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Category: Books

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Books Technology

Are “The Shallows” Getting Shallower with ChatGPT?

It’s been fascinating to finally arrive at the end of Nicholas Carr’s The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains amidst the AI leap we’re witnessing with ChatGPT. 

I’ve been reading The Shallows off and on for around two years, after learning of it via John Eldredge’s excellent (and immensely applicable) Get Your Life Back: Everyday Practices for a World Gone Mad. 

In chapter 10, Carr recounts Joseph Weizenbaum’s creation of ELIZA in the mid 1960s, one of the world’s first natural language processors and a primitive chat bot of sorts. 

Its success surprised and somewhat troubled Weizenbaum. A decade later he wrote a book titled Computer Power and Human Reason within which he cautioned readers of the inevitable consequences of intertwining our lives with computers.

Continue reading “Are “The Shallows” Getting Shallower with ChatGPT?”
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Books Personal

TBT: Serving the Best Wine

Is it significant that I’m starting back into blogging 10 years after I first began? Unlikely. But I guess it is novel if nothing else. (Did I use that word right?)

Anyway, in honor of Throwback Thursdays, every other week I’m going to resurface an old post from around 10 years ago. It will give you a look into my humble beginnings as a blogger, drama-filled young adult years, and initial encounters with the charismatic stream I’ve fully embraced. And lots of other stuff.

It’s self serving in some ways, I suppose, because I have over 600 posts I want to review anyway. So I might was well do something with them while I’m at it.

This week I’m serving up a short reflection I had on a book I was reading: Jesus CEO: Using Ancient Wisdom for Visionary Leadership. What struck me was this:

Jesus loved recklessly and with abandon. He didn’t save himself for some ambiguous time or person in the future… He gave the wine freely to anyone who wanted it. He poured out the best of himself to all he encountered.

Read the full post here:  “Oh bother” or “I could get the hang of this”

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Archives Books Quotes

“Oh bother” or “I could get the hang of this”

The hits just keep coming.

Taking break to do a quick devotional, I just read my first chapter (not THE first chapter, but one random chapter starting on page 138) of Jesus CEO: Using Ancient Wisdom for Visionary Leadership—a book our boss bought us maybe 6 or 8 months ago. The chapter is titled: “He Served Only the Best Wine.”

Quick summary: “Jesus did not keep himself in reserve. The first miracle that Jesus performed was turning water into wine at a wedding. Jesus poured out the best of his affection freely to all he encountered.”

I don’t do that. I bottleneck my emotional and relational energy to a large degree, not wanting to expose myself and become vulnurable to hurt and pain. Jesus loved recklessly and with abandon. He didn’t save himself for some ambiguous time or person in the future.

Author Laurie Beth Jones continues:

This is an important action skill becaue we so often bestow affection in small droplets for people… Why do we wait to serve the wine? Jesus, like so many young people today, never reached the age of forty… He gave the wine freely to anyone who wanted it. He poured out the best of himself to all he encountered.

So, as annoying as all this revelation has been the past few days (it’s hard to get a handle on how to go about changing in so many ways), it’s also very encouraging that God desires to mold me SO MUCH. Must mean he has some pretty neat plans he’s longing to set in motion!

More lessons from the vine… This is the means to a very fruitful end–an end enabling me to serve very, very sweet wine.