Artificial Intelligence is just an “intelligence simulator” ChatGPT from Microsoft and now a similar chat bot from Google are all over the news. We also saw recent hype about “AI Art” and “AI writing”. Some people worry that soon robots and computers will take over most jobs, even creative ones. They panic that machines will…
Author: Tom
Cocktail party old geezers
And loneliness in the “connected” modern world Years ago, when I lived in a remote town in the south of South America, there used to be an old man who, for years, maybe decades, appeared in all vernissages, openings, receptions, cocktail parties — and basically any artistic or social event in town that offered free…
Who is Klaus Schwab? (Part II)
Continuing the genealogical investigation As promised, we continue now investigating the family origins of Mr. Klaus Schwab, the famous founder of the World Economic Forum. The genealogy site Geni confirms that Emma Gisella Schwab (née Kilian), the first wife of Eugen Schwab, is the actual mother of Klaus Schwab, solving our doubts about that issue….
"Be fruitful and multiply" – or else?
Why are birth rates plummeting all over the world? Something very unusual is happening that is not being discussed very much. Global birth rates are plummeting. I even did a documentary about it, focusing on Germany and Italy, with interviews from a few years ago, pre-Covid. The problem became much worse since then, of course….
Brief reflections on Saint Agnes' day
By coincidence — but some say there are no coincidences — I’ve just found out that today is the feast of Saint Agnes. I wasn’t familiar with her story, but when I was in France, last December, I saw a medieval painting in a museum in Montpellier that called my attention. It was an anonymous…
How to get rid of a dead body?
And how to marry a witch — two classic American films by European directors I have trouble being consistent with my themes, but, in general, this blog is about the things I like — film, literature, travel and conspiracy theories. So this is a post about film, for a change. I have been trying to…
Who is Klaus Schwab?
A genealogical investigation of the Bond villain’s mysterious origins Very few people have heard about the obscure French writer Marcel Schwob, but many have heard about the infamous WEF chairman, Mr. Klaus Schwab. And yet it was a commentary related to the similarity of both surnames which led me through this rabbit hole. Although Mr….
The Sickness unto Death
Random notes on illness, death — and moving to Samoa Calm down, the title of this column is just a quote of the title of one of Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard’s most famous books (which I haven’t read). I am not a hypochondriac. In fact, quite the opposite: I may be slightly iatrophobic. I avoid…
Strasbourg
The last stop before resuming normal life I stopped for a couple of days in Strasbourg in the last leg of my New Year journey. It is a beautiful town, even if my visit was a bit marred by a persistent cough and sore throat that I caught somewhere between Barcelona and here. (Should I…
Everything must change
A Happy New Year to my few readers I’m in Catalonia, in a small seaside poble less than an hour away from Barcelona. When I started writing this, it was December 31st, 2022, the last day of the year, and I was sitting in a small cafe outdoors, looking at the sea. Inflation has struck…