My 21 year old daughter hates technology because it makes her an anxious wreck. She prefers the clickity clack of a good old reliable typewriter. I too, prefer the lull hum of an old Panasonic. I miss the era of accomplishment when everything isn’t absolutely perfect and done for you. It has gotten so bad, we’ve forgotten how to think. In my humble opinion. 😔
I love that your daughter is like this! I think there's actually quite a few people in the Gen Z generation who are anti-tech. They've seen a lot of what it has done to their peers, etc, and they're understandably wary!
I felt compelled to comment because of typewriters. ❤️❤️❤️There’s a sweet little bookstore in Westchester County NY that sells vintage typewriters and around my birthday, I decided to go check them out. I’m a super typist and got my first manual typewriter as a teenager. It came in a case and I carried that (monster) up and down the 3 blocks between my house and my great-grandmother’s all summer long. I loved that thing. When I graduated to an electric typewriter, I loved that too.
But a manual? That would be so cool, right? So I went to the bookstore last summer to try them out, determined to come home with one. And...
...I couldn’t use it! My hands, my fingers were, shall I say, weak? I am at a keyboard all day every day, typing away, but the strength needed to pound keys on a manual typewriter has been lost.
I could type with my index finger, of course, but that isn’t what I wanted to do. I wanted my hands on keys, the ding/slide you mentioned above (I actual read that but aloud a few times over and smiled)...
I stood at the display (so cool, about 10 typewriters each on a lighted shelf) thinking about finger exercises. Could I get them stronger? I could get one of those squeeze things, right? Hmmm....
Needless to say I didn’t drop the few hundred dollars on a pretty typewriter. It made me sad to walk away.
I think the AI business is going to ruin many things. That eye contact button IS creepy. Losing the ums and pauses is too. Filters for faces = ubiquitous and cringy. Even that bit about listening 1.5-2% faster, even that is sad. It’s like we’re changing real life into... what exactly? And we’ll become more dependent on computers, talking to bots instead of people... I’d rather talk to a potentially tired customer service agent and worm my way to a potentially successful result than ‘talk’ at a perky bot who can’t deal with the nuances of human conversation. The idea of deep fakes hurts my soul.
And the loss of jobs haunts me. There are many countries where people have no work. Do we really want that here, in the name of... efficiency? In the name of Profit (for a few)?
It’s happening all around us and there’s really not a thing we can do to stop it. It’s done. It’s out of our hands.
And you know how you mentioned computer glitches? How about when you just can’t connect to the internet? How will any of this work? Self-driving trucks?
What happens if we lose technology at some point in the far future and the generations who are left don’t know how to do a blessed thing because we AI’d skills out of existence but the AI can’t work because there’s no electricity?
It’s like that microwave. I have one and use it too, but I also can cook and bake. What happens when people don’t know how to cook and bake themselves?
Oof, now I’m on a rant, sitting on the side of my bed in the dark still, ha! Must get up, on to my computer job! 😵💫
Thanks for reading and commenting Elle! Well, I hadn't thought of the strength component required for typewriting, but it's so true! We actually have a very old antique typewriter (it's totally unusable - just for decoration) and my toddler loves to bang on it - it's actually how she learned her ABCs!
The entire AI issue can sends me spiraling.. I only pray we have enough sense to take a step back on much of this before the whole world is in an existential crisis and out of work. But I'm afraid it may be too little too late.
My thoughts & feelings exactly! I do plan investing in an electric typewriter someday soon. My daughter wants a manual. Even the electric ones are too “techy” for her. 😂
I relate to a lot of this in my editing work - of course there are so many programmes that can do a decent-ish job of editing now, and a lot of the manual approach is quite “boring”. But I actually love deciding whether to add in a comma here, whether to move an adjective there, whether to rephrase something to be more “correct” or leave it in order to retain more of the author’s own voice.
For now, there are still plenty of people who see the value of having an actual human handle their words and their work, but at the end of the day, time and cost reductions will significantly undercut the work I do.
Your reflection on the wool waulking makes me think about the relationships I’ve formed through editing. It’s quite an intimate process that requires a lot of collaboration with the writer, and you become quite well acquainted with them. I had one client who went through joyfully discovering she was pregnant, then losing that baby, then getting pregnant again, while I was editing her work. In between exchanges about her overuse of definite articles and where I might be able to cut a few hundred words, I commiserated and rejoiced with her as she went through these major life events.
AI doesn’t care if you just got a positive pregnancy test or are going through a miscarriage.
Very true, Gina. Especially with something like editing (or making a podcast) which is really all about human creation for human engagement etc. to take the human part out of the construction of it all feels.. odd - and the loss of relationships during this whole process is inevitable, and such a sad aspect of an already very lonely age.
