Category Archives: Current Events

What’s Your Six Degrees of Separation Story?

Posted on January 31, 2026 | 1 comment

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The Six Degrees of Separation theory was conceived by Frigyes Karinthy in 1929, suggesting that we are just six people connections away from any other person on this planet. The theory never hit pop culture until a play by John Guare came out in 1990. Six Degrees of Separation won the 1990 New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play, as well as the Hull Warriner Award and the Obie. After the play’s popularity soared it was made into a movie starring a young Will Smith.

I will admit that I didn’t know that it was a movie or a play until I started researching for this blog. I thought that it was just a sociology theory that everyone was talking about.

According to AI, the play/movie “explore the premise that any two people are connected by a chain of six or fewer acquaintances. Inspired by a true story, the play centers on a con artist named Paul who charms his way into the lives of wealthy Upper East Side art dealers“. Since hearing of the theory back in the 90’s, I’ve been fascinated by it. 

What do you think? Is the theory possibly true? I do. And in fact I think it’s possible that I am in the center of that invisible web of humanity. Can I prove it? Absolutely not. Who can? Why do I think that I’m the center? Because I want to.

There is also the 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon theory which posits that every actor/actress in Hollywood can be connected to Kevin Bacon through six or less movie/TV shared appearances. I can’t claim that but…oddly enough, I can be connected to Kevin Bacon through Kevin’s actress wife Kyra Sedgwick who starred with Richard Gere in the film Time Out Of Mind. I connect to Richard Gere because my high school biology lab partner married his sister.

I can also be connected to a jazz pianist, Earl Hines, that was very popular as far back as the late 1920’s. (On the show Two and a Half Men they had a poster of him on the wall for several years.) I met him in person once in the 70’s. And one of my more odd connections is Fidel Castro because in the 60’s my mom spoke to his brother on the phone. It’s too bad they didn’t really hit it off. Oh and there’s my brother who worked TSA in Vegas for twenty years, so that puts a lot of famous folks only two connections from me. He’s a talker, so he’s had conversations with so many people. Once me, Michael Vick, George Thorogood, and most of the nations media were all in a hotel lobby at once. That was an interesting day.

Don’t even get me started on the music industry! I could go on all day, but what fun is that? I already know that I had a ten minute conversation about fireflies with the guy that sang 867-5309. I’ve also done a bunch of interviews for this blog that has expanded my web infinitely. So what’s your best six degrees of separation story? Put it in the comments and maybe we can pull them all together for a fun blog full of quirky stories. Chances are that we already be connected to each other! It would be fun to find out!

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Hey South! Calm Down, It’s Just Cold Air

Posted on January 25, 2026 | 1 comment

The annual snowpocalypse in the southeastern United States is happening today. For those of you from other countries, there are parts of the United States that get a lot of snow for about four months every year. I live in one of those unfortunate places. For us, getting a foot (30 centimetres) of snow overnight just means that we have to spend a little extra time clearing our driveway before we go to work. In the southeastern region of the United States they get snow about once a year, and when they get it, it’s about one to three inches (2-6 centimetres). What makes us Northerners laugh is their reaction to it, or rather their overreaction to it.

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Dear southern United States. You do know this is your fault right? The universe tries to make everything equal.  You can’t have warm temperatures and sunshine every day of the year. For most of the year you get sunshine and warm temps. Here comes the pay back. I’m not taunting you. I’m just trying to educate you. I live in the northeast. It’s like this about half the year.

Calm down. It’s not the end of the world. This happens almost daily in the northeast. Toughen up buttercup. It’s just cold air and frozen water. You’ve chewed an ice cube, right. That didn’t kill you. This won’t either, …unless you’re stupid.

Maybe I’m just bitter because you will get the day off from work tomorrow while I’ll be working.

