My Open Tabs | Drop 005

Here's what we're chatting about in Drop 005:

• 🤖 WTF is AI, and why is everyone talking about it.

• 🏡 Finding peace in fictional small towns.

• 👯‍♀️ You're not a main character...and that's okay.

~ Deja W.

▶️ Set The Vibe

Set the vibe while you read.

I changed this section like 5 times because there's SO much good music out right now. Imma just go ahead and drop the track that won out... [Smoke by Victoria Monét].

Hit the reply button and send me which song you have on repeat right now!

🤳 Group Chat Convos

Take your group chats to the next level.

What in the AI is going on? Ok, let me break down what's got the girlies in my group chat buzzing. By now you might have heard of this thing called [Artificial Intelligence] or "AI". According to IBM, AI is a field that combines computer science and robust datasets, to enable problem-solving. It also encompasses sub-fields of machine learning and deep learning. In other words, it takes in a bunch of data and rapidly spits out advanced solutions based on the information that it has been fed.

A case for AI: You might think that the only way to use AI is through "ChatGPT" an AI tool that has blown up in the past few months. But that's not true! While people are using ChatGPT to do everything from [planning their vacations] to starting new businesses, there are other tools coming out of the woodwork as I type. It seems like the tools that used to be everyday tools (like removing the background of an image or editing a video) have now been [AI-ified]. Yes, this means you can do all the normal everyday things that you might have found boring or time-consuming, 1 million times faster.

A case against AI: While AI can obviously make all our lives easier and a lil' less stressful, there are some big problems that come along with it. Some people argue that this [increased use of AI] will make us lazier, make us indecisive, encroach on our privacy, fuel and have negative effects on our communication skills. Copyright has also become a hot topic, as people are creating wildly realistic art using AI. Just recently anonymous artists have created fake [Drake], Rihanna, and Jay-Z songs. They're also doing things like putting a [bubble coat] on the Pope and even making people say fake things to [scam their loved ones.] I say this all the time, but we're truly living in the internet wild, wild west!

Where we stand: While people are worrying about AI and robots taking their jobs, I'm worried about the world becoming an IRL version of Netflix's [Red Rose] (which is basically a more intense tech-driven version of Pretty Little Liars!) I imagine if we don't get a handle on how people use these advanced technologies, we might be headed toward a world where scammers and hackers can roam freely. As always, technology is moving at the speed of light, and it's ruffling a few feathers. While one of the founders of OpenAI said that he believes that this technology [should be given to the general public], it seems like the general public is taking it to the extreme. Tech giants and AI Researchers have taken a stand and want the government to step in. And when tech waves a [white flag] and asks the government for help, you know something's up. 🧐

🧠 Brain Picking

Chats & thoughts about the mind, body, and soul.

Today's Brain Picking section was guest written by my sister, Téa!

In 2020, it felt like the only way to get a human connection was through watching others interact in their everyday lives. The thing that got me through college, and provided a little of that human sensation, were tv shows set in small towns.

If you find yourself in a similar position and need some background noise, you should watch:

• [Dawson's Creek]: Right out of the bag, five starts. This is a 90s show that follows the lives of 4 teens who live in Capeside, Massachusettes. It displays likely situations that teens could face from love, betrayal, jealousy, and flat-out poor decisions. It was the small town and the simple plot that grabbed my attention. It was peaceful and a great learning platform for [vocabulary words] that are not used in everyday conversation.

• [Roswell (1999)]: I have watched all 61 episodes twice, and I have never found a show that resembles the sort of comfort that comes with this show. Roswell, New Mexico is known for its alien spotting, and on the day of the convention inside Parker’s establishment of the Crashdown Cafe, Liz Parke is shot! That is when Max saves her from dying. It's a play on Romeo and Juliet with a whole lot of government escapades.

• [Roswell, New Mexico]: When I heard that the 2019 Roswell was coming out and it was interlaced with the concept of the 1999 Roswell, I was not for it. But I was pleasantly surprised. This version of Roswell had well-developed characters and this time Liz was a scientist! I love seeing women in STEM represented on a screen. The 2019 version of Liz shined bright, and her light was never dimmed as she became a problem solver throughout the series.

• [You]: This show is a 10 out of 10. I can not and will not stop watching this show. As a young college student, the last thing I should be watching is a young fellow who is obsessed with literature, commentating like the reinstated Gossip Girl. This show kept me enthralled, so no I couldn't quickly glance at it while doing physics homework. But it will get your mind off of anything you have going on. It will have you questioning the intentions of others and if you are even safe to go for a quick jog.

• [Sweet Magnolias]: This show incorporates a few guilty pleasures of mine -- small towns and a passion for food! So off the bat, you know that my favorite scenes to watch are with Dana Sue. She's a single mother, who owns her own business and is taking care of her daughter while keeping her connection with her friends strong.

• [Bee & Puppycat]: I'm a kid at heart even though the mundane tasks have drained my soul. But this show sparked a faint remembrance of childhood nostalgia. It was a quirky formula of color, relationships, and how snarky Puppycat (the cat, that looked like a dog, that fell out of nowhere picking up Bee’s life). Bee represents a young adult that has all these responsibilities and is not sure what to focus on first but for sure it involved having fun, eating, and trying to collect some cash from side hustles. I will always find myself referencing an episode or just randomly doodling Puppycat because he is a character that does not have a filter which everyone secretly loves in people.

*Author's note: section lightly edited for clarity

🤔 Guess What?

Fun facts no one asked for.

✨ Silkworms Are Basically Soldiers...

You know that nice fancy Silk dress you like to wear?

Well, it takes [1700 to 2000] silk cocoons to make one silk dress. Each Silkworm's cocoon is made up of a strand of silk that's a few thousand feet long. Over two thousand silkworm soldiers are needed to produce one pound of silk.

But perhaps the most shocking part is that these silkworms go to battle for our clothes! Nearly 3,000 silkworms die to produce one pound of silk! But nonetheless, this practice of using silkworms for silk production has been used for more than [5,000 years], with China being the OG production hub. Next time you were authentic silk, don't forget to pour one out for the thousands of lil' worms that went to battle for your dress.

✨ The Spotlight Isn't Always on You...

No one really cares about you as much as you think they do.

There's a psychological phenomenon called, ["The Spotlight Effect"] in which we (meaning as a human race) tend to believe that people are thinking about us and even talking about us, when in reality they're not.

There's nothing wrong with being the [main character], but there comes a time when you have to realize that you're a [side character] or background character in everyone else's life, and that's okay!

📷 Screenshot Me

Screenshots worth saving.

🎯 Ctrl+W: Closed Tabs

A few tabs to quickly explore and close.

• If you've been labeled as a ["Know It All"], I have some good news for you. You can 100% untrain yourself.

• You’re not [lazy, bored, or unmotivated]... you're actually afraid.

• [Mindfulness] isn't about not having thoughts. It's about noticing your thoughts. That means you don't have to sit criss-cross apple sauce on the floor to meditate, you can eat, walk, and even lay while you meditate.

✍️ Pinned Tabs

I know your mind is always racing, so I'll leave you with a quote, thought, & action to help you slow down.

🎈 Distract Me

Still, want more? Distract yourself with a game.

I hope you were paying attention to the Brain Picking section. 👀 You're going to need to reference it for today's game. And yes, it is a word game again. I'm determined to make y'all smarter. 🤪

[Let's Play!]

Until Next Time! ~ Deja W.