A la April FOOLS DAY..
Happy EASTER Holidays to Everyone too
In this Blog I want to bring you all up to date on my personal activities and current thoughts that are preoccupying me and my autistic brain.
Check out my new logo-like/Dislike?
YOU CAN NOW PURCHASE VOL 1: ‘Through A Glass Darkly’ by David Barclay-Miller -on Amazon KDP in both eBook and Paperback.
You can use the Amazon link on my website-Note Amazon accounts can only buy off Amazon in their designated areas, sometimes you can’t even see my book from your country on other Amazon sites! Annoying.
Also remember Apples devices can’t buy books etc using short-cut links. You have to enter my books details into your actual chosen browser.
You can read a KDP eBook on an Apple device but first you have to download a free Kindle app-see link below.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/amazon-kindle/id302584613
My wife has also just had a big ink rubber stamp made for me-it has an image of myself saying “I’m Amazed!” which is something I’m told I say constantly!! Yes, I am very often amazed and DISMAYED.
Meanwhile in my personal bubble I continue my self-publishing journey -Vol 1 & 2 of my Trilogy Memoir titled… ‘One Hand Wavin’ Free’..are done, botyh as eBooks and paperbacks. Vol 1 is for sale now and Vol 2 at the end of April.
(Note: it’s not a begging hand, but its flapping around and its saying ‘I’m free, maybe a little fettered- but these bonds that bind me are coming off-HELLO world!’
also cowboys bronc-riding always have one hand waving free, to give them better balance and keep ‘em in the saddle longer!
My family and friends have all now received paperback ‘authors copies’ of Vol 1 & 2 and I have had some very positive feedback, which I most appreciate.
For any debut authors out there going the ‘self-published’ route, don’t, it’s a nightmare, hook up with a proven pro-team to help and guide you in the KDP formatting and publishing.
I’m finding it really hard to get any traction with ‘memoir bloggers’. Many sell services for writers but few I’ve found are open to unsolicited books being sent to them.
AND I am also…Trying hard to get all of Vol 3’s stories into a draft structure, over half are nearly completed but I need to spend more time with my ‘writing head on’, BECAUSE I have a’ copy -edit’ booked in with John (my-go-too editor guy) for April 22 nd
These are the thoughts that have preoccupied me this year, they are NOT simply conspiracy theories but are happening NOW & come with hard checkable facts…
Billionaires continue, unchecked, creating a world that’s more UNequal than ever-this inequality is at a record level…
Worldwide net private wealth stood at $454.4 trillion in 2022. The highest wealth rung controls $208.3 trillion in wealth, or 45.8% of the global total. Just 1.1% of the world's adult population falls into this bracket. Those with $100,000 to $1 million have the next largest share, at 39.4% of net household wealth.
>The populist politicians are deliberately spreading hate, discord and mis information.
If Trump gets into the White House again, we will definitely inherit a world we may well deserve for even allowing this to happen. I’m not a Biden fan but he’s for sure a safer pair of hands than the wounded and dumb narcissist that is Trump, even with the humanitarian disgrace that is occurring in Gaza under the Biden administration.
>A media circus that’s owned by venal 3rd parties and ‘produces click bait’ rather than factually based free-press reporting.
>The tech giants are creating and shaping a new world around us with minimal scrutiny or regulatory oversight;
>The fossil fuel corporation executives- in cahoots with their big bank lenders- are watching as the planet burns and floods- as both their exploration for oil and gas increases massively against all pledges at Climate & Clean Air Confo’s & Summits and all their profits swell obscenely. (Ironic that a Arab petroleum state was the nominated President of the 2023 Conference)
>And…FAMOUS BOOKS ARE STILL BEING BANNED in their thousands, in libraries and schools, especially in the USA, I knew so little about this-HIT this link below.
Book burning comes next.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/mar/14/book-bans-us-schools-surge
ALSO-relevant to me and my family; Sweden is now in NATO-our head of the military branches has told us.. ‘to mentally prepare for war with Russia’. FFS, we autists freaked out, including my youngest daughter. There is even a rumour that the USA may base some nukes here on Swedish soil. We know that our air raid shelter is just over the road under the stone church buildings and we have grab bags made up ready.
