The world is going back to normal.

Jason has returned to work I’m not seeing the little sis as frequently. I still get a mom visit, but it’s brief as she injects the shot of whatever big pharma miracle into me to help (hopefully) rebuild my bones.

It’s cold – uncomfortably so. There’s more snow now than what I remember from a long time. There’s worse years but barely. I know I had some clearance water pipe wrap and had someone use as a precaution. The guy said I didn’t have to worry. The pipes wouldn’t freeze but he’d add it anyway.

I’m glad he did. Even if, in theory, the water pipes wouldn’t freeze, I feel a lot better that they’re wrapped up. A childhood of busted pipes and dead furnaces from when I was a child, along with the current near constant stiffening and pain from the shoulders and lower back, has really drove the need for hot showers. Can’t help it.

I’m going to be 50 this year.

On Wednesday, I join the ‘normal’ group as class b begins. It’s another ENG202 class, but just one so I won’t have any conflict with the insurance. Brats is pushing “ultrabuzz,’ which is AI Intergration into Blackboard and the classroom.

It’s starting with the level 300 and up classes before it goes to us adjunct-run plebian lower classes in six months or so.

Of course, I’m more than apprehensive about it. It’s only a matter of time before my job is absorbed into AI with the pretense that grading will be consistent and it can probably be claimed that the AI will be more adaptable to various learning styles on the fly. Since, of course, the next gen of it can change text and voice into videos.

There’s also that adjuncts and the teaching staff will be reduced since we’re not needed, just like how DuoLingo reduced their translators and part of the reason for the writer/actor strike from a couple of years ago.

Colleges will declare that it’ll help become more inclusive, appeal to a wider student base, and reduce the ‘ever soring’ college prices.

All of that may be, but those are just excuses. It’s like with digital downloads for games happened. For a short time, they were cheaper than physical copies. Now, they’re the same price or even more.

For colleges, it just boils down to less people and less health insurance and payroll.

The students, of course, will never fade as money needs to be made. College is absolutely all about the money and never let anyone claim otherwise.

But those students will continue to be fooled and swindled. There isn’t going to be a lot of call for medical coders and paralegals in the future as AI takes over. All of these simple BS associate degrees are not as advertised.

The promise will remain that they’ll have a good life, when it won’t happen.

The 9 to 5 days will be replaced by service gig jobs, like driving Ubers and maybe taking care of the elderly to clean their houses.

Even that will be temporary as AI-robot pairings become more advanced.

People, past, present, and future, will have massive college loan debt, low pay, no insurance, and the inability to buy a house or successfully pay off a car.

Mental health problems will increase – probably far higher than now – and everyone will be drugged. It’ll be a rule and not an exception.

To “help.” universal basic income will become standard. The populous HAS to keep buying to keep the economy growing. But what can be bought will be reduced, have built in planned life expectancy, even if it isn’t broke, it will be. Think printer cartages that the printer won’t use although there’s still ink in them.

Lots of stuff is like that now but it will be more obvious, and the usefulness shortened.

The earth really WILL be jeopardized. All of this workable junk needs to go somewhere and it damn sure won’t be recyclable. More forever chemicals in the rain, water, and people’s bodies. The nutrients in food, which is already compromised because of GMOs. will just add to the overall global health decline.

Hopefully, people will realize what is happening but little will be done. They’re drugged. Sick. Tired. Mentally damaged. Physically hindered. Can’t even cook, let alone participate in some sort of rebellion. “Others” will take care of it when there aren’t any others or just an AI puppet that people believe is real.

Those who have half a brain cell will be distracted by the “look over here…” approach. This is where the news becomes a continual drama that keeps people talking and yet entertained in some sick way.

Nothing will happen.
Everything will change.

This isn’t the bent I had thought I would write this blog about but I can’t be certain how they’re going to turn out when I start.

All of this is just speculation, of course. But it seems to fit, doesn’t it?

Happy New Year.