Well, well, well, Brother Roland Parks must be feeling tingly all over for being maybe the first to acquaint Belize with the tremendous work of Belizean-American genius, Andre Gray. In an article Roland wrote some years ago in the Amandala, he listed all the great man’s inventions and recognitions. A 2016 Amandala story said Gray was the recipient of the highly prestigious Johannes Gutenberg Inventor Prize in 2002 because he, “through his revolutionary inventions, has single-handedly left a profound global digital imprint of unequal seismic effect.”
What Mr. Gray did and is doing is just awesome. And to multiply his gifts, he is a believer in sharing the wealth. Gray told the Los Angeles Tribune that he shared the same view about money as another inventor giant, Nikola Tesla, who believed his genius was for the world, not for him to get rich.
Da brother’s a true Christian, like Jonas Salk who did not patent his polio vaccine. Who says you have to be far right to do great things? Many are driven by what they’re doing, and also by thankfulness to God for their wonderful blessings.
Those who made a mint off Gray and others’ inventions should follow in those big footsteps. Spread it. They should be sponsoring projects that can bring out the talent in other youngsters here. We might not have another Andre Gray at the moment, but we have no shortage of gifted young people.
Don’t follow the leaders
I have no complaints about the things the PM said the last time he met with our media, but because he was without the primary battle gear for this big war that has been upon us since March/April last year, I have to pull out my demerits book. Damas y caballeros de Belize, isn’t there a mask mandate in this country which says thou shalt not appear in a public place bayr-faced? Hn, even if there isn’t one, I have to feel that our leaders should make the sacrifice and mask down.
I bet all the eager reporters had on theirs, but they aren’t the rich and famous, so the odds are they were protected by dala masks, the kind that are reasonably good at keeping the exhaled air close to your face, and terrible at sifting out the virus from air you inhale.
I think many people are placing too much faith in corona tests. In this 2021 world, someone telling you they are proven by test to be corona-free is not pure gold. Maybe a test is accurate for AIDS, but that would only be up to the date of the last test, if you haven’t been about. This virus is novel, and the tests are not yet true gold standard.
Whoa there, I said “leaders,” because to my dismay, my area rep, Julius, also spoke to the reporters, sin mascarilla facial. Why did he forget his shield? Maybe it was the excitement over the whopping grand occasion: handing over the keys to new homes. For women especially, getting the keys to their own home must be as exciting as a naked soldier crab finding a suitable shell. Without doubt, it is a great thing for all to have a home when they are old, or have children.
Thinking on the magnitude of the occasion, the PM must have been overcome with beautiful emotions too. But he and my area rep are not excused for going to town without their masks.
My dear friends, our respected leaders, keep your air to yourself, please!
Artificial intelligence – nada in it for us
The most memorable moment for me in the movie, King Solomon’s Mines, is when two rival tribal chiefs battled for supremacy. Their warriors stood aside as they fought, and the victor walked away with all the marbles. No, I don’t remember if the loser died in battle or just submitted. I don’t remember the logistics of the victorious chief becoming the leader of two tribes either. Maybe the movie didn’t address that, the heroes of the show just being on their way to pillage Solomon’s Mines.
We are still in the grip of the Covid-19 pandemic, hopefully it will be over soon, and my mind was running this morning on what will be the next threat, after we get through this one, and my focus landed on a surging old enemy, artificial intelligence. That’s a field that’s so not my world. I think man’s greatest inventions are the boat, the sail, the thatched roof, the hammock, the faiyahaat, seasoning for the food and fermenting of the sugarcane.
It’s not my world, and in this world that’s not mine, this artificial intelligence is increasing its role seems like every day. The first time I met this beast consciously was in a chess game. I got wap at the level just above neophyte. I have no ego in cerebral games; the hurt there when I lose is no worse than if I was vanquished at Ludo, gobbled up by Snakes and Ladders, or stumped at Chinese checkers.
For camaraderie I play most of the cerebral games – chess, all games of checkers, dominoes, and cards — none very well. There are some cerebral games that I don’t like ataal. If you want to ruin my day, give me a riddle. Aagh! I don’t do math teasers either. Maybe I would be enthusiastic about cerebral games if I was shown that they could help my mind get rid of demons, and they could help me think through problems that matter to people who aren’t rich.
This artificial intelligence has important applications, such as helping doctors with delicate surgical procedures and performing dangerous tasks in nuclear plants, and for those people who are fascinated with space travel they have readymade men, intelligent robots to do the exploratory work. Sorry, monkeys, but they could take a few of you, in case there is life on these near planets. If there are meat- eating gorillas out there, they can have you for supper, or if there are microbes that could be dangerous to us, we’ll know, when they hit you, our guinea pigs.
I don’t think artificial intelligence has anything special in store for people who aren’t rich. These robots aren’t coming to make people have more time so they can learn how to draw, or play an instrument; they are coming to displace people. Will this artificial intelligence do the work of people or take away people’s jobs? Will the US and Russia and China send their robots to the battlefield, and will the one whose robots lose become servants of the winners?
It could work for us if governments woke up to the fact that they are responsible for all their citizens, even the lazy ones, and ensured that the benefits accrued for the many, not the few. Bah, we know this world too well. It’s incredible how people just want to take the money and run.
Bye, Miss Myrna
Belize lost a lot of history and flavor when Miss Myrna Manzanares died this week. My condolences to her close family and all her friends. Apart from her giant contributions to the arts, and her writing, she did tremendous work with the Kriol Kongsyl and was a great resource for the essential Kriol Dikshineri.
Merry Krismos
It’s Krismos time again…for those who are feeling it, bully for you, and for those of us who aren’t, we have a little work to do. Hey, if you’re not feeling all that well, do, try and remember the best Krismos you ever had. Don’t be vomiting up any old pain or disappointment; we’ve all had our share of that. Try and think of the time your parents or guardians got it right. Yaa, think of the time you hit the homerun…a wonderful and safe Krismos to all!