Interest or not

Tag: writing

  • A chance encounter

    I met a woman today at work. I arrived before she did at the yard where we get ready to go out in the field, more specifically to a road and control traffic as Flaggers in constructions zones. I checked in with the supervisor at 6:30am and we waited for instructions from the power company. Instructions never came. We waited on call at the meetup location for 7 hours before it was called off. The woman arrived not long after I did. I forget her name. I introduced myself and held out my hand to shake hers. She shook my hand. She had a story to tell. She didn’t tell me her story, just her name. She had tattoos on the side of her head, a puzzle piece.

     She was a similar age as me. She had shoulder length straight blond hair and pale white skin. We all waited in our cars for the instructions that did not come. In my car the thoughts in my mind about her were “don’t speak unless spoken to” That statement I’ve never used. I won’t teach my kids to behave that way if I have kids. The women I met for a moment surely had many things to say. I noticed her reading a book in her car. I thought maybe she ate fried eggs for breakfast. She’s beautiful. Later she joined the supervisor in the supervisors truck with her book. Maybe they are friends. I would like to speak to her, the opportunity didn’t present itself. I’m new as a Flagger. I can speak to her at another shift.

     Sometimes words come to me when I meet people, the statement, don’t talk unless you’re spoken to was clear in my mind when I met her. I’m glad she introduced herself after I reached out to shake her hand and introduced myself. I shook her hand for a moment. It was a human connection. I’m glad I reached out to her. Overcoming barriers is important. I did ask her if she liked the work and she said yes.

    I noticed she had a big smile when she joined our supervisor in her truck. The seven hours went fairly fast. I turned music on and air conditioning and dozed off. I ate lunch. And dozed off again. At 7 hours another supervisor from the power company drove over and gave us papers with our 7 hours for the day. Getting paid to sit in my car for seven hours was my luck I suppose. I like to stay busy, I’d rather get paid to work than to sit in my car. That doesn’t happen very often.

  • Wow

    I think back to my experience around and with computers. My first clear memory of being around a computer was when I was about 5 years old. My mom is an author and at home in her office at her desk was her computer. Often in the morning I would find my mom typing at her desk. Mom had an IBM computer at the time. It worked as a word processor she wrote and printed drafts of her cook books on and with a printer at home. Then she would send a cookbook draft to her Editor a person who worked for Random House or Penguin Publishing in a big corporate office and skilled at reviewing literature and making recommendations on the draft.

    At one point I got to learn how to use my moms computer and practice typing. The object was to spell as many words as possible in a timed session. That’s how I learned how to type. At first I pecked at the keyboard and over time I was able to learn how to type. There was a game on my mom’s computer that was more like a mythical story. My memories of using my mom’s computer are not very clear. That was 42 years ago. There were no graphics and no pictures on the screen, it was all text, written onto the screen.

    Several years later I moved out of my mom’s home and into my dad’s home. My dad also had a computer. He had several computers. My dad used his computers to manage his business. At the time my dad owned Apple Macintosh computers. The computer mouse pointing arrow tool had recently been invented. The first computers my dad owned had black and white screens. Black, white and grey graphics where all it could display. That and words. The computer my dad let me use had a paint program where I learned to draw simple pieces of art. My dad invested more and more in computers and learned how to repair them. Later my dad opened a computer store where sales people sold new computers and repaired used computers.

    It’s accurate to say that from a young age I grew up around computers. It could have been 4th or 5th grade when at school us students were introduced to computer class. Our school had a computer room where our teacher brought us and taught us how to draw lines and designs on the Apple Mac computers with text prompts.

    So much has changed in computing over the years. Whether I was using my parents’ computers or a computer my dad gave to me, computers were a significant part of my experience growing up.

    “These days”, July 2025 the PC or personal computer has advanced so much it is mind boggling. Artificial Intellegence is powerful and so receptive it amazes me. The fear people have about AI has a basis weighted in science fiction. Why not, In science fiction stories there are villains and there are heros. In those stories usually the hero neutralizes the villain at the end. It’s a struggle.

    People with experience using a computer vary as far and wide as humanity. I’m not too worried about Artificial Intelligence’s effect on humans. Artificial Intelligence will create new problems and solutions at the same pace. People struggle and overcome their struggles. That’s life and that is human nature. Life is good. Make the most of it.

  • 2025 Media

    In the 80’s and 90’s suspense and violent action movies involving the US Government often told a story of international tension and deception that lead the starring Actor of the movie on a journey to save American lives by neutralizing a foreign threat. Often the threat was a foreign government or rogue militia with a nuclear weapon. Towards the end of many of these movies the star Actor gains control of the nuclear weapon and stops the countdown in less than 10 seconds from nuclear missiles aimed at America being launched.

