Growing Old

Getting old and then getting older and then getting older after that is not much fun...  it is not so much that your body changes and that you can no longer do what you used to do, and it is not so much not being able to remember all that you want to remember...  it is more like PEOPLE TREAT YOU DIFFERENTLY when you are old and then older than they are.

These younger types see you as no longer excited or provocative and that your thought are old and antiquated...  but more importantly, they believe that you no longer think like they (the youth) think and there your comments and appearance is simply disregarded.

The irony of all of this is the fact that when I was younger, and then younger, and then younger, I felt just like they (the young) think as it relates to me...  so, it seems that this is something that everyone is going to experience whether they want to experience it or not.

Age not only changes you and how you perceive and think but it change how OTHERS PERCEIVE YOU... and since we judge ourselves on what others think of us, it is a terrible time for some of us when we grow old.

The only consolation that I have is knowing that YOU WILL EXPERIENCE THIS ONE DAY TOO and begin to understand what it is like to grow old.
 

Time to Meditate

 

Strickly Political

 

Inspiration

Artificial Intelligence and Robots

 

1. What is AI?

Artificial intelligence or AI simulates human intellect to machines. AI-enabled machines are capable of performing specific tasks better than humans and mimic human actions. There are four types of AI:Reactive machines: This is the most superficial level of AI. Reactive machines can do basic operations. 

They cannot form memories or use past experiences to make decisions. IBM’s Deep Blue is the perfect example of this type of machine. This AI beat international grandmaster Garry Kasparov in 1997.Limited memory: This AI type can store existing data and create better output by using the data. For example, Tesla’s self-driving cars observe the speed of vehicles and direction and act accordingly.Theory of mind: Theory of mind can connect with human thoughts and interpret them better. 

The AI can understand people and have thoughts and emotions of its own. These AI machines are still hypothetical, but researchers are making many efforts to develop such AI machines.Self-aware AI: This type of AI is a thing of the future. A self-aware AI will have an independent intelligence, and it will make its own decisions. These machines will be smarter than the human mind.

2. What is Machine Learning?
Machine Learning is a discipline within artificial intelligence where systems can learn from past data, identify patterns, detect anomalies, and make decisions with minimal human intervention. Once the system has learned from the past data, it can provide an inference based on the new input parameters.

There are primarily three different types of machine learning, namely:

2.1 Supervised Learning
Learning takes place from the training dataset under supervision. The input and output data are known for the training data, and the learning process establishes a relationship between them.

2.2 Unsupervised Learning
The corresponding output variables for a set of input variables are not established in unsupervised learning. Algorithms such as clustering and association are designed to model the data’s underlying structure or distribution to learn more about them.2.3 Reinforced Learning

Reinforcement learning employs trial and error methods to come up with a solution and gets either rewards or penalties for the actions it performs. Reinforcement learning is the most effective way to hint at a machine’s creativity.

3. What is a robot?
A robot is a machine that is capable of carrying out specific tasks automatically. It can replicate human efforts and provide better outcomes.

There are five types of robots:

• Pre-programmed robots: Pre-programmed robots can perform simple tasks. A mechanical arm used for welding in the automotive industry is an example of a pre-programmed robot.
• Humanoid robots: These robots can perform human-like activities. They look like humans and mimic human actions. Hanson Robotics’ Sophia is a perfect example of humanoid robots.
• Teleoperated robots: Humans control these robots. They perform tasks in extreme conditions where humans cannot operate. Human-controlled submarines or drones are examples of teleoperated robots.
• Autonomous robots: These are independent robots that do not require human intervention. They carry out tasks on their own. A perfect example would be the Roomba vacuum cleaner. It uses sensors to roam throughout a home freely.
• Augmenting robots: Augmenting robots enhance human capabilities by replacing the ineffective part. Some examples of augmenting robots are prosthetic limbs or exoskeletons.  READ MORE...

Animals

 

Four Singers

 

Books

 

Humble

 

Speaking

 

No Respect for Law Enforcement

In the 1960s, teenage drivers, like myself, played a cat and mouse game with the law enforcement that patrolled our cities and interstate highways.

They installed radar in their vehicles and we purchased radar detectors made by the same company...  Capitalism at its best...

Some of us did not have radar detectors so we had to develop a keen eye for where they might be hiding...  and, when he spotted a HIDER, we would blink our lights to warn unaware traffic that they were there.