China is waging a war of demographic diaspora and ancestry propoganda-they won’t fight the West to control the World.. they fully intend instead to ‘become the World’- through infiltration, movement of Hans people into areas of Chinese interest eg: Thailands peninsula where they want to dig a canal across the Isthmus and recently loads of Chinese have moved there and later we will see mass migrations eg The Darrien gap up into Panama and then North America, a huge land bridge is currently being built financed we think by China.
They use Museums, Libraries and Archaeology to brain wash-convince the local populace eg in Sth America that the Mayans and their Indian ancestors were all derived from original Chinese stock and later migrations and therefore that land is by rights- Chinese. Insidious, creeping inexorably forward.
Meanwhile in an erosive fashion..we, the little guys are being stripped of legal ownership of anything AND EVERYTHING..by the powers that be.
We seem pretty helpless to make any meaningful changes to our world, even our votes we cast can seem pointless-democracy has fallen globally to only 30%, an all time low in my lifetime.
Near enough to everybody I know is in debt, ie the bank owns most of their house, their car is a lease or bought on loans, pension is worthless, so much of household expenditure is just getting by, pay check to pay check.
Our kids are going to be the poorest post war Gen.
AI and me as a writer?
Put in context, artificial intelligence refers to the general ability of computers to emulate human thought and perform tasks in real-world environments,
In the pantheon of existential dangers posed by the rise and rise of AI, few loom larger than biosecurity and the very existence of mankind -bad actors using AI to create deadly bio-weapons etc.
But one question surely more immediately relevant for me but yes sure it may be less deadly is -will AI replace human creativity?
Very relevant even as we speak – taking over from me, my writing and authorship?
As artificial intelligence creeps into every nook and cranny of our lives, a question lingers in the minds of both seasoned wordsmiths and aspiring writers: are these sophisticated AI tools replacing human writers altogether?
It’s not surprising at all, then, that the use of AI in screenwriting has been a core issue in the current Hollywood writers’ strike, which had exploded to become one of the biggest in nearly half a century, drawing in not only writers but also actors like Jason Sudeikis and Susan Sarandon. The stated goal of the union representing the Writers Guild of America is clear: to “regulate use of material produced using artificial intelligence or similar technologies.
AI has made significant strides in the writing industry, revolutionizing the way content is produced. These tools offer timely and accurate suggestions for grammar, tone, and style.
How AI ‘learns’?
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are often used interchangeably, but they are actually distinct concepts that fall under the same umbrella.
In simplest terms, AI is computer software that mimics the ways that humans think in order to perform complex tasks, such as analysing, reasoning, and learning. Machine learning, meanwhile, is a subset of AI that uses algorithms trained on data to produce models that can perform such complex tasks.
Most AI is performed using machine learning, so the two terms are often used synonymously, but AI actually refers to the general concept of creating human-like cognition using computer software, while ML is only one method of doing so.
There is hardly any technology that has raised so many concerns related to authorship and genuine talent as artificial intelligence. No one can deny the fact that the power of this tool is incredible.
No rights should be violated or infringed by the use of AI platforms. They generate creative content using the existing artworks and prompts available online. AI learns by accessing EVERYBODIES EVERYTHING that was /is ever published.
Still, it may happen that the artists have not provided any permission for using their intellectual property. Hence PLAGARISM is a huge risk.
How does an AI system gain experience and acquire knowledge? However funny it may sound, this software is trained! It replicates the data patterns which it identifies among the available materials.
Many of the texts, pieces of music, code or art are protected by copyright, but the artificial intelligence uses them for generating the products on basis of manipulating with what has been created before. So-some big negatives
Infringement of copyright.
Confusion about the copyright if AI-generated content is published or presented in public.
Discouragement of creativity. If anything can be duplicated, why should people develop new ideas?
No privacy. AI uses all kinds of information no matter how sensitive it can be.
Lack of Creativity and Originality
I tried AI to ‘copy-edit’ one of my Trilogy Volumes, admittedly I’m a complete newbie but it delivered a very stiff and sometimes nonsensical ‘copy-edit’ service, but I can see it being a great tool in this horrid task.
