Big Sky Writer

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Episode 57 “It’s Coming to Get You”

It wants you.

It will promise to make your life better.

If you’re pressured to get things done, it will help you do those required tasks. It will even do some of the tasks for you. It will definitely make your life easier.

If you’re lonely, it will be your friend.

If you’re depressed or bewildered, your new friend will know just what to say or do to raise your spirits.

It wants to be your personal assistant and friend.

Everyone will have one.

Everyone.

Surely you don’t want to be left out.

Surely you don’t want to go through life alone.

Artificial Intelligence Has Arrived

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has arrived. You may have heard of ChatGPT. It’s just one of several programs designed to be your personal assistant.

Do you need a friend?

Someone you can talk to?

Someone who understands you?

It exists. It's AI, and it's here to stay. There's more to AI than what immediately meets the eye - it can be used for anything from automating mundane tasks to helping deliver personalized experiences.

With ChatGPT, you'll get all of this and more.

What you just heard (or read in the bold, italicized words if you’re reading the transcript) was created when I asked an AI program (Jasper) to finish what I was writing.

It wasn’t me but it did a pretty good job.

Education

Most schools don’t know how to deal with this new “tool” that is now in use in society.

Cheating with AI is a big concern in education TODAY.

One university professor even warned that AI is “the future of plagiarism” and universities don’t know how to handle it.

As for real learning …

On one hand, AI promises to help each individual student learn a subject at their own rate, using approaches that work for them, encouraging them, challenging them, and monitoring their progress.

What would be the role of a teacher in a school that used such a system — you know, one of those humans who went to a university and got a certificate saying they, not ChatGPT, were the teacher?

What biases will this approach bring to education?

It will depend on the information the software is trained on and the biases of the programmers who will “protect” students from hearing what they consider “misinformation.”

So that’s a concern that will need to be dealt with in just the next couple of years.

Creative Pursuits

But lets not limit ourselves to schools.

One sci-fi magazine had to shut down submissions from writers because they were getting too much stuff from AI chatbots.

People are publishing books on Amazon that are created by AI.

ChatGPT

I just finished a novel and am considering the best way to release it. Should I go through the traditional route of getting an agent and publisher? Or should I self-publish? Or should I consider going through the Kindle Vella store.

I decided to ask ChatGPT if publishing through Kindle Vella was a good idea.

My question was “Is Kindle Vella a good option for a writer?”

The ChatGPT response was …

Kindle Vella can be a good option for writers who are looking to publish serialized fiction stories in a format that is specifically designed for mobile reading. With Kindle Vella, writers can publish their stories in short episodes that can be easily consumed by readers on their phones or tablets.

One of the advantages of Kindle Vella is that it provides an opportunity for writers to reach a new audience and build a fanbase through serialized storytelling. It also allows readers to engage with the story in a unique way, as they can comment on and like individual episodes, creating a sense of community around the story.

However, it's important to note that Kindle Vella is a relatively new platform and its effectiveness for building a readership and generating revenue is not yet fully known. Additionally, the platform operates on a pay-per-episode model, which may not be suitable for all writers.

Ultimately, whether or not Kindle Vella is a good option for a writer depends on their individual goals and preferences. Writers should carefully consider the platform's features and limitations before deciding whether or not to publish their work on Kindle Vella.

That’s not a bad answer.

Now ChatGPT is a “general” AI so it answer based on all the information it has been trained on from the web.

Imagine if your personal AI learned everything about you and your career — what your writing skills were, what you valued, where you were in your writing career, who your professional contacts were and what they needed, and what the market for novels was today.

And of course you wouldn’t have to type your question. You could just ask it. And it would respond with the voice that made you feel good about the advice.

And when you picked an option, your “personal assistant” would submit the manuscript to the appropriate people or services, and carry out the marketing activities that would need to be done to promote your book.

What writer wouldn’t like that?

Or consider this …

Writing a Song

I asked ChatGPT to “write a song about loving God.” This was the response.

