feel like I can say this because I recognise it obviously in myself. Children are big sacrifice, time consumers. Quite often I see friends who do have a baby trying to still live their dreams at the same time by taking this 6 month old around the world and hauling them around hostels and air b&bs. I see mothers ditching their babies, and they are still babies, into nursery, for a stranger to change their nappy all day, because they want to go "live their career dream". Is this for the babies benefit, or theirs? Can it not wait a little and can we not bring ourselves to sacrifice financially like our parents did? No we can't! We need £4 coffee and to eat out and holidays and a car on finance and new furniture and designer clothes - all living beyond our means! Again, I say this freely because I know myself am guilty of so much of this stuff too.

People in the army are different! I really agree Dias. They go in boys, come out men. And none of them are whining for a pay rise! And they put their life on the line so we can sleep soundly at night! And for not much money! Not anymore than a nurse, in fact! It's outrageous.

And can I ask to be nosy! What's the deal with your neighbour in Athens!?

I'm always comforted by the way when someone is thinking something similar - the world wants you to think everyone is against you. It's like gold dust to find some solidarity round here!

x

[dias]

This video popped up on my youtube. Damn, if you are not politically correct you get fired. If this is not a dictorship what is it? I mean even I have been told I have to be politically correct in my workplace and I don't have any serious position. The people behind the scenes who promoted this woke culture have managed to be like clandestine dictators. Although now that I am thinking about it they have done a pretty good job, from "a survival of the fittest" perspective, I have to give them credit.

Hitler used the Aryan propaganda, they are using the woke propaganda. Interesting, very clever.

[mylolita]

3 hours ago, dias said:

This video popped up on my youtube. Damn, if you are not politically correct you get fired. If this is not a dictorship what is it? I mean even I have been told I have to be politically correct in my workplace and I don't have any serious position. The people behind the scenes who promoted this woke culture have managed to be like clandestine dictators. Although now that I am thinking about it they have done a pretty good job, from "a survival of the fittest" perspective, I have to give them credit.

Hitler used the Aryan propaganda, they are using the woke propaganda. Interesting, very clever.

They are weak, and don't like anyone strong. They fool you into thinking they are the majority Dias, when in fact they are actually the minority, in England, anyway. The working class are the biggest section of people, and they just don't think like this at all. 

Jordan Peterson is a complete kitten. You know why they have a problem with him because it's mostly factual and common sense and lifts people up and they don't want that! They want to keep you down, so you feel powerless and worthless like you don't matter so you don't start giving it too them!

I always say, I expect governments to pull outrageous and shifty and terrible things all the time. That's unfortunately governments for you, even "democratic" western ones. What you need to fear, is the majority going along with the corruption. That's what happened with covid. The government said - wear your mask, don't go out, you can't work, and everyone said, okay! And vilified anyone who said, wait? I want to work, to feed my family and pay my mortgage. Wait, I don't want to force my children to wear a cloth over their face when children are extremely unlikely to die of any type of coronavirus. They gambled on the public being complacent, unquestioning, and stupid. And the gamble WON! THAT was what scared me. Not the fact Nazi Germany pulled what they did, but that the majority of people went along with it, or disagreed but kept quiet. That's the scary part. It always has been for me. 

No one will apologise either. I had friends tell me I was scrum for never wearing a mask and a child killer, then 6 months later it's suddenly okay to not wear a mask? I tried to argue reasonably with them from a scientific, biological standpoint but they just wouldn't hear it. They were "following orders and doing what they were told" - sound historically familiar?! Terrifying!!!

These virtue signalling rule followers and rule creatures would be the ones at the camp doors saying "show me your papers" and tittle tattling on their neighbours for hiding hunting down people under the floorboards, I kid you not. 

It was them I was furious with, not the government. I still am, actually. We are in this financial mess because everyone decided to take a year off and shut down the whole of the wests economy just like, yeah it's okay whatever! My Grandma who's 95 might get sick! Let's just screw everything for about 4 generations to come! No worries! 

IDIOTS. Oh God sorry I started ranting on your journal!

I'm gonna shut up now!!!!!

But great post. I totally agree. I don't work for anyone and I was STILL ostracised and kind of "fired" from other friendship groups. I didn't give a fig in the end but y'know, staying silent is the worst thing. My only pride is that I gave them all my unfiltered opinion with both barrels before they called it a day - then took my kids out to an empty park and beach for a year, while everyone else played lunatics peeking out of their curtains. The irony is... nothing has changed. 

 

x

[dias]

1 hour ago, mylolita said:

 They fool you into thinking they are the majority Dias, when in fact they are actually the minority, in England, anyway. The working class are the biggest section of people, and they just don't think like this at all. 

The majority of the people don't think like this whether working class or middle or affluent. It's the minority thinking like this and the media/government forcing down our throats this nonsense. 

1 hour ago, mylolita said:

Jordan Peterson is a complete kitten. You know why they have a problem with him because it's mostly factual and common sense and lifts people up and they don't want that! 