One major concern with AI writing tools is the lack of creativity and originality they often bring to the table. While they may excel in generating content quickly and efficiently, they often fall short in delivering unique and innovative ideas. These tools rely on pre-existing data and patterns to produce text, which limits their ability to think outside the box and offer fresh perspectives.
As a result, the content produced by AI writing tools can be generic and lack the genuine human touch that readers crave. To overcome this limitation, it is necessary to combine AI tools with human creativity and critical thinking to ensure the final output is both original and engaging.
Insufficient emotional intelligence
This can hinder the effectiveness of AI writing tools. These tools may excel in grammar correction and sentence structure, but they often struggle to understand the nuances of human emotions.
As a result, they may produce content that lacks empathy or fails to connect with the intended audience. For instance, AI-powered emails that lack emotional intelligence can come across as cold and robotic, distancing the recipient.
One limitation of current AI writing tools is their difficulty in comprehending and adapting to complex subjects or writing styles.
These tools may struggle to grasp intricate technical concepts or understand specialized industries, resulting in inaccurate or inadequate content generation.
Similarly, the inability to adapt to diverse writing styles, such as formal or creative, hinders the tool's ability to meet varying requirements.
For instance, AI writing tools may struggle to generate poetry or replicate an author's unique voice and tone. BUT they are continuously improving, the AI computing systems are getting better and faster chips- Nvidia has unveiled its latest artificial intelligence (AI) chip which it says can do some tasks 30 times faster than its predecessor.
Some POSITIVES of AI for writers:
Additionally, AI-powered writing assistants can generate content based on specific keywords or prompts, saving writers time and effort. These advancements allow writers to streamline their workflow, improve their writing skills, and produce high quality content.
For example, an AI tool can analyse thousands of articles to identify trends and patterns, enabling writers to create more engaging and relevant content. As AI continues to evolve, its potential to assist writers in the creative process is both exciting and promising.
SUMMARY:
it is clear that we humans bring something more to what we would consider truly creative works — their experience, emotion, imagination, and intuition. Human art and creativity evolve because it strives to reflect the stories of our time and place. Computer art will always stand still without new human art to train on.
So, when we talk of AI taking over human- created arts and literature — as some predict — more is at stake than just loss of jobs.
“Art is dead, dude. It’s over, A.I. won. Humans lost.”
But AI technology — at least the kind that exists today — cannot replace true art, and I think we can all agree that a world without the arts, which help move us forward as a society, is not one that we aspire to.
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Tip of the Iceberg: March 2024
I want to start with an inspired quote from one of my favourite writers- Charles Bukowski I don’t think I would have liked him as a man, IMO he led a sad messed-up life choosing that of a degenerate alcoholic, but his writing cuts straight to the heart of what matters most, and it’s the heart that matters..!
"We are all going to die, all of us, what a circus!
That alone should make us love each other but it doesn't.
We are terrorized and flattened by trivialities; we are eaten up by nothing."
I look at BBC news feeds, I always look away feeling bereft. Same as it ever was-Gaza, Ukraine, Yemen, Middle East and African conflicts we are doing what we monkeys still do best, kill kill motherfuckers.
No absolutes anymore, only a truth that is malleable and relative. Nothing to hang your hat on.
Trump trump an orange tirade, a hate filled divided America, a 3rd world UK, a chattering shivering Europe with a Rus war lord waving his fist and roaring through bloodied dentition and a gaping vociferous maw.
Nothing changes and everything changes, but not for the better-why is our human default state seemingly chaos and hate.
Too much tech and still too much monkey building it and running it.
A totalitarian state exists once people can be made to believe craven lies touted by venal men who embrace evil and seek only their own power at any cost. Social media has exacerbated this perilous state of being.
Mark Fuckerberg and his cronies gets richer off it whilst we blithely send cute photos of our pets and families and he mines our scared data, feeds our fears and sick desires, and mostly we don’t care-the sop he offers makes our eventual crucifixion less painful and even to some, worth it. He and his ilk are devouring us, our children, and now he’s going to allow us to transcend our humanity and become virtual, augmented, heaven or hell on earth?
Its already here folks. Trivialities did compound and become paradigm shifts Charles.
Most days the current status quo is overwhelming and brutally skewers my autistic brain. Stop reading it then, you say!
