Dopamine fix and my take on AI.

When I sat down at the computer recently to type all of this out, I let out frustrated sigh.   

I had plans to release a completely different blog post long before this date but over the last two weeks or so I've done everything I could do but actually work on the yard, or write, or just do anything that was constructive.

When you are moving towards a dream or an idea or...well anything really, you can't break the chain.  Even if it's just 10 minutes a day working, that is constructive.   

I have an addiction.  It's not to drugs or alcohol and in a way that would be a bit more excusable.   I have an addiction to dopamine.   

Dopamine simply is a chemical in your brain that makes you feel good, and it in turn unleashes other "pleasure" chemicals in your brain.  In my case it a program called Second Life, (SL) which honestly, I used to be on all the time in the early 2000's.  It's hard to explain but the term multiuser virtual community is probably best.    You want to run around as a furry?  A warrior, explore ruins, create art?  You can do all that and more in SL.  

Trader and Merchant

The problem however is that it's a time suck.  It's a wonderful place to explore what the metaverse can be and to chat with friends, but, before I know hours of time has flown by.  Nothing has been done and two or three weeks have flown by.  

Not that Second Life was a complete waste of time, but for the most part, it is.  

Nor is it considered to be Artificial Intelligence because, even though it is a completely generated world, the characters, art, clothing, buildings have all been designed by real humans many have which have been involved in SL for ten, fifteen and twenty years.  The company just celebrated its twenty-third anniversary.

I had chosen to leave SL all the way back in 2012 because of life changes.   What brought me back to SL was loneliness.   I know longer have the support network I once did and Second Life is full of other people like me that enjoy exploring parts of themselves that they either cannot explore in Real Life for several reasons or just to find likeminded friends and even "family"   I actually spend less time "playing" than I do sitting around talking to friends, attending classes or just relaxing.  

The Darkthorn clan

All of which brings me to something that I've been wanting to talk about for some time.   NOTHING on this site uses artificial intelligence.  I considered using a program similar to Chat GPT to double check things like spelling and grammar (my biggest weakness as a writer) as well as readability.   

Something interesting started to happen, while the article certainly started to tighten up, it no longer becomes my "voice."   It lost that "human" touch.   I've not used it since.  Everything you read here, good or bad, is done by one lonely human for other humans.  

This summer was about reclaiming some things that I felt I had lost.  I'm not going to love the humanity.  

The challenge ahead of me now is finding some sort of balance where I can balance all my interests better.   After all, I had more or less let a year slip under the radar where I did nothing but bounce around trying to find something after finding myself laid off from a company I was planning to retire from.   

That lead to me losing control over the yard and the plants, but other than a few invasive plants that I've been battling, I've identified more and more native plants in my home.  The war against the Multiflora Rosa is lost, maybe?  

Some I've never heard of or seen but that's part of the joy I get from my little...whatever this is.  Learning and seeing things that I'm not familiar with gives me that dopamine boast I seek.   Finding out if something is edible and/or useful as a medical plant just gives my knowledge starved mind that extra boost of OH!

Stock Photo

One such plant that got me excited was American Burnweed or Erechites Hieracilolius.  I had come across this plant before in my life, but never really understood what it was or how important it was.  Ok, honestly, I've never really paid it that much attention.  

Because it's a native and an annual (1 season) plant that provides more than a few benefits, I decided to let it grow and seed instead of pulling it out of adopted spot.  It's in a part of my yard where the soil has been disturbed but not badly so.  It's a great plant for pollinators, and every part of the plant has a role in either the culinary world or in the role of traditional medication.   As someone who likes to enjoy different tastes and flavors its taste is.... a bit acquired.

If you are familiar with the taste of arugula or radicchio then you have an idea of what Burnweed tastes like.   It's not bad raw but I found it best when it was blanched and tossed into a salad.   The more I read about this particular plant the surer I was that I wanted to be sure to keep it around in my little domain.  For example, it is nutrient rich, containing Vitamins A, and C, protein, and zinc.  In addition, it's been used in traditional medicine to support digestive health and for wound care.   

It's also a lovely tall plant with purplish flowers that bloom in early to mid-September allowing pollinators that last boost of energy before hibernation or heading south on their migratory routes.