Michael T. Starks

Category: Society

  • Creative Juice

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    This morning, I recalled the phrase “Is the juice worth the squeeze?” While it’s been used for decades, a related phrase gained popularity in 2004 after appearing in the movie The Girl Next Door. In a pivotal scene, Timothy Olyphant’s character says, “Always know if the juice is worth the squeeze.” I love how this…

  • Time vs. Energy

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    There are many times I’ve lamented the fact that I don’t have enough time to do it all. While time is a constraint, it’s not the most important one. Energy is what matters! There are things that we’re excited to work on. They wake us up! They keep us engaged. We should do more of…

  • Agency

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    Humans have agency. From what I’ve seen so far, I’m not convinced that AI agents have agency. AI agents need to be programmed. They follow a very specific set of steps that need to be defined by humans. While this may change in the future, I think now is the time for humans to initiate…

  • Pretend Experts

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    The “Age of Influencers” promises that you can learn from a plethora of experts and become one yourself. That’s why this article caught my attention. With AI, are we all becoming “pretend experts”? What is expertise? While AI may be “aware” of almost everything written about a given topic, is this the same as having…

  • Not for Me

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    Today, I found myself thinking of the song But Not for Me. “They’re writing songs of love, but not for me,A lucky star’s above, but not for me…” — George Gershwin Here’s the context. I enjoy taking lots of online classes. Like many, I don’t get through all of the material in each class I…

  • What If? 2

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    Yesterday, I discovered that Randall Munroe has written another What If? book. Now, I’m thrilled to be reading What If? 2! Writing books like this is a great way to leverage a background in math and physics! I’ve been a fan of his web comic xkcd for many years. While searching for the images above,…

  • There is no such thing

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    There is no such thing as a “perfect job”. I defy anyone to tell me otherwise! Actually, let me amend my statement. “There is no such thing as a perfect job for me.” I don’t know what’s going on in other people’s brains. Just as some humans are better adapted to corporate life than I…

  • A Silly Thought

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    What if we thought everyone should participate in our democracy? I realize that this is not entirely possible. To be specific, I know that my daughter is not entirely capable of understanding the intricacies of politics. She wants to eat at Taco Bell. She doesn’t understand the ramifications of paying Taco Bell employees a living…

  • Putting in the Time

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    We admire the lone cowboy who rides in to save the day. We celebrate the “overnight hero” who comes out of nowhere. We often search for a quick path to success. Here’s the reality. That lone cowboy spent many years getting to the point where he could save the day. That “overnight hero” didn’t come…

  • The Last Class

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    Today, I had the pleasure of watching The Last Class, a new film featuring Robert Reich, one of my heroes. We see him teaching his Wealth and Poverty class at UC Berkley. We hear him talk about getting older and what it means to retire. (While he won’t stop teaching, he isn’t teaching at the…