WALT’S OPINIONS | Walttriznastories's Blog

Posts filed under ‘WALT’S OPINIONS’

OBSERVATIONS & OPINIONS

FUTURE WRITERS AND AI
Just finished the latest book by Ian McEwan, Machines Like Me. I highly recommend it for it is a great read. If you wonder what the future is, you will enjoy this book.
That book is the inspiration for this article.
I recently posted a piece about the elderly writer coping with today’s technological advances and all the social platforms with which to communicate with the public. To summarize, I don’t know how most of today’s electronics work or what they can accomplish. I don’t have a clue how to use the ever-growing number of social platforms. I realize change will never cease, but the rapidity of the changes today is without equal. The purpose of this piece is to address the potential future of writing. The future of not tomorrow’s elderly writers but all writers.
The news today is addressing more and more the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI). My local supermarket has the tall rectangular device roaming around the store. I asked the cashier what the thing does and he said it spots spills. That’s it. Then the human has to come to clean the mess. A meaningless purpose but this is only one step on the road to singularity. Singularity is the time when human and AI intelligence is equal. After that the machines leave us in the dust. What will the machines be then called, robo sapiens?
What I speculate in this piece would make a great premise for a short story. Use it if you want.
I wonder about the challenge to writers in the age of singularity and beyond. When machines are more intelligent than writers. When machines are able to produce more compelling plots and better character development. They may have access to a multitude of languages knowing the meaning of every word in those languages. There also go the translators of novels, and the thesaurus will be relegated to the category of ancient works.
This is just speculation, as it was not long ago, that the personal computer and cell phone were the property of dreams.

July 20, 2019 at 12:47 am Leave a comment

OBSERVATIONS & OPINIONS

THE ELDERLY WRITER AND TODAY’S WORLD

I don’t consider myself elderly, okay I am elderly. But the appreciation of this fact at the age of 71 comes with difficulty. At times, honestly, I don’t know what to feel or think. I feel a change will come, but when my mind wonders to reality, that is the residence of dreams. For my ‘mature’ followers am I alone in this thinking or is it a common transition of life?
Getting back to the purpose of this piece, how are my fellow writers dealing with this ever-changing world of technology?
I remember typing submissions along with carbon paper to make a copy, and sending every submission by snail mail. There was no other choice. Now I am overwhelmed by social media platforms. I consistently hear of social sites and have no idea what they do. As a writer, I should take advantage of the exposure these sites provide, but I don’t know how. I don’t know if they are necessary for my work or worth the effort. What is the value worth where every one has access to publish every work they produce? I’m making a leap here, much of which is below readability?
My form of technology in college was a slide rule. I once talked to a millennial about a slide rule. She had no idea what idea what a slide rule was. Never heard of the computation device ‘early man’ used.
I read the Sunday supplements and see ads for electronic devices. Not do I not know what they are, but I have no idea what they do. Bluetooth is still a mystery to me, and what is its advantage. This is the same thought I have of the latest ‘advances’ of the fascinating world of technology and I appreciate the benefits they provide mankind, but they still remain a mystery to me.

July 5, 2019 at 8:53 pm Leave a comment

OPINIONS & OBSERVATIONS

NOTE TO A YOUNG WRITER

I’m an old writer. Let’s make that a seasoned writer. In the past I was an enthusiastic writer but with age the energy has waned. The ideas still come but many go no further. Although a few produce unpublished stories.
In bygone days I wrote nonstop, every chance I had. I wrote, on the job.. I published short stories and a novel. These days the desire to write is there, but the energy is not.
As I said before one factor, which continues undeterred, are the ideas for future projects. I jot down ideas – short stories and projects that lose their way in a lifetime of books and the debris of long forgotten projects.
What I want to convey with this piece is a realization, from personal experience. I was shocked as the length of my life increased and how I changed.
I find that in youth you will have the constant desire to write. The day job is just a way to pay the bills. You will have the drive to create but not enough time to feed that hunger. In old age you will have the time but lack the energy to complete projects and begin new ones. I have two novels requiring editing and come across short stores I don’t remember writing. Now retired with plenty of time when I think about that needs to be done, I think that I’ll do that tomorrow. But as you age, that tomorrow becomes less and less a guarantee.
I say to you young writers take advantage of your youth, your energy to create, to develop your craft.
You may see these words of and old man having little value. But time will show you I’m not far from wrong.

May 11, 2019 at 10:40 pm Leave a comment

TRANSITIONS

This blog will morph to a direction I had not expected it to go. With the tumbling of respect the world has on our country’s value due to current conditions of decisions recently made by our government, something must be said by all those who recognize our decline. The value of our country is facing a challenge of existence. I still want to write articles to assist writers, but I must also address what is happening to this country.
When you cannot rely on our president to tell the truth, when all around him find the norm is to lie, I cannot help but think we are in a downfall.
The rant today is ‘false news’. But the reality today the only place I find false news is in the local news. In the rush to get the information out first they will distribute what little the know no matter how accurate.
So false news does exist in the quest to be first. But the argument today about false national news is an effort to conceal the truth.

April 18, 2019 at 11:19 pm Leave a comment

POEMS & FLEETING THOUGHTS

OUR FATE

We are nothing but a life-form created to appreciate that life, appreciate all life.

We have failed.

Through ignorance and greed, we have chosen profit before compassion.

destroying our world without concern for the implications.

Better luck next time.

October 17, 2018 at 10:28 pm Leave a comment

Life’s Cycle

When young
You reach
To the future,
In old age
The reach is done,
Now,
The waiting begins.

September 17, 2018 at 10:02 pm 1 comment

LATEST PUBLICATION: CEMETERY MOON

I thought I would pass along a link to the Cemetery Moon website.

My story is in issue 14. I would like you to read it, but more importantly, I would like you to support the small presses printing words sometimes lost in the wilderness.

http://www.fortresspublishinginc.com/index_files/cm.html

January 30, 2018 at 11:07 pm Leave a comment

POEMS & FLEETING THOUGHTS

IN THE END, WHO SHOULD PAY?

Here I go again, off topic. But I’ll get back, eventually. It’s just that our world is changing so quickly that I must take notice.

I feel we are no longer citizens of this great country, but pawns subject to the musings of those in power who are subject to the money of those with vast amounts of money.

Here goes a radical change in topic, if you keep up with what is happening, you may think I am presidential material?

These days the news is alive with stories of sexual harassment. Respected figures, and some less respected, are falling right and left. And of course, lawyers are licking their chops.

My question is: When the employers pays the fine for the employee, at times many millions of dollars, shouldn’t that money be considered income for the employee and taxed? This may seem petty but I think we should speak whenever we have thoughts concerning the changing values of this world we call home.

I have no knowledge of tax laws, just opinions.

What do you think of these musings?

December 2, 2017 at 10:47 pm 1 comment