On This Day

November 30, 2023 (Thursday)

It was a cold 20 degree start on the last day of November 2023. It was a day for “Choring Around” as James Roger might have written in his diaries. Most important on my list was getting the Marklin model train that was stored behind the eaves for 40 years. My mother wants to have a nostalgic Christmas and part of that includes having train running under the Christmas Tree. Thankfully the German engineered toy train ran without any issues. I can’t say the same for a much older American Flyer train that I got for Christmas in the early 1950s. Unfortunately the locomotive motor seemed to have seized up when I last powered it up decades ago.

Märklin H0 Model Train

Happy Birthday Parker Weber

I’ve known Parker since birth. He is now in college studying computer engineering. He is most interested in learning about artificial intelligence.

My Strange Afterlife

I’ve postulated that a good AI (Artificial Intelligence) program can give us a bit of immortality, at least with our online persona. If publish enough words and photos, a well designed AI program could probably take over after my demise. I thought about this a while back and I was not surprised to see that it is already being done by a number of companies:

Per Vox, grief tech startups are creating AI-powered “ghostbots” to help people dealing with grief and loss:

Replika lets users create an “AI companion who cares,” promising chats, video calls, and coaching sessions on its site.
With HereAfter AI, users record answers to interview questions and upload photos while they’re still alive, leaving behind a virtual version of themselves.
StoryFile also needs to be preplanned: Users can record videos of themselves that are turned into AI-powered, interactive conversations for loved ones.
After inputting basic information, users can chat with the departed via Seance AI’s ghostbot.

And You, Only Virtual is an AI communications platform that lets users create a “Versona” so that they can continue their unique relationships virtually after death.

Isn’t this a great way to step into the Day of Singularity? I’ve enlisted Firefly AI to design some artwork for publishing from the hereafter.