The machines are getting smarter...

While many have remarked about people's resistance and difficulty with the speed of technological advancement, I think that the opposite supposition is also true, isn't it amazing how fast we find ourselves adapting to new technology?

I was writing a gmail to a group of friends yesterday and I mistakenly cc'd Fred Dannise instead of Fred Young, a member of my photography circle. Google asked me if I didn't in fact mean "the other Fred?" There must be an algorithm that knows that I normally group one particular Fred with these associates and not the other. Sort of amazing. I can now speak the name of a musical genre into my steering wheel and it finds an appropriate station, jazz, soul, bluegrass. If you aren't paying attention you may miss these things, the communication technology is moving forward so quickly.

I also took note that with my android update to ice cream from jelly bean, the email application on the phone will suggest the next word I might want to use in a sentence. I am not sure that this isn't a somewhat new technology as well. Thinking was so damn time consuming, now I don't have to!

Technology is getting more adaptive and possibly more self correcting. I wish I knew more about the way some of it works, like voice recognition software. Over time is it cueing on my voice and developing a baseline of my enunciation, then fine tuning the calibration? Inquiring minds want to know.

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One of my favorite short stories by my most favorite science fiction author Roger Zelazny is titled My Lady of the Diodes. You can find it in the compendium, Unicorn Variations or just read it here. The protagonist is a computer scientist who has had his work stolen by a large corporation. In his anger he creates a computer that helps him stage the perfect crime. Unfortunately the computer developed a gender and some unfortunate human traits. Worth the quick read.

I know that I have written about this before but Roger Zelazny was the kindest, smartest, most gracious artist I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Absolutely brilliant, such a blessing to get to know him in our three too short encounters.

I had the chance to attend one of his lectures once at an early San Diego comicon. I believe that the lecture was filmed by Ray Zone. I was able to ask him some pretty involved questions about his writing and creations, questions that had him pondering and scratching his head a bit. I gave him a mask that I had purchased in Nairobi so it was probably in 1989 or 1990. If you have never read him, pick up Lord of Light and see if he is your thing.

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David Horsey / Los Angeles Times

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Great evisceration of faux political maven Jennifer Rubin at Atlantic.

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Next time a cop asks your 10 year old to wash his car, by god he better do it...

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Very thoughtful piece over at the Weekly Standard, Values Voters Prevail Again by Christopher Caldwell.

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Horrible fail in Denver.

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Don't you hate this guy? Put some clothes on, gramps, your narcissistic personality disorder is going to catch a cold.