Robots in 2030

Robots are already all around us, whether it’s the automated machines that assemble our vehicles or the virtual assistants that use conversational interfaces to help us around the house. Yet as we’ve seen, they’re not currently suitable for all areas of life. But will that change in the future?

Despite fears of an AI takeover, where machines replace humans as the dominant intelligence on the planet, such a scenario seems unlikely. However, business network PwC predicts that up to 30% of jobs could be automated by robots by the mid-2030s.

Other reports suggest that the stock of robots worldwide could reach 20 million by 2030, with automated workers taking up to 51 million jobs in the next 10 years. So, while they may not take over the world, we can expect to see more robots in our daily lives.
How robots will change the world

According to a report from McKinsey, automation and machines will see a shift in the way we work. They predict that across Europe, workers may need different skills to find work. Their model shows that activities that require mainly physical and manual skills will decline by 18% by 2030, while those requiring basic cognitive skills will decline by 28%.

Workers will need technological skills, and there will be an even greater need for those with expertise in STEM. Similarly, many roles will require socioemotional skills, particularly in roles where robots aren’t good substitutes, such as caregiving and teaching.

We may also see robots as a more integral part of our daily routine. In our homes, many simple tasks such as cooking and cleaning may be totally automated. Similarly, with robots that can use computer vision and natural language processing, we may see machines that can interact with the world more, such as self-driving cars and digital assistants.  READ MORE...

Another Sunset

 

What Do We Do?

 

9% Inflation...

Thanks to the policies of Joe Biden and the Democrats...

So, how do middle class Americans deal with this shit?

• We spend less
• We buy less
• We travel less
• We find cheaper substitutes
• We save less
• We invest less
• We find alternatives

Personally, my wife and I will not drive our cars as much.  We will make appointments on the same day instead of two.  We will not go on vacations as much.  We will buy cheaper products at the grocery stores that may not taste as good or last as long.  We are growing our own veges in our backyard.  We will not go to restaurants as often or movies either.  We will not spend as much money in general so that we can continue with our level of savings.

Instead of going to the Community Center to exercise where we have to pay, we will walk around our community earlier in the day to avoid the humidity and pay absolutely nothing...

We have talked with others in our same or similar situation and all of them have said the same thing basically...  if this holds true throughout the state and other states, then our economy is in for a huge slowdown...  and, that slowdown will cause businesses to layoff workers (and perhaps close).  Laid off workers will spend less and cause the government to pay out more in unemployment insurance.

Things for the middle class will only get WORSE...

HOWEVER...

the wealthy will hardly notice a change at all... as they have so much money they will continue to live like they are living now, looking down their noses at all of us who have to make adjustments...  not offering to help at all because we all have an equal chance at being like them...  or at least that is what they think...

Only One Way Out of Inflation

Jerome Powell - Bank of America

Severe recession needed to cool inflation, Bank of America analysts say

Bank of America: 'Sticky' inflation could take some time to come down

FOX BUSINESS REPORTS...

The only way to cool down inflation is with a recession...  economists define a recession as a period of temporary economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced, generally identified by a fall in GDP in two successive quarters.

In this case, SEVERE means intense and longer than normal...  whatever normal is because in an economic sense normal is a flexible variable and difficult to define when situations occur that are different than expectations...

This means a recession could last for the next two years of the Biden Administration...  and, if our recession is this severe then you should expect lots and lots of layoffs, a reduction of goods and services to the marketplace resulting in much higher prices.  The Fed will continue to raise interest rates making it rather difficult for individuals, families, businesses, and corporations to borrow money.  These higher rates will apply to ALL LOANS and MORTGAGES.

Our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will decline which means our economy will decline...  and, as our economy declines then the value of our dollar will decline as well.

