BY DENNIS FITZGERALD
IN MY YOUTH, hiking was popular and a frequent school camp activity. In my working career as a teacher hiking was still a regular event. In my retirement, no way!
But now I can cheat. There are AI (artificial intelligence) walking pants that become an Exoskeleton that supports your walking by providing extra “strength”. There are embedded AI controls that control everything to make your hike easier.
As AI is relatively new there might be some concerns. The AI might decide you need to work harder or go to the nearest computer shop rather than outdoors. If it restarts we might find 10,000 people at the top of a mountain.
As they will cost about $5,000, it would be more fun to put on your normal pants and head to the nearest bar and have a few beers although make sure you don’t end up “legless”.
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You cannot be serious!!
Another sporting tradition dies, tennis players blaming a linesperson rather than themselves for an “out” shot.
The Wimbledon tournament will start to replace line judges with robotic artificial intelligence. John McEnroe will be spinning in his commentator’s chair.
Yes, mistakes have happened but overall the linespeople were accurate and honest. The sports cheats, mostly online gamblers, might use hackers to change a few close results and win or lose a set with an “out” call.
Tennis is played by humans and it has its faults, but for 147 years humans have officiated it, and it is still one of the greatest competitions.
Let’s leave it in the old hands rather than the new bucket of bolts.
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You should help your friends
As the Bible says, “Love one another with brotherly affection.” (Romans 12:10) and Donald Trump has certainly lived up to this.
As Bob Woodward tells us, Trump has provided medical support to his political “brother” Vladimir Putin, well at least COVID tests as they share a great fear of germs. They also stay in contact with phone calls from time to time.
The suggestion by Trump that he would end the war in Ukraine if he wins this year’s presidential election isn’t likely to be a result of his skills as a negotiator but his total capitulation to Putin.
This isn’t really a friendship of equals but that of Trump desperately seeking the approval of a perceived strongman, or actually a tyrant. Who needs enemies when you have friends like this?
The final word on this friendship can be attributed to Sun Tzu, a great Chinese military general who is credited with the phrase “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.”/PN
