2024 Reads: 2054 by Elliot Ackerman 📚

It wanted to be insightful and futurist, but ended up being thin and disappointing.

2024 Reads: Rise and Kill First by Ronen Bergman 📚

A detailed, compelling history of the Israeli intelligence services. Lots to think about. Such a mess in so many ways. But a really good read.

My unsolicited opinion this morning on AI, speaking as a computer scientist who has spent the last year working on AI-based tools: there are some things that LLMs and neural networks are very useful for. The kind of things that companies are popularly promoting AI for are not those things.

A quick online interaction this morning reminded me of this Sony clock/radio I got as a kid probably in the late 80s. As far as I know it’s still kicking around our house somewhere and still works just fine.

Cream colored small clock/radio with red LED display

Business trips seem like fun, but the days get long… left the hotel at 7:30 to head to the workshop. Workshop went until 5, then group dinner until 8:30, then drinks at the hotel with a smaller group. Not back to my room until 10:15pm. Need to be out for day 2 at 6:30 in the morning. Oof.

It’s Library Board meeting time! I’ve missed a few due to work travel… good to be back. Public libraries are special institutions that serve our communities with so much more than just books. They need our support.

Well, it’s been a week. Haven’t said much here, mostly because I don’t really have my thoughts sorted yet. I am thankful to have a local faith community where I will be able to show up on Sunday and be built up. And then next week will be another week. Onward.

Low key, work appropriate costume this year.

Mirror selfie of Chris in a yellow Charlie Brown T shirt with the black squiggle across the bottom, black pants, brown shoes, and a ball cap.

Tonight’s movie: Death on the Nile (1978). Peter Ustinov sounding a lot like Prince John from Disney’s Robin Hood. David Niven. Mia Farrow. Angela Lansbury hamming it up. Jane Birkin. Maggie Smith looking for all the world like Tilda Swinton. A classic Agatha Christie story. Good fun.

Had a really lovely time last night eating dinner at some new friends’ house. Sat around and talked until way too late for this old guy. This morning: need more coffee. Also: can’t wait to do it again.