Daily Log

I can't believe it's August already. I guess my calculation that the mid-year jazz critics poll would kill off the first half of the summer was an underestimate, now that we're two-thirds done. Grass is starting to turn yellow. I'm writing this before going to bed, as I updated software and rebooted. Now I have to reorganize my windows, get Firefox restarted, etc. All in all, a fairly productive day yesterday, posting Music Week both on Substack and on my blog.

Got up after 10, and came down before 11. Reached page 150 in The God Test. Next chapter is "AI Heaven and AI Hell." Main insight I've had from the last few pages is that the tendency of humans to anthropomorphize AI is strong. That's probably because they've never encountered such things except in human form. Wright talks about humans creating AI gods in their own image. Isn't that aspiration to become godlike itself a problem? Second point is that I've long thought that everyone needs their own social worker. The world is complicated, and navigating it is difficult. One needs help. AI could be that help. I doubt it's possible to eliminate the need for human backstop, much as I doubt it's possible for AI to automate all work away. I doubt that's even desirable. But perhaps it could eliminate the imagined need to keep a servent class to cater to the aristocracy.

Email (12 messages, some left over):

• Vox closed my support ticket. No additional 40% discount, but try again next year.
• Christian Iszchak: An Acute Case: 01 August 2026
• Substack daily stats: Music Week (7:5): 7 likes, 2 free subs, 109 email views, 36 other views. Since then: +1 subscriber.

Loose Tabs

Pick up text here.

Jul 2026