I just read a Medium post about how content consumption is down.

Allow me to apply some sense of logic.

If we all have the power to write, shoot video and share it all with the world, right in our pocket or purse… that has to take time away from reading, listening to and watching others’ content, to some degree.

If everyone’s talking, who’s listening? If everybody’s writing, who’s reading? If every phone can shoot, thanks in large part to AI tools, cinema-quality movies, who has the time to sort through that huge pile of content to find something worth watching?

We’ve had a thunder-and-lightning trio of days here in Bend, Oregon, and lost power on two of them (so far). We were relatively prepared – emergency lights, flashlights, candles, etc., thanks to my great wife Deb.

But to dive into my inevitable analogy, the storm fronts of AI that many have been buffeted by in the past 2-3 years have yet to impact many others – at least, not directly.

YET.

But the subtle, “hidden” impacts are likely to become less subtle as the stormy days of innovation and change continue on to the horizon.

If all you hear is thunder, the senses can become dulled. Even the lightning flashes of that new model or this mind-blowing new approach… well, anything can become the “new normal,” can’t it?

I absolutely love the world of artificial intelligence – the cosmic consequences, the endless discussions, from philosophical to political to technical – the rapid innovations and all of the rest.

It’s clearly one of the most important developments of my life.

I love reading about it in the flood of books, newsletters, etc., talking about it with others on spots like LinkedIn, watching and listening to podcasts and cannot really stop thinking about it.

But use it? Not so much.

Let me try to explain, in as fun and universal a way as possible, in this blog. Whether or not I say anything super-wise, much less mind-blowing, or make you think, I at least hope to make you sympathize, empathize – and laugh!

Oh gee, that reminds me, I need to ask Perplexity to tell me the best one-liner it’s ever heard…. and you know what it just said?

“Why don’t skeletons fight each other? They don’t have the guts.”

Hah!