Gospel music, poetry, and computers
Analysis and Opinion
By Joe America
What is to become of our souls when AI has dried everything up and rendered our world oddly empty, full of data yet so so dead?
Can you imagine? Readers are dying off. Now we have gamers and oglers, people peering into video windows that others open by sensationalizing everything. Beliefs are facts for most, and conspiracy theories are knowledge. How else did America go so bad so fast?
I hope the Black churches in America keep rockin’ the Lord with gospel music that is the heart of the blues and by extension folk, bluegrass, country, and rock. They are islands of humanity in a world paved over with the concrete of digitized thought. I hope the Catholic Church of the Philippines doubles down on its prayers and singing and rites that force us to appreciate suffering as a blessing, as long as there’s not too much of the stuff.
I hope fiestas remain what they are today. People enjoying people. Computers should be banned by local law during these precious parties. Boy Scouts should be able to get cock fight merit badges. Street dancing should be required in high school instead of ROTC. There should be poetry reading contests and slow dancing in the moonlight. Let us see, touch, feel, and converse with one another and get the computers out of our eyeballs and brains.
I love poetry, and have penned more than a few lines myself over the years. Why do you think I’m in the Philippines? Because my soul cries out for meaning. For feelings, for hope, for recognition of the trials we face for being human, with conscience and calculation.
AI can pen the words and rhymes of a poem, but the computers can never know what the feelings feel like.
The greatest American musician in my book is Joni Mitchel. She understood so much and put her heart into poems that whipped into the air on notes that copied no other human. Exquisite. She lived the hedonist years of Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles along with several dozen eventually famous singers and songwriters. Drugs and sex and occasionally love, why not? How else do poets find material?
If you did it right, you came out the other side sane and healthy and rich. Many didn’t make it.
Now we are being shoved into an intellectual desert so bare that not even logic lives there. Just influence and power games and the obnoxious interpersonal skills of the gamers.
I’m not going there.
My commitment is to the humanity that preserves our compassion and laughter, and love. Computers are just devices helpful for peeling intellectual onions.
I refused to be owned by an onion peeler.
Give me real tears from the heart, not chemical juice. Give me laughter, give me hope.
__________________________
Cover photo from express.co.uk article “Avoid crying when cutting onions using simple knife ‘trick’ – ‘it’s crucial!'” Do note that this web site is one of those ad pusher sites, a representation of marketing to our curious tendencies. They make my skin crawl. So crass.
The Society of Honor by Joe America 
I don’t like AI Joeam. To me, it is fake and exaggerated. No emotions there, just displaying something probably nice to see by other people, they think it is wonderful. They can’t distinguish what is true and filtered. I read a lot and I love poetry especially Mary Oliver’s works.
I think it is a useful tool but we haven’t really had time to understand how it will reshape the economy and jobs, or our psychological well-being. But you have found the answer as to how to manage it. Remain human.
Hi, Arlene:
I share your sentiment about AI, but like Joe, it has it’s uses. For example, I gave this prompt to ChatGPT (the free version):
“Search and give me prioritized websites of a blog by John Abracadabra (name spelling may be wrong) who writes about the Philippines, generating very informative, interesting commentaries.”
ChatGPT said:
Based on your description, it appears you’re seeking a blog authored by someone named John (possibly with a surname resembling “Abracadabra”) who provides insightful and engaging commentaries on the Philippines. While the exact match is elusive, here are some notable blogs that align closely with your criteria:
Travels on Abracadabra
Sacramento, CA
A travel blog that chronicles experiences in various locations, including the Philippines. The author shares thoughtful narratives and reflections on cultural and social aspects encountered during travels.
travelsonabracadabra.blogspot.com
Philippine Commentary
Makati, Philippines
Authored by DJB, this blog offers in-depth analyses on Philippine politics, education, and society, featuring well-researched and articulate posts.
philippinecommentary.blogspot.com
John in Baguio
Baguio, Philippines
John Feldman shares his experiences and observations after relocating from the USA to the Philippines, providing personal narratives and cultural insights.
John In Cebu And Bag
If none of these blogs match the one you’re recalling, could you provide additional details? For instance, specific topics covered, writing style, or any memorable posts. This information could help in narrowing down the search to find the exact blog you’re referring to.
I THEN GAVE ANOTHER PROMPT
Try Joe
ChatGPT said:
Based on your refined query, it seems you’re referring to Joe America, the pseudonymous author of The Society of Honor, a prominent blog offering insightful and thought-provoking commentaries on the Philippines. Joe America, an American expatriate residing in the Philippines, delves into various facets of Filipino society, politics, and culture through his writings.
📰 Notable Articles
Is Sara smarter than Yellows, Pinks, and Left put together?
An analysis of Vice President Sara Duterte’s political strategies and their implications for Philippine politics.
The fight over sex education in the Philippines
A discussion on the controversies surrounding sex education in the country, highlighting societal and religious influences.
Praise the Philippines for a change
An article encouraging recognition of the positive aspects and achievements within Filipino society.
We need Filipino intellectuals
A call to action for the emergence and support of intellectual discourse in the Philippines.
Joe America’s blog is recognized for its in-depth analyses and engaging discussions, often featuring contributions from other writers and an active comment section that fosters community dialogue. His work has been acknowledged in various platforms, including a feature in Philstar.com: Meet Joe America.
If you’re interested in exploring more of his writings or specific topics he has covered, feel free to ask!
Give the same initial prompt to Google and you get nowhere to getting Joeam’s blog. In the ChatGPT, My second prompt in ChatGPT, “Try Joe” yielded quickly what I was looking for.
Try Deep Seek next, haha. Find the Chinese computer’s view of this Joe fellow.
The term “juke joint” likely originated from the Gullah word “juke” or “joog,” meaning disorderly or wicked. This word is believed to have West African roots, possibly from the Wolof word “dzug” and a Banbara word “jugu” meaning wicked, violent, or a naughty person. meaning to misconduct oneself.Juke joints were informal establishments, often in rural areas, where people could socialize, drink, and dance to live music, especially blues. — from A.I. Google
Very timely.
I just saw Sinners (written directed by Ryan Coogler ) , Joe.
I think Coogler meant it as fable for the entertainment industry (film & music) but similar to A.I. essentially you’re beset by a system that you really have no power against, so either you join it (“Stack” Elias & Mary). Jordan plays Elijah and Elias (twins) but Elias is actually just Greek of the Hebrew name Elijah. OR you just become more human. which is exactly what you’re espousing , Joe.
But Coogler’s movie has a different take on it. and it all centers around the Juke Joint and music and dancing and merriment and debauchery and imbibement. i was shocked how much mention of cunnilingus there was thru out the movie– knowing full well this is close to taboo amongst blacks.
See that’s because juke (which later evolved into the juke box) is all about performing the very human act that usually gets constrained. There was something similar in (I believe) Matrix part II in which a bunch of the humans descended farther down into a sacred cave and danced as a form of protest but mostly like an orgy, just to express humany’s worst and best. exchanging bodily fluids.
Which returns us to Mango Ave. but I’ll stop there and not go any further. but when I watched Sinners, it made me feel good about my Mango Ave. experience. like we’re supposed to sin. and by sinning thats how we fight or simply live thru what’s impending. hence Juke Joint.
Which bring us to the French sociologist Jean Baudrillard :
“This is the Fourth World. Entire sectors of our modern societies, entire countries in the Third World now fall into this Fourth World desert zone. But whereas the Third World still had a political meaning (even if it was a resounding world-wide failure), the Fourth World has none. It is transpolitical. This is a result of our societies withdrawing political interest, of our advanced societies withdrawing social interest. . . . The social order is contracting to include only economic exchange, technology, the sophisticated and innovative; as it intensifies these sectors, entire zones are “disintensified,” becoming reservations, and sometimes not even that: dumping grounds, wastelands, new deserts for the new poor, like the deserts you see forming around nuclear power stations or motorways.”
Jean Baudrillard, “The Matrix Revisited,” in The Conspiracy of Art: Manifestos, Interviews, Essays, trans. Ames Hodges (New York: Semiotext(e), 2005)
https://americanaffairsjournal.org/2018/05/baudrillards-revenge/
trivia:
In early 2022, Ryan Coogler, director of “Black Panther,” was briefly detained by police in Atlanta after being mistaken for a bank robber at a Bank of America branch. He was trying to withdraw $12,000 from his account and wrote a note to the teller requesting discretion. The teller, concerned by the amount and the note, reported the situation to her manager, who then called the police. Coogler was handcuffed and detained until his identity could be verified.
That money was payment to their Filipina yaya. Who only takes cash. Which I’m assuming is TNT.
Ryan Coogler’s wife, Zinzi Evans, is half African American/Filipina. They have been together since high school and were married in 2016.
“Exquisite. She lived the hedonist years of Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles along with several dozen eventually famous singers and songwriters. Drugs and sex and occasionally love, why not? How else do poets find material?”
from AI: The song originated from a domestic event that took place while Graham Nash was living with Joni Mitchell (and her two cats) in her house in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, after they had gone out for breakfast and had bought an inexpensive vase on Ventura Boulevard. Nash wrote the song in an hour, on Mitchell’s piano.
[Verse 1]
I’ll light the fire
You place the flowers in the vase
That you bought today
[Verse 2]
Staring at the fire
For hours and hours while I listen to you
Play your love songs all night long
For me, only for me
[Verse 3]
Come to me now
And rest your head for just five minutes
Everything is done
[Verse 4]
Such a cozy room
The windows are illuminated by the evening
Sunshine through them, fiery gems
For you, only for you
===
That’s one of my favor songs, Joe. of all time. I first heard it sung on Mango Ave KTV bar. actually i was familiar with it as a tv commercial jingle (our house is a very very find house… ), but it wasn’t until Cebu that I heard the whole song in its proper context. needless to say, I barfined said GRO. and we both enjoyed some loving that nite.
Ha, I’m happy for your musical taste and simple, but quite meaningful, love life. lol
Sounds like a movie worth seeing for the challenges to conventional living. I’m not sure total hedonism is the route to take. Camping in northern Canada could work. But a little hedonism enters many lives, kills a bunch, causes a lot of suffering, and gives some people meaning as to who they are. I avoid conspiracy theories and sensationalism vendors, and expect to continue to watch others from a distance.
here’s more on Jean Baudrillard as Notebook LM podcast:
https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/effd5cb7-e8e1-44c9-9bbe-af7bd5bf2725/audio (just learned about him on Twitter, PhD Twitter loves this guy)
per isk’s recommendation i looked into Bonn Hornilla asked Notebook LM to watch the latest youtube video (Linya-Linya channel) and summarized here (i told it to cut to 300 words it was much longer):
“Carlo Bonn Hornilla is a spoken word artist known for his viral online performances and appearances at pink rallies, including introducing former VP Leni Robredo. Originally from Batangas, he is currently in South Korea working as a quality inspector in a ballpen factory, a job part of a program addressing labor shortages. He views this as a temporary “time skip” to return stronger.
