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I quit my job and left IT
There’s a lot of joy in saying, “I’ve had enough,” and being able to do something about it. The two clauses in my title are related, though not dependent. I quit my job because it was a toxic cesspool of egos and incompetency. I left IT because the dysfunctional hiring process in the industry is…
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Start one project, suddenly have five
When it rains it indeed pours. I was excited to relaunch this blog, I had been taking lots of photos for Instagram and Flickr, and I started following great tech accounts on other platforms. Lots to do and think about! I started looking into AI in March, which is when the drizzle turned into a…
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Anthropology in an AI image creation channel
I could write a thesis on the evolving behaviors of people writing AI generation prompts, but since I have a full-time job, a few posts here and there will have to satisfy my anthropological curiosity. On the Midjourney Discord server, I am essentially a participant observer. Midjourney is open-by-default; working in stealth mode would require…
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AI art and ethics: starting a conversation
I am astounded daily by AI-generated art. I also understand the position of artists who rage against the theft of their visual style, loss of earnings, and disrespect for human creativity. There are some tricky ethics to consider. I won’t reach a conclusion in this little post, but you can be sure I’ll revisit the…
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ChatGPT is my new social anxiety assistant
I have social anxiety. I dread interacting with strangers in unfamiliar settings, and yet I love travel, exploring new places, and getting to know interesting people. One coping mechanism I use is being prepared ahead of time: My anxiety doesn’t last, but anyone who shares this condition knows the stomach-clenching I go through as I…
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Eyesight loss in a hypervisual age
If you are a sighted person and had a significant, unimprovable, permanent vision loss, how would that change how you interact with the world? With an early diagnosis of age-related macular degeneration, I can still see well, but I’m looking at options as I prepare. Isn’t AMD for old folks? Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is…
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It’s VWBPE conference time again
The annual Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education Conference is back for a 16th year, with events already underway and the bulk of the program next week, March 23rd through 25th. The official program has a variety of discussions, lectures, and activities, and there are always interesting exhibits to visit. As an anthropologist by training,…
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My avatar, myself
My rez day as Kay Jiersen is this week, and combined with visiting a thought-provoking exhibition at GBTH, I have embodiment on my mind. I’ve written about this in the past, but years have gone by and it’s worth considering again. To age or not to age Since Kay was born, my physical self has…
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The virtual movers didn’t break anything
Last year I moved from the US Midwest to New England. The process took months and involved dozens of people. This week I moved from the Fruit Islands in Second Life back to my parcel on the Heterocera Atoll mainland. I did it alone and it took minutes only because I dawdled. I couldn’t help…
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Socials for the somewhat asocial Gen-Xer
In an era when many people could use less screen time, I’m challenging myself to utilize more social media. Let’s see if I last a month. I found myself in a social media void as I began to relaunch this blog. At my core, I am not the target demographic for most of today’s options.…