Better Late, Than Never

MAYHEM We all know the familiar slogan; "Protect yourself, from mayhem...like me." Odds are you even have a favorite "Mayhem Moment" or, at the very least, have gotten a chuckle or three out of one of the famous Allstate commercials. But why are they so effective? Why do we remember them? Is it only the comedy? If so, why are these particular ads so funny? Well, let's take a moment together and break down one of these ads and examine exactly why these ads are so potent. The ad starts with the image of a social media post that reads "New Orleans, Baby!" and shows a couple in front of what looks like an out of focus backdrop of a sports stadium of some sort. The couple are also seen wearing sports jerseys, so we can assume this ad is targeted at sports fans. "I'm kind of a social media nerd. I'm also kind of a burglar." the actor who portrays Mayhem says. The camera now shows Mayhem sitting on a couch in a destroyed apartment. The knock...

  A.I.generated image of two alligators, a dog, a bunny, and a mouse playing poker. Illusion or Reality? Hello world. Everyday artificial intelligence gets better and better, and with this comes with the reality that everything we see or hear might  not be, well, real. "How is that, old man?" you might be asking? "If I see it, or hear it, it's real." And technically, you're right. This image of two alligators, a dog, a bunny, and a moose playing poker is technically real. It's an image. We can see it. It exists. But we also know that none of those animals are sitting around a poker table enjoying a bit of Texas Hold Em. So obviously  the image isn't real. It was generated by artificial intelligence.  If you've read my previous entries about A.I., you might remember the story I told you about the mother who scammers attempted to bribe for ransom with A.I. generated sound clips that sounded exactly  like her daughter. Scary stuff. Now again, we all...

      The foil wrapper crinkles as I peel it away from the packaging. Using my thumb, I push one of the small cylinders into my hand; then I pop it into directly into my gaping food receptacle. It clanks against my teeth before meeting its inevitable fate of being crushed by the same champers it just clanked against. Intense cooling overtakes my taste buds, almost to the point of pain, before my saliva gushes to the rescue, alleviating the burning sensation caused by the crushing of this cylinder.  "Pheewwww" I exhale, then quickly inhale, noticing the overwhelming freshness released from my mouth. The coolness of my breath once again caused a slight pain; a slight, but enjoyable pain. The sweetness of the piece outweighs the discomfort of the coolness on my throat and tongue. Knowing I probably shouldn't, I again use my thumb to maneuver a piece into my hand. I repeat the process; although  this time  accompanied by a small amount of guilt. I sit...