As a parent carer much of my work in the home is very physical - carrying things, wiping, cleaning, hugging, dressing, washing etc. But it's alone without the fun and ritual of communal work. It's also too easy to see this repetitive work as mundane and taking me away from more productive and creative pursuits. This essay has got me thinking about how to put some joy back in, to honour these tasks and maybe institute some ritual too! Thank you.
I think you hit on something here Faith. that "it's alone without the fun and ritual of communal work." I feel this way at home with my kids sometimes. I'm always amazed the difference when someone else is home - even if I'm still doing all the work, even if they're just there sipping tea or chatting while I do something with the kids, it makes ALL the difference. We're not meant to be doing this alone!
This was such a good read - one I'm saving so I can return back to it. It's given me words to thoughts I have about AI. As a photographer, I really really dislike AI 'photos' - there's always something off about them. And any mention AI just makes me cringe on the inside. I just don't like it. I also prefer podcasts that are more human and not over edited!
"With one click, the entire transcript (and the attached audio) will have all ums and ahs and hesitations removed" I HAVE BEEN WONDERING WHY SOME PODCASTS SOUND SO WEIRD! I'm like "these people never make any mistakes or pauses, how are they so perfect and why am I always slightly annoyed listening to these certain podcasts?" You've lifted the veil!
Also, your attachment to your old software reminds me of the aging process. I took it for granted that we were learning all the new technology as we were younger and growing up. Then I entered teaching and saw older teachers being super closed off and frustrated by new tech, and I kind of had an arrogance about it. But now that I'm getting older and new programs are coming out and I'm not keeping up, I can understand and relate to their frustration much better!
Yes there's so much AI editing going on behind the scenes, it's crazy. Once you know to listen for it though you won't be able to unhear it! I guess I'm getting into my old-fuddy-duddy years ha, I really just don't WANT to learn any new tech!
I think people will still be needed because software struggles with homophones, neologisms etc! I see it all the time on YouTube and Netflix.
I was watching Encanto with subtitles and one of the Spanish songs had the lyrics “with feeling” (con sentimiento) and they translated it as “with consent” because consentimiento (one word) means exactly that haha.
I think for the moment human 'editors' will be needed (I would never turn in the initial Descript transcription to a client - I would of course go through and edit names, misspelling, grammar, etc.) but I think it's only a matter of time before the technology gets to the point of not even needing the human editor.
"Things are made much faster now.
But there are no more songs."
That right there is a whole damn sermon.
My 21 year old daughter hates technology because it makes her an anxious wreck. She prefers the clickity clack of a good old reliable typewriter. I too, prefer the lull hum of an old Panasonic. I miss the era of accomplishment when everything isn’t absolutely perfect and done for you. It has gotten so bad, we’ve forgotten how to think. In my humble opinion. 😔
I love that your daughter is like this! I think there's actually quite a few people in the Gen Z generation who are anti-tech. They've seen a lot of what it has done to their peers, etc, and they're understandably wary!
Great essay!!
I felt compelled to comment because of typewriters. ❤️❤️❤️There’s a sweet little bookstore in Westchester County NY that sells vintage typewriters and around my birthday, I decided to go check them out. I’m a super typist and got my first manual typewriter as a teenager. It came in a case and I carried that (monster) up and down the 3 blocks between my house and my great-grandmother’s all summer long. I loved that thing. When I graduated to an electric typewriter, I loved that too.
But a manual? That would be so cool, right? So I went to the bookstore last summer to try them out, determined to come home with one. And...
...I couldn’t use it! My hands, my fingers were, shall I say, weak? I am at a keyboard all day every day, typing away, but the strength needed to pound keys on a manual typewriter has been lost.
I could type with my index finger, of course, but that isn’t what I wanted to do. I wanted my hands on keys, the ding/slide you mentioned above (I actual read that but aloud a few times over and smiled)...
I stood at the display (so cool, about 10 typewriters each on a lighted shelf) thinking about finger exercises. Could I get them stronger? I could get one of those squeeze things, right? Hmmm....
Needless to say I didn’t drop the few hundred dollars on a pretty typewriter. It made me sad to walk away.
I think the AI business is going to ruin many things. That eye contact button IS creepy. Losing the ums and pauses is too. Filters for faces = ubiquitous and cringy. Even that bit about listening 1.5-2% faster, even that is sad. It’s like we’re changing real life into... what exactly? And we’ll become more dependent on computers, talking to bots instead of people... I’d rather talk to a potentially tired customer service agent and worm my way to a potentially successful result than ‘talk’ at a perky bot who can’t deal with the nuances of human conversation. The idea of deep fakes hurts my soul.
And the loss of jobs haunts me. There are many countries where people have no work. Do we really want that here, in the name of... efficiency? In the name of Profit (for a few)?
It’s happening all around us and there’s really not a thing we can do to stop it. It’s done. It’s out of our hands.
And you know how you mentioned computer glitches? How about when you just can’t connect to the internet? How will any of this work? Self-driving trucks?