     All this happens while in a movie scene back at home in United States many men and women are at their computer work stations in a large conference room watching the drama unfold on a large screen on a wall. The large screen is divided into many smaller screens. Each screen has a completely different video playing on it.

     This is often how many of these movies ended. A threat is neutralized and the men and women at work at their desks in a large conference room looking to the large screen on the wall get the good news and stand and rejoice, clapping and cheering on the star Actor of the movie. The day is saved in America in the movie. This movie ending “theme” that repeats in many movies had a lasting effect.

    Society and technology has morphed and transformed. Often the first time people watch movies are on their personal computer at home or their television at home. With YouTube and Netflix the effect these movies from the 80’s and 90’s had leads to current day and the internet that was not available for the public until the mid 90’s

    In those movies each one of those frames playing videos on a large screen represented an important matter. There was too many videos to watch them all at once and that was obvious watching the scene in the movie. Multiple screens added a backdrop layer of suspense to the details of the actors in a conference room scene. Some of these movies were comedies. Most were not. Most of the movies were about very real issues people face in life and consequences to actions. The movies were microcosms of news reports.

    Now the multiple screens are on YouTube and Netflix. NetFlix is for watching movies and documentaries. YouTube is more versatile. Some video’s that show a preview on YouTube are similar to junk mail. Garbage and clutter. Unwanted visual and audio information. As they say one mans trash is another mans treasure. There are video previews that are valued. Something interesting, a topic that is important. It’s up to the visitor at YouTube to input data for YouTube to locate videos based on the input. Another way of previewing videos is selecting the refresh button on the web browser and a whole new screen of video previews appears.

  • Civilization, differences and solutions

    POTUS Donald Trump would have appealed to me when I was an elementary school student. The bully mentality meant a lot back then. Would he have appealed to me in a good way or a bad way I do not know. Some kids bullied me at recess and I bullied other kids at recess. It didn’t help. It wasn’t good. Bullying happened and it was a big deal. It hurt and then I hurt my peers. As I grew I learned to avoid violent confrontations. On TV seemed to be an everlasting fight between people of all ages and races locally and nationally and around the world. This was the late 1980’s. I was 10 years old.

    The cold war was grinding to a close. At 10 years old I didn’t know what the cold war meant. But I did know that the last of it was there and then and that it became the recent past. Later I learned that the cold war was a build up of nuclear weapons and bombs and that eventually United States and Russia agreed to reduce their stockpiles of military weapons. The reduction of weapons deescalated the tensions between the two countries. No missiles were launched, and no bombs were dropped during the cold war. On television the old war was world war 2 and on television shows from much further in history documented world war 1. The old war, world war 2 was not ancient and it was a war fought by my grandfathers both serving in the US Military.

     My grandfather who was alive at the time looked and sounded to me at 10 years old, very old. At that young age, many very old people looked like they had been in a war. They survived and it looked like war took a lot out of them. Later I learned that old age is natural and what everybody experiences over many years of growing. Old age has nothing to do with war. There are many story tellers who are elders and many of their stories are about topics other than war. Ancient civilization, for example in America and Africa and Europe and in Asia looked different in each continent.

     Humans from different races around the world lived in smaller communities. There were battles and violence and there was also peace. Humans have evolved learning how to live and work together. Humans living in community learned to plant crops and grow large scale agriculture. This is how many people around the world are fed to this day.

    Despite all the advances in engineering and modern architecture and science and technology, there are still many human problems society and civilization have not solved. There is plenty of food to feed every man, woman and child. And every day people go hungry, are malnourished and die of starvation. Health care has come so far since electricity was harnessed and the light bulb was invented. So many inventions have been made including the locomotive train and railroad system. The motor that runs on fuel. Airplanes and satellites. Still despite all the industrial advances, people are left to die alone when not enough trained paramedics and available ambulances are ready and able to service a region.

    Problems haven’t stopped happening. Problems people have in 2025 didn’t occur 10 years ago. Pollution in the environment causes problems for humans and animals. Pollution causes people to get sick. Toxins in the environment make some places unsafe to live for humans and animals where the only thing that live are cockroaches. Mysterious illnesses such as covid effect the global population for several years and although a vaccine helps to reduce and stop the disease the origin of it is elusive. Was covid created in a laboratory in a city in China that leaked or was it from a little black winged flying bat that defecated on agriculture and spread in food?