• Businesses will spend less
• Consumers will spend less
• Banks will loan less money
• Unemployment will increase
• The Govt might extend unemployment benefits
• If the govt spends more our debt will increase
• Businesses will not expand operations
• Businesses will not invest in future technology
• Businesses will not be globally competitive
• States will reduce services
• Cities will reduce services
• Illegal immigration will deplete resources
• Crime and violence will increase

REMEMBER:  it was not Trump's policies that caused this to happen...  it was Joe Biden's policies that caused this to happen, starting with his attack on the OIL INDUSTRY...

What we are experiencing are the UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF THE DEMOCRATS...

About my Novels

 

My first novel, Lord of the Harvest, was ten years in the making.  In 2015, when I first started writing it, I changed the name to The Cosmic Priesthood because there was an element of science fiction that I wanted to highlight.  When I decided to edit the novel for possible publication with Amazon KDP, I changed the name again to Earth's Hidden Keys: Cosmic Priests Break their Vows.

Twelve keys hidden on earth with each of the 12 major religions have to be collected and assembled by a deadline in order to save earth from destruction.  There are forces assembled to try and prevent that from happening and there are forces that are trying to help that happen.

At the same time, cosmic priests have decided to observe but not interfere...  yet there are some cosmic priest that covertly help both sides.

Will earth be saved?

Can earth be saved?

My second novel, Holding On, is about a billionaire who not only tries to capture the honey bee market but who deals in human trafficking, drugs, and illegal weapons.  He is pursued by the FBI and eventually is brought to trial but receives judgement before the jury renders a verdict.

My third novel, Beyond the Milky Way, returns to the cosmic priests and explores the adventures of how they help the human beings from earth who have colonized Mars and numerous other planets fight off the invaders from not just another galaxy but from another dimension.

My fourth novel, Operation Morning Expresso, took place in Paris, France and was a CIA adventure about an agent who had lost his memory due to a traffic accident and when he finally awoke and tried find his past, he discovered that he was really a double agent and had been planted into the CIA by Russian intelligence (FSB & KGB).  Due to a virus on my computer, chapters 4-12 were lost.  I have decided to reconstruct the missing chapter using the notes that I kept while writing, but will be changing the name to Deception in Paris.

My fifth novel, Operation Morning Desert, has 8 of 12 chapters completed, but before I continue with the remaining 4 chapters changed the name to, Hunting the Scorpion Scarab.  This novel is also a CIA spy novel set in Cairo, Egypt where the terrorist planning committee is located and led by the Scorpion Scarab.  The CIA agent is posing as a professor at the American University.

My sixth novel, The Ghost Dancer, has not been written yet but a detailed chapter by chapter outline has been created around which my writing will evolve.  The story focuses on Native American Reservations across the United States where fringe groups are involved in human and drug trafficking and a Native American FBI agent, Silas Longfellow Sahoka is tracking them down after they kidnapped his wife and children.

My seventh novel, Caucasian Born, is an autobiography of sorts, but mainly it is about what it is like to have been born white to a lower middle class family without any privileges at all other than my own motivation and determination.  I was not born a white supremacist, nor was I born into wealthy and privilege.  I had no advantages whatsoever even though I was white and refused to let anyone open any doors for me.  I dropped out of college and enlisted in the Navy and did not follow in my father's footsteps who was an officer in the military.  This novel will be my response to CRT, BLM, Cancel Culture, and the fact that I do not feel guilty because my ancestors may have been involved with slavery.

Amateur Chef/Cook

I have watched several cooking shows on Hulu and prior to leaving Charter on cable and while I found them to be interesting, I did not have my pots and pans and utensils ready and waiting so I could cook along with them.  I have gotten ideas on what to cook with what, but other than that, I am pretty much cooking on my own.  I used the internet a lot to learn what spices should be used or how to set the oven temp and time, and aside from that, I am pretty much on my own.

I have cooked a variety of loaves of bread including baguettes, doughnuts, cakes, pies, lasagna, spaghetti, soups of all sorts, omelets, quiches, and casseroles.  From my perspective, recipes while providing a framework are not necessarily meant to be followed.  I typically combine whatever I think will go together based on past experience and toss in a couple of extra items for shits and giggles.