Exactly. This is dictatorship. This is what dictators did throughout history. 

 

1 hour ago, mylolita said:

What you need to fear, is the majority going along with the corruption. That's what happened with covid. And the gamble WON! 

Yes. Covid was a prime example that there is no democracy. The governments shut down everything and imposed the vaccine willy-nilly. And it was so easy....

The moment the media stopped talking about it, it was like it never happened. 

1 hour ago, mylolita said:

These virtue signalling rule followers and rule creatures would be the ones at the camp doors saying "show me your papers" and tittle tattling on their neighbours for hiding hunting down people under the floorboards, I kid you not. 

It was them I was furious with, not the government.

Yes the virtue signalling rule followers are the worst kind of people. I agree. For me it's a huge red flag when I meet people like this. 

1 hour ago, mylolita said:

staying silent is the worst thing.

It is. However, as you can see you can very quickly lose your job or even worse go to jail for absolutely nothing. Posting an opinion on social media which is not politically correct can put you behind bars, how absurd is that?

The "government" is not only what we see. There are powerful lobbies and groups of people which push their agenda, the government is the pawn. I had an interesting discussion with bro about this, he collaborates with lobbyists now and it is very intriguing when you witness things from this level and understand how the system works and how "cultures" are created. This is a discussion for another day and not on ENA.

[mylolita]

11 hours ago, dias said:

The majority of the people don't think like this whether working class or middle or affluent. It's the minority thinking like this and the media/government forcing down our throats this nonsense. 

Exactly. This is dictatorship. This is what dictators did throughout history. 

 

Yes. Covid was a prime example that there is no democracy. The governments shut down everything and imposed the vaccine willy-nilly. And it was so easy....

The moment the media stopped talking about it, it was like it never happened. 

Yes the virtue signalling rule followers are the worst kind of people. I agree. For me it's a huge red flag when I meet people like this. 

It is. However, as you can see you can very quickly lose your job or even worse go to jail for absolutely nothing. Posting an opinion on social media which is not politically correct can put you behind bars, how absurd is that?

The "government" is not only what we see. There are powerful lobbies and groups of people which push their agenda, the government is the pawn. I had an interesting discussion with bro about this, he collaborates with lobbyists now and it is very intriguing when you witness things from this level and understand how the system works and how "cultures" are created. This is a discussion for another day and not on ENA.

You are very right Dias. The fact you can’t say this mild common sense stuff openly is beyond alarming.

 

Your brother sounds very interesting! I think it’s so nice you’re close!

 

Another time over whiskey huh!

 

x

[dias]

 

This is so absurd.....

[dias]

I had a video chat with bro today. We talked whilst he was walking to the office, he gave me a quick tour of Midtown Atlanta. You can't tell only by looking through a camera but I liked it, more than Boston that he used to live (which I have been in real life). It seems a more chilled, sunnier and friendlier town. He seemed happy. 

He was here only for a week but we did spend some time together and with his wife too. I was against this marriage from the outset for multiple reasons but the more I get to know her and how they operate as a couple the more I think it was a good match and they make a good team. I am happy for him. 

[dias]

I have a lot of mood and energy levels fluctuations lately. I mean more than usual. I don't know why. Some days I am good, some days ok, some bad. I am getting extremely bored here. I have an addictive personality, stagnation kills me. I don't know how to cope when I don't have concrete goals. 

It's January, I would say, now I am over the setback in my last job, 5 solid months. Truth be told, it was a very unpleasant and nasty experience and it did affect me, broke my spirit in a way; ok, not to that extend but it certainly affected me. 

Anyway, for today the plan is to enjoy the sun as much as I can. And do nothing else than eat and sleep. 

 

[dias]

I have a panel interview via Teams for a Swedish bank on Friday. I am not interested, I just sent my CV on LinkedIn out of boredom, I have no real intention moving to Sweden. Besides, I have spent some time and conversed with Scandinavians in London and I can tell I wouldn't fit there although they seem nice people. The recruiter explained to me the way Swedish conduct interviews and decide for the hiring. On one hand, it's certainly more democratic as many people have a say in the final outcome not only the hiring manager, however, they seem the type to think and think and think before they make decisions. More than likely, they won't like my style and I won't like theirs. Plus, I would have to code with 5 people looking at me? Yeah right. 

It's good practice though because I have already sent my CV to UK companies. I need to start preparing again. I am open to contracts too now, I really don't care about permanent jobs. 

[dias]

I have to exclude the financial and insurance sectors which are regulated by the FCA when I apply for jobs. The problem is, what's left? Not much since my specialization is mostly needed on the financial sector. Hmm, this is an obstacle when I am looking for a job in the UK. I sent my CV in other sectors but there are not many jobs and I haven't had any concrete result so far. 

Right now, I am really yearning for adventures and travelling...I feel like I want to explode.