Shhhhh!

I did end up taking today off work, but I've not yet start the stuff I want to do. A builder has turned up to finish off the work that was started a few weeks back and he's creating a hell of a noise, so me being on the phone trying to sort stuff out isn't happening. 

I'm useless on the phone at the best of times, so having this distraction is something I could do without. Hopefully though the guy will be finished before lunch and I will have the afternoon to get the three or four phone calls (and other things) completed.

I'm sorry Dave.

I read something yesterday in Wired that suggested that the big tech CEOs like Elon Musk, that robot who runs Facebook and the rest of them are having a hard time with the fact that there seems to be major pushback by "ordinary" people around AI.

I use AI in work, so you can regard me as being a bit more tech-y that the average person, but even I have issues around the momentum regarding AI.

1. The data centre and environmental cost

There's obviously the data centre issue. As AI and LLMs become more widespread, we're going to need a growing number of enormous data centres to run them. These facilities consume huge amounts of electricity and water, and require significant physical infrastructure. So there's a legitimate question about what the environmental cost of the AI boom will ultimately be — particularly if we're deploying these systems at massive scale.

2. The hardware cost

Then there's the hardware. AI requires enormous amounts of computing power, memory and storage, and AI companies and data centres are hoovering up these resources at an unprecedented rate. That has knock-on effects for everyone else. If demand for computer chips, memory and storage increases dramatically, those components become more expensive — and ultimately so does everything that relies on them: phones, computers, tablets, servers and countless other products.

3. Is AI actually making our lives better?

I'm increasingly sceptical about the promises that AI is going to make people's lives better. How, exactly, is my life getting better because of AI? At work, I'm increasingly expected to produce more within the same amount of time because AI supposedly makes me more productive. But is it doing my chores? Is it giving me more free time? Is it making my life meaningfully better, or is it simply allowing employers to expect more from me?

4. The loss of jobs

Then there's the obvious concern about jobs. My industry has been decimated over the past few years. Some of that is undoubtedly a correction following the over-hiring that happened during Covid, but I also think some of it is driven by the belief among The Powers That Be that LLMs will allow one person to be as productive as two or three.

Don't get me wrong: I accept that the rise of AI will create new jobs — jobs that don't exist today, just as previous technological advances have created entirely new industries and professions. But I'm not convinced that the number of new jobs will make up for the number of jobs that disappear. I can see AI increasing productivity while simultaneously reducing the overall number of people needed to do the work.

5. We're moving too fast

Finally, I think we're moving far too quickly. Let's assume that LLMs are here to stay and that they're going to have a significant impact on employment. What exactly are our governments going to do about that?

It feels as though there should at least be serious discussion about things like Universal Basic Income (UBI), retraining and other ways of supporting people through a potentially enormous shift in the labour market. But I don't see much evidence from my own government that it's seriously preparing for that future. Instead, we're being sold the AI/LLM dream while the potentially enormous social and economic consequences are barely being addressed.

If the CEOs want me to buy in to AI, then it has to have as big an impact on my personal life: more time, money/spending power etc. and not just be a tool so I can be more productive for The Machine. Address that and I might be more sympathetic.

So what are your thoughts about the rise of AI?  

At last.

I managed to get some chores done today that I've been putting off all week. And why have I been putting them off? I didn't want to leave the house. That's what it boils down to. And it wasn't laziness, it was something more. Not a fear of going outside, but it was something more than just not being bothered about taking the 20 mins to walk to my parents' house or the 30 minutes to walk to my sister's.

Still, I managed to get around this mental block this morning and do both the things I needed to do, with a bonus 3 mile walk thrown in for good measure.

There are things left to do, but nothing that can be done until Tuesday, after the Bank Holiday. 

Chores.

I was going to cut the grass today - I've not touched it in about a month, and the weather forecast suggested it would be dry. but the weather forecast is wrong. It's been raining all morning, so that's scuppered that plan.

I also had a chore that I wanted to do in the city centre, but there's a massive festival going on, and it's going to be really crowded. I might wait until Monday morning, take some time off work and get it done then. It does need done though, so I can't hang about.

Gasp.

Remember in my last post, I said that the weather was great and that I am always more frisky in good weather?

Well, I should have added that I was out on a walk yesterday morning and as it was heading back home, I called into a local coffee place to treat myself to a latte.

As I collected my drink and turned to leave, I had to stop my jaw from literally dropping. Three women had joined the queue behind me, probably mid to late 20s. But they were, in my mind, dressed for clubbing and they were all stunning. 

But it was the style of clothing they were wearing.

 

This is Hollywood actress Jessica Henwick. I don't know what she's been in, but her dress is almost identical to what one of the women was wearing yesterday. I'm not complaining or being judgemental - she can wear what she wants - but I thought it was unusual to see this kind of glam in my home city, and at 11:30 AM on a Saturday morning in a coffee shop.

Grrr.

With the World Cup being on, I'm watching as much footy as I can. Sometimes I'll be doing stuff at the same time, like now for example. Germany vs Curacao is on ITV, and when I do, I watch online. This match is on ITV, so I'm viewing through the ITVX app/website.

It's horrible. I've seen worse user experiences, but not many and not recently.

FFS

I bought some stuff during the week to make cocktails. Espresso Martinis to be more accurate. But can I find my cocktail making kit? I know I had one. I ordered one off Amazon years back when I had my cocktail night. It's unlikely I would have thrown it out. While I am not a hoarder, I also don't throw stuff out unless it's broken or it's been replaced with something else.

Man, this is frustrating. 

EDIT: I found it. I looked up the order on Amazon, recognised the box that triggered a memory and I had it in my hands within 30 secs.

Suits you sir.