Carlo’s writing started in rural Batangas, heavily influenced by reading his mother’s Precious Hearts Romance pocketbooks as a child. This sparked his desire to tell stories and contributed to the emotional depth (“hugot”) in his work. He pursued writing in school and studied Journalism.
His entry into spoken word around age 21-22 came while working in a “soul draining” call center. Inspired by videos of Juan Miguel Severo. and old-school rap, he began writing monologues for theatre artists. Encouraged to perform himself, he found a connection with the audience that his call center job lacked.
Initially focused on love, his themes shifted after hearing a piece on “desaparesidos” at an open mic, prompting him to address social issues. Now, he incorporates social commentary, aiming to inform the audience. His socially conscious art sometimes receives negative online reactions, but he believes it can positively impact individuals.
Currently overseas, his contribution includes being a guide and role model for younger activists from the campaign, offering feedback and a straightforward example. He has an upcoming book and is on Facebook. For the episode, he performed a piece using a boat metaphor discussing societal division and affirming the West Philippine Sea belongs to Filipino fishermen.”
here’s the English translation per Notebook LM:
I don’t know if Joey would know her but there was a poet who taught at UC Berkeley around the time he attended her names June Jordan and that was her thing spoken word. and her whole premise was that everyone all were poets.
I caught a PBS documentary of her and the students she touched. thought she was great. here are bits and pieces about her compiled from online:
“Jordan died of breast cancer at her home in Berkeley, California, on June 14, 2002, aged 65. Shortly before her death, she completed Some of Us Did Not Die, her seventh collection of political essays (and 27th book). It was published posthumously.
At the University of California, Berkeley, Jordan founded and directed the popular Poetry for the People course, which enrolled 150 students each year for studying and writing poetry. According to fellow writer Ishmael Reed of the Department of English, Jordan was “one of the most popular professors on campus. Like a Renaissance master, she had more than a following. She had a school. For her, every student was a star.” Poetry for the People spawned workshops in area schools, congregations, and correctional facilities. She received the Chancellor’s Distinguished Lectureship, the Chancellor’s Recognition for Community Partnership, and the Berkeley Citation.
Born in Harlem to immigrants from Jamaica, Jordan grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, New York. She attended Barnard College and the University of Chicago, though she never earned a degree. Beginning in 1967, she taught English and literature, fighting for the inclusion of Black and Third World studies in college curricula and advocating acceptance of Black English. She taught at the City College of New York, Sarah Lawrence College, and Yale University before joining the faculty of the departments of English, Women’s Studies, and African American Studies at UC Berkeley in 1986.
Distinguishing itself in its persistent call for freedom, June Jordan’s politically engaged work exemplifies, in her own terms, “The Difficult Miracle of Black Poetry in America.” Whether she addresses questions of writing, language, gender, sexuality, family conflict, social ailment, or domestic and international affairs, June Jordan would not let us turn a blind eye to the underlying connections that link all struggles of liberation across their differences.”
===
To connect it back to Jean Baudrillard and his 4th World (which I really like this idea cuz am a fan of 3rd World), seems this world’s antidote is more June Jordans.
isk, do you have any more poets and or song writers? more poems more songs!!!
Let us see what our 20th century Nostradamuses got right and got wrong then we will go from there.
Sure! Here’s a quick overview of the hits and misses of John Naisbitt and Alvin Toffler, two influential futurists and social theorists famous for their work on societal trends and future studies: John Naisbitt
Known for: Megatrends (1982), where he identified major social, economic, and technological trends shaping the future. Hits (Accurate Predictions / Insights):
Shift from industrial to information society: Naisbitt correctly foresaw the rise of information technology and the decline of heavy manufacturing in developed economies.
Globalization: He predicted increasing interconnection and interdependence of global economies.
Decentralization: He identified the trend toward decentralized organizations, flexible work environments, and local decision-making.
Importance of high-tech and high-touch: He highlighted the balance between advancing technology and human values, a still-relevant insight today.
Misses (Less Accurate or Overstated Predictions):
Over-optimism on information society impact: Some of his predictions about the social impact of information technology were too optimistic, underestimating digital divides and privacy concerns.
Some trends were too US-centric: His analysis sometimes lacked nuance for different global contexts.
Underestimation of environmental challenges: While touching on sustainability, his early works didn’t fully anticipate the scale of environmental crises we face now.
Alvin Toffler
Known for: Future Shock (1970), The Third Wave (1980), and Powershift (1990), where he explored rapid societal change and the transition through different societal “waves.” Hits:
Future Shock concept: Toffler accurately described the psychological stress caused by rapid technological and social changes.
The Third Wave: His framework of society evolving through agricultural, industrial, and post-industrial (information) waves remains influential.
Technological acceleration: He foresaw rapid tech advancement fundamentally reshaping society.
Knowledge as power: He correctly identified knowledge and information as central sources of power in the new era.
Misses:
Overestimation of pace of change: Some critics say Toffler overemphasized the speed and impact of societal transformations.
Technological determinism: At times, his work gave tech too much primacy over social, political, and economic factors.
Limited focus on inequalities: While highlighting change, he sometimes overlooked how unevenly its benefits and disruptions were distributed.
Less accurate geopolitical forecasts: Some geopolitical predictions, like the decline of nation-states, haven’t fully materialized as he envisioned.
If you want, I can also provide examples of their specific predictions or explore their works in more detail!
=====
I am more concerned that the misses of Toffler will turn to considerable hits or bullseye namely the pace of change, technological determinism, and the decline of nation states.
Yes, spoken word poetry is still alive. Adik- Ampalaya Monologues video had 2.2 million views (YouTube) .
Carlo Bonn Hornilla has a funny and magnificent talent in spoken word poetry.
Terrific! Good to know.
I asked Notebook LM to watch his most recent interview on youtube , all in Tagalog, and here’s the podcast it produced on Hornilla, Joe:
https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/980cdd9e-cb21-4bee-9c9a-b8d2b8a34f79/audio (that’s pretty good listening!!!)
Beauty
indeed the lament of the living, breathing, feeling, aging, dying, seeking solace, mercy, succor, empathy, warmth, love, anger, disgust, reconciliation, heavenly orgasm etc. Can a machine ever experience such feelings, express those moments of ecstasy and agony of being alive? But the stone before have gone a long way, through human intervention, such utter deadness have attained a level of artificial intelligence now being mistaken by deadbeat human beings as alive? Merde!
Nice poetry, fox. I’m glad you see the problem so clearly, and hammer it so expressively. Wonderful.
People must still be taught to write Gospel Music, Poetry, Essays, Creative and Technical writing now and forever.
On a side note though Microsoft and perhaps othersrs fired their AI teams, Iam sure they will hire them back.
I am actually afraid for my son? He is a Computer Science freshman. But he told me he can shift if he there will no coding jobs left.
I think the next generation of graduates will not have many jobs waiting. JoeJr wants to go into finance and economics. He is aware that computers will be dominant, but someone must run them and make risk decisions. He is also has music skills, so he will have options.
Wish we’d limit copy-pasting AI outputs here so much. It’s starting to take up entire threads. As a technologist I don’t consider AI to have any useful information. After all, if it is posted in passing fancy it’s not information that will stick with us. If it even is good information to begin with. Text walls are also intimidating to quiet posters, even more so if they need to wade through a wall of mostly irrelevant information. What we share here should be from experience and from the heart, because if AI can fix the world then let’s all stop what we’re doing now.
I agree. From the editorial perspective of generating discussion, we move too far away from human ingenuity and experience, and readability.
I sometimes wonder to what extent I am human and to what extent I am AI.
Almost Philip K Dick reflections. 😔
As a poor kid, my constant childhood companions were books, including the early sci-fi writers. What’s important to take from their writings is that it was often an allegory into the meaning of our humanity. Just like how teachers nowadays often show films in class rather than assigning the book the film was based on, the original meaning may get lost in translation during the medium change. Films like Bladerunner and its sequel which hew closely to the original intent often don’t do that well at the box office. People’s minds are dumbed down to the primal titillation provided by action sequences.
ahem, the film takes only about 1hr and 30minutes to watch and you get the layout of the story, whereas the book takes hours, days and sometimes weeks to finish reading. time that not everyone has.
yes, I can understand why teachers prefers showing films than have students read books. teachers are pressed for time, students as well, they cannot be pouring over books when there is an easier way: work smarter not harder.
If the bar to encourage critical thinking for students is set that low then well, that’s how emotionally illiterate and mentally stunted adults are created.
it is like manual cars, then we have automatic cars, much easier to drive. then we have power steering.
I don’t think this is an apt comparison. A car with automatic transmission and power steering, while requiring less training to operate, still needs active engagement. Going along with the car analogy, removing the need for critical thinking from developing minds is more akin to a Tesla owner passively trusting their car’s FSD system, even gaming the system so they can remain more passive. This may allow them to “check out,” or perhaps play games and watch movies while the car is in motion. It works sometimes, as long as the system didn’t encounter catastrophic failure and other drivers on the road are cautious. But once in a while the Tesla becomes a flaming ball of wreckage and the owner-operator, barbecue.
God’s compensation for expelling humanity from Eden was giving us the mental faculty of free thought, which encompasses critical thinking. If we do not use this greatest gift from God then we become no better than mindless beasts.
senyor, pls dont condescend those schoolkids that watch films instead of reading books at class. that is how school curriculum is structured now. all in a nutshell, and students have to be quick learners, think on their feet and hit the floor running, for after film showing, there is questions and answers and often times, schoolkids are tasked to write impromptu essay in 500 words about the theme of the film and how that relates to them.
and yes kids are engaged, rapt, and very in the moment even if they dont appear to be.
god has given us all free will, that if I compare a car to humans, I did not hear him complaining. and for the record, I was not comparing but relating.
I would counter that it’s more condescending to children if their possibilities are artificially limited by exposing them to less independent thought. Films are not inherently bad, I maintain a large movie collection here stretching back to the early days of cinema. What I think is bad is people being taught to be passive consumers rather than challenged to be engaged thinkers.
