This is a simple series of photos that all include my dads Ford shortbed truck. When he passed away in 2024 the truck came to me, and I decided to snap some photos of it here and there with one of his cameras. This turned into a tribute of sorts to my dad, who loved photography and traveling, among many other things.
Last summer I bought a stack of old magazines at a local tag sale. I decided to scan the contents of whatever interested me and share. I will also include scans of some other stuff I have sitting around.
Looks to be an early compression belt. The idea that it could have medical purposes is put to doubt by the mention of “flab.”
My dad had a book full of photos of train crashes that I would sometimes look through when I was a kid. They fascinated me, as did any kind of wrecks or ruins or run down, abandoned places. This photo was taken during the time span of purposely crashing trains into each other for fun and profit, sort of the godfather of demolition derbies.
Photo Source: https://petapixel.com/2022/06/10/historical-photos-of-when-trains-were-purposely-crashed-into-each-other/
After reading a very eye-opening article about AI I figured I had better hurry up and get to learning more about this massively important invention that is sweeping over us all.
Last time I asked The Duck (DuckDuckGo AI) to write an outline, then a complete short story using the outline it created. This took a total of around five seconds for it to complete. This is Part Four of this series.
I have found two distinct, and usually polar opposite views from most people I have talked with about AI. A few are exploring how to use it and sometimes incorporate the new technology into their lives, while most hate and/or fear it. One family member uses AI extensively both at work and at home, using it to find solutions in a variety of situations, including asking for advice about personal problems. Another might be in the midst of being replaced by it at her job.
Older folks are skeptical of, and vague about, what AI is. Younger workers might use it occasionally, but are mostly afraid of loosing their jobs to it. The year 2025 was the grand emergence of AI in the social consciousness of this country, with a better awareness of how invasive this technology was to become in the year 2026. And beyond.
Currently AI is used to search, identify and “improve” everything one can imagine. If an answer is not waiting to be found it will cobble together what it can access, or create something altogether new.
Within just the last few months there have been global calls to pause the rapid growth of AI, and for several years there have been discussions about how to regulate it, which to a layman such as myself seems somewhat pointless if it is true that this technology is now writing its own code.
As usual, science fiction was ahead of the curve on all of this. The first Star Trek movie (1979) revolved around a (fictional) Voyager 6 (“V’Ger”) that had achieved sentience, with some help from aliens. V’Ger “became a living thing,” and was determined “to learn all.”
Most of us don’t have the time or inclination to look into all the ways AI is sinking into our lives, but a very few recent examples are:
Even more fake actors: AI Actor Tilly Norwood
“Candy.ai is the best AI girlfriend app, letting you create personalized virtual companions or connect instantly with our realistic AI characters in immersive, uncensored fantasy experiences – all within a safe and private space.” That last part is very important. “ Candy AI attracts a wide range of users. Some seek companionship or emotional support, while others use it for storytelling, creative writing, or roleplay. Additionally, AI enthusiasts explore it to better understand conversational AI capabilities.” AI enthusiasts? That’s polite.
Ever heard of “Surveillance Pricing?”
I asked Duck AI what Death By Clawd is, and this is the response received: “Death by Clawd is a website that analyzes the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies. It evaluates how vulnerable these companies are to disruption by AI technologies.” More to worry about that almost no one understands, or cares, what it is.
At the time of this writing (late August 2026) an online search for “AI Data Center news articles” numbered in the dozens published within the last two weeks. Very few of them were of a positive nature.
Think the next generation is dumb? Don’t read this one: Students Lose Ability to Think as They Lean on AI for Everything
There is also worry about a coming AI bubble threatening the world economy, as well as AI just plain destroying all of humanity. How we all are to be wiped out is vague, at best.
All of this AI information can be baffling, because of how fast all of this is moving. And, of course, there is way more going on than the few highlights I have touched on here. I started this series on a lighthearted note, and titled it Fun With AI. Maybe this final part should be labeled Run From AI. I saved the worst for last. Public Horrified as OpenAI Pushes “Child After Child Into the Grave”
On that note I asked The Duck “what is happiness and the meaning of life.” The answer I received was positive, but clinical. It seems that we can now find a solution to all of our questions – with our own answers.
Once a month I highlight a piece of art I have created and posted on my Fine Art America site. This one is titled “Burnt Matches” from the Scanner Still Life Collection.
The little book “Chicken Soup With Rice” By Maurice Sendak is one of a set of four books collectively titled “Nutshell Library” published in 1962. I am going to scan my copy, that I received as a child, and publish a page a month. Why? Because the world needs more Maurice Sendak…and chicken soup with rice.
Today I would say I am not much of a fan of Gilligan’s Island. However, when I was a kid I watched the show every weekday when I got home from school, while eating some snacks and waiting for the other neighborhood kids to get home so we could gather and play. In the 1970’s it had become what used to be called a rerun, meaning it had already been broadcast on network TV, then syndicated. My favorite episodes involved someone accidentally finding the formerly deserted island and the castaways. The Mosquitoes was a (somewhat) fictional band modeled on The Beatles/Monkees/Byrds, who ended up on the island, and the rest of the plot doesn’t matter. The point of all this is watching that episode might be the earliest I remember being exposed to parody, understanding what that was, and thinking it was funny.
Side Note: The Mosquitoes episode also created The Gnats and The Honeybees, bands made up of the castaways.
This is a simple series of photos that all include my dads Ford shortbed truck. When he passed away in 2024 the truck came to me, and I decided to snap some photos of it here and there with one of his cameras. This turned into a tribute of sorts to my dad, who loved photography and traveling, among many other things.
Once a month I highlight a piece of art I have created and posted on my Fine Art America site. This one is titled “Sunset Over Superior” from the Photos Collection.
Last summer I bought a stack of old magazines at a local tag sale. I decided to scan the contents of whatever interested me and share. I will also include scans of some other stuff I have sitting around.
While perusing a Sergeant Rock comic from 1980 I came across this Hostess Twinkies ad featuring Batman and Professor Plutonium. Not remembering the Professor I looked him up online and could find no reference to him, so I figured he was created just for this ad campaign. At the same time the newest Spider-Man movie was ramping up. Some things never change, they just get updated.
