The unbelievable internet

Bob, you said a mouthful. More to say. If I were in WV near you, we'd have a cup of Joe to discuss, but not in open Internet, where all is captured by search engines.

I guess we could have a limited discussion in the RedNeck Zone.

Artificial Intelligence is not intelligent. Garbage in garbage out is an old saying. Gaslighting, propaganda and lying have become the norm.
George Orwell has become a seer.

roddie wrote:I'd like to think that we'll be smarter than that Robert..

I am positive you both are, Bob and Roddie

Not sure which one worries me more, artificial intelligence of computers, or genuine stupidity of a large (and increasing) part of the humankind. Both are obviously spread and fertilized very effectively by the internet.

Internet has also brought a lot of good things. This forum for example

The Internet is nothing more than an information repository. Just like the tabloid section of the supermarket checkout, there's a certain amount of snuff. But, there are good information sites as well.

I no longer use Gurgle, Bung, Yeehoo, and those that depend on their results. I found believe it or not, Yandex to produce less tainted results. It is a throwback to the old search engines like Geocites, etc.

Also, I have resorted to reading books. Many written even 30 to 100 years ago or more help to explain the current werldly pickle we are in today. If it is on a marketeer's ban list is a good indicator it is a must read.

Yes, information repository indeed. The only problem is that just about any yahoo can post anything in there, and it seems that the loonier it is, the wider it spreads. Flat Earthers for example, or that thing about child molesting ”elite” having their headquarters in the non-existent basement floor of a Pizza place, plotting for world domination. Actually got one not-so-bright individual drive a couple of hours down there and raid the place with an assault rifle. Fortunately nobody was killed.

Internet is not curated like textbooks or the collection of your local public library are. It places a lot of responsibility to the reader, but at the same time reading and learning skills are deteriorated: ”why do I need to memorize this, I can always Google it”. Or ”why do I need to learn how to use a map and a compass, when we have GPS”. This kind of arguments can be heard in schools and elsewhere. OK, smartypants, what if you drop your smart-donkey-device and it breaks? Or if the battery runs out? Or if Czar F-head (sorry Bob!!) decides to mess with the GPS signal again?

I may be a little paranoid, but try not to think too much about it. Not much I can do. I use Google and Bing for work and leisure, and have chat gpt find diesel engine diagnostics stuff for work. Grain of salt and all that.

I have tried to teach my sons not to rely on technology too much, or the internet. They are smart kids (22 and 19 yo), and many of their friends are down-to-earth, decent and polite young men and ladies, so maybe there is hope after all. The next generation is not entirely hopeless