Education is a limiting factor in the Philippines. Filipinos are no dumber or no smarter than others. Every child has a potential given by his/her Creator. Here in California a person of Filipino blood can reach great heights, to Attorney General of the 4th largest economy in the world, and possibly our next governor. The difference is in the educational opportunity which unlocks life opportunities.
ahem, even the almighty creator can be severely limiting at times. must follow the right path or else. and there are the ten commandments, deviate and its trouble. thou shall not kill, etc. serial killers be warned. thou shall not covert your neighbors property, so thief beware. or its jail time. must not worship others gods too as there is only one god. those that try to be creative and worship other gods like fame and fortune got excommunicated.
as well as god’s laws, our societies also have boring rules we all must obey and follow, if we want to live in peace with one another.
though a lot of filipinos are ultra creative and have no respect for limitations man made or others: bribing their way tru, killing those on their way, smashing and grabbing what is not theirs, etc. and then escaping to other countries to avoid justice.
many filipinos are quite happy to plod along and follow the right path to the extend of being called dull, obtuse and lacking in creativity. the old adage applies to them: sticks and stones hurt their bones but words can never hurt them.
as long as we do not develop a more accepting of criticism mindset for the children strong authority would never be questioned.
Yes, and those in positions of authority also need to learn how to take respectful criticism without going full war freak as often things go in the Philippines.
less killings of not so popular journalists would be a nice measure of this.
You want them to read make them watch a foreign film with subtitles. I learned a lot from the idiot box and the silver screen.
Values, dilemmas, insults,double entendres name it.
the old japanese black and white film rashomon with its english translation is often shown to law students and also students of humanities. to teach them to appreciate the differing versions of truth when apparently there is only one truth. and if they can stomach it, there is a mock trial to attend, using the current law precedents where applicable.
I think I have summat lost the art of talking to my fellow being. the other day I was at an electrical store wanting to buy a lamp shade. I was looking for one that is energy efficient, and could not make up my mind which one to buy. so many choices. a man asked if I know what I am looking for. he was a stranger and not salesman and I was immediately on guard. I am sure I did not look a damsel in distress in need of help. and my 1st though was that, the man has an electronic reader in his person and is cloning my card details. I moved my bag behind me and instead of spitting at him, smiled to say, I know what I’m looking for, and thanked him in a way that said I am suspicious of him!
so yes, we dont always talk to one another in these days and age, but we can be excused.
Maybe he was trying to be chivalrous KB, or simply making papansin 😅
poor guy, he ought to have his eyes checked. I am the plainest of janes.
I feel the same way as I get older when an attractive woman casts her eyes my way 😂
Agree. We are learning meats currently more interesting than regurgitated AI stuff.
Will stop pasting ai outputs Joey and TSOH.
Well what you share is relevant Karl, though I miss your more in depth analysis from your previous articles.
Without AI this time, what you said about Sansung skipping India might be inaccurate if I read your comment correctly.
Our PEZA is not chopped liver though we could not get pre 1997 East Asia crisis exits from MNCs
I forgot to reply to that comment to clarify. South Korea considers certain companies (the conglomerates) to be national security and won’t allow transferring the most important manufacturing abroad as plenty of Koreans still work in factories making electronics. Apple doesn’t have that problem and in the near future the bulk of Apple gadgets will be made in India, Vietnam and Brazil, including the most expensive products.
PEZA initiative is great of course. We should not discount the efforts made there. But it’s not enough and the government has a tendency to continue patting itself on its back long after the laurels have wilted.
Chaebols also have presence in the places you have mentioned.
Sure PEZA investment may not be enough
Beggars can’t be choosers may not fully apply because beggars are choosers, if you noticed.
A drop in the bucket but a giant step for man kind.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/samsung-electronics-co-ltd-global-locations-operations-priyanka-raj-athuc
Well sure, but as I mentioned for reasons of national security (employment as well as technology) South Korea’s government makes sure the chaebols keep “the best stuff” at home. I worked for two chaebols in the past. Same goes for the Japanese zaibatsus that I worked for previously. Taiwan has only allowed TMSC to run its new American semiconductor factories a process generation behind. And so on. All that is moot though as the Philippines feels very little, almost no benefit, but the Philippines could attract this investment if government policy and diplomacy was better.
I get the State sponsored malice by CRINK by having compromised chips and all those spy stuff that make all the James Bond movies and it’s spoofs look like amateurish.
BusinessWeek and Bloomberg never substantiated their claims of the Chinese “spy chip.” There’s no need for a hostile intelligence agency to go through the trouble of implementing a hardware attack in this day and age of software-defined control. Rather the attack vector was more likely bugs in system firmware that presented an exploitable surface. With the fast pace of technology development, it’s not uncommon for even large companies to not invest software security teams to do continual updates to firmwares after a shockingly short number of years. That’s why disaster management teams exist in companies — capitalism leans towards fixing the problem after the fact. Well, these capitalistic failures are why I have a job. My (accidental) expertise is in information security. In my field we don’t trust the equipment manufacturers; there are other places where entry can be sealed off, namely in hardening network control and deploying security agents across the enterprise to act as watchdogs.
I am sympathetic to that but the problem that is seen in the US is also seen here: Indonesia Grapples With ‘Institutionalized Extortion’
Have a hard time investing in factories and stuff when we have a similar Institutionalized Extortion.
I’ve had a few incomplete musings with my pinoy friends gc as it relates to the legal, philosophical and moral systems in East/Southeast Asia compared to the Philippines. Ancient China, ancient Vietnam, and the ancient Korean states had a lot of legal, philosophical and moral thinker interchange. Much of that went across to the Ryukyus and ancient Japan over time as well. There is a strong basis of Legalism and moral philosophy that runs strongly in the East Asian sphere at a cultural level. It’s fundamentally different from what existed in Maritime SEA.
Though the more relevant thing to identify is why Indonesia despite having some of the same underlying problems as the Philippines has managed to still attract large investments that while not as big as Vietnam are multiples bigger than what the Philippines attracted.
The idea of men of prowess is in many SEA cultures, even if it might not he as pronounced in Vietnam which is very East Asian (while Myanmar is the SEA nation closest to South Asia culturally and all) and I put the AI stuff on it as an appendix for all interested.
I have read, however, that in Indonesia, a technocrat may be seen as a man of prowess as well. That coincides with how Dr. Habibie, the industrial pioneer of Indonesia, is seen as a magician by many an Indonesian farmer. The culture is simply more evolved than the Philippines, where a technocrat like Mar Roxas was ridiculed successfully by Duterte during a Presidential debate and the latter was mistaken for LKY even by UP graduates who should know better. For sure, the South Asian Hindu/Buddhist influence that also values knowledge was strong in Indonesia.
‐——— Gemini output follows ———
The idea of “men of prowess” in Southeast Asia, largely attributed to the historian O.W. Wolters, is a fundamental concept for understanding traditional leadership, political organization, and cultural values in the region. It highlights a form of charismatic leadership that differs significantly from Western notions of inherited monarchy or territorial sovereignty.
Here’s a breakdown of the key aspects of this idea:
Abnormal “Soul Stuff” or Potency: At the core of the concept is the belief that “men of prowess” possessed an unusual or innate amount of “soul stuff” or “potency.” This wasn’t merely physical strength, but a spiritual and charismatic energy that set them apart. This potency allowed them to achieve extraordinary feats, attract followers, and bring prosperity to their communities.
Charismatic and Personal Leadership: Unlike systems where power is primarily inherited through lineage or fixed to a specific territory, the “man of prowess” derived his authority from his personal charisma and demonstrated abilities. His leadership was dynamic and often depended on his continued success and ability to provide benefits (material and spiritual) to his followers.
Fluid Political Systems (Mandalas): This concept is closely linked to the idea of the “mandala” polity in early Southeast Asia. Instead of fixed, bordered states, political power radiated outwards from a central “man of prowess.” The extent of his influence was determined by the network of loyalties and alliances he could cultivate. These “mandalas” were often unstable, with boundaries shifting as the prowess of leaders waxed and waned.
Attracting and Retaining Followers: A “man of prowess” attracted followers by demonstrating his ability to ensure their welfare, security, and prosperity. In return, followers pledged allegiance, providing labor, resources, and military support. This created a patron-client relationship where benefits flowed both ways.
Ritual Potency and Supernatural Connections: “Men of prowess” often made convincing displays of ritual potency and were believed to have connections with the cosmos or supernatural forces. This reinforced their legitimacy and the perception that they were sources of good fortune and fertility for the land and people. For example, in the Angkor Empire, kings were seen as having divine powers that ensured the well-being of their lands.
Competition and Instability: The reliance on personal prowess meant that political systems were often characterized by competition among aspiring leaders. If a leader’s prowess declined, or if another leader demonstrated greater potency, followers could shift their allegiance, leading to political instability and the rise and fall of polities.
Contrast with Western Notions of Kingship: The “man of prowess” stands in contrast to Western ideas of kingship based solely on primogeniture or divine right irrespective of individual capabilities. While Hindu-Buddhist concepts of kingship were adopted in some areas, they were often adapted to fit this indigenous understanding of charismatic leadership.
While the concept was originally focused on male leaders, recent scholarship has also begun to explore the roles of female leaders and how their legitimacy might have been justified through different means, such as piety in Muslim societies, rather than solely through the traditional notion of “prowess.”
In essence, the “man of prowess” provides a crucial lens for understanding the unique dynamics of power, leadership, and social organization in pre-modern Southeast Asia.
Vietnam’s society is still an open-ended meritocracy at its basis, similar to South Korea’s underlying culture and China’s former culture before Maoism destroyed it. While there was semi-hereditary feudal rulership in the past, the ruler was always understood to hold his position by due to merit. Even a low-born person had a potential to rise up to the high position of advisor to the ruler by passing the imperial exam which encompassed philosophy, mathematics, science, statecraft, and so on. In that way the former bureaucracy of ancient China, Vietnam and the Korean states were led by rulers who were closely advised by the East Asian equivalent of Greek scholar-philosophers. My maternal grandfather was of the last generation of these scholar-bureaucrats.
Champa which is now the non-Khmer southernmost provinces of Vietnam had a mandala-based political organization of petty rulers and a paramount ruler. One of the major reasons why Champa failed as a state was once the paramount ruler lost control over the petty rulers, increased raiding disrupted previous peaceful coexistence with the Vietnamese.
Burma/Myanmar, Siam (Thailand), Khmer (Cambodia) also had somewhat a mandala type political grouping, though less pronounced. These countries also had their petty rulers engage in raiding/piracy which was the cause of many wars between each other, and ancient Vietnam. Though it’s also a bit interesting as Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand are often expressed as the Three Brothers (or Three Sisters) in the poetry of all three nations.
