This is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World. And this video is a CreepyPasta that I wrote and narrated myself. Enjoy!
Happy 4th Of July! (With A Special Message To America)
My fellow Americans, today is the 4th of July.
It’s an important day for this country. We celebrate it for a reason and that reason goes beyond fireworks, barbecue, burgers, and beer. To us, America is more than a country. It’s more than a nationality or identity. It embodies certain ideals and principles for what a nation and its people can be. What began as thirteen British colonies has grown into fifty states that vary in many ways. But they are all still American.
These ideals are certainly worth celebrating.
These principles are definitely worth cherishing, embracing, and espousing to the utmost.
They were all bold ideas put forth by equally bold men on July 4, 1776. And in the many years since that date, the United States of America has grown and evolved in many ways. But it couldn’t have gotten far with these that special identity that ultimately became the heart of this country.
Now, I remind my fellow Americans of this to offer more than a patriotic sentiment for this very special national holiday. More than anything else, I offer it as a reminder. Because, like any nation or people, America is not perfect. Acknowledging that doesn’t make you less patriotic. It’s necessary to put America and all it stands for into a proper context.
You can ignore history all you want, but there’s no getting around it.
America has had its growing pains.
There have been dark times in our history, some of which we’re still recovering from.
We, as a nation and a people, have not always lived up to the ideals this Country embodies. We have not always extended the promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to others. Whether it’s out of bigotry, racism, sexism, xenophobia, or the many ugly prejudices that come with partisan politics, we make many excuses to divide ourselves.
But at the end of the day, we still share this nation. We’re still Americans. To deny such courtesy to others who love this country every bit as much is simply un-American, by default. We are a nation of many diverse people and voices. But we live together in this remarkable country. We all want it to thrive and be the best it can be. Even if we don’t agree on the method, we can still share in the goals.
There are still many challenges before us. Some come from those who have a vision of America that’s utterly antithetical to the principles of freedom and liberty. Some come from those within our own government who care less about their country and more about how it can enrich or empower them. Some come from problems that were present at the founding, which have left lasting scars that we’re still recovering from.
There’s a large gap between the Country we are now and what we strive to be. But those goals and the ideals behind them are still worth pursuing. They’re still worth striving for, whether it’s by working, voting, or serving your community in some meaningful way. We can debate and argue over the path we’re taking. But for today, let’s just take a step back and celebrate how far we’ve come while also not forgetting how much farther we have to go.
So, to my fellow Americans, Happy 4th of July!
Filed under Current Events
Celebrating Thomas Paine: My Favorite Founding Father
In the spirit of celebrating America, the country of my birth and the county I love, I made this video to celebrate one of America’s founding fathers, Thomas Paine. He might not get as much recognition as other founding fathers, but his ideas were very much ahead of their time and helped shape the course of American history. Enjoy!
Filed under Current Events, Jack's World, politics, YouTube
The Big Bang Theory | Penny & Leonard | A Relationship Of Unequals
This video is from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World. This video essay is an exploration of the relationship between Penny and Leonard Hoffsteader in The Big Bang Theory. This show remains one of my favorites and it had a number of romantic sub-plots over the course of many seasons. But Penny and Leonard was always the primary romance and one of the biggest sources of drama.
However, their romance is also one that is decidedly unbalanced and even a bit unhealthy, at times.
I still rooted for them, but I found that process very frustrating. I try to explain why in this video while also breaking down some common flaws in sitcom romance. Enjoy!
Filed under Jack's World, romance, television, YouTube
Here’s What Happened When I Asked An AI To Write A Love Poem
There has been a lot said about the emerging state of artificial intelligence. I’ve certainly contributed my share. I imagine a lot more is going to be said in the coming months and years.
Ever since ChatGPT demonstrated the power and potential of this technology, it has garnered a great deal of interest among the public. It’s also generated plenty of concerns. Some are minor, like whether this technology would eliminate too many jobs. Some are major, like whether this will lead to the development of a powerful artificial intelligence that we can’t control.
There are legitimate concerns. Some are much more pressing than others. I’m certainly not qualified to explain all the nuances, let alone make recommendations or decisions on this issue. I’ll leave that to people much smarter and more capable than me.
But for now, these tools are here. We can use them in any number of ways. Some are already using them for objectively dangerous purposes. That’s always going to be an issue with every new technology, including AI. But the less dangerous, less dire uses will always be more common. And they’ll rarely make the news.
In that spirit, I’d like to share what happened when I played around a bit with Bing’s new AI program. I didn’t do anything too elaborate or ambitious. I understand this is new technology. It’s going to be limited for a good long while in the early stages. But it’s still quite capable of doing wonderful things.
To that end, I asked Bing to write a love poem. My exact prompt was actually “Write me a beautiful love poem.” This is what the AI created.
