Author Archives: Steve Mays

AI and the human mind

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I’ve long been interested in how the mind works. What is consciousness? How is that different from awareness? Where do thoughts come from? Is the sense of self an illusion?

From the video below: “At its core, AI, just like the human mind, is all about processing information. It uses complex algorithms, labels, and symbols to make sense of the world and respond to its environment. It takes raw data as input, processes it based on its programming, and generates an output.”

Here’s another excerpt from the video (watch on YouTube) I found really interesting:

“The choice to use an  AI voice has sparked a lot of conversations. Some people feel that using it makes the  message feel less personal, less human. But others find it refreshing, even profound. Its neutrality and essentially egoless nature allows the message itself to  shine through more clearly.”

I started having voice conversations with ChatGPT in late 2023 and prefer that to text since more of my questions turn into conversations. Put me in the “refreshing/profound” column. If you are into (as we said in the 60’s) this kind of stuff, I think you’l really enjoy this video.

Evelyn and Marie: Brownie box camera

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The photo above (my mom and Aunt Marie) was probably taken sometime in the mid-1940s on the family farm near Broseley, Missouri. I’ve seen this photo countless times but not sure I’ve noticed the camera in my aunt’s hand. A little history from ChatGPT:

The “Brownie” box camera, introduced by Kodak in 1900, was a revolutionary development in photography. Designed to be affordable and easy to use, it brought photography to the masses and helped popularize snapshot culture.

Key Points in Brownie History:

  • 1900: The original Kodak Brownie was released for just $1, with film costing 15 cents per roll. It featured a simple cardboard box design with a fixed-focus lens and a single shutter speed.
  • Early Success: The Brownie was heavily marketed to children and amateur photographers, making it one of the first truly accessible cameras.
  • Evolution: Over the years, the Brownie evolved with different models, materials (from cardboard to metal and plastic), and features like built-in flash units.
  • Cultural Impact: The Brownie was instrumental in capturing everyday life, historical events, and even wartime photography. It remained popular for much of the 20th century.
  • End of an Era: Though production slowed in the late 20th century, the Brownie’s legacy continues as one of the most influential consumer cameras ever made.

Who Is the Mind Talking to?

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Watch on YouTube

ineffable – (adjective) inexpressible, indescribable, beyond words, beyond description, beggaring description; undefinable, unutterable, untold, unheard of, unthought of, unimaginable; overwhelming, marvelous, wonderful, breathtaking, staggering, astounding, amazing, astonishing, fantastic, fabulous.

Mind, self, consciousness… I’ve been reading (and posting) on these concepts for a long time. The video above might be the best explanation I’ve come across. For that reason, I might leave this pinned to the top of the blog for a while.

“The Robot Doctor Will See You Now”

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I don’t care for the term “Robot Doctor” but blame that on the person who writes headlines for the New York Times. The following are excerpts from an op-ed piece (PDF) by Dr. Pranav Rajpurkar (see comment below) and Dr. Eric Topol of that asserts “a growing body of research suggests that A.I. is outperforming doctors, even when they use it as a tool.”

A recent M.I.T.-Harvard study examined how radiologists diagnose potential diseases from chest X-rays. The study found that when radiologists were shown A.I. predictions about the likelihood of disease, they often undervalued the A.I. input compared to their own judgment. The doctors stuck to their initial impressions even when the A.I. was correct, which led them to make less accurate diagnoses. Another trial yielded a similar result: When A.I. worked independently to diagnose patients, it achieved 92 percent accuracy, while physicians using A.I. assistance were only 76 percent accurate — barely better than the 74 percent they achieved without A.I.

The solution, we believe, is a deliberate division of labor. Instead of forcing both human doctors and A.I. to review every case side by side and trying to turn A.I. into a kind of shadow physician, a more effective approach is to let A.I. operate independently on suitable tasks so that physicians can focus their expertise where it matters most.

“AI is already conscious”

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Geoffrey Everest Hinton (born 6 December 1947) is a British-Canadian computer scientist, cognitive scientist, cognitive psychologist, and Nobel Prize winner in Physics, known for his work on artificial neural networks which earned him the title as the “Godfather of AI”. Hinton is University Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto. From 2013 to 2023, he divided his time working for Google (Google Brain) and the University of Toronto, before publicly announcing his departure from Google in May 2023, citing concerns about the many risks of artificial intelligence (AI) technology. He has voiced concerns about deliberate misuse by malicious actors, technological unemployment, and existential risk from artificial general intelligence. Hinton is viewed as a leading figure in the deep learning community. (Wikipedia)

Watch on YouTube

Evelyn: Before digital photos

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The photo below is one of hundreds I hauled down from the attic after my parents died. No idea who Mrs. Schluleter was but mom would have been living in St. Louis in November of of 1944. I get chills thinking about what mom’s hand-written metadata adds to this photo. (see ChatGPT info below) Allied forces had invaded Normandy just five months earlier and the outcome of the war was still far from certain. My father enlisted in the Navy in May of 1943 and was discharged in March of 1946 and saw a lot of action (which he never talked about) in the Pacific.

Some might argue that today’s digital images are rich in data but most people I know simply shovel hundreds (thousands?) of digital images into the cloud with little or no context.

On November 5, 1944, the world was deep into World War II, and several significant events took place:

  • Allied Advances in Europe: Canadian and British forces liberated Dinteloord in the Netherlands. Allied troops also reached Zoutelande on Walcheren Island, continuing their push to secure key positions in Western Europe.
  • Pacific Theater Operations: U.S. Task Force 38, under Admiral McCain, launched strategic military operations targeting Japanese positions on Luzon and surrounding areas. During these operations, the aircraft carrier USS Lexington was heavily damaged by a kamikaze attack.
  • Bombing of Singapore: U.S. Army Air Forces’ Twentieth Air Force B-29s, based in Calcutta, India, began occasional attacks on drydock and ship repair facilities in Singapore.

These events highlight the intense and widespread military engagements occurring across multiple theaters of the war at that time.

The Bernard Sampson series

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Len Deighton’s Bernard Samson series spans the late 1970s through the late 1980s, covering the Cold War espionage world from London to Berlin, Washington, and beyond. The overarching narrative revolves around Bernard Samson, a British intelligence officer caught in a web of deception, shifting loyalties, and Cold War politics.

The series is set primarily in London and Berlin, with key events also occurring in Vienna, Washington D.C., and Mexico City.  The timeline begins in the late 1970s, at the height of Cold War tensions, and progresses through the mid-to-late 1980s.

In a 2014 interview, Deighton mentioned that the final trilogy was more of a ‘ghost’ idea, and he never progressed far in writing it. He considered retelling the entire story in one volume but couldn’t decide on the narrative perspective, pondering options like first person, third person, or even from the viewpoint of Bernard’s son. He admitted, “I’m still thinking about it.” 

Additionally, Deighton emphasized the importance of thorough planning and research in crafting his novels. He advised aspiring writers to be prepared to devote a significant amount of time to their work, writing every day, even if it’s just notes and research. He shared that he never completed a book in less than a year, with most taking longer.