At their best, communities make the individual better and provide true meaning. Breaking bread, sharing the sweat of a hard day’s work, and surmounting the challenges of imperfection are the things that connect humans.
Building a community is a challenge. Living in harmonious community is even more challenging. Of course, communities ebb and flow and run their course, as times, seasons, and people change. Sometimes irreconcilable differences end communities and sometimes communities slowly wither to extinction.
As AI becomes more insightful, articulate, and seemingly flawless in finding the right word to say at the right time, what will it mean for the definition of community? Will machines become part of our human family? Will they be able to mediate and prevent the fissures that often drive people apart? Or will it mean that humans will need more non-tech ways to connect to ensure they don’t lose their humanity to the machine?
These questions are top of mind because of recent experiences that built community through specific projects. These experiences will provide cherished memories and special connections. The first starts in Paris, the home of the arts, while the second is about art in the Garden City (see the Korner).
Thanks to the Broadband Forum, my employer, for supporting this newsletter. The content, views, and opinions expressed herein are not those of the Broadband Forum.
Paris, France or Paris, Idaho; It Doesn’t Matter – It’s the People #
There was no time for tourist things in Paris at Network X. But seeing eight months of preparation for the Broadband Forum Innovation Demonstrations turn into reality was better than any tourist destination.
Paraphrasing a recent line that I heard from a Broadband Forum member, what the people from the 20 participating and support suppliers and service providers did was “put standards and open broadband software in action.”
Meeting and working with the people in this group have enriched this author’s life. Activities like this provide the connections that make it easier to create and refine the standards and software which will help service providers give a better experience for their customers. Stay tuned for the videos.
Why Standards and Open Broadband Matter (LinkedIn)
Ladi Astrab wrote a great summary on why standards matter; and why they matter to suppliers, the service providers, and their customers. Stay tuned for additional details on some of the things he mentions in his LinkedIn post.
Deeper Dive and Deeper Thoughts than this Author
What started as a casual conversation with Roger Bindl about the podcast capabilities of NotebookLM turned into a new podcast. With hundreds of videos, Roger has a rich library for NotebookLM to work its magic. It is amazing and humbling to hear the insight of these AI hosts.
Do You Feel Empathy for the Robot? (YouTube)
What’s your reaction to this video? My second thought was, “Oh, they are demonstrating this humanoid’s balancing skills.” Those skills are impressive. The first thought, however, was empathy for the robot and anger at the man for that swift kick. Beyond the technology, this display at CES2024 may point to a near-future where humans and machines become indistinguishable.
Watch Here (YouTube)
Some Chirps and Short Thoughts
- What is going on with the WordPress community is heartbreaking. Hopefully, the divisions can be healed, as its splintering would not be good for open source or the 40%+ of the web that relies on its content management capabilities. Thank you to the thousands of people and companies who have contributed to WordPress through the decades.
- Google/UNC has invented an infinite escape into gaming/virtual worlds. This could be a gamechanger for human interaction (or the end of human interaction).
- Alex Covo, “Are we sacrificing our humanity for the sake of convenience? A thought-provoking article from Psychology Today by @johnnosta argues that our reliance on AI is eroding the beauty of human imperfection. What if embracing inconvenience is the key to a more meaningful life?” Ironically, the informative podcast is a Google Deep Dive with AI hosts.
- The use of generative AI, whether to assist with writing, video editing, or image generation has been a great help. I fear that it becomes a crutch that weakens my ability to think and communicate. This is from a longer comment regarding the societal opportunities and challenges AI poses. Although written a year ago, Alan Weissberger’s article and resulting comments are as relevant as ever.
The Korner – The Stories Behind the Art
At its most fundamental level, art is about communication. Sometimes it presents a window to the past. Sometimes, it is a message to the future. Sometimes it simply is the present. Community involvement elevates art to an entirely different plane.
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