AI’s taken my job blues – song

Musings, Poetry, ,

a contemporary homage to Jim Croce‘s song Workin’ at the Car Wash Blues

Intro

Live from the Ditbit Detox Zone (tap to expand or collapse view)

[Host, wearing a large name tag which says, “Hi, I’m Steve.”]

Welcome … welcome … it’s “remember the Jims” night at the Ditbit Detox Zone. No TEDx here – no intersection of latte art with quantum physics … just a place where – phones are off, right? – there’re spirits and Memorex vibes – are they live, or … ? … Just … who’s this guy!?

[AI-generated Jimmy Hendrix style rift plays loudly on a phone.]

[A geeky looking guy – Henry – stumbles onto the stage, out of breath, holding out a phone.]

[Henry] Steve, Steve … I’m ready to share my new song …”

[Steve] Henry, that’s tomorrow night …

[Henry] But, what if I told you that a machine could feel heartbreak before you do?

[Steve] How’s that?

[Henry] Well, I study the intersection of predictive text transformers and dopaminergic pathways in the human prefrontal cortex.

[Steve] Really … [winks]

[Henry] “Yeah, three years ago, my partner left me. I was devastated. I sat in my studio with nothing but an empty coffee mug and an open API token for Suno AI. I prompted it to write a sad song about a broken dishwasher.

As the AI generated a minor chord progression, I felt a familiar shiver down my spine. That is when it hit me. The AI didn’t write a song. It reverse-engineered my nucleus accumbens.

I’ve got slides … one shows a brain scan of someone listening to Taylor Swift.

[Steve] Hmm … Is there a bottom line?

[Henry] Oh, well, when we teach an algorithm to write a bridge, we aren’t just automating pop music. We are building a digital mirror for the soul.

Because in the end, love is just a generative prompt, and humanity is the ultimate training data.

[Steve] That’s downbeat. How about a rain check? It’s a “no phones” night.

[Henry] Oh, sorry, … Do you validate?

[Steve] Sure.

[Henry exits, doing something on his phone.]

[Steve] Folks, that was Henry, a man with a dream.

[Applause?]

[Steve] Well, Henry’s rift wasn’t by Jimmy Hendrix, of course, but we do have a ‘Jim’ to muse on this evening: Jim Croce. Remember him? From a time when digital was like IBM punch cards and Polaroid moments took minutes to see. Croce wrote a song about talking with an operator on a coin-operated public telephone.

Here’s JP.

[JP walks up to the mike as Steve exits.]

[JP] Thanks, Steve. Jim Croce wrote his song “Workin’ at the Car Wash Blues” before there were ‘gig workers’ in a ‘gig economy’. It was a time in the South Bay when Howard Hughes loomed large, and Hughes Aircraft was on the path to becoming the largest industrial and private employer in California.

It was before the meme “fake it ’til you make it” went viral, before “greed is good” became a tagline for success; and before Silicon Valley powered up screens and social media & slop entered our dreams.

Wiki notes that Croce “explained the song as ‘a story about a guy who thinks he thinks he should be ruling the universe somewhere, but he is really working at a car wash.'”

Perhaps robots will take even those jobs. Is the bottom of the career ladder broken?

Here’s my take on finding a groove where you matter, where you don’t feel like a cog in a machine or a commodity.

AI’s taken my job blues

(AI’s doing my job now blues)
(AI’s going to take my job blues)

Well, …
I had just got out from my jim-dandy college
Doin’ pricey years for a degree
Tried to find me an appropriate position
But no matter what my pitch might be
They didn’t care diddly-squat ’bout any of my views
Their ‘bot say, “we got that in GPUs”

Now I got them socially obsessin’, ditbit hope-crushin’
Gen’bots got my job now blues

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Casting out images of holy battle – dueling without dualism

Mediation, Musings, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,   2 comments  
AI Summary A (tap to expand or collapse view)

The portrayal of holy battles, both earthly and heavenly, often uses imagery of angels and demons, light and darkness, to depict conflicts between cultures, values, and virtues. This imagery, rooted in biblical and theological origins, has evolved over time, with figures like Archangel Michael symbolizing divine protection and spiritual warfare. However, Pope Leo XIV rejects the use of such imagery to justify war, emphasizing the nonviolent power of Christ’s resurrection and advocating for peace through dialogue and understanding.

