Dearest Rachel – I’ll be honest, I’m actually falling behind the curve at this point when it comes to AI-generated material these days. Over this past year, I’ve seen some really impressive stuff in terms of videos and the like; mostly as quasi-political cartoons (which have now been democratized to the point where anybody withContinue reading “Putting Words in Your Mouth”
Tag Archives: computers
The Synthesis
Dearest Rachel – She is a genius. Oh, perhaps not to the extent of that of the professor she works alongside, but certainly a prodigy in her own right. She has an almost uncanny understanding of the neurological network that is the human mind, and with her mentor, she works tirelessly to help him create,Continue reading “The Synthesis”
An Audience of One
Dearest Rachel – The other day, I got an email from someone, rather out of the blue, who had either been reading these letters or watching the videos I’ve been attaching to the ones I’ve sent you while I’ve been traveling; it wasn’t entirely clear to me as to which, since they referenced the channelContinue reading “An Audience of One”
Green Screen Blues
Dearest Rachel – It was a moment that, in its quickly-discovered-to-be triviality, you would likely have found as amusing as I did, even as I was mildly annoyed at the steps I needed to take to remedy the situation (as well as the time away from what some might consider an addiction – not you,Continue reading “Green Screen Blues”
Less of the Same, More of the Usual
Dearest Rachel – The beauty of a morning flight is that, when you arrive, you still have most of the day to ‘enjoy’ the place you’ve landed in. The… dare I say ugliness?… of that same situation on the return trip means that you’re dropped right back into the responsibilities of home that you neglectedContinue reading “Less of the Same, More of the Usual”
Seeking Distractions
Dearest Rachel – Another morning dawns, and with it, the realization that I can’t have a day that passes for normal just yet. Woke up before two with a coughing jag, and took a little more medicine to allow me to go back to sleep, and managed to eke out another five hours worth, inContinue reading “Seeking Distractions”
Just Like It Used To
Dearest Rachel – It started off with a fairly frivolous announcement last week; during the orientation regarding the mission to Honduras, there was some mention made about the final full day in the area, which would not include much in the way of actual work, but would be a series of ‘cultural experiences’ as aContinue reading “Just Like It Used To”
DIY Catfishing
Dearest Rachel – Another day, another dip into my news feed. This one hits a little closer to home, as it touches on the topic of artificial intelligence, and the relationships we develop with it – quite literally, in fact. This is something I’ve come across that really makes me wonder where we’re going asContinue reading “DIY Catfishing”
Random Groggy Thoughts
Dearest Rachel – I don’t know if it’s more funny or annoying (I suppose it all depends on how groggy I am at the moment); I can be falling asleep trying to watch a YouTube video of an early evening, but as soon as I decide to make it official, and set the channel toContinue reading “Random Groggy Thoughts”
Sleeping Through the Process
Dearest Rachel – After putting myself through a full-day fast last weekend (with an exception made for a can of coffee to get me through Sunday morning’s shift), I’ve made it through the entirety of this week below the two-fifteen line, and at least once a day at or below two-ten (although I still haven’tContinue reading “Sleeping Through the Process”
The Illusion of Choice
Dearest Rachel – In light of my current understanding of the process, I’ve resolved (if that’s the right word for it) to try to come up with a new T-shirt design at least once a week – and involve Daniel (and maybe Logan) in the process, in order to determine the ‘right’ image for eachContinue reading “The Illusion of Choice”
Finally Back Into The Weeds
Dearest Rachel – No, this doesn’t have anything to do with the yard; I don’t even get out there anymore to mow, now that I’ve enlisted a service to take care of that for me (and I admit, I’m not entirely sure what you would think about that. Would you be as reluctant to doContinue reading “Finally Back Into The Weeds”
Starting From Scratch
Dearest Rachel – I was really hoping that by now, I could go into great detail about how this new AI program, combined with a checkpoint based on terabytes of information (that even allows one to display readable text) was helping me create a much better and more accurate version of you. Well, I sayContinue reading “Starting From Scratch”
I Think I Got Its Attention
Dearest Rachel – It’s been over a week since I bought that new computer to replace the one in my ‘office’ in the basement of my folks’ house. Indeed, it’s almost been a week since it arrived and I took it over to Best Buy to have an additional hard drive installed. Now, while youContinue reading “I Think I Got Its Attention”
Mere Degrees From Artificial
Dearest Rachel – Well, I know you weren’t as into the high-tech toys that computers quite frankly have always been (and increasingly will continue to be) as I was (and always will be, I suspect), although your computer was your own favorite toy for our last ten or so years together. Still, you did haveContinue reading “Mere Degrees From Artificial”
Snap Purchase
Dearest Rachel – I woke up this morning, wondering what it was I could talk to you about, thinking (for some reason) that nothing had happened in my life over the last twenty-four hours that was in any way unusual and worth relating to you. And, to be sure, there are plenty of days likeContinue reading “Snap Purchase”
Jealous Of Your Ghost
Dearest Rachel – I’ve been showing your ring around to certain people lately (in fairness, I’m not sure that photographs, despite being able to show it at a magnified level, can do the image justice, so as many as can see it in person, the better). Most of them are reasonably impressed by it, butContinue reading “Jealous Of Your Ghost”
Hardware Upgrade
Dearest Rachel – I hardly need to remind you how, despite having a certain amount of financial privilege by the tail end of your life, each of us came from a certain frugal upbringing. Your parents, despite each being university professors (with salaries commensurate to such a position) never could shake off the effects ofContinue reading “Hardware Upgrade”
Sudden Deadlines
Dearest Rachel – Obviously, this title is a misnomer; there’s rarely such a thing as an unexpected deadline. It’s just that we go so long ignoring them, that once they finally loom in the near distance, we find ourselves agog, wondering “Wait… where did that come from?” I know you understand where I’m coming from;Continue reading “Sudden Deadlines”
Why Would She Think That? Why Would I Do That?