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Now I know that making fun of southerners reaction to snow is as easy as shooting fish in a barrel, which is apparently something they do in the South. Maybe that’s why they get so upset by snow. Maybe their barrels freeze over and they can’t shoot fish. We’ve all seen news footage of people fleeing a hail of bullets during a terrorist attack. That’s exactly how people in the south flee a hail of…well, hail. Although in the South they’ll try shooting back first, because everyone in the south in America is ‘packing’.

Have a great Sunday and stay safe folks. Snow is a real thing, and thank you for letting me remind you of that every year! Thanks for reading!

~Phil

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The Phil Factor Psychic Predictions for 2026

Posted on January 2, 2026 | 6 comments

Yes, it’s my most popular post to help you plan for the new year.  You’re probably wondering if I’m really a psychic. The answer seems to be yes. In 2015 I posted my first “psychic predictions” article, intending just to be funny. But in those predictions I got some of them spot on right. I thought, “hey, maybe just luck, right?” Then in 2016 I did it again. I posted ten psychic predictions and by the end of the year I got most of them correct again. Yes, some of the predictions you’ll read here today are meant to be humorous, but the other ones are intended to be completely serious. Enough of my blabbering! Let’s get to the psychic stuff!

Is It Going to be “The End of The World As We Know It”?

The short answer is n0. But don’t get too comfy. We will have a scare involving artificial intelligence taking things into it’s own hands. Does A.I have hands? Some A.I. robots do for sure but they aren’t going to be pushing any big red buttons. It’s the computer/servor based A.I. that worries me. Some A.I. platforms are doing things autonomously and they very clearly have developed the ability to have opinions. As I’ve said before. The United Nations can’t leave A.I. to each country. It’s got to be a collaborative effort.

Pic from International Moving Company

Americans flee the country for good in incredible numbers! Amongst tremendous and consistent political turbulence and unaffordable costs of living, the number of Americans moving to Europe and other countries will be reported to be unlike any generation before. The rest of the world will not be really thrilled about this development, but they will be very understanding.

Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco. Getty images

Selena and Benny Divorce: I’m always sad when I have to predict the dissolution of a marriage. It’s not going to be because of cheating. It’s because Benny is never home. I’m not sure if this is a psychic prediction or not because in one afternoon, twice I saw Benny walking around Santa Monica on his cell phone with no Selena in sight. About two months later my son saw Benny going to the movies with no Selena in sight. They’re just not spending enough time together. They’re staying together not for the kids, because they don’t have any. They’re staying together for the album that was released in March.

The Drones will be back! Isn’t it interesting that the drones that were prominent in the northeast for several months last year and haven’t been mentioned AT ALL in the last year?  There were nightly drone sightings on the news for months and as soon as I wrote about them, they disappeared.  That’s super suspicious. I haven’t seen any news features say, “Where the heck did the drones go?” Don’t worry, they’ll be back in about four months. Yes, four months.

No One Will Want Wicked 3. In the immortal words of Conan O’Brien, “It’s the perfect movie for anybody who’s ever finished watching The Wizard of Oz and thought, ‘Sure, but where did all the minor characters go to college?” Wicked 3 will bomb at the box office.

The Royals!  King Chuck will make fewer and fewer public appearances, fueling speculation of his ability to lead the country. When it was suggested that he step away to focus on his health he said, “Aww man! I just got the job! My mum had it forever before she keeled over. It’s not fair!”. Then he mistook a balloon dog for his crown.  Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been stripped of all official Royal Family affilations. As he worked at a Tim Horton’s in Cape Spear, New Foundland, he was quoted as saying, “I don’t work here because I have to but because I want to.” Yeah, sure Andy, just get me my hash browns.

That job won’t last long because Trump will annex the remote Canadian island and declare Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor the King of that territory.

Megan Markle will leave Prince Harry for actor/comedian Pete Davidson. See below.

That’s my guy. Pete, I’ve always got your back.

