Time, machine.

July 21, 2025

Greetings from The Weight,

I have an uneasy truce with certain aspects of modern society. I am learning to accept help from technology in places where I once exchanged moments with other people. It is a compromise of sorts, sometimes trading the irascibility and unreliability of humans, for the irascibility and unreliability of machines. 

What’s happening to all of us is that we are resigning to this.  It has become ‘good enough’ for nearly every circumstance, to accept a slightly deficient replacement for people, because it seems like it’s progress.

A few weeks ago I was at the grocery store, using what is now accepted as Self Checkout. On the one hand, I appreciate the convenience, and on the other hand, I sometimes resent the interaction.

I had one item.  The checkout machine asked, with a passive aggressive tone, “Do you have something in the bottom of your cart?”  I responded that I did not, in a very polite tone.  The machine waited, then asked again. “Do you have something in the bottom of your cart?” This time I felt a little defensive, although I did look, even realizing I didn’t have a cart.

At this point the machine refused to proceed with my order and let me know it was alerting the authorities.  In this case, the authority was the bedraggled clerk who is in charge of monitoring a dozen Self Checkout machines, who always looks like she is performing in a Lucille Ball skit about working on an assembly line.

Most of us recognize that these little glitches can happen, and shrug them off.  I’ve had lots of experience with shrugging; at the ATM, the airport, the fast food joint, the doctor’s office, the pharmacy, in each place where a person has been replaced with a machine, whose judgment, the machine’s that is, is suspect.

Earlier this year I was traveling back east, (Notice people still say ‘back east’ and ‘out west’ as if we had just settled wild territories beyond Ohio?)  and so, I rented a car.  I knew very little about this model of car other than it was the least expensive at Dollar Rental. 

There were some little surprises from the car like when it would correct my driving.  It would nudge my steering wheel if I drifted slightly onto the white line that protects me from hitting the rumble strips.  I appreciate the input, usually, but after the first few times I began deliberately driving onto the shoulder just to exert my authority. 

The car also wanted to help me park.  Here I will acknowledge that my parking skills have taken a turn for the worse.  Yes, I used a meta metaphor. I eschewed the parking help on principle.

I was driving on a two lane road up into a remote area.  I dialed in classic rock playlist and wound up the volume, the windows down, zooming the winding roads through the mountains. 

I was listening to the song ‘The Weight’, a favorite from 1968, performed by the band, ‘The Band’.  Those of you who know it will have to admit even if you don’t like the song, it’s fun to sing along with the chorus.

I was doing just that, as loud as I am capable of singing: “Take a load off Fanny, take a load for free, take a load off Fanny, aaaand,…you put the load right on me.”

At the first chorus, the car interrupted me, and the song, and a computer voice said, “What was that?”  I was a little surprised but kept singing, and then, at the second chorus, it asked “What was that? I don’t understand.”

Clearly the car doesn’t get 60’s rock.  This delighted me. I played  CCR’s ‘Bad Moon Rising’, Sly and the Family Stone ‘Hot Fun in the Summertime’ and ‘Louie Louie’ by the Kingsman.  These songs confounded whatever intelligence there was in the car. I will also add that most Motown songs did.  The voice would plead: “What was that?” and I would laugh and sing louder, especially when I didn’t know the lyrics, which if I’m honest, could be 20-80% of the time.

I am not against technology when it helps humanity in meaningful ways.  I am growing weary, and leery, of the moments when it’s so helpful that it keeps us from talking to each other.  I have strong opinions about artificial intelligence, which I will not voice today, in part because my word processing software keeps deleting it.

I learned one thing, although I’m loathe to share it because I know that Ai is listening through my watch or phone or refrigerator.  Regardless, if there ever comes a time when humanity needs to do battle with robots taking over the world, we can confound Skynet by singing songs from the sixties. For What It’s Worth.

Hope this finds you rebelling,

David

Copyright © 2025 David Smith