Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Trying to understand...

You hear a lot of talk about "artificial intelligence" and things like that...  Can someone please explain why we would want ARTIFICIAL intelligence when the NATURAL intelligence isn't all it cracked up to be? Artificial intelligence is only as good as the person inputing the information right? I mean, look around. Do you know what the Darwin Awards are? Yep, that's the example at the very lowest end.. the true, unadulterated idiots of society... But how many people do you know now, that would qualify for an award in their daily lives? I am sure every once in a while, we are all idiots, once. I didn't think I knew all that many. I was wrong. I admit it. I was wrong. Obviously I have been operating with rose colored glasses or blinders (not sure which) or maybe alternating...

No, the things I am trying to really wrap my head around these days, are the LAZY individuals, who don't take the time to verify/read/confirm/check their posts, texts, ads, and articles before they hit send.

Now, I know I have to walk a thin line and be careful, because some of the guilty might actually be reading this.. so I will be nice (what a change huh?) and not mention any names.. Prime examples:

"Hi, I need sale item." I read this post and have to shake my head.. Now we all know that punctuation, spelling, and grammer all work together to make for an understandable conversation. Right? Now, as a grammer Nazi, I take that sentence as "Hi, I am looking for a sale item"  UGH! No, it turns out it should have read "Hi, I need to SELL an item"... Sale/Sell... you knew what she meant, right?

Websters Dictionary and/or a Thesaurus... They aren't expensive and I will do you one better.. Online? THEY ARE FREE! Dictionary.com... it isn't hard, I promise...

Or another example, found on one of the Buy, Sell, Trade sites.... "looking for a bed"... That's it. Nothing more. Thank God, nothing less or it really wouldn't have been an ad. "Looking for a bed"... Twin? Bunk? King? Dog? WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR...? Why is this so difficult?

Or there is the ad that someone has up and you go through the 50 questions, what size? What color? yadda yadda yadda... then at the very end, not a minute and a half after the last descriptive question, you get "Still available?" REALLY? Do you think that they would take the time to answer 50 questions about the item if it was already gone?

Or there was the lady in the parking lot the other day. It is a commercial parking lot with a 4 way intersection that involves a 3 way stop... Yes I am aware that is the DUMBEST thing you have ever seen, but, as the city officials felt this was BETTER, who am I to question their "intelligence". But I digress... I am stopped, so are three other vehicles. Count that again? I am stopped, so are three other vehicles.. yes that makes 4 vehicles stopped at a 3 way stop intersection. The three of us that are required to stop are nice enough to attempt to wave through the other driver. She is oblivious to it so as the first vehicle stopped, I attempt to proceed through the intersection... Now she wakes up and proceed to scream at me that it is a 4 way stop and she had the right of way... Really? REALLY? Maybe if you took that damn phone out of your ear, you might have been able to see that you were the idiot who STOPPED when it wasn't required or necessary.

But the kicker, was this morning.. Coming into work on I35W.. Northbound, South of downtown Fort Worth... Now traffic is flowing and for once, flowing well.. That is until we are approaching Alta Mesa... All the sudden, everyone is hitting their brakes.. the speed dropped well over 30 mph... And why? Motoring in the middle lane is a proud mother. She is so proud that she is doing 42 mph AND playing patty cake with her child, who is in the BACK SEAT OF THE AUTOMOBILE... with the interior light on. In traffic. To top it all off? The child wasn't even in a car seat... Couldn't have been over 4 years old... Yep. She is a such a good, attentive mom that she nearly gets her and the kid killed.. UNBELIEVABLE... I honked? She waved and smiled.. completely oblivious to the funeral procession of speeding vehicles that she has derailed...

I say no thank you to artificle intelligence.. at least until the real deal is better than what we have now...