I seldom use red meat but when I do it is usually beef that I cook a long time so that it can be shredded.  However, my wife showed me today how I could put the cooked meat in a small hand grinder and after a couple of pulses have shredded beef...  cutting down on my cooking time.

So, my meats are usually turkey burgers, turkey hotdogs, turkey sausage, chicken, and some kind of fish like cod, tuna, orange roughy, or salmon.  I love veges and pretty much always use, bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, green onions, beans (black, white, pinto, lentils), peas, split peas, sweet potatoes, potatoes, spinach, cabbage, garlic, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and zucchini.

My goto spices are pepper, sea salt, basil, oregano, chives, parsley, dill, and paprika.  I also use honey mustard, ketchup, A1, soy sauce, and seasoning sauce.  I use basmati rice and angel hair pasta as fillers.

My equipment is a gas stove top and oven as well as a portable electric grill top for one pot, an instapot, and a multi-purpose air fyer.

The downside to my cooking experience is that I have limited experience on an outside gas grill and when anything is cooked outside then my wife does the cooking.

The reason I got into cooking was that in 2015 when my wife and I retired, she informed me that she was no longer cooking as part of her retirement package...  so, if I wanted anything to eat, I had to do my own cooking.  And, that is how it began...

In the first few years of her retirement, she cooked Thanksgiving and Christmas meals and if anyone was coming to our house for dinner but nothing else...

All Different

 

Walking Lowers Blood Pressure

Can walking lower blood pressure? 

While we’ve long known that walking brings with it many health and wellbeing benefits, including strengthening our bones and muscles and helping us to maintain a healthy weight and lose body fat, it turns out that the walking perks don’t stop there.

According to a paper published in Current Hypertension Reports(opens in new tab), regular physical activity is associated with lower blood pressure and therefore reduced cardiovascular risk. 

And walking to control your blood pressure, whether it be in the great outdoors or on one of the best walking treadmills, is no different.

Dr. Mahmoud Al Rifai, a member of the American College of Cardiology(opens in new tab), tells us: “We frequently advise our patients to engage in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, and that can include walking.” And it’s not hard to see why.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(opens in new tab) (CDC), hypertension (the more formal term for high or raised blood pressure) affects 47% of people in the US. 

With the CDC estimating that only one in four adults with hypertension have their condition under control, finding a reliable and consistent way to keep your blood pressure within healthy limits is more important than ever.  READ MORE...

Just A Few More Points

Here we are again...  looking down the barrel of someone else's rifle...  I want to say I am surprised...  but I am not...

Now, I didn't much care for Trump and his wealthy arrogance, but the man did build a healthy economy by following Reagan's advice...  

And, he didn't take no shit off of anybody...  whether was Putin or that Kim fella, or them Chinese over in Asia somewheres...

And, if it weren't for that China Virus our damn economy would still be rockin' and rollin' along...

It's kinda sad when I think about it now, the Democrats spent all that money, time, and focus on something that was a HOAX...  and, it looks like this Durham report is gonna finally set things straight...  but ya know something...  here in America, the WEALTHY get away with anything they want and the damn mainstream media covers it up for them...

This ain't my America...  nor is it the Democratic Party of JFK...  that's when I was proud to be both.

Now, we got food shortages...  higher gasoline prices...  hell, prices on everything are increasing while wages are increasing but at a lesser rate...  that means, we are all going in the hole...  how in the hell is that build back better...  BIDEN???

Don't even think about getting rid of Biden because Kamala Harris is right behind him...  and if he turned a corner too quickly, she would break her nose...  I mean, she would make things worse, if she was President.  Keep Biden in the white house PLEASE...

Flying Dolphin

 

Gas Stoves Leak Toxins

What's happening
A new study shows natural gas to contain more carcinogens than previously thought. The same study found that about 5% of stoves leak small amounts of gas when not in use.