    Solutions in 2025 are created with Artificial Intelligence on a computer and on a cell phone. Personal computers and cellphones didn’t exist when I was 10 years old. A remote controlled television was a luxury. Televisions and computer screens took up more space and were the shape of boxes. A movie was first viewed in a large theatre projected onto a screen the size of a large wall. How movies are shared has changed a lot. Many movies are not shown in movie theatres. Many movies are first viewed on televisions, computers, cellphones and tablets.

    Email and instant texts and video chats and virtual meetings are often the fastest way to communicate with people. Long distance phone calls are of the past. Limited minutes on cellphone service are of the past. Music unites people locally, nationally and around the world. Music is also used in politics and while it can spread patriotism it can also spread messages of hate and fear and violence and racism. Music is loved and loathed, celebrated and shunned. Music is powerful, use it wisely.

  • My prediction of the use of Artificial Intelligence.

    There is a lot of hype surrounding AI. Hundreds of billions of dollars are invested in developing AI. The hype around AI reminds me of the dotcom burst. A lot of the excitement about AI will fade. A lot of investment in AI will be lost. The use of AI in mainstream media is about 2 years old. A lot of good will come of AI. Almost everyone has a computer at home. People tend to use their computer at home differently than a computer they use at work. Most of my computer use has not been work related. I’ve earned some money designing websites 25 years ago. The money I earned designing websites I made at home in my home office.

    It’s not simple to explain how AI is used because there are very many uses for it. The first thing that comes to mind with the use of AI is in search on a search engine. When I type in a question or statement to a search engine I receive an immediate response.

    It’s like dropping a stone into still water. There is a ripple effect. The first ripple is the response to the data I typed. The first ripple is what I’m looking for, subsequent ripples are responses to the same data I typed. Subsequent ripples I receive in a variety of media messages and ads that have something to do with the data I typed. I might receive a ripple of information in response to data I typed to a search engine in a social media feed.

    The effect of the data I type has a more intelligent response from my computer and from my phone. Data I type onto my computer AI amplifies in a variety of responses. AI is manufactured in modern computers and are more intelligent than older computers. Computers calculate and compute input. With AI input a computer receives is better at mirroring human behavior.

    8/22/2025

    The AI bubble in relation to the dot com bubble is very different. Remember that at the time of the dot com bubble where many investors in the internet in America and around the world lost billions of dollars e-commerce was more of an idea than anything else. Banking online was in it’s infancy. Buying products from a website to be shipped to your address was hopeful and there were many many hurdles before the general population were ready willing and able to pay for products online. The AI bubble that appears to be fizzing is different in that the internet has proven itself to be a viable and effective technology for e-commerce that includes buying and selling just about anything on websites around the world.

    I believe with AI the many billions of dollars invested in it won’t be perceived as big of a loss as the dot com bubble burst because the internet is where everyone goes to interact with AI and the internet has proven itself to be a reliable and efficient at e-commerce. In 2025 Investing in starting a business on the internet has many more similarities to investing in traditional brick and mortar businesses than during the dot com bubble and burst.

    Ultimately an investment in AI is an investment in technology that relies very much on human input. There is risk in investing. Surely there will be investors who make great financial achievements with AI. AI has grown by leaps and bounds from when it started. This is good. AI will help business and consumers alike. It’s important to be very careful when investing. AI was narrated as the next big thing in technology and in many ways it is. That doesn’t mean everyone can expect to make a profit with it.

  • Health, money, property, land time management

    I am a success story

     Since I got back into housing and through taking my prescribed medication every day, my mental health has improved very much. I went back to work part time. And I started a business. That’s right I am a business owner. My business is registered with the Secretary of State of Oregon’s Office to do business in Oregon and where it is based in my home office.

     I rent my home. It’s not mine in the sense of the land and the building. I own my business. I own the tools and supplies that make my office what it is. I own my minivan and everything in my home. The space I occupy in the apartment and parking spot I lease.

    I am an entrepreneur with potential

    My business is in my name. I am the owner of it. My business goes with me when I leave my office and goes with me in to my community and to the persons who I introduce to my business. My business is three months and about 9 days old. My business is in it’s infancy. It took a lot of time and money to start my business and create sales tools.

    My time is precious

    I need to work for an hourly wage with a local and credible business I have experience working for and increase my savings, to invest time in my business. My business doesn’t breathe like a human and doesn’t eat. My business needs more of my time to develop and it is in perfect condition. My business is paused until I have saved enough money to invest time to make sales.

  • Long ago through to current day

    I remember when I was a young boy I had recurring dreams of being in a Mall. It was the mall in my home town. The town where I was born. A indoor mall. In my dreams I was in a clothes department hiding under a rack of clothes. I was scared, anxious and alone. This dream reoccurred to me many times at night asleep. Since then that Mall closed and was demolished. In it’s place is an open air mall on the same foot print of land. It takes up more land today.

