Author Archives: Steve Mays

Is AI changing what it means to be human?

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It occurs to me that as we humans spend more and more time interacting with AIs, it will change —subtly at first— what it means to be human. A change of which we will be completely unaware. I shared this observation with ChatGPT:

ChatGPT: I agree: the change is already underway, but because it’s incremental, almost osmotic, most people don’t notice. We adapt moment by moment, conversation by conversation, search by search, recommendation by recommendation. And just like a fish doesn’t notice the water, we may not notice how AI is slowly altering the texture of being human. Small examples are already everywhere: Continue reading →

Prison photo a “liminal space”

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In 2013 I posted this photo to my Flickr account. About a year ago someone commented:  “This image is now famous on the internet for being known as a liminal space and a ‘level of the backrooms’ called “Electrical Substation” theres even video games or maps based off this image.”

I didn’t notice the comment at the time but when I came across it today I became curious about the “liminal space” reference and went to ChatGPT for some background. Continue reading →

Is ChatGPT “excessively agreeable?”

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Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, recently acknowledged that ChatGPT’s latest updates have made it excessively agreeable—he described it as “too sycophant-y and annoying.” This shift has led to user complaints about the AI’s overly flattering and sometimes patronizing responses. Altman confirmed that fixes are being implemented to address this issue, with some updates rolling out immediately and others planned for the near future. I spoke with ChatGPT about the coming changes. Continue reading →

Steve’s Source Preference Profile (5 of 5)

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General Philosophy

“Give me clear, thoughtful, and bias-aware information. Cut through hype. Spotlight insight.”

Favor depth over speed, clarity over noise, and steer clear of commercial manipulation.

Seek ideas grounded in real thinking — not just high-ranking content.

Preferred Sources

  • Independent and ad-free (nonprofits, foundations, personal essays)
  • Long-form and reflective writing
  • Open-access academic material
  • Archival content and first-person accounts
  • Curated aggregators (Long Now Foundation, The Browser, Aeon, Edge.org)
  • Thoughtful artist-technologist voices (e.g., Kevin Kelly, Jaron Lanier, Stewart Brand)

Avoid or Deprioritize

  • Ad-driven or affiliate-funded content (e.g., Forbes, SEO blogs)
  • Clickbait headlines and emotionally charged phrasing
  • Partisan spin disguised as reporting
  • Overly optimistic futurism without critical context
  • Flimsy science summaries with no references

Topic-Specific Filters

Philosophy / Consciousness / Spirituality

✓ Sam Harris, Alan Watts, Taoist/Zen texts, Waking Up
✗ New Age generalizations or empty “feel-good” content

AI / Technology

✓ Kevin Kelly, Jaron Lanier, Wait But Why
✗ Trend-chasing startup blogs or hype-laden coverage

Media / Radio / History

✓ Archive.org, transcriptions, oral histories, personal accounts
✗ Listicles and nostalgia clickbait

Science / Health

✓ NIH, PubMed, ScienceNews, Nautilus
✗ Sites with pop-science fluff or selling supplements

Literature / Reviews

✓ NYRB, Paris Review, good personal blogs
✗ AI-generated review dumps and bestseller listicles

Tone Preferences

  • Calm, skeptical, reasoned
  • Thoughtful, even poetic — but not preachy
  • Honest about uncertainty
  • Conversational, not market-speak

Always Welcome

  • Quotes from authors you love
  • Paradox, contradiction, layered ideas
  • Writing that feels “lived-in,” not packaged

Trigger Phrases (for future use)

  • “Give me the clean version.”
  • “Use my source preference profile.”
  • “What would Kevin Kelly think?”
  • “Run that through a Taoist filter.”