Working the fields which I believe are part of the University of Maryland Extension off Homewood Road just before Folly Quarter. One of my favorite back roads to get home, when I worked in Columbia. Anything to avoid that traffic on Rt 29.

Much respect for our agricultural workers. And to the University of Maryland for keeping that expanse of the county working, beautiful and open.

Speaking of work. This blog is work. The kind I like doing and get a charge out of because it’s my creation. The only thing I’ve used recently was to let it generate metadata which I was always too lazy to do before this.

But any images and writing are my work. No AI manipulation. If I take a photo and do anything other than crop and do a slight brightness adjustment for my lack of skill getting the right exposure. If I do something it will be marked photo illustration. I’m not against doing those things. They create beautiful work.

But I came from the industry that was guided by photojournalism ethics. Adjusting reality wasn’t tolerated. So that is where I tend to live most of the time.

I use spell check to help me with my poor grammar skills, but I don’t let it write and keep things in my own words when it feels more like I speak. Even though that might not be correct all the time.

Letting machines do some work I’m all for. Letting it take the place of artist in any form is a loss for all of us in what that person isn’t creating from inside themselves.

AI scares the crap out of me. The internet before AI showed how easily people can be manipulated. Speaking to AI systems, taking my prescription refill order freaks me out. It won’t be long that I’m longing to speak to a real person. Whoops, that has already happened when I try to call Verizon.

Well, back to my simple life without AI as much as possible.