Zout magazine

This month’s contribution

Picture for Today

Your view . . . or is it?

And who is that reader? Me. . but

There I am in black and white EXCEPT I didn’t say that! They added the last sentence! This isn’t the first time that this has happened. A short while ago they changed ‘oh, how we laughed!’ to ‘how we sneered’ which I my opinion is a very different statement. I wrote to the editor of the ‘I’ and got no reply, so I contacted IPSO who decided that I had no reasonable grounds for complaint. Therefore it would seem that they believe that an editor may actually change whatever they want! Now what they did in this instance is not earth shattering BUT nevertheless it is not what I wrote, and surely the entire basis of ‘readers letters’ is that they are written by readers.

Picture for Today

Picture for today: The Sentinel

Picture for today: Manchester Skyline

Planet Rowland –

I suffer frequently from vivid and often violent dreams – this was this morning.

I appeared to be involved with two slightly sinister looking guys in suits. We were going to a industrial estate to look at their new office. When we got there, they wanted to show me a different office, a larger one which was filled with slot machines and rides for kids. One of the men had picked up a stack of coins before we entered. As I was walking ahead of them, I noticed a large amount of coins and the two guys went to where this was and started to change the money for coins of different denominations. One of the people working there saw them doing this and I shouted over ‘Don’t worry about these two – they might look smartly dressed, but they’ve just been finding money on the floor!’

The three of us walked further ahead, and one of the guys was furious that I had insulted him in front of one of the Gladiators. I didn’t really know what he meant but I could see an enormous guy standing at the back of the room with some henchmen. I apologised but it was clearly not enough. We walked back to the entrance, but it was now blocked, we turned around and headed to the other exit, but this was also blocked. I heard a noise and turned round to see one of the henchman walking towards me pulling on his gloves. I glanced around and suddenly realised I was on my own . . . . . .

Artificial intelligence? Pff!

For those of you concerned for the growing incursion of so called AI, I say fear not! How can I refute the pundits so easily ? Simply, with two examples of the irrational behaviour of technology.

Early this week, a ‘voice over agency’ proudly announced that their ultra – sophisticated algorithms had found some work which correlated directly with my profile. You may ask ‘what was this passport to fame and fortune?’

Well, ‘voiceover needed‘ – good start! And …..young, female Oriental origin .. hmmm. You see my point, but the final nail in the AI threat’s coffin was yet to come.

Spotify enables you to access zillions of tracks. It also prides itself on being able to suggest music that will appeal to the listener. So while I was washing up after dinner, I was listening to Ron Sexsmith and Kings of Convenience. Suddenly I heard something that did not fit with these artists nor with my taste – Michael sodding Buble! I rest my case, sleep easy, my friends.