Why it matters
While more research is needed to nail down the dangers, these findings could mean your gas stove is emitting harmful amounts of airborne toxins into your home.

What's next
We've provided some easy ways to mitigate risk while we wait for more conclusive results on exposure levels and health risks associated with the study's findings.

A new study from Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that natural gas used in homes contains more toxins than previously thought. It also shows that gas-powered kitchen stoves often leak low levels of potentially harmful gas, even when they're not on.

The 16-month study published on June 28 in the journal Environmental Science & Technology took samples from 69 stoves in homes serviced by three different natural gas companies across the Boston area. Testing of the precombustion (unburned) methane gas found over 300 chemicals, including 21 airborne toxins. Those toxins notably included low levels of benzene, a known carcinogen, which was discovered in 95% of the natural gas tested.  READ MORE...

Bar Dancing

 

Pillars of Creation

Photographer Andrew McCarthy recreated NASA’s famous “Pillars of Creation” photograph of the Eagle Nebula using a $500 telescope.

The original iconic image, taken by the Hubble telescope, shows an active star-forming region featuring towering tendrils of cosmic dust and gas in the heart of the Eagle Nebula, cataloged as M16.

It was first photographed in 1995 by NASA and has had a huge cultural impact with the image being featured on everything from “t-shirts to coffee mugs,” reports National Geographic.

A $16B Space Telescope vs a $500 backyard telescope
McCarthy spoke to PetaPixel about how he recreated the Pillars of Creation from his backyard in Arizona with a 12-inch Newtonian telescope and a monochrome camera using narrowband filters to create a vibrant color image.

“I shoot the Pillars of Creation a couple times a year. It’s a surprisingly accessible target, near the Sagittarius star cloud in the core of the Milky Way,” explains McCarthy.

“I used special software to remove all the stars in the image, so this unobstructed view really shows off the vast structures of gas and dust within the Eagle Nebula.

“The image was shot over several hours across multiple nights, while my telescope was guided along the stars using a sophisticated tracking mount that compensated for the earth’s rotation.”  READ MORE...

Ballet

 

Metaverse Education

The term Metaverse was invented by Neal Stephenson in a science fiction novel, almost 30 years ago. He envisioned lifelike avatars who met in 3D buildings and other virtual reality environments. Over the past couple of years, the metaverse has begun representing a progressive convergence of digital experiences. This upcoming domain is perceived as a graphically rich virtual space, with some degree of multi-dimensional aspect that will allow people to work, play, shop, socialize, and bring humans back together in this virtual world.

Big tech companies are building metaverse projects to utilize the benefits of the metaverse. Companies like the Meta Platforms build in the metaverse by using its world-leading software and solutions. Other big tech companies are building blocks with the help of advanced technologies like augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality. The digital world is garnering millions of dollars worth of investment to foresee the future of the internet.  SOURCE:  AnalyticsInsights.net

According to Loma Linda University, the best way to achieve student knowledge retention is to teach what you know to someone else, followed by learning by doing...  However, most instructors and college professors still teach via lecture notes, PowerPoint, and teaching assistants who help themselves more than they are helping their students...

While big tech is looking at the metaverse as a way to generate profits, teaching and training organizations should look at the universe as a way to not just accelerate the teaching of employees but increase their retention of knowledge abilities.

A student surgeon can practice surgeries in the metaverse for as long as is needed in order to perfect a procedure...  so, would not the same concept apply to a supervisor who has to talk with disruptive employees...  or take classes during their lunch hour?

A NASCAR team can use the metaverse to help perfect their tire-changing abilities as can a Broadway actor use the metaverse to help learn their lines and perfect their body language.

The metaverse is not just a tool for Mark Zuckerberg to increase his wealth.