I remember on the interstate, these highway patrol would hide in the grassy valley between the two highways going in separate directions, and the only way that I could spot them was to see the sun's reflection off their antennas.

Unmarked cars were more difficult but they could still be detected because of the typical model they purchased, until they started buying cars were not typical like Mustangs.  Now, they are easily spotted.

Back in the 60s, only teenagers, young adults, and mature adults who felt they had a right to drive fast so as not to spend that much time driving, especially if they driving at night, broke the speed limit laws.

In 2000 until present, EVERYONE breaks the speed limit laws when there is no enforcement around.  When there is, only ONE can get caught, so drivers take their chances...

These speeders are male, female, old, young, single, married, clergy, etc...  it no longer matters, everyone breaks the law and gives the middle finger to law enforcement.

Drivers get themselves in packs on the interstate and the highway patrol does not have the manpower to stop them all.  So, they either get the last one in line or stop the one who is trying to get into the pack.

With all this disrespect for the law, it makes sense that we have a problem with ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION...

COME TO THE USA AND BREAK THE LAWS LIKE EVERYONE ELSE DOES...

 

Santos

 

Artistic

 

Staying Conscious

 

China's Declining Population

China's population has fallen for the first time in six decades, official statistics revealed earlier this week - but this trend may not spell doom for the country in the short term, experts say.

Beyond 2030, however, demographic stress will be a drag on growth in what is currently the world's second-largest economy.

The number of Chinese people fell by 850,000 from the previous year to 1.4118 billion, the statistics showed. Its birth rate had been slowing for years, prompting a range of policies to try to slow this trend, including scrapping the country's infamous one-child policy seven years ago.

But there are no easy fixes to this conundrum, economists and demographers say, given the unique trajectory in which the Chinese population has aged in recent years.

While ageing populations have posed a challenge to economies around the world, the greater concern for China is the rapid pace at which this has been unfolding in the midst of its middle-income transition.

In short, China is getting old before it gets rich.

Its statistics bureau said this week that its population had fallen for the first time in 60 years, with the birth rate also hitting a record low - to no surprise. Some researchers believe the population decline started in 2018 and census estimates have been inaccurate.  READ MORE...

Mining

 

Black Cat

 

Mafia Boss Second Hideout Found

A second hideout used by Italy's most wanted mobster Matteo Messina Denaro has been discovered at the back of a wardrobe with a sliding base, Italian police have said.  The newly-discovered armoured bunker is in a house about 300m from the Mafia boss's first hideout in the Sicilian town of Campobello di Mazara.


He was arrested on Tuesday at a private clinic in Sicily's capital, Palermo.  Police had been hunting Messina Denaro for three decades.
How Mafia boss was caught at a clinic after 30 years.  Messina Denaro was undergoing treatment for cancer at the clinic, and had made the appointment under a false name.


The alias, Andrea Bonafede, aroused the suspicion of police when they realised it was the name of deceased Mafia boss Leonardo Bonafede's nephew.  Phone-mapping showed the real Bonafede's mobile was not in Palermo in 2020 and 2021 when a man using the name had surgery in the city.


During his time at the top of the Cosa Nostra organised crime syndicate, Messina Denaro oversaw racketeering, illegal waste dumping, money-laundering and drug-trafficking.  READ MORE...

Random Acts & Words

 

Looking into 2023

What is 2023 going to be like for those of us who do not earn $150,000 annually?

• We will have higher gasoline prices.
• We will have higher grocery prices.
• We will have higher clothing prices.
• We will have illegal immigrants who live all around us that speak no English.
• We will have increased crime and violence in our larger cities.
• We will have our children being told they should seriously consider their gender.
• We will have blacks wanting reparations because they are the descendants of slavery.
• We will have claims of equity being expressed over the claims of equality.
• We will have politicians continuing to lie to us, expecting us not to notice.
• We will continue to live in the turmoil of a divided nation.

HOWEVER...  life will continue to continue and we will continue to survive as we have always done...  and, we may bitch a little and complain, but life for us will be managable.  Some of us will envy those who have more than us...  but, regardless of the situation, those same people have always had more than us, and we were able to survive just fine.

For my wife and I...

• we have a debt free life
• we have plenty of clothes
• we have reliable vehicles
• we have plenty of food
• we go out to eat often
• we have interests that keep us busy
• we have friends to see
• we exercise regularly
• we eat healthy
• we want for nothing even with increase prices...

NOTHING FOR US WILL REALLY CHANGE...   but, that is not the case for many others...  I feel sorry for them...