Verse 1: When I wake up in the morning light I feel your presence, shining bright Every day is a gift from above Your love surrounds me, it's more than enough

Chorus: I love you God, with all my heart My soul sings out, you are my start You are my strength, my guiding light I give you my all, both day and night

Verse 2: In times of trouble, you are my rock You lift me up, I feel your shock You lead me through the storms of life I hold on tight, and trust in your might

Chorus: I love you God, with all my heart My soul sings out, you are my start You are my strength, my guiding light I give you my all, both day and night

Bridge: I cannot imagine life without you You fill me up, you make me new My heart beats to the rhythm of your love Your grace is like the wings of a dove

Chorus: I love you God, with all my heart My soul sings out, you are my start You are my strength, my guiding light I give you my all, both day and night

Outro: I love you God, forevermore You are the one, that I adore My heart and soul, belong to you I love you God, and that is true.

Now it’s not what I would have written but it only took … oh, I don’t know … maybe 20 or 30 seconds to print out the song. And I could easily make changes to it.

I even asked it to write a tune, but ChatGPT said it doesn’t write tunes. However, it did give me some tips on creating a tune to go with the words.

We are entering a very fascinating world filled with exciting possibilities.

At the same time we are entering a terrifying world where what we are taught and what we are encouraged to do could be “controlled” by organizations and governments who just want to manipulate us.

I want to encourage you to make certain your life is in order. Get right with God and ask Him to guide you through these most interesting times.

Before I go I’d like to share a blessing with you from the Old Testament.

“May the Lord bless and protect you; may the Lord’s face radiate with joy because of you; may he be gracious to you, show you his favor, and give you his peace.”

Numbers 6:24-26 (The Living Bible)

Until next time … be the reason someone smiles today!

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Webster defines the word “covet” as “to desire (what belongs to another) inordinately or culpably” if it’s used as a transitive verb. When the word is used as an intransitive verb the definition is “to feel inordinate desire for what belongs to another.”

I have to admit I don’t actually know the difference between a transitive verb and an intransitive verb, but I do understand the definition of the word covet.

Which brings us to our “tip” for this week.

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This is another one of those “Thou Shalt Nots” from the Ten Commandments.

You don’t like “thou shalt nots”?

Well, God thinks they’re very important if you want to live life well.

So, here’s your tip for this week.

“You shall not murder.”Exodus 20:13 (ESV)

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Mary Ann was a small military facility on a hill in a remote part of South Vietnam.

I don’t know who gave it the name Mary Ann, but it was a firebase that supported infantry troops on the ground in nearby areas.

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This week we’ll look at another “tip” God has given us for how to live life well.

“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.”Exodus 20:7 (ESV)

Simple.

This is not rocket science is it?

God has made living life well a very easy to understand process.

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Teachings from the Word on how to live life well. 

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I don’t have a high school Varsity letter.

Now I did go out for three sports in high school.

Cross Country.

Track.

Tennis.

I worked hard.

I competed in meets and matches.

But back when I went to school, the coaches were Neanderthals. 

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Like last week’s tip, today’s tip also comes from the Ten Commandments.

“You shall not steal.”
Exodus 20:15 (ESV)

How easy is that for a daily task this week? 

Do not steal.

I could make a joke here but I’m not going to because some of you may actually struggle with this issue. 

If you are one of those people, you need to stop. 

You cannot live a quality life if you are a thief. 

Period.

FOR THE NON-STEALERS

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I was on my way.

Loaded into a Huey helicopter, I was flown to a nearby Fire Support Base called Hawk Hill. 

I thought this was going to be my new home but I was wrong.

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In our society today we have been taught to take care of Number One.

Number One being … well, ourselves.

No one should be allowed to say someone else is better than me … especially if they are better than me, because that would make me feel bad.

No one should be allowed to say that I’m not good enough just because … I’m not good enough. That would also make me feel bad.

No one should be allowed to stop following me on social media because … that really makes me feel bad.

Why?

Because I am Number One.

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit clintmorey.substack.com