I Walk Alone

 

Walking Alone does not mean that there have not been accomplishments.  I earned a BA in English and an MBA with a concentration in Strategic Planning...  I am a certified WorkKeys Job Profiler by American College Testing.  I am an ISO9000 Certified Auditor by the British Standards Institute and I am an MCSE for Windows NT 4.0.  I am certified by Motorola in SIX SIGMA and certified by Ford Motor Company in QS9000 Quality Standards.  I am also certified by the State of Tennessee as a Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award Examiner.

It was all of this that enabled me to be a successful consultant for 25 years in Organizational Development, Continuous Improvement, Re-engineering Systems, and Quality Management.

Fortunately, I was able to work with NIIT out of New Delhi, India to custom-design and write all of the courses for a degree in Technical Project Management for ITT Technical Institute using the PMBOK as the core set of guiding principles around which all the courses were designed.

Walking Alone does not necessarily mean that someone cannot be successful both mentally and financially...  it just means that the path to success is unconventional...  to say the least, and oftentimes uncomfortable for the person making the journey.  Looking back on the journey is when one realizes how much was actually accomplished without anyone opening doors for you...

At the age of 40, I quit smoking after 20 years of a 2 pack a day habit...  and, did so COLD TURKEY...  I had no one there to support me other than myself.  During the first 3 months, I gained 30 pounds and during the next 6 months, I lost 30 pounds by counting my daily intake of fat grams...

I was able to accomplish this with DETERMINATION and DISCIPLINE...  I also had a positive mindset of this was exactly what I wanted to do...  and, I did it for no one but myself.

I statistically charted my results and showed the paperwork to my quality management students as proof that one could apply statistical analysis to damn near anything.  I explained to them that if I eat above the average, I gain weight and if I eat below the average I lose weight...   Each person is different, so no one could use my results but me.

I am not a wealthy person nor am I a poor person living in poverty.   I have been debt-free for over 15 years, I own my own home, and two vehicles, have a recreational space outside in the yard, and have enough money saved to pay all of my expenses for my wife and me until the age of 95.  Who wants to live past that?

In short, I have exactly what I need...

However, I leave nothing behind except my home and a few hundred thousand dollars.  No streets or buildings are named after me.  No records were left behind to be broken by others.  And, no one except my close family will miss me...  it will be about the same as when I was born.

Can you say the same about your life?

A Novice View on Gun Violence

Don't let my caricature fool you, I am as crazy thinking and weird acting as it looks which is exactly why my novice view on gun violence may be important...  especially since I am 74 years old and retired...  however, this might also work against me being out of touch with the younger generation.

What I have discovered during my lifetime is that more violence and crime is committed by the uneducated than by the educated...  that is not to say that educated people do not commit crime because they do...  but they are smart enough to stay away from violence.

Poverty is like a swamp's breeding ground for crime and violence as the poor will try and do what they have to do to take what they need to get ahead...  this typically results in crime - starting with the selling of illegal drugs...  which typically results in the seller of drugs becoming addicted to the drugs they are selling...

So far, crime and violence is caused by:

• lack of education
• poverty
• selling drugs
• using drugs

Just working on these 4 items will change the cultures of our societies...  but, for some reason politicians tend to verbally address these areas but ignore them...

Interestingly, these are the same 4 areas that I was exposed to when growing up in Alexandria, Virginia during the 1950s and 1960s...  nothing has changed.

Experts believe that gun violence is being perpetrated by teenagers and young adults as a result of:

1. music lyrics
2. video games
3. social media

and while there may be some impact, I question how much of the influence is based solely on these three items alone or a result of poverty, drugs, and being uneducated.

When I was young, my parents were middle class but my mother did not work and was in the house waiting on me when I got home from school.  She always asked about my day and my homework before preparing a snack for me...  when my father arrived home from work, we all sat around the table and had dinner, and he always inquired about my day at school and asked if there was anything he could help me with regarding my homework.  When I was much younger he always read a bedtime story to me before tucking me in and turning out the lights.