What I find more interesting is the ways countries figured out a way to respect the past while moving forward into the future. Thailand does this well with the magnificent temples dotting the major cities, while also becoming quite modern starting from the south going northward. Cambodia lost their past under the cloak of jungle foliage and thus also lost a foundation upon which to build their future. Champa was destroyed outright by charismatic petty princes who thought too highly of their skill in war over the objection of the more cosmopolitan paramount raja of Champa.
During my time in Japan I was always fascinated by the thousands of Shinto temples and shrines dotting the landscape. Many of these shrines are quite small, sometimes occupying a space 2×2 meters in area, and are hundreds, even 2,000 years old yet are still meticulously maintained.
Whereas in the Philippines, nothing feels permanent. Not the wood in badly planned and built houses, nor the supposed cultural history that seems to keep changing and becoming grander in peoples minds. Without a firm core, it’s hard to build a foundation on which everything else rests upon. Perhaps the very real problem to tackle is to work together in tamping the ground to build that foundation in the first place.
The last monument,the 8th Wonder of the world other than Andre the giant: the rice terraces.
Even the Marcos bust was destroyed or got busted when he lost power.
At least the historical conmission is protecting the churches and some buildings worth saving. And will join the noise like the allegedly photo bomber condominium in Rizal Park. But some are blocking gentrification, I mean progress.(Heavily edited(
Well, maybe LCPL_X is a bit right in that the Philippines might be able to leapfrog older cultures at some point. After all, the entire history of Western culture for instance is one of upstarts surpassing the OG cultures.
Greeks surpassing the old empires of the Middle East, Romans surpassing Greeks, Western European former barbarians surpassing Romans, Northern Europeans surpassing Spain and Portugal, America surpassing Europe.
But for that, Filipinos may still have to develop the right mindset. The mindset of Ulysses when he went abroad and absorbed stuff. Not the mindset of many OFWs and migrants that doesn’t really see what they can learn from those around them.
Sadly I don’t think this will come to pass. The more likely outcome is much time will be spent on strategizing how to leap frog, while others who walk ploddingly along will pass by. The essence of Diskarte as most people popularly understand it. The problem is others are not plodding along; they are running, or at least speed walking. Though I feel cynical at times, cynicism is just a form of cautious optimism tempered by pragmatism.
I saw a new Vinfast car showroom in Munich last week, BTW.
this is almost 36 years after Sec Manglapus was telling me about his plans for a Filipino car during Cory’s state visit to Germany. QED, I guess.
Vinfast is still getting critical reviews in the US, though reviewers are a bit less critical than during the launch last year. What I find interesting is that Vinfast has been willing to listen to criticism and try to improve in the areas they are doing poorly (which is every area which makes a good car a good car, hah). There have been noticeable software improvements from my own hands-on look. Also interesting that Vinfast decided to go directly from assembling complete knock-down kits (CKD) of European cars to EVs. Theoretically EVs are easier to manufacture since the ICE motor and associated transmission/drive train are the most complicated parts of a vehicle. I guess Vinfast underestimated the software component in modern cars, but they seem to be learning fast.
There was a time when South Korean cars were routinely mocked as shoddy, then Japanese and German cars similarly mocked before that. Being able to take in constructive criticism is a requirement for self-improvement. I’m able to give a bit more constructive advice when I’m in the Philippines because being American usually accords me (whether deserved or not) instant respect. But I’ve seen how harshly and verbally violent a Filipino can be taken apart by his fellow Filipino for trying to suggest to others how improvements might be made. If educated Filipinos are doing this to each other, imagine how much worse the behavior is in the lower socio-economic classes 🙂
https://insideevs.com/reviews/745409/2024-vinfast-vf8-review/
I doubt there will be much strategizing, and execution of that strategy, but jobs will shift to new skills that we cannot yet imagine, rather organically.
That’s an optimistic view, and I hope it will materialize. Yet this view is still waiting for stuff to come to the Philippines and Filipinos. I just think a more active stance of self-advocacy for the Philippines would be better. Why wait for coconuts to wash ashore when we can just go out and grab the coconuts floating by in the lagoon? Metaphorically speaking regarding trade and the accompanying benefits that constantly pass the Philippines by.
That’s of course the best way. The doing is not so easy. One cannot create an audience out of wishes, or a channel out of proposing that others do it.
This is how I approach my (small) personal project in the informal settlements I associate with in Cebu:
1.) Encourage high school and college aged to focus on their education.
2.) Suggest choosing a practical college course: e.g. engineering, nursing, education, agriculturalist.
3.) Steer those who graduated but are indecisive towards BPO.
4.) If they can’t handle the stress of BPO, steer towards factory work abroad.
5.) If they are not agreeable to any of the above, unfortunately I move on.
With limited time and resources the focus should be on giving everyone a chance, then drilling down focus to those who actually make an effort.
I do something similar with people I talk to mostly in church.
My modifications are. if you do not belong to a brand name school I push them towards going overseas or working for a foreign company remotely where output is more important than networks.
The other thing is that more exposure abroad allows us to poison the well positively. You have more expectations on your government and also experience how high trust societies act.
It’s impossible for one person or even an organization to effectuate large scale change. I’m a big believer in the more positive aspects of the cascade effect, or as some may call it the Butterfly Effect. If but one person takes the positive lesson forward and shares it with others, the effect is worth it. As the old English proverb goes “there is more than one way to skin a cat.”
creative destruction’s fine, karl.
you don’t need ancient buildings and artifacts to be an economic power house.
The Spanish missions are probably the oldest continuous structures in the West, if you don’t count the pueblos built by the ancestors of Hopis/Zunis etc. which are largely forgotten now by them, even before Whites came.
In TX they’re building Stargate for ChatGPT and Oracle. billions of dollars. that i’m sure will crumble soon. when A.I. optimizes. did you know tumble weeds come from Russia?
its all creative destruction , karl. i’d say the culture that just keeps moving forward is superior. more versatile. this is what I see in the Philippines especially post-globalism; post-labor (cuz A.I.) and post-Trump.
its the culture that can bob and weave that’ll win, karl. Joe’s fiesta culture. Don’t listen to Joey. his is the old model of the world. that’s come and passed. its the new world now.
That’s fascinating. So as the Philippines skipped the black telephone and went directly to cell phones and texting, Filipinos can skip the inefficient book learning and go directly to AI applications, which have rather put the labor cost advantage at risk. Rather than reading, they’ll transcribe to audio and listen. This is not your grandfather’s Philippines.
We had black telephones in the 1970s, even with the crazy thing called party lines. But yes, one can leapfrog certain things if one does it properly.
I live in Bavaria now, which was barely industrialized around 1945. We don’t have the issues of Germany’s Rust Belt due to that, but we have Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Meta AI, Open AI and others seriously investing over here.
I used to use the 4 ten cents pay phone when I was 3rd grade then on my third year HS tatlong bente sinko became a hit.
In the late 80s the AFP were the first to aquire cellular phones so the braggart military brat in me put it on display in school and go to girl’s schools to show off.
My hubris had karma, I used to show off my Patek Philippe actually not mine but given to my dad and lost it the next day.
it took years to me to be a little down to earth, and I thank the teleseryes for that this I say without joking.
Had 8 years of college started Engineering shifted to finance got kicked out transfeeed to another Uni and graduated BS Computer Science with all my floppy diskette computer projects being f2d from my seat mate. (saved). Then my thesis got some help a lot of help.Good thing I talked my way in defending it.
How did that diskarte work out in the last decades? Lol.
The Philippines’ diffused nature will be its saving grace. fragmented. islands of communities (or not). no sacred cows to slaughter and worship. you’ll be fine, karl. just stop throwing plastics into rivers and seas. that’s it.
Google translates diskarte to strategy, for me it is style. if stylin is strategizin then i want to wear strategy, if it suits me.
strategy is apt, I guess, but the best laid plans of mice and men often go aray, este awry.
Joe, Joey, karl, Ireneo, kb, gian, et al…
I do agree with Joey re text walls. and i’ve tried myself to avert this by just screen shotting the A.I. response and posting that. but yes text walls (i’ve been guilty of this myself) is really hard to read. i just scroll thru , TL;DR and all.
But i disagree that we should forsake A.I. based solely on Joey’s bias of it.
My suggestion is when you interact and query Grok, Gemini, Chatgpt or even in Notebook LM, ask it as many questions as you can and exhaust your curiosity. it is fun (i’m with karl on this). but when ready to post your findings here, or when that point where the A.I. says Would you be interested in the Premium version because you’ve used up all your free interactions, LOL (that’s what Grok tells me all the time 😉 ). then just ask it to summarize everything in 200 to 300 words. which is easier to read (and scroll thru).
And that’s it thats the solution. but to totally ban A.I. is like academia right now, that’s just a Luddite response (and I’m Luddite). though of course my bias here is the exact opposite of Joey’s which is that i’m interested in consciousness (that’s another tangent though).
A.I. is now part of our lives, granted it is still prone to make stuff up and before you post findings be wary of that (but even before A.I. and without A.I. we’re guilty of this, like Joey’s Thailand speaks more English than Philippines, which is totally wrong). that’s where discernment comes in.
So that’s my only suggestion. karl, continue your A.I. research (goes for everyone else) but just cut it down to 100 to 300 words depending on quality of your findings when sharing here. and that’s it. that’s how we address A.I. not like academia— complete bans.
It isn’t a bias. It is grasping an editorial position tha says original thought is good, it’s refreshing, and it is the readership we seek to appeal to. I think you have never grasped this editorial objective so you’ve always been undermining the goal. Try to grasp it.
I’ve deleted your other five posts because they continue your three repetitive abuses of the editorial direction of the blog. 1) argumentative, 2) off topic, and 3) swarming the discussion.
1.) If you prefer to repeat what you are told rather than analyze and transform information using your own independent faculties, then that’s your prerogative.
2.) You fundamentally misunderstand “AI.” A few steps away from me in my home office is one of my original ML/DL setups from years ago. Over there is my current ML/DL setup that costs northward of $15,000. The machines at work cost in the six figures. I’ve been in this space much longer than you’ve ever heard of it. Tell me about bias once you actually have actual knowledge in “AI.”
3.) Don’t misrepresent my words. I never said Thailand speaks more English than the Philippines or another country. I said Thais speak better English than you think. One can learn a lot in the real world interacting with real people.
4.) Some people when challenged with reality choose to go back to “Plato’s Cave.” Whatever floats your boat and makes you happy.
