For the People

There are many things that we could point to as indication that America may be (and probably is) broken. But the simplest of these is this: that we let Capitalists decide who gets healthcare…

…and who doesn’t.

Pre-Existing Medical Conditions

I suppose if I were having a conversation with those who support the position of the Managed Health Care industry (the Health Insurance companies at large) then I’d need to draw a distinction of viewpoints.  Fundamentally, it would seem that industry supporters want to live in a country that would allow people to suffer and die prematurely for no other reason than they have, through no fault of their own, an expensive medical condition.  Whereas the rest of us want to live in a country that uses its abundant resources to take care of its citizens (all of them).

In this case we are talking about finding a way to allocate medical resources, treatment and care to those who have medical needs for which they otherwise could not reasonably afford treatment.

Drug Addiction

A person, for whatever reason, begins using drugs and becomes an addict.  This has consequences to their health and relationships, their job or schooling… it affects their life at every level.  It impacts the lives of those around them.  So we are talking about a person with a problem who needs help and treatment, and most of all a system of support to help them get out of it and begin the transition back to a healthier life.

Except that in America our solution is to compound their trouble by treating them like a criminal.

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…which has the add-on effect of increasing the burden on society by perpetuating the cycle of drug use and the overwhelming temptation to commit crime in order to support the habit.

What is your age(s)?

Have you ever contemplated your age beyond the number? Because it turns out you actually have about three ages.

Your Chronological age – The one we put on forms and documents. A number. It reflects the number of days (usually rounded to years) since birth. The most simplistic reflection of a person’s “age” but also boring and possibly the least meaningful (if one is interested in seeing and understanding someone).

Your Physical age – I credit Nintendo Wii Fit for raising more awareness of this one. It’s a reflection of your body’s relative “age” based on health, how well you’ve taken care of your physical self. Are you aging your body faster than your peer group? Or eating healthy and staying fit?

Your Emotional age – Closely related to maturity. How old you feel you are, even if unconsciously. The subjective age domain in which your mind and interests most often reside, likely informed by outward behavior though not necessarily (as we do tend to roleplay according to social norms & expectations). It can change in both directions. Probably the most interesting of all. Why? Consider this… might it be possible to feel inwardly younger through the maturing process of self-reflection, acceptance and identifying those things that really matter most?

So the next time someone inquires about your age you might respond with, “which one would you like to know?”

….or give the cheekier reply of all three.

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P.S. Sign language is beautiful, regardless of age

Irreversible Exposure

If there is one place where contemporary AI needs urgently to take the place of human labor, it is in the screening and filtering of violent and pornographic content for social media (and similar services).  No amount of wages can hope to ever compensate for the irreversible damage done to one’s emotional/psychological well-being (and by proxy the well-being of these workers families) resulting from daily exposure and passive consumption of content that by all accounts, defies description.

A good AI on the other hand, should by now be capable of sufficiently blurring out imagery and giving an accurate description as to the content of an image in cases where the right persons (properly trained) may need to intervene with human judgment.