When I got married and my wife gave birth to our daughter, both of us were working and oftentimes our daughter was at home alone after being dropped off by the school bus...

Was this the beginning of parents not taking an interest in their child's/children's education?

The second amendment to the US Constitution has been around since 1776 so why has there not been as much gun violence as their is today?

Something in our society has changed...

It is not the guns that have changed...

BUT OUR SOCIETY HAS CHANGED...

One of these changes is that it is very easy to acquire a gun and ammunition...  both legally and illegally...

so, a good start would be to NOT MAKE IT EASY...

Another one of these issues I believe, is the sentencing that is being given out by judges to criminals who commit a crime using a gun...  these laws should be not just ENFORCED but STRENGTHENED...  so that a potential criminal will think twice.

Liberal political leaders don't really want to be that tough on crime...   and, until they do there are virtually no incentives to stop criminals from using guns.

Here is a related example:

I work in the technology industry and currently earn $150,000 a year after taxes.  My bonus was so large last year that I purchase one of the top sports cars for cash.  Now, if you must know sports cars by their very design nature, are not meant to drive slow.  In a few days after purchasing the car, I get a speeding ticket for $250.  That amount of money is not a sufficient deterrent to keep me from driving fast tomorrow...   however, if the ticket was $2,500 then I might give the desire to drive fast more careful consideration.

Additional factors for gun violence:

• both parents working
• music lyrics
• social media
• video games
• ease of acquiring a gun
• punishment not an incentive

So, what are the politicians and the public focused on?

1. Improving Poor Communities
2. Redirecting Money from Police Depts
3. Passing more gun laws
4. Elimimating the second amendment

If I were the one in the driver's seat, I would focus on POVERTY and EDUCATION and PARENTS...

Look at all the money that we are paying our professional athletes so that they can retire at the end of a 10 year career...

Why not use that money to eliminate poverty?

Why not improve our education system by focusing on teaching students HOW TO RETAIN KNOWLEDGE?

WHY ARE OUR POLITICIANS AND BUSINESS LEADERS SO STUPID???

About my Poetry

Untitled

we are shielded by

the lose fitting clothes

of our failures and yet

we continually change

our dress to the various

seasons of our dreams

circa 1977

Most of my poems are like the one above...  some are much longer...  maybe twice or three times...  maybe more...  and some are shorter especially when I write Haiku...

My poems follow no rhyme scheme which a lot of poets think is necessary in order to write good poetry and almost all of them are iambic pentameter or very close...  as iambic pentameter is how we typically write and talk...  so, it is a natural cadence.

My themes are typically loneliness, anxiety, and depression although many are about the various loves that I have experienced and ultimately lost only to find a new one to replace the one that drifted away.  No loves were refused and none were abandoned...  and mostly just faded away.

I have written birthday poems, anniversary poems, funeral poems, marriage poems, graduation poems, and holiday poems in general...  in that regard, my poems keep me from having to buy a card.

I try not to use "25 cent" words so that few know their meaning as you would find from published poets and I seldom make reference to any mythology or classic literature to show that I am well read.

I try and think like the common man...  the average person who tries to hide their feelings but can be emotionally touched by my words.

There is a lot of sarcasm in the words that I put together as I have a very sarcastic, pessimistic view of life since that is how my life has unfolded and been lived.

I have no ties to my siblings, no ties to my deceased parents, no ties to my daughter, not ties to my one time friends, and have no current friends with whom I chat daily or meet for a cup or coffee or a beer.  That abandonment is reflected in my choice of words to capture my feelings.

I don't pretend to put any feelings on paper that I have not personally felt or am currently feeling and/or experiencing.

My poetry to not appeal to everyone and that is ok.  It is doubtful that very many people are even aware of my poetry blog...  but, I don't feel the financial need to make that happen.

When I get my feelings out, I am once again hollow and susceptible to experiencing new emotions or variations of all my old ones.

Large and Small

 

The Governor of Kentucky Speaks