This post came up today in Facebook Memories. Ten years ago on this very day I delivered my talk at the first SteemFest. After all the day's activities were wrapped up and the adrenaline was fading away we strolled the streets of Amsterdam. As the sun sank lower in the sky we felt as though we were on the top of the world.
As far as memories go this is among my top three. It was our first trip overseas, my first appearance in front of such a large crowd, and we felt like we had finally "made it", whatever that even means. That part of it is funny to think about now. Fate is fleeting and fortunes can change in an instant but those memories are indelible. We were so lucky to get to have those experiences.
I can't impress upon you enough how much excitement and hope was in the air during that festival. I wish we could find a way to rekindle that fire. 
This totally jives with the novel I'm writing right now. The story is centered on communities separating themselves from a mainstream society that is completely run by Super Intelligence. After I read her post yesterday I got to thinking about how Hive could position itself perfectly just before this tsunami of Super Intelligence really hits our world (believe me, we haven't seen anything yet.)
What if we take it a step further and make Hive a place for purely human-created content and market it as such?
If we were to do this properly the entire platform would be set up perfectly for all of the people who will be desperately craving something other than AI-slop. Right now would be the time to start the cleansing process of ceasing all AI-created content on the platform. Hive could be known as the place to temporarily escape AI and drink deeply from the well of human creativity.
I'm not even sure how we would do this. Are their tools that can effectively identify and flag AI-created posts and comments?
How about it Hive? I see this as a way to really position the platform as a unique, soulful, and attractive place to converge and share.
Honestly, I feel like Hive, as it is is withering. Do you feel that way too? I see more and more people leaving or posting less. I think what we have here is worth saving.
I, for one, will take the pledge not to use AI in any of my content here on Hive. Will you? If so, use the #proofofhuman tag on your posts as a show of support.
Portraits From The Hearthhold Update
It's been a better week on the novel-front. I've completed one more chapter and the characters are beginning to take on a life of their own. Per the chapter outline I have eleven more chapters to go. I think I'm going to set myself a goal of producing, a minimum of one chapter a week.
Working on a novel feels a lot like being a monk. It's about putting in the hours in seculsion and silence. It's about putting your heart and your soul into something that may not even be a success but you have to convince yourself that it can't fail. Because sometimes this kind of blind faith is the only thing that keeps the project going.
Siri Watch Face
I'm not totally against AI. I think it has its place and can make all of our lives a little better in some ways. This new AppleWatch Siri watch face is one such expample. I started using this after the latest iOS update and it has been totally amazing. You can customize the widgets on the bottom but in the center of the sceen Apple uses Siri to predict what you'd like to see there several different times a day based on your daily routine.
Before my morning walk it shows the weather, in the middle of the day it shows where I'm at with my workout goals, in the afternoon the watch face displays how the financial markets are performing. Pretty impressive Apple.
Save The Birds
Lately, we've had the unfortunate experience of birds flying into our windows. We started having multiple bird strikes a day. It seems to have gotten worse as the birds have begun to prepare for winter. When we found a dead golden finch on our deck we knew we needed to find a remedy.
I'm happy to report we fond a solution. These iridescent window clings have totally solved the problem—a cheap and effective solution.
That's just about all I have for now. Time to settle in and work on the novel. Make this a wonderful day.