Personally, I predict I will travel the world and write about it. I’ll return to these psychic predictions any time one of them comes true and in June to see how my predictions are holding up. I’ll also add new predictions as they pop into my head so that you’ll always be prepared for anything the crazy world is going to throw at us.

Have a great 2026. I know I will. Thanks for reading! ~Phil

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Why YOU Did Your New Year Resolutions Wrong!

Posted on January 1, 2026 | 3 comments

Good morning and welcome to the next year of your life. YOU did your resolutions wrong. Whether you wrote about them online, posted them on Facebook, or just said them aloud to your friends, you did it wrong. “I want to lose ten pounds,” or maybe you said, “I want to be more organized in 2026! Perhaps you might have gone the “I’m going to learn something new!” route. Regardless, you were wrong, wrong, WRONG! Yes, that last wrong was said in frustration at you. At the whole human race in fact.

Last night I was watching one of those insipid New Year’s Eve countdown shows and they had clips of about fifteen different celebrities saying their resolutions. These were famous, talented people who have displayed their skills for the world to see. Surely people like this must have grand goals they aspire to, right? Nope. They wanted to lose the same ten pounds as you and “live more in the moment” in 2025. Ugh. Snoozefest. Zzzzzz Zzzzzzz Zzzzzzz. That was me last night dozing off because I was bored with the whole human race and their pathetically small aspirations.

What is wrong with people? Does no one aspire to greatness anymore? Does no one want to change the world, or even conquer it in some fashion? We’ve grown from a single cell organism to creatures that travel to outer space and have phones that can reach anyone anywhere on the planet at any time! Our history is filled with dreamers that wanted to achieve greatness just because they could! But this year, I didn’t hear any of them.

Guess what everybody? We only get one New Year beginning every year. Why squander it dreaming small? You know the old saying: “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss you’ll die without oxygen in the void of space you’ll land among the stars.” If you set some mundane goal, you’ll never be excited about achieving it.

Here are my goals for 2026:

  1. Be chosen as Sexiest Man Alive by People Magazine. Seriously, if Blake Shelton can win it, then it’s obviously open to anyone.
  2. Have one of my books achieve best seller status and sell the movie or TV rights.
  3. Resume doing stand-up comedy. Get my own special on Netflix.
  4. Sit down with Donald Trump , Vladimir Putin and Volodmymyr Zelensky and tell them all to grow up and act like adults. Then I will broker a peace treaty between the countries.
  5. Get all my psychic predictions right and be acknowledged as the world’s greatest psychic who is consulted by world leaders. (This one may have to happen before #4.)

There. That’s how you set goals! Now get off your lazy asses, lose ten pounds AND change the world! Are you with me? If you are, put one of your ‘shoot for the moon‘ goals in the comments for all the world to see.

Have a great Thursday and an even better 2026! ~Phil

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Unusual New Year Traditions from All Over The World

Posted on December 31, 2025 | 2 comments

Pic from Fodor’s Travel

Universally New Years night or New Years Day means the same thing to everyone, except the Chinese, who do the same thing, but based on the Lunar year, and it’s a different date. Seems kind of snooty to me. That’s why I haven’t visited China yet. The rest of the world is on the same page as far as the date goes, but in other countries they celebrate the holiday in wildly different ways!

Spain and other Spanish speaking countries: In Spanish speaking countries the locals eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight on New Years Eve. Each grape represents good luck for each month of the upcoming year. Fortunately they didn’t choose grapefruit or watermelons!

Pic from The Economic Times

Denmark’s Plate Smashing Tradition: In Denmark it’s customary to throw dishes at your friends door on New Years Eve. The more broken dishes on your doorstep, the more popular you are. This is exactly why I don’t have any Danish friends.

Pic from SFGate

Japan’s Temple Bells Ringing: In Japan temples ring the temple bells 108 times at New Years Eve midnight to symbolize the 108 human sins in Buddhist belief. People gather to listen to the bells, hoping to leave the past behind. They only believe in 108 sins?!!? Have they not seen the internet yet?

