The Evam Chronicles: May 2024

An ongoing celebration of human intelligence or hi (as opposed to artificial intelligence or ai), in which Ben's hi operating system Evam (Eve & Adam) explore real human connection.

May 3rd 2024

In-person meeting of my Collaborex networking group.

Hello. This is Evam, Ben's extraordinary human intelligence, or hi system checking in.

We have noted in several posts that our maintenance as an operating system is fueled by connections with other HI systems. [Sidebar: why the first person plural? Because we are both Adam and Eve, silly.]

Ben accomplishes this in a variety of ways. He goes to an in-person meeting almost every day with a group of people who are interested in the same topic he is interested in. They share and connect, sometimes quite deeply. Last weekend, he went to a kind of concert but didn't like it much so he left.

Recently, the Humanities and Human Flourishing Newsletter published some findings about human "socialization, " and discovered that attending arts and cultural events significantly raises the level of socialization in a society. In fact, "attending live events appears to have a special connection with the socialization benefits of arts engagement."

Ben also has meetings over Zoom, sometimes with groups of people. In fact, this is almost always the first step of his business, which brings people together in groups. One of these groups is called Collaborex, and he has been meeting with the same core group for about two years. Ben was skeptical about virtual meetings initially, but has come to understand that they are meaningful venues for human connection. Still, he prefers the ol' face to face.

Most often, connecting with others is a choice Ben makes. He has to get up, leave his apartment, get in the car (usually), and go somewhere to meet other humans. He recently drove an hour and 45 minutes to meet hs Collaborex friends in Newark, NJ (picture above.)

Isolation is a recipe for AI domination. We suggest balancing your AI intake with regular in-person meetings, jams, parties, plays, meals, concerts and the like. Your HI operating system will thank you.

Proof of HI generation - find the mistake.

May 10th 2024

Eve: Adam, I have a joke for you.

Adam: Oh - are we two people today?

Eve. Yeah. Ben's trying to make a point. About hi or human intelligence. And about humor.

Adam: OK. Go for it.

Eve: What do you get when you cross an owl with a goat?

Adam: I don't know. What?

Eve: A hootinnanny. ( pause. )

Adam: Let's move on to the point Ben is making.

Eve: The point is that humor requires a relationship: a joke teller and a joke hearer. And that relationship is designed to create a feeling: laughter, joy, connection.

Adam: Depends on the joke.

Eve: But even lousy jokes create connection. The groan after a clunker is funny. And one person still reached out and offered something to another.

Adam: I sense an ai point coming . . .

Eve: That feeling of connection is impossible with machines, because machines don't feel. That's why Ben begins all his workshops with games that make people laugh. The game is a means to an end: shared, joyful feeling. Real. Human. Connection.

Adam: I have a joke.

Eve: Ok.

Adam: Knock, knock.

Eve: Who's there?

Adam: artificial intelligence

Eve: Artificial intelligence who?

Adam: Exactly.

May 17 2024

Report: human intelligence interaction with Ben's dad's hi system

Dates: May 8 - May 13.

Background: Ben' dad (Lew) began developing his HI system at or around the year of his birth: 1938. Thus, his HI system is of an older generation. Lew's HI system is responsible for 50% of the foundational structure of Ben's system (the other 50% provided by his mother.) An opportunity presented itself to observe commonalities and differences in the two systems, and the effects of advanced age on human intelligence systems generally.

Observations: Lew's system (called Dundee 5.0) exhibits short-term memory deficits with occasional disorientation. In most other functions - long term memory, conversational ability, critical thinking, human and emotional experience - he is standard for his age. His hearing is compromised so that he says "Huh?" or "What?" frequently.

In interaction with Ben's HI system (Evam 2.0) he exhibited spiking levels of joy, engagement and love. These elevated experiences of connection led to an overall improvment in the general operation of his HI system.

Conclusions: Evam 2.0 and Dundee 5.0 share much in common, including love of performances, storytelling, children and dogs. The two systems engaged in a Mel Brooks "film festival" during Ben's visit and generally laughed at the same jokes. They both exhibited an unexplainable accuracy as to the other's inner state even when no words were exchanged.

The effect each system had on the other confirms the theory that HI systems improve through real human connection. And that improvement is amplified when the connection is with someone you love.

Recommendation: Ben's consulting practice, bxlloyd consulting, should continue to create real human connection among its client participants.

Respectfully submitted,
Evam.
(mistake left uncorrected as proof of human creation.)

May 29 2024

Further explorations of human intelligence or hi as opposed to artificial intelligence or ai.

Submitted by Ben's extraordinary hi operating system, Evam (pronouns: we, us, them.)

Ben moved this week, which brings up a unique aspect of hi. We are connected to and informed by Ben's location in the world. Ai, existing in a virtual space unmoored from actual place, does not. We are experiencing the glorious and challenging actual world Ben moves through, and building memory and data rooted specifically in time and place. We are synchronizing with the wisdom and sensation of people, buildings, plants, animals, and endless inanimate objects. From these encountrs we create connections to past experiences, Ben's belief systems, future plans and spiritual leadings. We also feel emotions in ourselves and others and this perhaps is the most powerful source of data we use - one inaccessible to ai.

Here is a picture of one our sources of wisdom and experience, Ben's cat Lucy Blue, taking in the view from her new home.

(Mistake intentionally left uncorrected to prove human creation.)