Here’s the first poem:
You are the light of my life
The reason for my smile
The warmth in my heart
The spark in my soulYou are the melody of my song
The rhythm of my dance
The harmony in my voice
The tune in my earYou are the color of my world
The beauty in my eyes
The splendor in my sight
The rainbow in my skyYou are the love of my life
The partner of my dreams
The companion of my journey
The mate of my soul
Here’s another.
When I see your face
I feel a surge of grace
When I hear your voice
I have no other choiceBut to love you with all my might
To hold you close and tight
To cherish you day and night
To make you happy and brightYou are my everything
My reason for living
My source of joy and peace
My treasure and my blissYou are my one and only
My forever and my always
My soulmate and my lover
My friend and my partner
Here’s one more.
You are the star of my night
The moon of my tide
The sun of my day
The sky of my wayYou are the fire of my passion
The flame of my desire
The heat of my emotion
The light of my devotionYou are the breath of my life
The beat of my heart
The pulse of my blood
The soul of my love
Are these poems the greatest love poems ever written? Probably not.
Do these poems still qualify as love poems? I would argue they do.
If you didn’t know I had asked a chatbot to write these, would you think a real person wrote them?
Given the current state of this technology, I’m impressed. There’s certainly room for improvement. But let’s remind ourselves that this wasn’t akin to asking a calculator to factor a couple of large numbers. I asked this chatbot to do something creative. And it did so in just few seconds.
This is what AI is capable of now.
Just imagine what it’ll be capable of in the coming years.
Filed under Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, romance
How The Terminator Franchise Has Declined And How To Revive It
This video is a breakdown of the sad, but not surprising decline of the Terminator franchise. After the underperformance of Terminator: Dark Fate, the state of this franchise has never been lower.
However, I do not believe that the Terminator is done completely. I believe there is still a way to revive it for a new audience and a new generation. I make that case, as well. I even offer a potential scenario. Enjoy!
Filed under Jack's World, movies, YouTube
Why I Love Being An Uncle
Not to long ago, I honestly wondered if me and my siblings would ever get around to having kids. Even after we all moved out of our parents’ house and built our own lives, I wasn’t sure if that was ever a consideration.
For me, personally, I was way behind the curve. Every one of my siblings is objectively better than me when it comes to social skills. They’ve always had an easier time making friends and finding romantic partners. I’m pretty sure if you asked them, my parents, or my friends, they would agree that I would probably be the last one to have kids.
It still hasn’t happened for me. Maybe that’ll change in the future. But for my siblings, the change came sooner rather than later. In the mid-2010s, one of my sisters was the first announce that she was pregnant. It was a hell of a moment. I’m pretty sure that, of everyone present when she made that announcement, I made the goofiest face.
I don’t know if my sister or her husband reads my website, but I suspect she would agree. I may never look that goofy again.
And when that fateful day came and her first child was born, it was an incredibly joyous moment for the whole family. It also made it official. I was an uncle now! And I quickly came to embrace that role.
I knew the day when I first held my sister’s baby boy that I would strive to be the best uncle I could be. I wouldn’t just be the cool uncle or the fun uncle. I would be the kind of uncle that they would be excited to see at every visit. That’s what I started working towards that fateful day.
It’s been challenging.
It’s been a never-ending process, at times.
But I can say without reservation that it’s totally worth it.
Since then, my sister has had another child. My younger brother and his wife also welcomed a couple kids of their own. They’re all still very young, rowdy, and energetic. But they’re old enough to recognize when Uncle Jack comes to visit. They know me by name. They know me by my voice, my facial hair, and the various shirts I wear depicting comic book characters and sports teams. And I never hesitate to give them a big hug.
I also don’t hesitate to spoil them. That’s something my siblings knew I was going to do. They would’ve been shocked if I hadn’t.
I do it every Christmas. I will usually be the one who gets my nieces and nephews the most elaborate gifts. One year, I got my nephew a miniature ball pit. I cannot overstate how much value that gift has had over the years. Another, I got him and my niece a miniature trampoline. Given how energetic they are, I don’t doubt that has gotten quite a bit of use.
There are times when it’s painfully clear I don’t know much about parenting. Like I said, I’m behind the curve in that regard. And I don’t know if or when I’ll catch up. But I like to think I’ve learned how to be an awesome uncle in my own right.
If there was one moment, in particular, that solidified my love of being an uncle, it happened during this warm summer day in my parents’ backyard. We were having a family get-together, which happens often with a family like mine. We don’t need much incentive to get together and have fun. My nephew was around two at the time. He was walking and running around, albeit with the coordination you would expect of a two-year-old. But that didn’t stop us from having fun.
So, while his parents were getting some food, I took this soccer ball they’d brought and started bouncing it off my head. I don’t know what prompted me to do that. I just know that when my nephew saw it, he thought it was the greatest thing. He laughed and smiled while running around to get the ball. And I kept trying to bounce it off my head towards him. He tried to catch it, but had limited success. That didn’t matter though. We had fun and I like to think I made a good impression that day.