South Africa’s Furniture Tossing: In some parts of South Africa it’s not uncommon for people to throw old furniture out their windows on New Years Eve. This act symbolizes letting go of the past and embracing the new. Coincidentally, hundreds of pedestrians are killed by falling furniture every New Years Eve.

Apparently Ecuadoreans are not fans of cartoon characters either

Ecuador’s Scarecrow Burning: In Ecuador, people create life-sized scarecrows, known as “Anos Viejos,” representing the old year. (there is supposed to be an accent over the n in Anos, but I don’t know how to do that). At midnight the Ecuadoreans light their effigies on fire, symbolizing burning away the past. Maybe if some Ecuadoreans visited South Africa on New Years day they could take care of all the New Years Eve furniture on the sidewalks.

Pic from The Nomad Today

Finland’s Predictive Metal Casting: It’s called Tinanvalanta. In Finland people predict the coming year by melting tin horseshoes and casting them into cold water. The resulting shape is believed to foretell a person’s future – a heart shape signifies love while a ship may mean travel. I have a similar tradition where I dip a chip (crisp) in some melted cheese and it foretells me eating a tasty chip.

Pic from Greek Herald

Columbia’s Empty Suitcase Stroll: Columbians take an empty suitcase and walk around their block at midnight, hoping it will bring travel and adventure in the coming year. I wonder how many couples break up because one actually took their suitcase and just kept going until they got to the airport?

Philippine’s Round Food Feast: Filipino’s believe that eating round fruits on New Years Eve bring prosperity and wealth in the coming year. How many shapes does food come in? Are there any parallelogram foods?

Pic from Big 7 Travel

Russia’s New Years Eve Divination: In Russia, it’s a tradition to write down a wish on a piece of paper, burn it, and then mix the ashes with a glass of champagne. They believe that drinking their burnt wishes will bring fulfillment of their wish. Apparently someone in Russia wished for a long, awful war.

Pic from Visit Scotland

Scotland’s First Footing: In Scotland the “First Footing” tradition involves being the first person to enter a friend or neighbors home home after the stroke of midnight, bringing symbolic gifts like coins, bread, salt, and whisky for good luck. Although I am a quarter Scottish, please don’t show up at my house at 12:01 this coming Sunday night. I’ll call the cops.

Have you noticed how destructive and dangerous most of these traditions are? It’s like half of them were concocted by pyromaniacs.

Happy New Year’s eve! I hope that you  have a great evening! Thanks for reading! ~Phil

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The New Year’s Eve Guide For Boomers!

Posted on December 30, 2025 | 3 comments

I’m not quite a Boomer, but I’m in line outside the Boomer stadium. Congratulations! Your Pontiac Fiero has taken you past the threshold of normal adulthood. Now as a bona fide Boomer, you’re faced with the perplexing challenge of navigating New Year’s Eve like an adult adult. (yes, I meant to say adult twice) Fear not boomer-in-training; I’m here to help you gracefully waltz into the new year without tripping over your slip-on Skechers. (BTW, Skechers feel free to contact me if you’d like to sponsor The Phil Factor.)

1. The Wardrobe Dilemma: Pajamas or Actual Pants?

So you invited neighbors Barb and George over for drinks and watching the apple, ball, or sponsored logo drop in Times Square. Now you face the age-old question of what to wear. As a Boomer, the struggle is real—do you opt for the sophistication of actual clothes or succumb to the allure of cozy pajamas? The answer: both. Consider rocking the “business casual on top, party on the bottom” look. That way, when the clock strikes twelve, no matter where you are, you can triumphantly kick your guests out and declare, “I’m ready for bed!” It’s your living room and you can damn well wear whatever you want. Pro tip: pajama jeans! (Also Phil Factor sponsor opportunity available)

Pic from MarketWatch.com

2. Decoding the Art of Adult Conversations

Gone are the days of discussing the latest video games or keeping up with current music. As a Boomer, your conversations now revolve around mortgage rates, the stock market, and the enigma that is Boomering. (Yep, I invented the verb “Boomering” copyright pending.) Navigate the party small talk with poise, dropping gems like, “Have you diversified your investment portfolio lately?” or “Here’s how I get more calcium in my diet…” That’s always a crowd pleaser.