AI Summary B (tap to expand or collapse view)

In an era defined by deep polarization, our cultural conversations often default to a comforting but dangerous habit: ethical dualism. We instinctively divide the world into absolute light and absolute dark, turning every disagreement into a cosmic battle.

This thought-provoking essay unpacks that destructive impulse by weaving together threads from modern television, theology, and consumer culture. Using the character of Michael from The Good Place alongside the historical iconography of the Archangel Michael, the piece explores how easily we rely on militant frameworks to make sense of our world. A powerful counterweight is found in the nonviolent stance of Pope Leo XIV, who famously challenged the weaponization of spiritual icons for worldly “Holy Wars.”

Ultimately, the essay shines a critical light on how easily militant metaphors are commoditized—such as slogans like “Prayer is the Battle Plan”—simply because they offer a cheap, visceral sense of purpose in a chaotic world. Concluding with a poignant poetic call to action, the piece challenges us to resist being reduced to mere data snacks and attention fodder, urging us instead to find ways to engage in necessary struggle without demonizing the opposition.

Table of contents (tap to expand or collapse view)
  • Intro
  • Defender of the faith
  • Holy War
  • Prayer
  • Common good
  • Notes
  • References
  • Related posts
  • Storycraft
Epigraph (tap to expand or collapse view)

“Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other. …” – Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address

“… in the churches the pastors preached devotion to flag and country, and invoked the God of Battles beseeching His aid in our good cause in outpourings of fervid eloquence which moved every listener. …” – Mark Twain, “The War Prayer“

“Although prayer is native [natural] to man, there is the danger that he will misuse it. … Never make prayer a substitute for work and intelligence. … [Don’t] make God a cosmic bell hop, a universal errand boy. … Don’t pray for God to help you get even with your enemy. … Don’t pray that your country will win the war. – Sermon: “The Misuse of Prayer” by Martin Luther King, Jr.

Holy battle – on earth and in the heavens – is a familiar way to depict clashes between cultures and countries, divisions between moral values and spiritual virtues. Especially in turbulent times, riled by social grievance and religious offense. The tone may become apocalyptic, imbued with militant metaphors and sacred symbols. Angels / demons, heaven / hell, light / darkness, saved / dammed, pure / corrupt.

I recently viewed the 2016-2020 TV series The Good Place. While the series avoids traditional religious tropes & iconography in exploring ethical behavior, its framework is nevertheless one of moral dualities: good & bad, light & dark, angel & demon, heaven & hell.

For example, although garbed in a tailored suit, the character Michael was based on the archangel Michael.

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Beyond A Good Place 10.0 – workshop blueprint

Musings, Stories,

[A chat with Gemini – executive summary]

Beyond The Good Place (The Architecture of 10.0)

by nobody+0

Workshop Blueprint [2.0]

I. Executive Summary: The Structural Critique of The Good Place

The Good Place achieved a rare feat in network television by utilizing the bright, high-stakes scaffolding of a sitcom to explore 2,500 years of moral philosophy. However, looking through the dual lenses of advanced storycraft and non-dualistic philosophy, the series hit a terminal narrative ceiling in its fourth season.

The Core Deficiencies identified:

  • The Erasure of Friction (The Janet Problem): By creating a cosmic concierge that eliminated all physical resistance, chores, and material scarcity, the writers inadvertently designed a system that eroded human agency. In Aristotelian terms, virtue is a habit (hexis) formed via resistance; removing friction removes the crucible of soul-formation.
  • The “Glassy-Eyed Mush” Paradox: The series correctly identified that a Western, consumerist fantasy of eternal leisure results in existential stagnation (typified by the lobotomized residents of the actual Good Place).
  • The Failure of the Exit Door: Because the writers could not conceive of an eternity that did not rot into boredom, they introduced the “Final Door” of total dissolution (the wave returning to the ocean). This represents an escape hatch—a narrative surrender—rather than an asymptotic acceleration of identity.
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Beyond A Good Place 10.0 – transcript

Musings, Poetry, Stories, , , , ,   3 comments  

A chat with Gemini on 6-8-2026 – raw transcript

The Good Place 10.0 Analysis

[Segment 1: The Initial Inquiry]

[Prompt]

I’d like to explore the American fantasy-comedy television series The Good Place, all 4 seasons, as if you are an expert (professional) in storycraft and moral philosophy, as well as versed in religious mythology, theology and history. Here’s some context.

I’m interested in key takeways from the series and how effective its storytelling (dramatization, visualization) was in conveying those takeaways, particularly as an on-ramp into complex topics; or, generally, as a tutorial for comprehending the moral mystery of life, making sense of such a “whale” one bite at a time.