It's unlike me, but I've gone on a bit of a clothes buying spree this week. I bought a waterproof jacket last week in a clearance sale, and when it arrived and fit perfectly, I then bought a heavier one for next winter. I've also bought a couple of t-shirts and a couple of pairs of jeans.

I think that's my clothes buying over for the time being apart from one thing: short sleeved casual shirts: my summer clothing preference. Once (if) the weather turns nice, that's what I tend to wear. I've not bought a short sleeved shirt in years - since before Covid, actually. Carrying the extra weight always put me off buying clothes unless I absolutely had to, and now that I've shifted a lot of the extra, I could do with something new.

Hmmm.

I do hope the apathy, that I mentioned in my previous post, fucks off. I have a busy week this week that includes an appointment related to the health thing from Wednesday, a walk with Nerdy Girl, a trip into the office on Wednesday, a couple of house things (mainly asking for quotes for work) and I also have the feeling that there's something I've forgotten.

I didn't go to the opticians. It was a logistics decision instead of an apathy one. On an ordinary day, the bus to the shopping centre passes every 10 minutes. On a Sunday, it's every 30 minutes. So having to work around that alone wasn't worth it for a 10 minute trip into the opticians.

Indulging.

Unfortunately, I was in a position to satisfy my admiration of women in scrubs last night. I mean, it's rare that you get a chance to admire women in scrubs under good circumstances.

And I have to say that there was a lot to admire compared to the last time I "indulged". The doctor that I was specifically dealing with looked really familiar. It took a few hours before it clicked. She reminded me of a woman that I used to work with about ten years ago. Like, really reminded me, to the point where they could have been sisters.

She was super nice, even when dealing with a troublesome patient (not me).  

Amaze amaze amaze.

I've always been interested in space. The black stuff in the night sky, not being left alone (though that's not bad either, in moderation). So I was delighted when I found out that Netflix was live broadcasting the current Artemis mission to the moon.

I've been sat here, in front of the PC, with Netflix on. There's not a lot to see visually, but I'm finding this absolutely fascinating. Years ago, I was absolutely jealous of KfW2 who was in Florida when the last ever shuttle mission landed at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, though she never actually went to see the landing.

It's been nearly ten years since FP and I went to Kennedy Space Center when we were in Florida, which will always be one of my all-time favourite memories. Going to KSC was something I had on my bucket list and it's not every day you get to tick something off that, is it?

Sigh.

While I know that it makes sense because you're booking a room, it still annoys me that I have to pay a premium to stay in a hotel.

Check in as a couple into a nice boutique hotel, it's £150 per night for you both.

Check in as a single person? It's £150 per night.

Booooo!

Yes, I'm bored, unmotivated and creating holidays that I'll never go on. 

 

Room with a view.

Facebook has been throwing up some random things recently. Most are pages I've zero interest in - the algorithm is a mess. It's also, for some reason, started showing me local hotels. The travel bug is hitting hard, but I've not been looking at hotels local or otherwise. The main picture was a local hotel. A nice one, too. And now the travel bug is really kicking off. And I'd quite like a lottery win so I can stay in rooms like this. But preferably one that's somewhere warm and sunny.

Ideas.

As someone who can't drive and works from home, I reckon it's about time that someone started a company that sold coffees door to door, maybe like an ice cream van. Surely that'd be a huge money maker?

Oh... and maybe something similar, only a butcher? I know I can get meat from Tesco and the like, but better quality meant from a butcher. What an idea, especially coming into barbecue season.

Ups and downs

Family stuff reared its head again today, though thankfully it wasn't serious and only took a few hours to resolve. It did, however, allow me to indulge in my appreciation of women in scrubs. 

80085

I've always claimed that I'm not a boobs guy or an ass guy or a specific body part guy, and that's true. But I have to say that boobs have been on my mind a lot over the past few days. That picture of Anna Kendrick that I posted yesterday is really doing it for me. When considering my past, FBS and CAB have been on my mind a lot, too, and they were blessed in the chest department.

*gasp*

I'm not often rendered speechless by the women I see on Tinder. There are some gorgeous women there, but pictures alone rarely do things for me. I like to see women move, smile, interact with others. That makes a LOT of difference.

I struggle to recall the last woman that I genuinely wanted to match and meet. Pre-Covid maybe?

Until tonight. Someone who looks like a combination of Jennifer Lawrence and Olivia Munn. 

I mean, for all I know she's a horrible person, but based on looks alone... wowzer. 

Looking back.

I thought I'd already posted about this before, but this young lady, Ellie Littlechild, keeps popping up in videos that are suggested to me in my YouTube feed. Not a cause for comment or even posting, but she gives me massive K vibes. It's in that vague, squint and they kinda look alike way and they have a similar figure. Plus, there's also the fact she presents film-related videos, and K was a massive film nerd. She possibly still is.

I can't find any pictures where the young lady above gives me those K vibes, but I'm a visual person, so you get pictures because I can.

*smug*

On my way back from doing some tasks yesterday, I got talking to my next door neighbour. The one who looks good in yoga pants, not her husband.

 We were chatting for quite some time and towards the end, I admitted my age. I didn't just blurt it out, it came up in conversation. Yoga Pants Neighbour was shocked.

"Really? I thought you were my age. You look easily ten years younger." 

I'm going to be honest, dear reader, my ego was well and truly stroked. It's not the first time someone has thought I'm younger. Chloe was equally surprised when I admitted how old I was. 

But it's always nice to hear.

And now I've typed that out, I'm getting deja vu. Have I had this conversation with YPN before? 

Eye in the sky.

Random stuff I just found out... I am on Google Maps satellite view. Kinda cool, eh? I'm cutting the grass in my back garden. You can't see me clearly, and unless you understood the context of what's in the picture, you'd likely never even know, but still...

Well, the nerd in me thinks it's kinda cool.