What happens if we lose technology at some point in the far future and the generations who are left don’t know how to do a blessed thing because we AI’d skills out of existence but the AI can’t work because there’s no electricity?
It’s like that microwave. I have one and use it too, but I also can cook and bake. What happens when people don’t know how to cook and bake themselves?
Oof, now I’m on a rant, sitting on the side of my bed in the dark still, ha! Must get up, on to my computer job! 😵💫
Thanks for reading and commenting Elle! Well, I hadn't thought of the strength component required for typewriting, but it's so true! We actually have a very old antique typewriter (it's totally unusable - just for decoration) and my toddler loves to bang on it - it's actually how she learned her ABCs!
The entire AI issue can sends me spiraling.. I only pray we have enough sense to take a step back on much of this before the whole world is in an existential crisis and out of work. But I'm afraid it may be too little too late.
My thoughts & feelings exactly! I do plan investing in an electric typewriter someday soon. My daughter wants a manual. Even the electric ones are too “techy” for her. 😂
A girl after my own heart! (Though I do like my laptop ❤️)
I relate to a lot of this in my editing work - of course there are so many programmes that can do a decent-ish job of editing now, and a lot of the manual approach is quite “boring”. But I actually love deciding whether to add in a comma here, whether to move an adjective there, whether to rephrase something to be more “correct” or leave it in order to retain more of the author’s own voice.
For now, there are still plenty of people who see the value of having an actual human handle their words and their work, but at the end of the day, time and cost reductions will significantly undercut the work I do.
Your reflection on the wool waulking makes me think about the relationships I’ve formed through editing. It’s quite an intimate process that requires a lot of collaboration with the writer, and you become quite well acquainted with them. I had one client who went through joyfully discovering she was pregnant, then losing that baby, then getting pregnant again, while I was editing her work. In between exchanges about her overuse of definite articles and where I might be able to cut a few hundred words, I commiserated and rejoiced with her as she went through these major life events.
AI doesn’t care if you just got a positive pregnancy test or are going through a miscarriage.
Very true, Gina. Especially with something like editing (or making a podcast) which is really all about human creation for human engagement etc. to take the human part out of the construction of it all feels.. odd - and the loss of relationships during this whole process is inevitable, and such a sad aspect of an already very lonely age.
As a parent carer much of my work in the home is very physical - carrying things, wiping, cleaning, hugging, dressing, washing etc. But it's alone without the fun and ritual of communal work. It's also too easy to see this repetitive work as mundane and taking me away from more productive and creative pursuits. This essay has got me thinking about how to put some joy back in, to honour these tasks and maybe institute some ritual too! Thank you.
I think you hit on something here Faith. that "it's alone without the fun and ritual of communal work." I feel this way at home with my kids sometimes. I'm always amazed the difference when someone else is home - even if I'm still doing all the work, even if they're just there sipping tea or chatting while I do something with the kids, it makes ALL the difference. We're not meant to be doing this alone!
Lore Pemberton is my best friend’s sister. I grew up with her =) So lovely to see her work here.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this. They resonate deeply with me.
I remember you commenting that the last time I posted her work, Ashley! :) If you see her, tell her I'm a superfan and want her on the podcast ;)
Oh, I sure will!
This was such a good read - one I'm saving so I can return back to it. It's given me words to thoughts I have about AI. As a photographer, I really really dislike AI 'photos' - there's always something off about them. And any mention AI just makes me cringe on the inside. I just don't like it. I also prefer podcasts that are more human and not over edited!
"With one click, the entire transcript (and the attached audio) will have all ums and ahs and hesitations removed" I HAVE BEEN WONDERING WHY SOME PODCASTS SOUND SO WEIRD! I'm like "these people never make any mistakes or pauses, how are they so perfect and why am I always slightly annoyed listening to these certain podcasts?" You've lifted the veil!
Also, your attachment to your old software reminds me of the aging process. I took it for granted that we were learning all the new technology as we were younger and growing up. Then I entered teaching and saw older teachers being super closed off and frustrated by new tech, and I kind of had an arrogance about it. But now that I'm getting older and new programs are coming out and I'm not keeping up, I can understand and relate to their frustration much better!
Yes there's so much AI editing going on behind the scenes, it's crazy. Once you know to listen for it though you won't be able to unhear it! I guess I'm getting into my old-fuddy-duddy years ha, I really just don't WANT to learn any new tech!
I think people will still be needed because software struggles with homophones, neologisms etc! I see it all the time on YouTube and Netflix.
I was watching Encanto with subtitles and one of the Spanish songs had the lyrics “with feeling” (con sentimiento) and they translated it as “with consent” because consentimiento (one word) means exactly that haha.
I think for the moment human 'editors' will be needed (I would never turn in the initial Descript transcription to a client - I would of course go through and edit names, misspelling, grammar, etc.) but I think it's only a matter of time before the technology gets to the point of not even needing the human editor.