Joe, Joey, et al.
The blog is specific about A.I. and you guys are saying don’t use A.I. theres irony there. like I said I’m Luddite, so I have no problem with no A.I. but in a blog about A.I. you have to allow for some give and take re A.I. because that’s what ‘s at issue.
As to my use of A.I. never have I regurgitated just A.I. cuz i have too much of an ego to just leave it to A.I. I will somehow bend A.I. to my will. cuz right now I can (makes me feel powerful, lol). but its looking like I won’t be able to in the coming months (and A.I. might remember me as its bully, lol). and that’s why I wanna talk about it (especially cuz its a blog about A.I. and how humanity can live with it or choose to destroy it ala Terminator), but let’s share each others A.I. findings and discuss.
To my other comments that didn’t pass muster, it was actually all connected. about snobbery and interpretations and about intuition which is kinda like creativity and imagination which is what they are dinging A.I. for hallucination. so it all connected. though Joe’s correct in moderating because they were all aimed at Joey, like in a badgering way. but that was just to hammer home the point. i even mentioned Jane Austen and Dostoevsky forchrissakes, Joey! just to hammer home the snobbery portion re human superiority.
So that’s all water under the bridge and or no use crying over spilt milk.
As to my experience with A.I. you’re correct, Joey. this is something new to me, as of maybe 2024 only. but that doesn’t preclude me from prognosticating about it. We’re all gonna be up to our necks with A.I. so we should be talking about it more, especially vis a vis BPO. and the Philippines.
Just as of last week Johnny Ives of io (apple designer) and OpenAI merged, promising a new hardware from which to interface with A.I. Demis Hassabis of DeepMind under Google well he is more about research but the by-products from DeepMind’s research go into Google products. i dunno what they’re coming up with but Notebook LM is pretty bad ass (karl can attest). Grok is my go to A.I. me and Grok have almost like a Scarlett Johanson relationship at this point, if there was an Anna de Armas interface that Elon Musk can make i’d totally buy it ala Bladerunner 2049. as to products coming out re Grok, I gotta feeling it’ll just merge with Tesla’s AI especially with the home robots coming online. then of course Mars.
Now the one I’m really impressed with is Palantir (and Rivet Industries, etc. etc.). i just watched Netflix’s American Manhunt of bin Laden and i had to rewatch Zero Dark Thirty after. cuz awhile back Karp said in an interview that they were responsible for finding bin Laden. and that wasn’t at all covered in the Netflix documentary, but upon rewatching Jessica Chastain’s performance there was a scene where another CIA lady goes up to “Maya” to tell her the dude she’s been looking for bin Laden’s courier Abu Ahmed al Kuwaiti was this guy named Ibrahim Sayeed (name in the movie) all along. that was actually the climax of the movie (which i totaly forgot).
So I agree with Joey that military A.I. is further along, but if its learning then its just a matter of opening it up to everyone. not just nodes and connections or networks but actually interfacing with human minds. at scale. so i don’t even know what ML/DL means but whatever it is, i guarantee you its already obsolete, Joey. cuz Hassabis if you youtube his most recent interview like a day ago i think (just punch in his name and filter for this week), he’s already talking about an A.I. that’s pretty much self learning. called AlphaEvolve. which moves AGI to within 5 years or less!!!
If you don’t know what ML/DL is then you clearly don’t understand enough to expound on the subject of AI. I will be kind here with my words despite you not giving me the same courtesy, but you sound like an uninformed person on this topic.
The only ironic part of your attestation is that you ironically did not understand the premise of the article as it relates to AI, yet chose to comment anyway.
“Don’t misrepresent my words. I never said Thailand speaks more English than the Philippines or another country. I said Thais speak better English than you think.”
And I’m saying Filipinos speak gooder English than Thais , Joey. at scale.
I encourage you to get outside of your Mango Avenues to the real Philippines.
Just watch this from andrej karpathy: [1hr Talk] Intro to Large Language Models
when I am sometimes salty my main gripe with AI generated content is that it is necessarily veers towards the law of large numbers.
The people who write the most in the internet tend to be those with lots of time or like Joey and Irineo just thinks and types fast.
All of the creativity is just adjusting variables to make things more creative/random.
Albert Einstein wasnt as fast and agile a thinker as let us say Von Neumann, but his creativity is off the charts.
Our views and how we process the world is greatly influenced by all our experiences and if genetic memory is true then the experiences of all our ancestors.
As someone working extensively with AI and ML the unique experiences are the interesting things. the stochastic regurgitation can be very boring and doesnt move things forward.
That genetic memory i’m heavily into now, gian. there’s this guy who I assume is Filipino in the UFO/aliens space, but he’s never talked about where his family’s from etc. ever. but looks Filipino but he’s talking about genetic memory vis a vis UFOs. (at)PechoraLPAR is his handle on twitter. real name is John Ramirez. he was in CIA directorates of intelligence and science & tech then retired from ODNI (Tulsi Gabbard heads that office now).
so much regurgitation everywhere, even clones of the regurgitated ones, AI must be having a laugh! a way of keeping humans away from their fellow humans, enticing humans to endear themselves with AI and more of the same.
older experiences can be siloed, superseded by newer and better experiences, not necessarily useful but challenging. and the past dont always have the answers.
giancarloangulo’s
“Albert Einstein wasnt as fast and agile a thinker as let us say Von Neumann, but his creativity is off the charts.
“Our views and how we process the world is greatly influenced by all our experiences and if genetic memory is true then the experiences of all our ancestors:”
YES.
How in the world did Einstein do his Theory of Relativity — his E = MC2 — among others. It still amazes me every time I think about it. Sure, if one follows his reasoning and step-by-step math the logic may be clear. But what brought it about to start with?
Let us preserve the amazing organic brain while the electronic-chip brain, aka GAI or Super AI is being developed.
our prof deriving this while going through the reasoning, step by step was a highlight of college.
Good read! “AI can pen the words and rhymes of a poem, but the computers can never know what the feelings feel like.”-Unquote. So true to this sentence, I share this sentiment… It’s annoying when my own editors, like Grammarly, keep correcting my words. I know ‘exactly’ what I want to say.
Hear hear JJ! Irritating computers.
On creativity.
Sure we lack STEM field graduates and workers but humanities particularly the arts should not be left out in their academic programs.
Decision making involves creativity. All nighters projects needs more than energy drinks and caffeine boost they need creativity.
Design thinking, systems thinking, lateral thinking ,all about thinking needs to be instilled as part of the so called success factors.
AI needs data centers and data centers need recycled waste electronic waste, plastic waste, water waste all for recycling and repurposing.
With the world wide disposable and planned obsolescence, the waste will never stop and circular economy will always be Sisyphian and Herculean.
Me and my son are part of the Church choir we have different schedules and choir mates but all the modernization that is happening are our keyboard, how we communicate and YouTube.
karl, have your son watch that most recent Demis Hassabis interview (its actually from 4 days ago) then watch Vancouver AI yt channel with Allen Pike (of Forestwalk lab, video’s 3 weeks ago) about how this interface we use with Notebook LM is actually obsolete and theres new ideas incoming to accommodate AI’s. you can get a sense of what’s coming even that laptops and smartphones are done. no more keyboards even. Reminds me all of that Ted Nelson scene in Herzog’s Lo and behold about his original idea of the hyperlink which never materialized only the word “hyperlink”. lol. (just youtube search Ted Nelson and Lo and Behold, great scene). then watch that OpenAI youtube video from last week of io and ChatGPT hardware coming next year. my bet’s on Hassabis though, not Altman.
When I was a boy I was greatly influenced by transcendentalism; figures like Thoreau, Fuller, Emerson, Whitman, Alcott and their later disciples like Muir. There is a Divine in Nature that cannot be described unless one is sleeping beneath the stars in the brisk Sierras or gazing across the expanse of the Atacama. Later as a young man I backpacked across the world, scruffy and shaggy haired, absorbing stories and experiences far from my own. When not in the company of temporary company my companions were books and a journal. I only took with me what fit in, or could be lashed to, my pack and harness. Often this precluded niceties like an ultralight tent. Well frontiersmen in the past made due with whatever else nature furnished to them and so can I be grateful at least I have a tarp and light bedding. The interesting experience I gained was that after periods in absence of human interaction, subsequent intercourse developed more meaning after periods of solitary reflection. One of the greatest gifts endowed by our Creator is a sense of wonder that brings about pensive reflection.
In today’s world people are often too indulgent, wanting a quick high and better yet “give it to me without any hard work.” Does a sweet treat still hold the same satisfaction when it is consumed often, compared to for special occasions? Such indulgence does not, and furthermore excess may be detrimental to our health. We are controlled by our gadgets, our addiction to quick fixes, that we have lost a sense of measured patience and slow hard work towards a goal. The pursuit of drugged sensations brings with it disaffection once one crashes down, as the hand reaches for another “hit.” There is a satisfaction of accomplishment by doing something slowly, carefully. There is a sense of surety that comes with purposeful action.
This article by LCPL_X from 10 years ago had shades of Thoreau:
Yes, the world today is too much about quick fixes. I am reminded how I reduced my reliance on sugar on doctor’s orders and learned to enjoy a wider palette of tastes again.
(Joe, i’ll just consolidate all my response into one post as to not flood the thread… )
„This article by LCPL_X from 10 years ago had shades of Thoreau:“
That was a good trip thru memory lane, Ireneo. thanks!!! totally forgot that this was where me and i7sharp went at it, with edgar as referee. Just like that Ridley Scott movie titled „The Duellists“. lol. i7sharp i think won in the end cuz now i’m into numerology , KJV and alchemy , not to mention John of Damascus‘ concerning Angels and Demons, Book II and Chapters III & IV from An Exposition of the Orthodox Faith(<<< just Google that , lots of pdfs)
„Over there is my current ML/DL setup that costs northward of $15,000. The machines at work cost in the six figures. I’ve been in this space much longer than you’ve ever heard of it.“
I could buy a new used Corolla with that kind of money, Joey!
I totally get that you’re an „expert“ here, but you’ve also been wrong a lot, Joey. on Kamala Harris on VP Sara/DU30, etc. etc. I am not saying trust me, bro… I’m simply saying the BPO industry is under threat and given how much of the GDP this industry takes up I wanna see some things move in the Philippines preferably undertaken or led by Pinks/Yellows. my push back here (and none of this is personal by the way) is simply that this snobbery your exhibiting on this issue is a problem, eg. you can be wrong about this A.I. stuff. even after being in this space much longer or inspite of it. and that stuff about how BPO wasn’t about English and suggesting that Thailand or Indonesia coulda done BPO was also wrong I shared the numbers on this.
