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Thoughts on Gullibility and Artificial Intelligence
I watched an episode of Mysteries at the Museum the other night and attributed a clever prank that fooled thousands of people to a comedian named Buck Henry who persuaded thousands of people into believing that naked animals were destroying the morality of Americans. The show’s host rightly claimed that Buck Henry posed as a…
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Ban Siphoning Ozone
I don’t know much about roundabouts, auto emissions, and the ozone layers, but evidently, they’re connected. Sena and I were talking about the roundabouts in Iowa City and Coralville. The definition of them and the instructions about how to drive in and out of them is simple although some drivers can get confused about the…
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Update to Chat with Bard
My recent chat with Google Bard, about which I posted on April 11, 2023, contained an error by Bard on all those strikes by physicians. Today I asked some follow-up questions: How many physician strikes have occurred in the United States? “There have been a few physician strikes in the United States, but they are…
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How’s It Hanging, Bard?
I read the experiences of Dr. Ron Pies and Dr. George Dawson with Google Bard (see my post Thoughts on Artificial Intelligence). So I had my own conversation with Google Bard yesterday. Hi, Bard; how’s it hanging? “I am doing well, thank you for asking! I am excited to be able to help people with…
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Thoughts on Artificial Intelligence
Sena and I just read Dr. Ron Pies fascinating essay describing his interaction with Google Bard Artificial Intelligence (AI). As usual, this made me think of several movies with AI as a central theme. There are several: I, Robot (I wrote a post about this a couple of years ago), Blade Runner, The Matrix, 2001:…
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“Stink, Stank, Stunk!”
I’m just puzzled lately over what seems like a contradiction between two ideas I’ve seen in the news and in TV commercials. It’s all about body odor. There is this study that was recently published about stinky armpit odor possibly making the practice of mindfulness meditation more effective. This contrasts with the usual meaning of…
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Random Connections
Today, I read Dr. George Dawson’s blog post, “How I ended up in a high-risk pancreatic cancer risk screening clinic.” As usual I was impressed with his erudition, scientific literacy, and rigorous objectivity, even as it pertained to a deadly disease which runs in his family genetic history. I couldn’t help admiring his courage. And,…
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More On Taming the Juggling Balls
I’ve been juggling for about 5 months now and reflecting on my progress. I think I’m doing OK for a geezer. Sena would call me a hot dog although I would still call it ugly juggling by any standard. What’s striking, at least to me, is the little bit of science I can find on…
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Xylazine More About Death Than the Walking Dead
The recent news stories about xylazine-adulterated fentanyl (also known as Tranq) describe it as turning users into zombies because it causes skin necrosis. This can lead to abscesses which may require amputations. Even more important, it can kill users. Xylazine, which is an animal tranquilizer (hence the name “Tranq”) is said to be available for…
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Thoughts on Regrets
I’ve been thinking about Dr. Moffic’s article on regret, posted on February 16, 2023 in Psychiatric Times. I’ve dwelt on it long enough that I feel compelled to inject humor into the subject. It’s one of my many defenses. There’s a quote from Men in Black 3 involving a short telephone conversation between Agent K…
Go Retire Psychiatrist 