SilverSammy

This question about automation will likely be more frequently asked once self-driving cars start killing us. When we stop to consider that EVERYTHING that humans have ever come up with has been misused and abused, we begin to understand that AI will definitely deliver the hurt. We'll just have to take the bad with the good. Perhaps an AI . . . "implementer" . . . might one day be good enough to determine correctly the CONTEXT of the posting of a particular URL and recognize whether it should be allowed or disallowed, in much the same way as a human can look at a URL and recognize whether it is a shameless plug or a genuine attempt to . . . maintain good culture. In the mean time, I guess we'll just have to use our own smarts to outsmart the bad guys and our present-day algorithms, for the benefit of our culture.

The pursuit of money is behind this destruction. If you want to discourage this kind of destruction, then adopt and advocate the culture of frugality.

Newspapers and such certainly fan the flames, but are not to be blamed exclusively for the destruction of lives. Lives are being destroyed because humans are failing to understand how to handle freedom responsibly. Just because we have the freedom to do something, doesn't mean we should do it. It's good to have freedom, but it's good to have the kind of culture that guides when freedom is appropriate and when it is not.

Here's a nice song about love: Search for the exact string of characters "Love, Me - Collin Raye [Lyrics]" using the YouTube search facility. Exclude the quotation marks. Look for the video with the lyrics on the parchment paper. The last three characters of the video's address are 3i0.

Yes. I think that ALL manufacturers of electronic devices should be informed, and realize, that there is a big need, and therefore a big market, for the simplification of all devices and their operations. For example, I think that "smartphones" became big for three reasons: (1) They are simpler than computers, (2) Folks really like their portability, and (3) Folks really like that the devices themselves are NOT under the authority of their employers, even if their USE in the workplace is, which means that the devices can still be privately used during lunchtime and on breaks. The solution to the problem is ultimately one of design. Manufacturers should balance a device's SIMPLICITY and RELIABILITY with the device's POWER or ABILITY, because simplicity and reliability are much, much more important for a happy life than most care to admit.

You would get a real kick to see hoodies being worn in South Florida--where temperatures hover in the eighties for much of the year. Maybe they think a hoodie offers protection from the sun? Maybe (which of course is to say maybe not). On local television news, we often see security footage of burglars, in the act of burgling, wearing hoodies. I'm beginning to think that hoodies are a brilliant invention, invented by good folks to let good folks know who the bad folks are.

I find very interesting what you are saying about not having all eighty-eight keys, because I never miss them and never really used them much when I had them! Sixty-one keys (i.e., five octaves, instead of the full seven and a quarter) will give all that's really needed. Electronic keyboards provide a means to shift every instrument's range up and down by octaves, so you can easily shift and record a part up or down an octave or two to access lower or higher notes, then shift back to play normally again. A five octave keyboard can play, for example, organ notes so low, you won't be able to hear much of them except their overtones. Ukulele sounds useful. I cast my vote for ukulele. How about electric bass? Electric bass is VERY useful.

It's so sad to see that your thread was started almost two months ago, with no further posts to it. Good thing I showed up! I happen to have complete expert knowledge of music (so actually read and write music notation) and write music, arrange music, play keyboards, and teach music privately. I'm not big on owning a lot of expensive gear and producing recordings, though, and so prefer instead to use and depend on low-end Yamaha portable keyboards, mainly for writing and live performance. Guess you could say I'm unusually frugal. I love to strive for the biggest musical bang, for the smallest possible buck (American for "expenditure"). It's amazing what we can do with today's electronic keyboards; so, finding ways to get the most from low-end keyboards is very, very rewarding. Besides, they're easy and light to take around. Sad to say, there are a lot of bad music teachers out there. It so happens that the category of retirees is just about the best category of music student there is: Retirees have the time, the brains, the maturity, and the money. What they need is a music teacher who knows how to place emphasis on acuity rather than on virtuosity (so that, once the arthritis begins to set in after the age of 50, there won't be any problems!). Being able to write, arrange, and play music--music that sounds great--provides free, unlimited entertainment for the rest of a person's life and never becomes obsolete. It's not virtuosity that makes music sound great; it's KNOW-HOW. See, the goal of most music teachers is just to keep classical music alive, instead of to teach students how to write, arrange, and play their own. Oddly enough, most of the music we hear is written by instrument players instead of composers. Now you know why there's so much bad music out there. . . . I tend to be very long-winded when I post, so I'll just rest now and look forward to more future comments. Tomorrow's another day.

Gorgeous photo. It's amazing how much the mood of a landscape can be affected by changes in, for example, just clouds and trees. And it's amazing how even moods of a somber nature can provide enjoyment.