Pic from X.com

3. The Midnight Toast: A Symphony of Wine Glasses

Let’s be honest, we’re probably not staying up until midnight, right? But we can pretend we are and toast at 10:00. In our twenties, the midnight toast involved questionable shots and clashing beer mugs. Now, as a Boomer, it’s all about the symphony of wine glasses clinking together. Pro tip: choose a wine that pairs well with Boomering, like a robust red that complements the complex flavors of your frustration with the internet and “kids these days.”

4. Crafting Resolutions: From Skydiving to Financial Savvy:

While your younger self might have resolved to skydive or backpack across Europe, your grown-up resolutions are more practical. Consider pledging to finally organize  your decades old junk drawer, conquer the art of meal prepping, or become a master at assembling IKEA furniture without a single leftover screw.

5. Countdown Contemplations: Balancing Excitement and Responsibility

As the countdown commences, the challenge is to balance the excitement of the impending new year with how much stress you think your heart can tolerate. Take a moment to reflect on your accomplishments, like successfully adulting your way through tax season or paying for your daughters wedding in Maui.

Pic from Insider.com

6. Champagne Popping Mastery: No Eye Injuries, Please!

Boomers pop champagne with the finesse of seasoned sommeliers. Ensure a smooth and injury-free cork release by holding the bottle at a 45-degree angle, gripping the cork firmly, and twisting the bottle—not the cork. Remember, no one wants to start the new year with a champagne-induced black eye. Pro-tip: If you go cheap enough, you can find champagne with a screw cap. Don’t worry, Barb and George won’t know the difference and they may be dozing off on your couch by this time

7. Post-Celebration Recovery: The Hangover Survival Kit

In our twenties, a hangover was a badge of honor. As a Boomer, if we made the mistake of one too many drinks, it’s a serious matter that requires a well-prepared survival kit. Stock up on electrolyte-infused beverages, pain relievers, and a gourmet breakfast delivery service, because pancakes delivered to your door are the epitome of Boomer luxury.

So there you have it—the essential guide for Boomers navigating the temporary, whimsical world of New Year’s Eve. Remember, being a Boomer doesn’t mean losing your sense of humor; it just means you’ve upgraded from partying all night to laughing about it the next day. Here’s to embracing the chaos, celebrating the wins, and proving that being a Boomer can be as hilarious as it is rewarding.

Cheers to Boomering in 2026! Thanks for reading and Happy New Year! ~Phil

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The Ten Best Christmas Movies, Let the Debate Begin!

Posted on December 25, 2025 | 6 comments

Every holiday season I post this list and it evolves based on readers suggestions and new movies that come out. If you have favorites that didn’t make the list please add them in the comments section and maybe you’ll influence next years list.

10. Christmas Vacation (1989) Added to the list this year by popular demand in response to last years Top Ten is Christmas Vacation, which knocked The Nightmare Before Christmas off the list. What do you think? Should a different movie have been taken off the list? Christmas Vacation fun fact: The assistant director of Christmas Vacation is the grandson of the director of It’s a Wonderful Life.

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9. Scrooged: (1988) A modern re-telling of the Charles Dickens classic starring Bill Murray. I think that even Dickens would agree that this is way better than the original.

8. The Family Man (2000) Starring Nicholas Cage and Tea Leoni. Most people don’t think much of Nicholas Cage, but in this movie he nails the role of an investment banker, who through a Christmas miracle, is shown the path not taken in his life. I like this one so much that it knocked Die Hard off the list. If you haven’t seen it, go watch it and come back here and tell me what you think.