    As a young boy my dreams got worse. In my dreams the mall closed and was vacant and dormant. Locked up. No business signs, no cars parked in the sprawling parking lot. Almost like in a ghost town. Sometimes in those uncomfortable dreams at night while asleep I had no where to go. I had no shelter. I crawled through a hole in a wall into the indoor Mall escaping from an unknown danger. Those dreams while asleep at night also reoccurred. I haven’t had those uncomfortable and severely uncomfortable dreams in many years.

    At night in my home safe asleep in my bed my dreams have evolved. I’m a middle aged man. Snapping out of an uncomfortable dream at night while asleep in bed is much easier for me to accomplish. I’m the same human I was 35 years ago and many things have changed. I’ve grown a lot and I moved. I live half way across the country from the town where I was born.

    People have changed in 35 years. The same people who scared me, who I felt anxious around and felt unsafe near are no longer in my life. I moved on and away from those people and predicaments. Far away to a community that was new to me.

    I have many people to thank for helping me leave those dangerous problematic people far far away. Many people helped me when I arrived in the community where I live. Volunteers donating their time gave me food when I was hungry. Volunteers opened up shelters for me to sleep in at night safe and secure and warm protected from the elements. People I did not know helped me, volunteers.

    Tax Payers helped me. Social Security Disability Insurance was awarded to me. From every year and month and days that become weeks, the accumulation of work I’ve done paying taxes helped fund Social Security. I got help applying for SSDI and eventually was awarded SSDI. I have so many people to thank. People I have not met in person helped me working in Social Services.

    I’m alive and well today thanks to the help of many people. Doctors created medicine in a laboratory I receive as a prescription helps me with my mental health. I am very fortunate the medicine I need for my sanity is available at pharmacies and I have a prescription for. I have very many things to be grateful for.

    It feels good here in my home I lease. It’s not my own home but I can buy residential real estate in the future. In my future. Not a future in real estate terms that is sold like a time share. A piece of land with a house on it I buy and live on. The future. Life is good. The people in my life support me, encourage me and care about me.

    I was asleep at home in my bed 20 minutes ago. My dream got a little bit awkward. I snapped out of it and woke up. Reflecting in my minds eye where I was dreaming about earlier tonight helped. Awkward moments happen sometimes. I’m not immune to feeling awkward. Sometimes when I’m somewhere like a mall for the first time there might be an awkward moment while I’m adjusting to being in the environment.

    An awkward moment might happen if someone says or does something inappropriate. It might not be terrible and at the same time is uncalled for behavior. Everyone is different. Often an awkward moment can pass in a few seconds or a minute with no harm done, no intentional foul.

    I think that is one of the beauties of life. There are many people living together. Some people live alone. In public now I am not. I am in my bedroom at my desk. When in public everyone doesn’t behave the same. We all have heart beats, and our own breaths and facial expressions. People are in public for many reasons. Many different reasons. There are people to avoid and there are people to share time together with, enjoy being around and learn good lessons from.

  • Both sides now

    In news recently are reports of people saying having a relationship with God will relieve them of depression. I disagree and I love God. While some people’s depression might be relieved by having a relationship with God other people’s depression is more severe. A person experiencing severe depression might have been caused by a traumatic experience and requires taking medicine usually in the form of prescribed medication. Having good relationships with others can relieve depression. Good relationships with people are important. When you get along with the people in your life, social interactions become easier.

     It’s easier to meet new people and make more friends when you get along well with the people you know. Humans have evolved to live together. This is how life is created. A man and a woman living together are often mates and bring new life into the world. Life is a celebration of moments. Every moment is not extraordinary. One moment to the next are usually ordinary.

    A moment might be remembered as an incident and might pass by in the blink of an eye. Adults in business often talk about an incident in a negative tone of voice. For example, “there was an incident at work today” is an opening statement about something that happened at work that was not wanted.

     For example, if there are people involved in a car accident it is usually described as an incident. The details of the incident include everyone that was involved. Some drivers might stop at the scene of a car accident to help. Depending on the size of the accident, all the drivers on the road might need to stop. If a car accident appears to be small less drivers stop to help, passing by in the blink of an eye.

    When something good happens at work it’s usually talked about with a description explaining what was extraordinary, out of the ordinary. It was so and so’s birthday today. We brought cupcakes for everyone at the office to celebrate the person’s birthday. A birthday celebrated is an extraordinary moment in a long series of ordinary moments.