Dearest Rachel – Last night’s dream was more firmly grounded in reality than most tend to be – so in some respects, it might not be as truly interesting to hear about simply because of that – but it did operate along certain lines that wouldn’t make sense in real life. Besides, it brings upContinue reading “Why Would She Think That? Why Would I Do That?”
A Few More Drops Into the Deeps
Dearest Rachel – I’m sure you’d heard the phrases ‘dark web’ and ‘deep web’ from time to time before your departure; after all, you had majored in the computer sciences and we as a family tended to be more online than most people I know. Equally likely, you’d probably heard tell that those two concepts,Continue reading “A Few More Drops Into the Deeps”
Preservation Priorities
Dearest Rachel – I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned the story in passing before, but I might as well retell it here and now; I’ll get to the ‘why’ in a moment. Your family, if I remember the story correctly, were among the first to get their hands on a video cassette recorder, back in theContinue reading “Preservation Priorities”
DIY Zombie Karaoke
Dearest Rachel – Since I’m meeting with Lars today, and I just got confirmation that everything is a ‘go’ as far as the church books are concerned (which is to say, everything from last month has finally been entered, and I can run the numbers and assemble the reports for the board members), I haveContinue reading “DIY Zombie Karaoke”
They Never Learn… But Then, Neither Do I
Dearest Rachel – I’m not always sure whether my jaded approach to online conversations (I hesitate to call it ‘dating’ anymore, since it never gets anywhere close to that) is excessively cynical, but the alleged women I find myself chatting with always manage to live down to my expectations of them, so perhaps it’s perfectlyContinue reading “They Never Learn… But Then, Neither Do I”
A String of Catfish
Dearest Rachel – You’ve heard from time to time about how I’ve been talking with people online, trying to make connections that could lead to a relationship in my search to find the mythical ‘Megumi,’ the second blessing to take over your role at my side. You’ve heard about the momentary promise I would findContinue reading “A String of Catfish”
Muddled Morning
Dearest Rachel – It’s that kind of morning today; I know I’ve said it before, but it never ceases to strike me as topsy-turvy that the one day a week I have to set my alarm is a Saturday. Sure, it’s the one day that I actually have a commitment to be somewhere earlier thanContinue reading “Muddled Morning”
Notes from the Simulation
Dearest Rachel – It’s hard to say how long it’s been theorized about, but there seems to be a growing belief in ‘life as we know it’ being little more than a simulation. Maybe it comes from the popularity of the Matrix movies, where so much more seems to be possible, even for blue-pilled humanity.Continue reading “Notes from the Simulation”
from Rachel: Living for What Lasts
From memory, what is the perfect indicative? (Look back at yesterday’s lesson if you need to.) “It is the verb tense when the action is already complete.– ‘an objective fact or reality’” What two things does John tell us not to love in verse 15? 1. The world2. “Anything in” the world [starred and underlinedContinue reading “from Rachel: Living for What Lasts”
Bad Apples
Dearest Rachel – In the game of Cards Against Humanity that we used to enjoy playing together in large groups, there is a black card that reads “________: Awesome in theory, kind of a mess in practice,” to which the players submit their best white cards with one outlandish concept or another. The point, ofContinue reading “Bad Apples”
To Practical Use
Dearest Rachel – I honestly don’t know if I’m boring you with my latest obsession with artificial intelligence and pictures of you. Despite your degree in computer science (which you earned essentially pre-internet, so it was practically worthless within a few years of your graduation), you rarely seemed as interested in the ins and outsContinue reading “To Practical Use”
A Look at Younger You
Dearest Rachel – Since I’m insistent on being home when Kris is coming in to clean the house – not to supervise her, mind you (indeed, between eating breakfast, brushing my teeth and doing several loads of laundry as she’s trying to make her way through each room in the house, I worry that IContinue reading “A Look at Younger You”
When You’re Deep in the Weeds…
Dearest Rachel – There were plenty of days when I would come home from the office (both when I was actually working at my job, and after I had set myself up with a desk in my folks’ basement after retiring), and you would ask me about my day, and I would have a certainContinue reading “When You’re Deep in the Weeds…”