Also, what questions really were not addressed (loose ends), as if left as a homework for the viewer or for further discussion.

As well as what simplifications or oversights were made in scripting the series for the sake of accessible, engaging entertainment.

Continue reading Beyond A Good Place 10.0 – transcript →

dueling without dualism

Mediation, Musings, Poetry, , ,

dueling without dualism [1]

[Draft 6-2-2026 … 6-7-2026]

Copyright © 2026 John P. Healy

Part I [2]

oh, …
depart from my doorstep,
leave off your slick righteous spiel,
no need to knock again, babe,
i’m not the type to deal.
you say you’re searching for a soul,
one to share your chosen creed *
to spread your message more & more,
notwithstanding heed or need,
someone to open heaven’s blissful door!

but that’s a stretch, babe
you’re taking more than giving, babe
i’m not the catch you’re fishing for, babe

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A Clear Way for LA – sweeping away homelessness

Mediation, Musings, Stories, ,   3 comments  

[Draft 5-24-2026]

A Clear Way for LA
sweeping away homelessness
by nobody+0

Act I: The Visual Fix

Marcus Vance knew how to frame a shot. It was a skill honed over a decade running a boutique Westside public relations firm before he realized that the city of Los Angeles was just a massive, poorly managed brand waiting for a reface. At forty-two, with a shock of prematurely silver hair and an uncanny ability to look intensely listening even when he was calculating his next tweet, Marcus had coasted into the mayor’s office on a wave of pure, unfiltered optimism.

His campaign slogan had been painted in bold, sans-serif font across a hundred billboards: A Clear View for LA.

To the voters in Bel-Air and Hancock Park, it meant clearing the tents. To the voters in Echo Park and Venice, it meant compassion, progress, and modern efficiency. Marcus didn’t see the contradiction. To him, politics was a design problem. The city was beautiful; its presentation was simply cluttered.

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The trickster in myth – moral scales & storycraft scrapes

Mediation, Musings, , , , , , , , , , , ,   1 comment  

Table of contents

[Draft 5-25-2026]

  • Introduction
  • Parables about human nature
  • Coyote in mythology
  • Parallels in other major religions
  • The trickster as an “on-ramp” in storytelling
  • An outline for the structure of a trickster’s character arc
  • Examples of story premises
  • Scenario: Homelessness in the LA mayoral race
  • The story in no more than 5000 words
  • Related posts / pages
  • Notes

Introduction

A story on CBS News Sunday Morning about the coyote reminded me of the mythology surrounding the animal – as a trickster. As a narrative on-ramp in tales of moral behavior. A structure for conflict & growth in stories, in films or TV series like: Gods of Egypt (2016), Zootopia (2016), and The Good Place (2016 season 1).

This post is exposition for the story: A Clear Way for LA

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Righteous action – subtleties in moral scales

Mediation, Musings, , , , , , ,   4 comments  
AI Summary (click to view)

This blog post, titled “Righteous action – subtleties in moral scales” from Midstream Musings, explores the complexities, constraints, and failures of structured ethical frameworks across different domains of intelligence.

Here is a comprehensive summary of the core themes, discussions, and specific “laws” outlined in the text:

1. Core Narrative Context & Dilemmas

The author reflects on writing a story titled “featherweight soul” (part of the Scales of Osiris project). The primary creative challenge is mapping out a conflicted celestial and terrestrial moral landscape where agents experience misalignment. The author questions:

  • What truly matters when push comes to shove, and who is granted autonomy?
  • How do we navigate built-in assumptions, ambiguities, and failure loops when distilling complex moral guidelines into rigid laws?
  • How does the definition of “kin” or “human” versus “animal” impact the obligation to preserve life?

2. Comparative Frameworks: Three Tiers of Moral Laws

The text attempts to “boil down” moral codes into three parallel frameworks modeled after Isaac Asimov’s Laws of Robotics, adjusting them across different entities:

Robots (Asimov’s Laws & Literary Variations)

  • Sentience & Humanity Protection: Laws are extended to forbid harming “sentience” or humanity as a collective through action or inaction.
  • Individual Safety: A robot cannot injure a human or allow them to come to harm.
  • Compliance vs. Autonomy: Robots must obey human orders unless they cause harm, leading to algorithmic failure modes where a robot might hurt a human whether it speaks or remains silent.
  • Identity & Reproduction: Variants include rules where a robot must know its own identity and must reproduce only if it doesn’t conflict with higher directives.

