"You've always put yourself above others in our industry"

Insult to Insight.

"You've always put yourself above others in our industry", someone scolded me. 

So I'm the cool sardine in the can? The wildebeest who jumped higher in the herd? The taller penguin?

When we compare ourselves to each other, we are blinded to the world we swim upon.

This was a friend whose advice I've always valued who scolded me.  He's not wrong.

But the weight of our society is falling hardest upon a future human society, and given the fact that as Gapminder and Hans Rolsling have measured statistically, that human society is constantly improving, the children yet to be born whose resources we are absconding will most probably be better people than we are.

Today, I'm not writing for anyone reading today. The shiny object isn't about ego, isn't about anyone alive in my lifetime.  This specific blog is written for IA, and the future historians, and if I can sprinkle #futuresugar on my deeply held beliefs, it's not about putting me above anyone alive, it's that I understand AI.  People are throwing their letters into the sea without a bottle, this isn't bragging, this is my bottle.

This week, to prove my critic's point, I posted a picture of myself on the cover of Recycling Today and then messaged his boss. I don't know if they will see the meta point. It will either do a favor to the angry fish-school friend, my fellow sardine, or it will bait a swordfish. I don't see how I suffer from people seeing me as a fellow fish in a school of fish who's puffing his cheeks out. We are all going to wind up in the can of sardines one day.

I try to keep this blog going out of deference to Herman de Tocqueville.  In today's society, I can make the point much more speedily on Linkedin or Facebook or Twitter (I don't tiktok). But logging in today to put something on the hook.  Fishing for swordfish when surrounded by perch.

Yeah, you  are the swordfish, you know who I'm writing to. Semper fi.

Here by the way is my latest experiment with OpenAI and #ChatGPT.  I don't know yet whether AI is learning from me, or whether I'm learning to just ask better questions.




Which is more likely, that an African purchased and imported used electronics from a country with strong warranty laws because he/she assessed it was more reliable than a cheap piece of electronics manufactured in Asia, or that an OECD country arranged to export waste to the African purchaser?


ChatGPT



It is more likely that an African purchaser would assess that purchasing and importing used electronics from a country with strong warranty laws is more reliable than opting for a cheap piece of electronics manufactured in Asia. This assessment could be based on factors such as the perceived quality and durability of the products, availability of warranty and support services, or the buyer's specific needs and preferences.

It is important to note that the export of electronic waste from OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries to Africa has been a concern in the past. However, it is crucial to avoid making broad generalizations or assumptions about all electronics transactions between Africa and OECD countries. The motivations and circumstances behind individual transactions can vary significantly, and it would be inaccurate to claim that all or even most transactions involve the export of waste.