Pull Tight

“You asked the impossible of a machine and the machine complied.”  ―  Kurt Vonnegut Jr. ,  The Sirens of Titan Most of the recent books and many news stories I am reading (or listening) are at least somewhat related to Artificial Intelligence. Truly amazing subject matter for where we have arrived and where we may be headed. It seems to be advancing at an ever-increasing rate. Here are some of the AI-related observations I have made in just the past week. Two chatbots at Facebook created a new language to communicate with each other A humanoid robot was granted citizenship in Saudia Arabia Heard artificial intelligence mentioned in a lecture not directly related to AI An interactive toy  from Mattel was pulled from production because of the privacy concerns  Noticed an ad for an Account Representative for IBM Watson in the Dallas area You often hear concerns about AI and robotics taking away jobs.  And, most of us think...

About once a month I buy coffee from a world-class coffee roaster who happens to be not far from where I work. Coffee is always roasted the same day as ordered and always very good.  Discovered Rodaks a couple years ago https://pulltight.blogspot.com/2014/10/unexpected-treasure.html Marvin Rodak an I have become friends, exchanging stories, cooking tips, etc. He is quite the fan of drag racing. A couple of months ago, Marvin suggested I come to his annual meet and greet for the drag racing teams coming to town.  There would be barbeque, beer, racing crews, and fans  Not a particular fan of racing myself, but suspected the food would be good and the attendees might be interesting. Last Thursday was the night.  A couple of factory grill reps for were cooking (competing?) as well as Marvin.  All in attendance were quite interesting and shared a love for good food.  And the food was excellent, beginning with grilled oysters and ending with ...

"This was not only the most dangerous moment of the Cold War. It was the most dangerous moment in human history." Arthur M. Schlesinger  advisor to the  John F. Kennedy  administration I am currently listening to the audio version of a book about artificial intelligence (AI). Much of the book is about the safety of artificial intellignece. The potential of AI and the evolving technology for military or terrorist is truly frightening. There is a discussion of military mishaps resulting from misinterpretation of information resulting in many accidents.  Some of these have involved multiple fatalities such as the accidental downing of civilian aircraft.  10/27/1962 - Then, there is the discussion of  B-59, a Russian submarine with nuclear missiles during the Cuban Missle Crisis. The sub was too deep in international waters for radio contact.  The US Navy began dropping depth charges in an attempt to bring it to the surface. The subma...

Sometimes during the morning workouts I attend, we do an exercise called the bird dog.  The others attending probably think I am losing my mind as this exercise brings a smile to my face.  Always think of my old friend Joe, his bird dogs and one particular story he used to tell. I often recall other stories from Joe such as https://pulltight.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-cat.html. But this one of the favorites. Joe was a college football player in mid-1960s.  Not sure of the circumstances but he ended up playing at Notre Dame for Ara Parseghian and then transferring to Univ of Texas where he played for Darrell Royal.  I suspect he may be the only player in history to have played for both of these legendary coaches. Back to bird dogs. When I met Joe he was an avid bird hunter with a couple talented dogs.  He came out to the farm with me a couple of times with his dogs. Watching a good hunter work with a good bird dog is really something to see. ...

Started the day with a flat tire.  Don't have nearly as many flats as in time past, but they are more of a pain when they occur.  Get out the miniature spare that doesn't look safe  enough to drive on and then searched for some place that repairs flats. When I was a kid we either fixed ourselves with something like Monkey Grip (consisting a glue a piece of rubber and a rasp) or took the tire one of the two full service stations in Tolar and got a hot patch on the inner tube. Remember the hot patch as small metal container with some sort of chemicals. Whoever patched would clamp the metal to the tube and then ignite the chemicals with a match or his cigarette. Think I remember it costing $0.25 or $0.50. When I finally found someone to fix today, it was a relative bargain at $10.00 after convincing the repair shop I didn't want or need a new tire. Read we are just a few years from tires that never go flat or that are actually made as part of the wheel. Can't wai...

“Some trails are happy ones, Others are blue. It's the way you ride the trail that counts…” Happy Trails by Dale Evans “Life is far too important to be taken seriously” by Oscar Wilde is one my favorite quotes.  Not sure if Dwayne ever heard this quote, but to all outward appearances he lived his life with this philosophy.  Always ready with a joke and a less than serious observation of life’s circumstances.  He most times had the smile on his face and the twinkle in his eye of either just pulling something off or just about to.  Let’s remember him when we become a little too concerned with the rest of the world. Dwayne was for several years growing up my closest neighbor.  We had many adventures as kids and teenagers.  And yes he was a cousin too.  Someone once remarked that the grandchildren of Ben and Montie Wann didn’t have friends, they just have cousins.  And, yes there is a unique bond among this group, but especially wi...

Don't consider myself much of a fashion buff, but the exhibit of Iris van Herpen's work at the Dallas Museum of Art is quite interesting.  Her term for the designs is new couture.  Seeing how she uses unusual materials, 3 D printing and other technology are very interesting.  But even more fascinating are the inspiration explanations of each design. Recommend seeing, you will likely enjoy.

Being of a certain age, I wake frequently in the night.  Until the past few months, I would fall asleep again quickly.  Now when I wake, unanswered questions and disturbing thoughts keep me awake, sometimes for hours. In no particular order, some of the following contribute to my insomnia. Why are the most intolerant people I know also the ones who profess to be the most religious? If you want to find homophobes, racists, xenophobes, etc. look to your friends, acquaintances, and relatives who are most devout.  These same people wonder why the fastest growing religious belief is none at all.  They should look in the mirror or listen to themselves. And why do the same religious groups attract the very ones being castigated? If you have black or brown skin and end up in the afterlife next door to a white supremacist, what now? Why do so many think the remedy for gun violence is more guns in the hands of more people? If only the kindergarten students at Sand...

" An idea is a greater monument than a cathedral. And the advance of man's knowledge is a greater miracle than all the sticks turned to snakes or the parting of the waters."  Henry Drummond character in play Went to see a production of Inherit the Wind this afternoon in Dallas.  This production has parts played by different genders and races than the original production of the 1950s giving it a very modern feel.  With a minimalist set and characters dressed in current attire, it doesn't seem dated. Another very good play by the Dallas Theater Center.  If you enjoy a good drama that makes you think, it shouldn't be missed. Play is based on the Scopes Trial from 1925 in a small Tennessee town.  The trial concerned a high school teacher accused of violating Tennessee law by teaching the theory of evolution in a high school science class.  If you happen to not be familiar with the trial, look it up.  It was quite the story of the time.

Very cold morning today with a little snow on the ground. Took me back to days in the 60s on the family ranch and feeding cattle on winter days. This was in the time before the big round hay bales of today.  Would load up 10-15 bales of the old square bales on a pickup truck.  Out to the pasture, call the cows with the truck horn http://pulltight.blogspot.com/2013/03/calling-cows-and-purple-haze.html Then throw the hay off the truck and walk around looking through and counting the cows and taking the wire off each bale of hay. Sometimes recall a story I heard many years ago about a colder and snowier day than today.  Occurred somewhere in rural W Texas, near Amarillo as I remember. Was a really cold Sunday after a blizzard. One old rancher shows up early to the small country church, starts a fire in the wood stove and waits for the rest of the congregation and the preacher.  The preacher living next door arrives and stands by the stove with the old rancher. ...