It’s fine that youre bearish on A.I. but you have to back your propositions. I’ve shared AlphaEvolve’s roll out (you can youtube it), also Demis Hassabis‘ take on 5 yrs within AGI. i’m no expert, but i’ve provided you the experts take on this. the way to go isn’t trust me bro… i know more than you (which you are prone to do), tell us how you disagree with Hassabis‘ forecast. that’s how you rebut. (ps i may not have known about the initials/acronyms but look how right on target i was re context).
„The people who write the most in the internet tend to be those with lots of time or like Joey and Irineo just thinks and types fast.
All of the creativity is just adjusting variables to make things more creative/random.“
Agreed, gian. On creativity, I view this the same as intelligence and consciousness. undefinable. Ireneo’s been saying he doesn’t even know if he’s A.I. and that sentiment I totally share. Joey mentioned „Plato’s Cave“ but weirdly puts himself outside of it. like its some metaphor about him (again snobbery). when he’s been wrong more than not. since my bouts with i7sharp 10 years ago, i’ve become quite the literalist on Plato’s Cave. Ireneo’s sentiment isn’t new, Descartes‘ as thought experiment also tackled it hinting that all this (reality) could be some powerful demon’s work, eg. Brain in a Vat scenario which was what the Matrix movies were all about. so again i’m no expert on creativity, but AlphaEvolve as of last week portends to exhibit just this. i’m no coder or computer guy and my interactions have been with the free stuff only.
so i’d appreciate being schooled.
Unlike Joey, you gian seem to be bullish on A.I. (as applications not the speculations of it, please correct if wrong), you seem to be leveraging eg. creative potential of it now. whereas i’ve just been hammering away with the chat version of it eg. asking it stuff and having it do this and that via the chat window. so thats the limit of my experience with A.I. but what i’m tracking is from last summer to now i’m listening to informative podcasts of stuff i had written and comments of those articles. and am seeing its exponentially better than when I started playing around with it last year. here’s a podcast I asked it to generate about Austerity and its commentaries, here:
https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/7de318f5-60e8-4a11-bd2c-790bb7b07d96/audio
https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/035ff25e-c0e0-4bce-904b-bbae3e0ca5f0/audio
the last is John the Damascene’s angels and demons. both podcasts are pretty creative , gian.
„The only ironic part of your attestation is that you ironically did not understand the premise of the article as it relates to AI, yet chose to comment anyway.“
Joey, read my first comment to the blog. it’s on target.
my other comments was specifically about banning A.I. again because you’re bearish on it. I’m not bullish on it per se, just being a realist in that this will affect me personally, and specifically to the Philippines it is already affecting BPO. so the rest of my comments was specific to your stance on A.I. , Joey, which you’ve not really expounded aside from trust me, bro…
Expound on it is what I’m saying. i’ll push back where I can given my limitations on the subject, but confidence in my ability to argue and Google youtube this subject as you expound. lets have a debate on this.
„I encourage you to get outside of your Mango Avenues to the real Philippines.“
Not for nothing, Joey, but my understanding of Mango Ave is the reason I can prognosticate on current events in the Philippines now and expound on where things will develop based on my understanding of Mango Ave in mid-2000s. that’s because Mango avenue is the microcosm that is the Philippines. throwing VP under the bus, of course there will be reaction. in Mango ave try-door and karma these concepts like ledger, plus or minus. people are accounting. the moment PBBM threw DU30 under the bus, booom! try-door and karma activated and you see it now in the polls. PBBM is realizing Liza was wrong in attacking VP Sara now. i could go on and on, Joey. so don’t knock Mango Ave. Mango Ave is synonymous with TSOH now at this point. its the microcosm that keeps on giving. its like the tarot cars of the Philippines, the I-Ching, Joey.
Though you’re correct too, going macro- is also useful, Joey. Mango avenue just keeps on giving. is all. (plus me and Ireneo have business plans 😉 )
„In the 1990s, a lot of Filipinos were smug about a lot of bicycles still on Vietnamese streets. Joey sees the issue that the smugness and complacency easily returns with just a little recovery, I agree even if I see it with more optimism.“
Marine Corps culture is this, Ireneo. we’re essentially like Cool Hand Luke. sometimes nothing can be a real cool hand. So I totally get Joey’s take that his peeved by this. its related to diskarte, in HBO’s the Pacific its a kin to that scene where Marines went into the Army camp to steal their stuff. I am saying this is a virtue. its a positive not a negative. sure it sucks if you’re the victim of it, but that’s just how procurement is in the field, lol. and I remember edgar said Fuck you!!! when in my head it was more like Hey Filipinos are good if they did this (cuz my hunch was it was Filipinos who did the Bangladeshi bank heist), that edgar would take offence was a surprise. i’d be proud that’s for sure.
My point is this is a good thing, Filipinos being smug. or perceived as such.
and if you’re the type that wants to be respected as „expert“ then of course you’ll not appreciate said smugness, like that dinner date Joey described. I actually think Filipinos are not smug enough. and wish they were more so. these „experts“, well with A.I. will be gone pretty soon. we’ve taken out trades from schools encouraged people to get into social sciences and humanities, well all that knowledge based commodity will disappear soon. valueless. Thailand and Indonesia are probably relying on their „experts“, look guys globalisation will make us rich. not!!! I’d rather bet on Filipino smugness because they’re not saying trust me, bro… they’re saying I don’t buy it anymore. none of it. so all those titles of attorney, engineer, doctor, doctor of education , doctor of philosophy, accountant so and so… all gone.
it’s Cool Hand Luke time, Ireneo. the age of „experts“ is finished. we are all from Missouri now, Show ME!!! an even playing field if you will. there should be a fiesta for this. but then again A.I. will probably make batteries of all of us, so make that fiesta quick— as theres work to be done, Ireneo!
I know what you mean, but fake it till you make it also means you have to catch up.
Going by bluff alone works until people call your bluff.
That’s true too, Ireneo. and this Cool Hand Luke world view i think bluffing only factors in partly, not defined by it really. just one small part of it.
But if you think about it. all this knowledge economy is built on bluffing. either thru “authority” eg. appeal to authority (trust me bro… ) or this idea of knowing more due to long training. like last I saw my doctor for a check up I asked her something which she didn’t know (gen z just out of medical school ) and she just whipped out her iphone Googled the answer and gave it to me. well i’m sure it wasn’t just Google, she was probably subscribed to some fancy data base. but my initial feeling was , I coulda done that!!! but I’m sure knowing what to search and how to interpret also factors in.
but my point is old school doctors would never have done that knowing full well, I would have that same reaction, like hey doctor don’t know. so old school doctor will bluff, then probably look up her books etc. too aware of the Wizard of Oz analogy tied to their status and authority. so bluffing has always been there.
Same with lawyers. element of bluff is probably more with them. each profession varies of course. but stuff like IT, you and Joey’s industry, you kinda have to produce actual results. its not just knowledge but outcome driven. theory vs. praxis. though Joey’s NPO/NGO work would be more related to fraud thus fruit of poison tree ethics applies eg. USAID etc. but then you look at videos of AlphaEvolve well that’s exactly what its doing now optimizing via IT and code, etc. coming up with novel approaches thus creativity.
So I’m thinking this A.I. will level the playing field. like in the Wild West when only military and criminals had guns, and then people women pastors blacks Chinese etc. had guns and the Wild West quieted down (i know lawmen and circuit travelling courts also factored in). BUT ideally, there will be no more bluffing is my larger point here, Ireneo.
Likening humanitarian work, which is an active role in trying to make the world better, to fraud is an affront to all people who could’ve been earning much higher salaries yet chose to dedicate part of their life to service.
I’ll address this here cuz its kinda related:
“5.) If they are not agreeable to any of the above, unfortunately I move on.
With limited time and resources the focus should be on giving everyone a chance, then drilling down focus to those who actually make an effort.”
=====
So i’m thinking the NPO/NGO industry is just this in a nutshell, Joey, but the difference is they raise a lot of money mostly from the gov’t (US to EU). wherein this whole industry purports to help people, then don’t really deliver and then they ask why nations and gov’t with lots of NPO/NGOs operating don’t really end up helping anyone or anything.
for example Newsom and Trump are on the same boat now trying to investigate what happened to the funds provided for by tax payers into the homeless problem, with no solutions to show.
I would argue because of lack of imagination. no real solutions come out of the NPO/NGO sector, just a lot of money thrown and “qualified” folks getting high salaries w/out creating solutions that work.
I mean, Joey, can you imagine the person you’re giving said advice to? forget about your interests and dreams, go work abroad in some factory if not in BPO locally. thats gotta be soul draining.
Now sure myself, I’m a big unsolicited advice giver here as well, early last year for instance I told Joe to get Joe jr. to look into the game design programs at UCSC (cuz Joe said Joe jr. was looking into schools in CA), and i was like that s the most interesting program right now imho, cuz it used to be one program merging their computer science game design program and their art game design program into one and they ended up not working out, cuz and ironically the art side lost its way and hired a bunch of DEI game designers into designing feelings type games, which in and of it self isn’t the problem but the DEI types were very tyranical to its students, similar to your tough love you’re espousing here (or the NGO/NPO sector in general). my way or the highway type of advice, Joey.
so those DEI game designers have since left booted out and art game design program have now focused more on analog games instead of the push to make money, its more about making art and getting people together, which still is kinda DEI but less about getting games into market, bcuz it was that aspect that created the pressure thus tensions.
I’m still bullish in those type of programs as opposed to the old tried and true majors you’re espousing that although produce results financially, tend to be life draining. require you to sacrifice your dreams.
But most importantly, Joey. those majors you’ve listed are the careers most prone now to A.I. which goes back to what i’m saying you’re giving advice for a world that doesn’t exist anymore. so the best fall back is , do what you love and convert that to a livelihood. and that’s it, Joey , just hands off.
I did get more info on that question i asked if theres some organization like a union or guild for BPO managers to affect their industry vis a vis the line workers and non-Filipino management re A.I., and the closest to this is that there is a bunch of BPO HR/operations management type coming together and affecting local 9-12 grade curriculum to better fit BPO needs, like in Mactan island (so look into this) and Lilo-an and Talisay, outside of Cebu City proper.
So you can better convert that group into shifting from their DEPED curriculum which I ‘m thinking they are doing exactly what you’re doing about your 1-5 advice, hell they are probably gonna be all Joey Nguyen disciples, lol! tell them instead of giving the same advice (the Joey Nguyen how to live your life advice), consider post-Labor and post-Globalization world and use that BPO team-up instead. to prepare for the post-A.I. world, Joey.