Since then, I’ve built on that impression. I love reading comics to my niece and nephew. I love watching sports with them, teaching them how to cheer for our favorite team. I love chasing them around, pretending I’m a T-Rex. And I love hearing them laugh every step of the way.
I know being an uncle has its limits. I honestly don’t know if I could match the energy my siblings have to keep up with their kids, especially at their current age. But that just makes me respect and love them even more. It also motivates me to be the best uncle I can be for them.
When those kids get older, they’re going to grow into a strange, uncertain world that’s constantly changing. But one thing that won’t change is the fact that they have an awesome uncle.
Filed under Jack Fisher's Insights, Uncategorized
Jack’s Comic Gems: Meet The Skrulls
This is another video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World. This is another addition to my “Jack’s Comic Gems” collection. And this particular gem stands out because it’s a story about the Skrulls and just before the debut of Secret Invasion, no less.
Anybody who has read a lot of Marvel comics know that stories about the Skrulls tend to be predictable, revolving around infiltration and invasion. Meet The Skrulls dares to be something more. It’s not just a story about Skrull agents infiltrating Earth. It’s a story about family. And it’s a story about how that family fights to survive when both humans and even their fellow Skrulls work against them. Enjoy!
Filed under Jack's World, Marvel, superhero comics, YouTube
Happy Father’s Day (Especially To My Awesome Dad)!
Today is Father’s Day.
And when you’re lucky enough to have an awesome dad like mine, it’s definitely worth celebrating.
Now, I know I’ve gone out of my way to brag about how awesome my dad in the past. And I’ve no intention to stop bragging. Why should I? My dad is just that great. And I will never hesitate to celebrate, honor, and thank him for being the best dad a guy like me could ask for. So many of my best traits come directly from my dad and how he raised me.
Today, I just happen to have a better excuse than usual to celebrate how great he is. And I’m happy to take advantage of it.
I know he occasionally reads this site. So, I like to make sure I properly articulate how much I love him and how grateful I am for all that he’s done for me. There’s so much I could talk about for my dad. There are the times he helped me while I was struggling in school, when I was a moody teenager, and when I had a bad attitude problem during my less-than-successful little league baseball career.
I could probably write entire books on certain phases of my life and how my dad was so instrumental. But in the interest of keeping this from running too long, I’ll highlight just one that I still remember fondly to this day. I’m not sure if he remembers this. But if he does, I hope it brings him the same joy it still brings me.
This particular incident happened when I was around four years old. My dad was working a construction job at the time. And my mother happened to have the day off. So, she took me to McDonald’s, which was always a treat for me. I remember getting a happy meal and a toy, which was enough to make any kid’s day back then. However, the toy wasn’t what stands out the most.
What made that trip to McDonald’s so memorable was that the burger had a pickle in it. My parents know I hate pickles and I always ask that they be removed from my burger. This time, they forgot. But I didn’t realize that until my mother drove by the construction site my dad was working at to say hi. This was not unusual. And he often dropped by to greet us and take a break.
But this time, when we drove by, I started crying because I found a pickle in my burger. Now, this is one of those moments that could either ruin a day or make it great. My parents, being the awesome people they are, found a way to make it great for all the right reasons.
Just as we drove up and started chatting, my dad saw the pickle in the burger. He saw me crying and complaining, as most four-year-olds do over minor things. So, without missing a beat, he just took the burger, took out the pickle, and threw the pickle across the construction site as hard as he could. He then turned back to me, smiled, and gave me back the burger.
To this day, I still remember how much I laughed and smiled at that. My mom started laughing too. It was simple, playful gesture from a man who was working an arduous job. But he still had the energy and the heart to make me smile.
As a result, that particular McDonald’s burger was extra tasty. And I have my dad to thank for that.
In the years that followed, we drove by that site frequently. It ultimately became a shopping center that still stands to this day. And whenever we passed by, my mom and I would point out the exact spot where my dad threw the pickle. And I would always smile at that memory.
That’s just one of many memories of my dad that I cherish. Today, I hope others can recount and celebrate similar memories. I know not everyone is lucky enough to have an awesome dad like mine. But that just makes me appreciate him even more.
So, to my wonderful father and all the other amazing father’s out there, I wish you a very Happy Father’s Day!
Filed under Jack Fisher's Insights, real stories
Jack’s (Non-Expert) Proposal For A Universal Basic Income Alternative
This is another video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World. This video is another exploration on the impact of advanced artificial intelligence. Specifically, it highlights the possibility of how to structure society in an era when automation fueled by AI changes the nature of the economy. There have been many proposals on how best to build society around this economy. A universal basic income is often a popular proposal. While I am largely a proponent of such a policy, I think there’s room for something bolder. This video is my proposal for something that takes UBI a step further. Enjoy!
Filed under Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, futurism, Jack's World, YouTube