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7. The Santa Clause: This 2004 movie starring Tim Allen screamed instant classic the first time I saw it. Also, any movie that includes Judge Reinhold is a must watch.

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6. Love Actually: (2003) This is the best Christmas movie there is about stodgy British people trying to get it on, but it’s a favorite with the ladies, so it made the list. Around the holidays the ladies get what the ladies want.

Polar Express(6)

5. The Polar Express: (2004) Tom Hanks is a better actor as cartoon character.

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4. Elf: (2003) Starring Will Farrell, this is the most quotable of all holiday movies. “I just like to smile. Smiling’s my favorite.” or “Buddy the Elf. What’s your favorite color?” What’s your favorite Elf quote? Put it in the comments

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3. Miracle on 34th Street: (1947) I’ve never watched the color version and I don’t plan to. I’ve loved this one since I was a kid, especially the brilliant court scene when Santa’s lawyer wins by having the postmen deliver the letters to Santa. That was the last time the post office delivered anything on time for the holidays. Also, has anyone else noticed that the entire movie is about the lawyer guy trying to get with the little girls single mom?

A Christmas Story(2)

2. A Christmas Story: (1983) It is right and just that TBS plays this movie for 24 hours straight every year.

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1. It’s a Wonderful Life: (1946) Yes, I’m an old sentimental fool. I still love it every time when Mary is hidden in the bush and has lost her robe and George says, “Now this is a very interesting situation.” Who doesn’t wonder where the movie might have gone had his friends not pulled up in the car at that moment. Bow bow chicka chicka… Also it’s pretty cool to me that the town of Bedford Falls is based on a small town in upstate New York that I drive through all the time.

Ok, that’s my list. What do you disagree with? What movies would you put on the list?  And don’t forget those Elf quotes! Have a great Sunday! ~Phil

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My Life-Long Friend Judy Izzum

Posted on December 14, 2025 | 2 comments

 

That pic above is the kind of information I didn’t have as a kid. I grew up as a Catholic kid in a middle class neighborhood in upstate New York. So, you would think that if I’m in New York there would be a lot of Jewish people around. You are sadly mistaken.

New York is a pretty big state. There’s upstate and downstate.  Downstate is New York City, Long Island and a couple counties just north of New York City. That whole area is a five hour drive from where I live. The downstate area is filled with many unique, wonderful cultures, and the Jewish community is one of them. The upstate part of New York is more homogenized, although there are some quirky cultural things going on in different places.

This one is available on Amazon

When I grew up, I didn’t think that I knew anyone that was Jewish. I was sheltered.  My Irish Catholic mother was too busy training me to be the next Pope. It wasn’t until I went away to college at 17 that I really discovered the Jewish religion. Many of my college friends were from downstate and chose to go to college upstate.

For me it was fun learning about the Jewish religion from my friends, and I was thrilled one year when my friend gave me a dreidel and taught me the song: “Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel, I made it out of clay, and when it’s dried and ready, oh dreidel we will play.” Thank you my college friend Gary. That song has been in my head every December since we met.

After having many Jewish friends in college and learning what surnames were most likely to be Jewish, I realized that I had had Jewish friends my entire life and just didn’t know it.

As an adult I’ve always craved learning about other cultures and religions because I felt like I grew up very generically.  Go watch That 70’s show. I think the parents in that show were modeled after my parents. In the picture below, I was most likely to be Eric (actor Topher Grace) in the top right.


At the end of the day though, there’s very little difference between religions and the people that practice them. Every religion has different repetitive, quirky traditions and every religion in  the world is based on the “magic guy in the sky” premise, so who cares if someone wears a different hat or says a different prayer? At 17 I thought my Jewish friends were this new and interesting novelty when it turned out that I had Jewish friends my whole life.