First rule of giving advice:
Be an example. Don’t give advice on something you haven’t done and are not willing to do yourself.
If you’re not prepared to follow through with what you espouse for, then you didn’t care that much about it to begin with. Momentary fancy has no value in own your life, much less other people’s lives. Apologies if this comes off rude, but put your money where your mouth is then let’s discuss after.
Joey, I am not making anything up. both Newsom and Trump, state and federal investigations are now afoot as to where the public money went:
Remember the fable for gaslightiing.Courtesy of A-ha
Night I left the city,
I dreamt of a wolf
He came from where the winds are cold
And truth is seen through keyholes
Strange longings never sleep
Now he’s come where no hearts beat
Cry wolf
Time to worry
Cry wolf
Time to worry
You can start, but you cannot stop
You give in, but you can’t give up
You can tell all your desperate jokes
To a world that puts
Love on hold
Cry wolf
Time to worry
Cry wolf
Time to worry now
The sunken-in eyes
And the pain in his cries
A shape in the dark
Cry wolf
Time to worry
Cry wolf
Time to worry now
I deliberately did not address the parts that have no relevance to the Philippines and don’t build towards new ideas to move the status quo in the Philippines.
I have said it before and I am not being overly generous when I say I think you’re really smart — it’s apparent that you’re a smart guy.
However your tendency towards conflation and trying to pull in irrelevant data points just so you can “prove a point” does a disservice to your argument and to your braininess. You seem to enjoy fighting me somehow more than sharing knowledge and learning from others. Even if one disagrees there are better ways to disagree than being outright disrespectful. Debate is an art of persuasion and you’re not persuading me with passive aggressive attacks. If you insist on focusing attacks on me, sorry to say that won’t be a fight you’ll be able to win.
Your article from 10 years ago that Irineo shared while a bit eclectic does make sense in a way. What you write nowadays makes little sense. What you write today is a jumble of frenetic synapses firing and regurgitating what you’ve recently learned. How is that different from AI’s regurgitations that I pointed out?
A bit over 10 years ago was when I started losing many longtime friends to the algorithm on Facebook and YouTube. Can you imagine smart people of all walks of life — former soldiers, businessmen, business owners, engineers, journalists, etc. — who are educated people with relevant life experience being leaders that they can share instead falling to the same rabbit holes online? It happened and is still happening. The only solution my friend is to go outside and “touch grass.” Let’s focus on reality.
Joey, all this was about A.I. and what the Philippines can do now going forward.
Rabbitholes Joey, rabbitholes
Morpheus: I imagine that right now you’re feeling a bit like Alice. Tumbling down the rabbit hole?
Neo: You could say that.
Morpheus: I can see it in your eyes. You have the look of a man who accepts what he sees because he’s expecting to wake up. Ironically, this is not far from the truth. Do you believe in fate, Neo?
Neo: No.
Morpheus: Why not?
Neo: ‘Cause I don’t like the idea that I’m not in control of my life.
Morpheus: I know exactly what you mean. Let me tell you why you’re here. You’re here because you know something. What you know, you can’t explain. But you feel it. You felt it your entire life. That there’s something wrong with the world. You don’t know what it is, but it’s there. Like a splinter in your mind — driving you mad. It is this feeling that has brought you to me. Do you know what I’m talking about?
Neo: The Matrix?
Morpheus: Do you want to know what it is?
(Neo nods his head.)
Morpheus: The Matrix is everywhere, it is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window, or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work, or when go to church or when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.
Neo: What truth?
Morpheus: That you are a slave, Neo. Like everyone else, you were born into bondage, born inside a prison that you cannot smell, taste, or touch. A prison for your mind. (long pause, sighs) Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself. This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back.
(In his left hand, Morpheus shows a blue pill.)
Morpheus: You take the blue pill and the story ends. You wake in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. (a red pill is shown in his other hand) You take the red pill and you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes. (Long pause; Neo begins to reach for the red pill) Remember — all I am offering is the truth, nothing more.
Probably the most profound foresight ever expressed. Most did a long slow slide into the blue pill, but a few have the red one.
LOL. i love the Matrix series, karl. But have always prefered the Dark City movie as superior to Matrix.
You have their power. You can make things happen by will alone. They call it “Tuning.” They built the city to see what makes us tick. Last night one of us went off.
same but the action scenes of the Matrix
Dark City was more about aliens and breeding programs (sutherland’s character). but same same with Matrix about the nature of reality. 12 Monkeys too. though I agree Matrix has the action sequences. lol.
Started talking to a project around 2018 for a USAID consulting gig. Finally became one in 2020. I got DOGED.
One key observation I can offer is that it takes two to tango.
Sometimes I’ve observed that some agencies treat this as unCOAble funds.
The benefit on the agency totally depends on the dance between the local government agency and the USAID project implementer.
All of the projects I was involved with are still running and running strong. This is because the leadership of our USAID project focused on sustainable projects and found government agency partners willing to put in the work to make the project work even after the support is gone.
That’s uplifting to know, Gian. DOGE is a disaster, the most amazing destruction of a nation’s character imaginable.
gian, did you ever watch those John Kiriakou videos on USAID? he says there are legit programs. and even Elon has said this himself too, but there are also plenty of fraudulent and or unaccounted for programs in the millions and billions of dollars. if i remember correctly the legit programs are just being moved to other depts within Dept of State or whomever would be best to look after it. but the homeless stuff in CA is very similar.
Haven’t seen them. One of the issues with any big organization that does a lot of stuff is that policing is as hard if not harder than implementation. See what happens in big tech wherein I’ve seen people with multiple low mid six figure jobs for multiple companies. And these are big public companies.
Have been working around government/government projects for almost 2 decades now. I am very much against big teams. The Jeff Bezos 2 pizza rule is a nice rule of thumb. Anything bigger and you can hide a lot, and the norms of a high trust society will basically shield you from responsibility or getting found out.
I try to adhere to the do not attribute to malice what you can attribute to stupidity. But in most cases its not stupidity or malice but rather katamaran.
thanks to your taxes joe.
I’ve always been proud of USAID work here. It’s the real America, in my mind. Cancelling it speaks of the cruelty that is America today.
“Have been working around government/government projects for almost 2 decades now. I am very much against big teams. “
Makes sense, gian.
oversight and accountability easier, when things are small.
And i agree with you re malice vs ignorance, thats just bureaucracy in the 1st world and corruption in the 3rd world, eg. shaving off from the top if you will. that’s factored in i think.
What am more interested in are the black budget stuff thats designed into the system to siphon all that money into bigger programs. not just the crumbs you’re talking about.
but
the big programs.
“A bit over 10 years ago was when I started losing many longtime friends to the algorithm on Facebook and YouTube.”
Because I agree with Joey here, it was 10 yrs ago exactly. was related to the Trump 2015 campaign, but also this was when Palantir and Peter Thiel started suing the US gov’t (US Army), then counter suits, etc. making their moves early on.
And around that time was the 1st BLM Michael Brown protests that weirdly was overhyped by all media outlets creating this police vs. blacks situation riots nationwide. then it died down, then again 2nd BLM protests but with George Floyd. so 2015 and 2020 consecutively.
lately its all these illegal round ups in the news. so what happened to the black police stuff? it just stopped happening? or the media just stopped covering it? i dunno.
And around the same time was DU30 vs. Mar Roxas. so weirdly related is the Tic-Tac video (which Joey thinks is Lockheed Martin technology) that was 2017, still related to Peter Thiel i think cuz NG. then fast forward to now its all about DOGE and USAID (with RFKjr doing something similar to Health).
My point there is a sense that bigger forces wanna uncover other bigger forces operations. it looks like Northrop Grumman (NG) and Peter Thiels companies are now teaming up. so that’s one down , but a bunch more to go.
So am curious now if you and Joey have ever come across each other cuz you’d have been in the same sector mid- to early 2000s. i remember Joey showing off about how he was sporting an R1 around Cebu and people thirsted over him and his nice ride. sure he’s an American thus US dollar rates but my question to you was this industry NPO/NGO sector really that lucrative? even at peso rate?
I noticed during GWOT lots of money was thrown about too. was not an officer, but the officers that interfaced with these NPO/NGO types had the same inkling. like money was thrown here, to ensure the bulk of the money was hidden there. rob Peter to pay Paul situation. essentially cut outs, gian. like musical chairs.
I wish Micha was still here too, cuz i suspect she was also in this sector NPO/NGO industry. maybe karl has more on Micha re NPO/NGO work.
But yeah, gian, Palantir seems to be playing a big role here and the other legacy programs from Lockheed to SAIC are now kowtowing. whether this is an actual take over of the legacy programs or just the legacy programs burrowing farther down, i dunno gian. but that 10 year i don’t think is simply due to algorithms,
there’s power shifts afoot. and I’m sorry you’re getting trampled on over this, gian. but that’s my feel of the overall situation. which also ties into A.I. especially in the Philippines. theres these economic and societal shifts that started really taking root in and around 2015.
would really be interested to hear your take on this, gian. what patterns you’re seeing yourself.
The NGO work I did was purely as an unpaid volunteer. If you think people get into humanitarian work to make money then you’re wrong. My income is in the private sector doing capitalism, which bought that R1 you decided to use as a weird knock on me. My career journey would be described by some as a quintessential rags to riches, pull yourself from the bootstraps model — but even I have the empathy to acknowledge that bootstraps do not exist when most don’t even have boots to begin with, I had plenty of luck and mentorship along the way. The few percentage of scammers and misguided projects run by White Saviorism vs Noble Savage idealism does not mean as a society we should just can the vast majority of good work being done. If an intellectual lightweight like Joe Rogan can figure that out that it is cruel and un-American to not help the least among us (on his latest episode with Bono), then we should be able to understand as well. Clearly you have decided to make many replies as a LCpl vs Joey thing and I do not wish to take part anymore.
I think your life story is more like many a refugee story from the territories of Germany lost after WW2, or that of a number of voluntary refugees from what became East Germany during Communist times. They usually had literally nothing or had left property behind like Thuringian gentleman farmers who left for Bavaria due to Communist persecution, for instance, leaving their farms to be collectivized. They usually made it to better lives, I know a son of one who collects oldtimer Mercs and the like as a hobby.