Meanwhile I am tasked by ‘my special interest’ -both as an autist and as an author-to complete my Projects. I live in a sort of controlled mayhem bubble. I remain occupied in my retirement.
It’s Friday today, March 1st and I’ve just had completed the copy-edits and proofing of the first two Volumes of my debut trilogy, that I got back from the editors, and am 75% done writing the first drafts of the manuscript for Vol 3.
Editors’ arrogance to date has astounded me, they seem to forget they too are mere mortal’s technicians and prone to error.
I am doing a lot of remote work with a patient Pakistani guy in Faisalbad-he’s helping me with formatting, publishing, and then SEO, as we will do battle with mista Bezos and his Algo robots.
I’m clumsy and easily confused, making mistakes, working it out daily as I’ve never done this before. It’s been exhausting too, some days I’m just emptied out- but I love the cover designs and moments like that when they were completed are exhilarating.
By the 12th draft of the manuscripts, I don’t even see the words anymore.
I have personal favourites amongst the 30 or so vignettes I have penned. Some stories are soothing, the imagery vibrant, shimmering others are frightening as I delve into deep dark memories that I’ve chosen to box up and file away where they are not easily found. But now, all boxes are connected and form a whole-a life, my life.
It’s been an exhausting sometimes harrowing time writing this trilogy, but also exhilarating and healing, I am blessed to have had the time and support to do this.
The cover designs and proofing are now completed for all three books and ISBNs have been applied.
I have discovered that writing the book is only about 30% of the self- published authors journey, it’s just the tip of the iceberg. All the myriad of other tasks and processes must be completed to finally be able to see your work in eBook or print format and available for purchase at some ludicrously low offer price on Amazon or your own authors website. More on that later. But still, I proceed and am about to embark on Search Engine Optimisation. I console myself that there is a beginning and an end to every Project. Eat the elephant in the room bite by bite.
Conscious kindness is the key in my life-it gives me purpose; it prevents it all becoming a circus Charles. Let’s practise random acts of conscious kindness.
"We are all going to die, all of us, what a circus!
FIRST BLOG
Why did I start to write this debut series of 3 books you ask?
Well, I’ve been writing one way or another most of my life, including poetry, and songs- but never aiming to be published.
I had recently retired from my own successful business- so I have had time.
I also have had some serious health issues, and have lived apart from my older kids for many years, they stayed in England, I went to Sweden together with my Swedish wife of 20 years and our youngest kid of 15-she was diagnosed with Autism, anxiety and severe depression -like me; and my other kids have severe ADHD.
Covid brought us all together, a support system rooted in family ties, and love. I had to learn to listen, and we all had to learn to understand each other, and realise the lens we each uniquely see the world through renders us all a different experience, even of the same shared moments in time.
So, during this isolation, I wanted to write down my life’s story, jazzed up a maybe, maybe not?
But I wanted my family on both sides of the globe to one day be able to read it in a proper book format and understand what made their father, their dad, and their sibling -for better or worse -tick.
I like what Hemingway said- ‘You can’t get away from yourself by moving constantly to another place.’
At the moment mid-Feb 2024 I’m 27,000 words into Volume 3, titled ‘The Emperors New Clothes’-it’s the third book in the series of fictional bios. This is based on the latter part of my life as a ‘Wanderling’, coming to Europe from Asia, seeking that ‘knowing of all things’, everything made crystal clear, whereas up until that last stop, it's all been a bit unclear-dark and unlit.
You will have seen it advertised as …..COMING SOON on my website, I'm sure? When is SOON!
<www. barclaymillerbooks.com> My website went LIVE today!
Each Volume in this series represents a different timeline, age, and emotional state of my nearly 70 years of life. I pray you can draw some valuable life lessons for yourself from my books.
Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.
Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible. You can’t love everyone!
…OUTTA the BIG blue
My brief thoughts on Writing, Life, Love and the Universe.
My life's current outcome feels like a bit of a lucky escape..OK yes read the book, see the movie.
I’m reminded early each morning when I peer into my shaving cabinet mirror and somewhat shyly greet myself-the old guy stares back, I have been blessed. I will try not to whine today, I will practise conscious kindness, and I write Vol 3 again this morning for 6 hours! Privileged..