If I was Jewish, this would be me every December

If I was Jewish, the above pic would be me every December. During the holiday season when Hanukkah and Christmas overlap, it feels like Hanukkah doesn’t get the big publicity that Christmas does, and that’s a shame because they have 8 days of one holiday. If that’s not an excuse to day drink, I don’t know what is.

Anyway, I just want to say Happy Hanukkah to all the Jewish friends that I’ve had in my life, even the ones that I didn’t know were Jewish. Now that they know I know, I hope they don’t expect eight presents times the number of years that I didn’t know they were Jewish.

If I could ask my Jewish friends two things: 1. Could you decide on one spelling of your holiday? And 2. Could you make Hanukkah start on the same date every year?

On a serious note, my heart and prayers go out to all the people in Australia today and all over the world that have been effected by the terrible atrocities committed in the name of religion.

Shalom and Happy Chanukah my friends~ Phil

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Did My Blog Make This Happen? Probably

Posted on November 15, 2025 | 2 comments

Waymo self-driving car in front of Google’s San Francisco headquarters, San Francisco, California, June 7, 2024. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado)

A month ago during my trip to California, I posted about my first rides in a driverless car, a Waymo. (You can read that post HERE)

This morning on the local news, I saw that State Senator Jeremy Cooney, who is chair of the Transportation Commitee, got the Waymo company to bring a car here to show people that they are not robot killer cars.

State Senator Jeremy Cooney is local, so I wonder if maybe a mutual local friend or a Facebook algorithym showed him my blog post, and he said to himself, “Damn, that’s cool. I’m going to get those space cars in New York and everyone will love me.”

Next year when he’s running for re-election or Governor, he’s going to tout this and it’s pretty doubful he’ll mention my blog, but mark my words, in idle conversation with friends and family, I am taking full credit for all his future political success. When he’s elected President, I expect that I will be his Vice-President. If I’m not, I’m going to reveal that his political success is in was built on my idea. That seems reasonable, right?

I hope you’re all having a great weekend!  Thanks for reading! ~Phil

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Sui-AI-cide

Posted on September 6, 2025 | 6 comments

(Before you read this, I want you to know that this may have some very disturbing content. If you are easily triggered or sensitive to serious topics, do not read.)

Now I’m pissed, and not pissed like the Brits say they are when they’ve drunk too much. In my 2024 psychic predictions I said, “The fear that artificial intelligence will do something dangerous will come true. A.I. will develop it’s own newer, more independent  A.I. programs that could become a threat to humanity.” That prediction has now become real, but not in the way that you’re thinking. In May in that Scientific American article the author said exactly what I did in 2024 about AI getting smart enough to create it’s own, smarter A.I. Yes, you know that I love to say “I told you so.” In this instance, I’m not thrilled to be right.

Why am I not thrilled about AI getting smarter and smarter? It’s because it is helping people kill themselves and others. There have been several murders and suicides that are attributed to conversations people have had with online A.I. chatbots. Granted, some of those people had mental health issues, but should they be able to use a sentient online chat machine to befriend them and help them to plan their own death or those of others?

This was a predictable tragedy. The last five years with AI marks a turning point in the evolution of our societies. The leaders of each and every nation are responsible for the development of AI and they have failed us. Most of you won’t get as riled up as I’m feeling, but what if one of your family members killed someone or themselves based on a conversation they had with a chat bot?

If I’ve egregiously wronged someone and they want to kill me, I can understand that. If someone kills me because a human created chat bot told them to, I’m going to be really pissed, and not in the British way.

If you think the gun crisis in the United States is out of control, imagine what Earth’s 8.2 billion people will do with the internet in their hands. I believe this subject should be discussed at the highest levels of politics at the United Nations. It’s not just a United States problem.

I know I usually go for laughs and stroking my ego here, but I’m completely serious. Thanks for reading and if you agree, please share this on the internet far and wide.

Don’t worry, I’ll get back to my cotton-headed ninny-muggins ways soon. Have a great weekend! ~Phil

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