A Hundred Blurry Photographs
Dearest Rachel – There’s a certain joy in having a project that feels like I could really make something out of it for a change. After having my plans for a YouTube channel derailed, first by a lack of talent (both my own and trying to recruit skilled assistance) and then by outside events (includingContinue reading “A Hundred Blurry Photographs”
The Squeaky Wheel
Dearest Rachel – I never intended to make this story into a multi-part tale. I fully expected to be telling you about what happened (or, more to the point, what didn’t happen, as I’ve no expectations that anything will come of tonight’s get-together, any more than anything has come of my attempts at online dating,Continue reading “The Squeaky Wheel”
You Can’t Always Just Replace
Dearest Rachel – I mentioned yesterday that, after furnishing it (however minimally), I’m going to have to give up on the ‘yellow-room-as-man-cave’ concept for a while. This leaves me with one less place to retreat to as the boys effectively take over the house. “But honey,” I hear you ask, “weren’t we always just fineContinue reading “You Can’t Always Just Replace”
The Call of the Wired
Dearest Rachel – Back in the day, we used to bring our computers with us on these trips (just like we did when we went to the island) in order to entertain ourselves on certain slower days. In the early days, we had stuff on CDs, which we later swapped out for portable hard drivesContinue reading “The Call of the Wired”
The Futility of Collection
Dearest Rachel – So the other day, I started working on those video tapes from downstairs; playing them on one of our old VCRs, running the output through the converter box, and turning them into digital files. I’ll probably be putting one of them up on my channel at some point today, because I needContinue reading “The Futility of Collection”
Thousands of Hours to Go
Dearest Rachel – I went through three VCRs trying to figure out what was going wrong. It turned out that the reason there was no adequate picture was because I shouldn’t have plugged the connection in all the way. I think I’m gonna have to go back and explain this to you. Let me justContinue reading “Thousands of Hours to Go”
Darkest Night
Dearest Rachel – No light. No air-conditioning. No fans. No Internet. It’s truly been one of our darkest nights. Literally. According to Daniel, everything went sideways shortly before I got home from walking with Erin last night a little bit before eight. By the way, that was rather a washout in its own right. NeitherContinue reading “Darkest Night”
Before We Close the Lid
Dearest Rachel – I confess that there are some days where I’m still at a loss as to how to deal with Jan. She’s great fun to be around, and she pushes me to do what needs to be done. Of course, it’s that very part of her that leaves me stuck for how toContinue reading “Before We Close the Lid”
Three People, Four Screens
Dearest Rachel – As much as things will forever be different going forward, there are times when I realize that in some ways, things really haven’t changed at all. For one thing, I realize that the three of us – Kevin, Daniel and I – are not really all that far removed from the wayContinue reading “Three People, Four Screens”
What You Considered Important
Dearest Rachel – I hope you don’t mind too much, but I’ve jailbroken four of the computers you left behind. There was a span of time when I couldn’t get into any of them unless I was listed as a secondary user, and could log in with my own Microsoft password. And the alleged RosettaContinue reading “What You Considered Important”
Is This What Normal Looks Like Now?
Dearest Rachel – Saturday mornings, like everything else, are never going to be the same as they were. That sounds like i’m stating the obvious, but Saturday is when it’s all that much more keenly felt. Even after retiring, I would spend weekdays at the ‘office’ at my folks’ place, so there were plenty ofContinue reading “Is This What Normal Looks Like Now?”
Preserved Recordings
Dearest Rachel – It’s really quite strange, some of the documentation you left behind. Now, I understand that you weren’t the kind to throw out anything, but it has surprised me as to what papers you kept closest to you, the stuff you (apparently) considered to be important. Such as voicemail messages. Occasionally, you wouldContinue reading “Preserved Recordings”
Ghost in the Machine
Dearest Rachel – Jan can be a real hoot sometimes (and in so doing, she manages to take the most bitter edge off of everything we’ve been finding as we go through the house). Her happy dance when she finds hidden money – and there’s been a lot of it scattered throughout the place; you’veContinue reading “Ghost in the Machine”
Letters to Rachel 