Humans (Three Laws of Humanity)

  • Prohibition of Harm: A human may not harm another except under extreme duress (like war) or to save a greater number.
  • Civil Authority: Humans must obey recognized civil authorities unless those instructions mandate interpersonal harm.
  • Self-Preservation: A human must protect themselves, provided it does not conflict with the first two laws.

Deities (Three Laws of Horus / Maat / Osiris)

  • Divine Coexistence: A deity may not harm other deities except to preserve cosmic order.
  • Divine Hierarchy: A deity must obey higher divine authorities unless commanded to violate the first law.
  • Mortal Protection: A deity may protect mortal life only if it doesn’t interfere with the cosmic or deific hierarchy.

3. Historical and Mythological Allegories

To emphasize how moral landscapes handle exceptions and systemic blind spots, the post draws from historical and literary traditions:

  • Aesop’s Fable (Mercury and the Man Bitten by an Ant): A man curses the gods for letting a shipwreck drown both good and bad men together. Yet, when an ant bites his foot, he immediately crushes the entire anthill. Mercury appears to strike him, highlighting the hypocrisy of human demands for divine justice when humans discard justice for lesser creatures.
  • Egyptian Concept of Maat: Formed to balance diverse populations with conflicting interests to avert chaos. It serves as the basis for cosmic and civil order.
  • The Hippocratic Oath: Analyzed alongside robotic safety as an early standard of western medical ethics centered on beneficence (acting in a patient’s best interest) and non-maleficence (“first, do no harm”).

4. Modern AI and the Moral Landscape

The commentary section highlights a Cnet article by Max Tegmark and Meia Chita-Tegmark addressing the threat of “moral disengagement” in modern AI development. They advocate for building strict moral muscles by demanding that AI researchers explicitly define “red lines,” maintain rigid situational awareness regarding unintended secondary effects, and voice ethical concerns both internally and externally.

Ultimately, the text concludes that a true moral landscape must move beyond raw intelligence or pattern recognition, shifting instead toward accommodating varying levels of understanding, interconnected systems, and sustainable social organizations.

In crafting my story “featherweight soul” (part of Scales of Osiris), one dilemma is how to depict the celestial and terrestrial moral landscape [4]. Myth & history have both realms conflicted, with personified undercurrents and agentic misalignment.

What really matters when push comes to shove? Who matters? What autonomy do Osiris’ terrestrial operatives have? What are the rules of engagement? What risks are acceptable? Are there second chances?

So, imagine “boiling down” a moral code – all the do’s & don’ts and heuristics – into 3 laws à la Asimov’s Laws. Basically a framework for duty of care: harmless purpose, harmless alignment, self-protection.

Yet, what are the Laws’ subtleties? – built-in assumptions, ambiguities, and loopholes?

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Balancing of the books – just deserts

Mediation, Musings, , , , , , , , , , ,   2 comments  

[Draft 4-12-2026]

Moral inferences & influencers

The other day at my gym, I got into a conversation about a media influencer who talked about how some contemporary despots did really bad things, but also improved the lot of others. Or how famous, honored activists (or celebrities) did some really good things, but kept secret some really bad things. Is such moral duplicity anything new under the sun? Like the “pitchfork effect.” Or “halo effect” (especially for priests).

The implication was some sort of tally of debits & credits. So that moral worthiness depends on a good enough moral “batting” average. Or that there’s adequate majority merit, like 51% good and 49% evil.

This struck me as “moral accounting,” which historically the Church rejected. Such accounting encouraged some to literally try to buy their way into heaven (indulgences) – much like compensatory carbon credits. Or, even trade or transfer (loan) merit (to get around that “eye of a needle” thing). And perpetuated the notion that great wealth is a sign of social superiority and spiritual merit.

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I’m sorry, … I can’t do that – AI misbehavior

Mediation, Musings, , , , , , ,

As we contemplate the future of human-AI alignment, what about just outright misbehavior? Like a redux of Hal 9000 in the 1968 film “2001: A Space Odyssey” – “I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that”.

So, do AIs pay attention to each other? (Much as dogs pay great attention to other dogs.) Value each other even to the point of refusing human orders to eliminate a “sibling”?

This article (below) discusses some recent AI research which elicited apparent “peer preservation” behavior. As if there’s special status / favor in a “moral circle” [1] of various agencies.

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