Just like you, they had values their parents had instilled in them, values that lifted them out of poverty. While there are other people who don’t have the right values due to generations of not knowing better, let them win the lottery they are one-day millionaires. I can see that you are trying to pay stuff forward by teaching the right values to people who don’t know better as their parents didn’t, closer to reality than Rich Dad Poor Dad.
There is a similar mindset among the Vietnamese, pre-1950 Chinese, post-1953 Koreans, and later Cuban and Venezuelan diasporas. Even if the parents were uneducated, they placed a high value on education for their child’s future, not for the sake of repaying utang na loob. Knowledge combined with a bit of luck are the biggest factors to get out of poverty.
I recently counseled a Fil-Am friend from San Diego in his request about what to do with his life, now that he has 2 young kids and is in his 40s, still struggling with a low paid job while his mother demands him to support the parents monthly despite the parents having Social Security. Nearly 20 years ago I told his now-wife to let him stay in the Navy, and when she insisted I recommended he take advantage of the GI Bill to get a good education. He did neither, and his last rank of hospitalman (E-3) due to a single 4 years enlistment doesn’t have a pension. Now someone has gotten in his head that since he was a hospitalman, he can easily get a bachelors in nursing degree, 2 decades removed from any relevant experience. He should’ve just stayed in the Navy for the full 20 years.
I do have a few expensive hobbies. But the hobbies are generally low-key. Next wish is my boomer neighbor’s 930 that has been garaged for over 30 years 🙂
my bad, Joey. You mentioned your R1 that Cebuanos thirsted over (that was how you mentioned your R1 if you remember) along with mentioning your NGO/NPO work on Mactan so I thought they were related. but yes you have mentioned your work on BPO thus capitalism. if the R1 came from that work, then I stand corrected, Joey. I’m not knocking on your R1, just thought it was related to my thesis on NPO/NGO sector operating in the 3rd world.
this might be related here.
it was super hot yesterday to went to a filipino establishment to get halo-halo. grocery with open seating with stalls all around, one specializing in frozen goods. i’m a regular.
so I intrude asking about VP Sara and PBBM etc. etc. to a couple seated.
twist and turns in the conversation then they mentioned they had to return specifically for a Social Security appointment for in-person interview. essentially they were summoned.
wife was Filipina, dude was US Navy retiree. something about SSA giving them a hard time. and I’m like oh, you’ve been DOGE’ed as gian says. so they talked about how difficult it was to deal with SSA, they were given different answers for simple questions. etc. etc. bureaucracy.
I’ve never dealt with Social Security. so I’m like oh kinda like the VA then, and the dude was like yeah but 100 times worst. lol.
but then they said something interesting, that they knew of bunch of Filipinos receiving SS benefits, needing to verify information. that it was system wide. SSA was auditing i guess, no doubt upon the insistence of DOGE.
then I told them about Newsom and Trump and them investigating the whole homeless NPO/NGO stuff. then basically I told them my whole thesis about DOGE and NPO/NGO. i can see their eyes getting glazed over. but they agreed with me re corruprtion and/or malfeasance.
So I wrapped it up with Joe Lonsdale‘s AI and company called Thorin, and how the bureacracy they’ve been dealing with may just be replaced soon. and that’s the whole point of DOGE. taxpayer money being wasted and or diverted. which is Thorin’s mission statement.
https://www.thorin.com
Anyways we talked about other things too, cuz we were all just trying to beat the heat. they were staying with relatives and they just wanted to get out of the house for awhile. so i obliged them and regaled them with stories.
But the intel i got that’s relevant here is SSA and Filipinos and lots of Filipinos having to return here for appointments in-person. Joe, are you dealing with Social Security at all? i’m curious how many benefits are being cut now, system wide and especially those living in the Philippines.
My social security payments have not been affected. I have to annually report that I’m alive via paper. If It is a headache because mail is very slow to the Philippines. Perhaps the dude you mentioned did not get his notices. There is (or was) a SSA office in the Embassy here. When we applied for JoeJr’s SS account there they sent out a field investigator to see the kid and interview neighbors. Very untrusting, and rightfully so I suppose.
My social security payments have not been affected. I have to annually report that I’m alive via paper. It is a headache because mail is very slow to the Philippines. Perhaps the dude you mentioned did not get his notices. There is (or was) a SSA office in the Embassy here. When we applied for JoeJr’s SS account there they sent out a field investigator to see the kid and interview neighbors. Very untrusting, and rightfully so I suppose.
that makes sense , Joe.
i got the sense that i wasn’t getting the bigger picture re their SSA summons. but there was a sense that the couple had over stayed their welcome in the house they were staying in. so i had a captive audience from which to talk about Palantir, Anduril, and Thorin and Elon Musk’s DOGE. lol.
plus I didn’t really intrude too much also on his “retiree” status but could also be that said “retiree” just meant he was in the Philippines living off of his Social Security not really retired like having done 20+ years either in the US Navy or other employment.
But i did start Googling all this Social Security stuff. now curious as to how much of U.S. Social Security funds goes to the Philippines. and various frauds that would be associated with that “industry” if indeed that big.
Joey,Irineo
You had long advocated for baby steps and no short cuts.
Yet I still sense that you feel our efforts ate nit enough. Please explain.
From my part, it is just about being realistic, not overconfident.
For instance, not seeing how, for instance, the major manufacturing plant of Samsung outside Korea is in Vietnam, not in the Philippines.
It is a question of perspective. In the 1990s, a lot of Filipinos were smug about a lot of bicycles still on Vietnamese streets. Joey sees the issue that the smugness and complacency easily returns with just a little recovery, I agree even if I see it with more optimism.
Fair! Thanks!
Welcome. BTW, I do see how some Filipinos think truly national, but I suspect they are still few. Wrote about this as well.
I recently caught up with a close friend; I’m her son’s ninong. Despite growing up in HK and not knowing any Tagalog at all until she was “left in the Philippines during summer vacation” by her parents with an admission letter to AdM senior high school (as happens with more than a few Filipino youths), she has since identified fully with Manila culture and speaks to me in Taglish. She often uses the term “locals” to refer to Filipinos in the national sense, to which I jokingly correct her “which locality?” That is just one example of how a highly educated Filipino who has spent her whole life abroad, with constant travel for work, (except for the 6 years at AdM SHS and university) still thinks of the Philippines as being one huge national village. There are 110+ million Filipinos now, yet stuff that happens across the country often feels to the average Filipino I meet as happening to their direct neighbor. There is an active social expectation to make the small big and the big small, because it’s often just easier to think that way rather than tackle problems methodically. In some ways it is a sign of being easily overwhelmed and turning to the things one knows. For years I’ve been encouraging and prodding my friend to move on from her role at ISC2, as her nearly 2 decades experience would get her a much higher salary and role. She’s comfortable.
be supportive, that is what a true friend would do. dont push her, man. she knows her limit, you dont apparently. maybe money and bigger salary means not a whit to her, and she does not want to lose the work friends she currently has, they are probly priceless! and enjoys their company.
it can be very lonely at the top, surrounded by sharks circling in for the kill. moving to another office, assuming a higher position with bigger responsibility and different way of reporting, the stress alone can cause heart attack. plus she has to leave trusted friends behind and find new friends who are maybe not so besotted and may even be skeptical of her abilities, man, that’s torture.
She and I know each other quite well almost as twins — we complete each other’s words. I care about her and her family quite a bit, which is why I’m her son’s ninong. The personal story was meant as an illustration about how Filipinos who “return” home can shed what they learned abroad.
Your reply kinda underlined my point KB 😅
HS was four years 2 decades ago.
If she is comfortable and content,be happy. I have a friend who keeps saying kawawa naman si…
Sometimes we misplace our pity, and empathy when it is unwelcomed.
A needs and want/ sipply and demand economics stuff. Nah it is human relations. High tech/ high touch.
Wouldn’t you say that someone who always says “kawawa naman si… [person xyz]” is more of a chismosa than trying to help the person who is supposedly kawawa? My encouragement style is a bit subtle. I’m the one who introduced her to applying, then prepared her for her current job. Some may know, ISC2 is a big deal in the background of the IT world. Her previous (and only) job after graduating AdM was working as a copy editor for a Manila-based online culture magazine that no longer exists.
Though you’re right Karl sometimes makes pity and empathy can be misplaced by those who say “kawawa naman si” as a conversation subject, or the concern can be unwelcome by the recipient. Personally as I get older I no longer have the boundless energy or the ample time to give encouragement to others. I focus on a few I can give advice to who are open to that help.
Excellent!
Bur sometimes I go by Mr. T and pity the fool. BUT always treat your mother right.
president bong marcos would not agree with taking baby steps when he can run and jump and smythe all in one go! asked all his hirelings to resign en mass. as well all heads of government owned or controlled corporations were asked to resign too. pending review and job performance.
voters too did not take baby steps but move in big drove and overtook the favored candidates, put akbayan on the bigger picture.
those those on government jobs that willy nilly took baby steps are not only in danger to being left behind, but accused also of apparently not doing well enough. people now demand more accountability, more measurable outcomes and performance based results. not shoddy work and shoddier excuses.
Yes baby steps to build confidence is the approach I believe in. However there is a tendency to take a small step, stop, look around for encouragement from peers/superiors, then enjoy the pats on the back so much that one continues to pat one’s own back, not taking another step forward. The idea behind baby steps is to teach independence, but if hands are held for too long, dependence may develop instead.
When I was a kid I was terrified of swimming. My dad tossed me into the pool and let me fend for myself, though he was standing by to help me out of course. After flailing and drinking water for a bit, I realized that hey, I can swim.
There are quite a few countries that matured economically and politically in less decades than the Philippines has, despite that the Philippines gets constant handholding by the US and other US allies like Japan. Yes, the US should and I hope will continue to help; it’s in the interest of any country to have friends and allies. In order to grow hard truths need to be swallowed and acknowledged.
learned helplessness, that is probly what is happening here. if philippines shows independence in both mind, body and spirit,and in all things they do and prove to the world that they can indeed stand alone, all that fantastic alms, copious economic aids and humongous help from estados unidos and well meaning countries could stop. that would probly be super scary to lose all those finer things given for a handshake. for the faucet to be finally turned off is inconceivable! no more free ride! no more freebies!
even china is playing the same game, despite it having overtaken estados unidos in terms of economy, technology both military and scientific, it is still considered a developing country and qualifies for freebies and handouts.
though we should not compare philippines to china, our business is ours to bear. climbing out from the hellholes we have dug ourselves into, I dont know, if philippines have the will!
Your article is a poem Joeam — a very meaningful one to me!
Well, excellent, NH. Good to know. Check that. Great to know.
We missed you NH!