At the intersection of high-tech and low-tech
Given the rapid pace of events and communication in the 21st century, it is not uncommon to hear journalists and news readers on daily programs say “We had a show planned for you today, but given the latest news, it will be presented at another time.” It is sometimes the case with blogs as well - today's blog, for instance.
To begin, an orange blinking light on the modem has been keeping me company for nine days, meaning that our internet/cable television/email have been incommunicado. At this point, the collective group of us in our small cul de sac cannot really find fault with the company. It is apparent that either an over enthusiastic gardener or gopher cut the lines, or perhaps the lines have fallen apart over time. As I write this, we await answers. Nine days and counting, so blog day is Friday this week!
Several things I have learned from the experience is that AI is in full effect in the customer service sector. Quite frankly, this is the first time I had encountered AI via voice. It is decidedly different from machine voice. And I can firmly say that as wretched as it can be speaking to people with assorted accents and less than effective English, or machine voices, they are better at this point than an AI rep. Over the last week, my husband and I have probably communicated with at least six different AI entities. We had heard that AI has learned to lie and manipulate. That I experienced first hand this week. And it is not just about appointment times and service, which does sometimes happen with human representatives. Case in point. I was outside in our cul de sac while on hold with a rep and said to a neighbor that we had encountered a minimum of three AI reps. About ten seconds later, the rep returned and said “I need to tell you I am not AI.” Then “she” continued with the same programmed language meant to comfort the customer, repeating ad nauseum “please bear with me”, “no need to worry”. Yes, these are phrases used by human reps as well but because of timing and sequencing, it was definitely AI.
One more first for me in the AI realm. Some customer service is really good. Some is equally bad. But I have never had a rep hang up on me. One of the entities became frustrated with me not understanding what I was supposed to do in order to get a service appointment. It uttered something to the effect of “Alright. Goodbye.” As if to reflect I was being difficult (this time a “he”) and he wasn’t putting up with it any longer. Or the programmed answers in the entity’s line up were not coming to it quickly enough to satisfy the entity. Who knows?
So it seems that when high tech (in this case, buried wires) intersects with a low tech instrument (such as a shovel, digger, gopher teeth or deterioration over time), many questions and frustration arise, not to mention the loss of connectivity on which so many of us have grown to depend. But, in a convoluted sort of way, perhaps low tech (a shovel) will save us from high tech’s dark side. Ironically, according to a utility online newsletter, April is Digging Month!
Enough on that. Now, the real blog begins! I have spent the better part of two weeks shooting photographs of parrot tulip blooms (Estella Rijnveld), the bulbs I planted last September. They are wild and flamboyant. Whether shooting in the morning, midday, afternoon, and whether in sunshine, under overcast skies or silhouette from late afternoon light, these gems are seriously dramatic.
Photographing the flowers from their first opening to fading into a watercolor painting toward the end of their bloom cycle was the kind of exercise photographers love. The image below is one of the first I shot due to the fact that I was smitten with the edge flares and the paint drops.
In the image below, the petals in the tulip bowl have swirls of red thinned to shades of pink.
Close to six o'clock one evening, the lower sunshine seemed to lend a completely different character to the tulips, accentuated by the dark shade.
The following evening, I wanted to see if I could duplicate the effect, but the timing wasn't quite right. But it certainly did make this parrot shine.
Under high overcast skies and on another day, the flower began to lose its shape as the petals lost their shape. I loved the color change to more of a light red wine and felt more like modern art or underwater photography.
Thanks to Tim, Victoria, Catherine, Kay, Steve, Marilyn G., Ingrid for commenting on last week’s blog, to everyone reading today for your patience in the delay of this week’s issue, and to our friends I & R who allowed me to camp out at their desk and use their connectivity to put this together and send it your way.
I will get back to you again, with luck, some time next week.
until next Monday,
DB
a passion for the image©
Comments
I too feel the AI pain, and empathize deeply!
Thanks for persevering and good wishes for resolution of the connectivity situation.
Thanks for the tour of parrot tulips throughout the day.