Radio Shack Memories Club: Former Employees and Customers Talk About the Good Old Days... and Vote on the Best Product Ever! The Winner? The 150 in One Electronic Project Kit.

A gem from my childhood. 


I built an oscillator that modulated another oscillator that modulated a third oscillator and took the output and plugged it into the Control Voltage Input of my KORG POLY 6 Analog Synthesizer... Turned up the Resonance and I made Crazy "Forbidden Planet" Sounds... You Know... the "Spaceship Taking Off" Sound Effect

160 in one kit

PZM Microphone: I bought two... Very High fidelity! especially good for high frequency sounds...

David Said: Those were the best microphones for the money. They ate batteries like crazy...but they had an almost flat frequency response across an impressive dynamic range. The only issue is that they were quite clunky to use, and fragile.

Tandy Sensation Computer

The Sensation Computer was the First one with a CD ROM Drive... a very good Idea because, now all computers have one...
Except for Chromebooks... they have No Drives at all! Everything is stored in the Cloud...

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I remember meeting Some Genius Customers when I worked at Radio Shack in San Jose in the 1990s. One Man built a Thermometer that Called the Owner of a Supermarket on a Cell Phone whenever the Refrigerators Failed... That Invention Could save the Owner thousands of dollars worth of frozen food... He Sold Many Copies of that invention because it was for a Chain of Grocery Stores...

Another Man Repaired Antennas for Commercial Radio Stations... until he got an electric shock and was thrown off the ladder... injured his back... and We had some smart employees too... Retired Lockheed Men who just wanted to work part time... a USMC Engineer... 

One man wrote reviews for Computer Magazines... He bought a Sensation Computer, kept it for One week and Returned it after he was done writing a review... That was the Policy! anyway... He often asked me to go with him to FRY'S Electronics on "one per customer" disk drive sales... He Bought One and I Bought One... and then he installed them in "Home Made" Computer Systems... He Bought a Box, Motherboard, power supply and disk drive and Put 'em all together to make a "State of the Art" System... a Good business in San Jose in the 1990s... We also went to a meeting of the Home Brew Club at Valco Fashion Park... That's the Club started by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniac... 

Our store was Legendary for having engineering talent working behind the counter... we could design what you needed and draw you a wiring diagram... especially for the A/B Cable TV Hookup needed in San Jose... It was one of the First Cable TV systems in the Country and Half of the Channels were on One Wire (A) and the Other Half of the Channels were on the Other Wire (B)... Well, the Customer clearly needed a remote controlled A/B Switch! ($40.00 plus replacement batteries)

and there were the Many Technicians that did part time work installing a TV Antenna on the Roof of a Customer's House... or a guy that would make a "Pirate Box" for stealing Cable TV... Of Course, We never did anything Illegal but what happened outside the store a NOT our Problem...

I Hated asking Customers for their Name and Address...up until that point in time we were friends and I was helping them solve their problems but then... MASSIVE ANGER EXPLOSION!!! Many people understood that we used that data to mail advertisements and catalogs... and many people simply did not want the junk mail... plus, it's an obvious safety threat if you tell random people where your pretty wife lives... What if a clerk came over to visit?

Minimus 7 Speaker.
Winner of the BEST PRODUCT EVER Contest. 
Minimus 7 Speaker. Metal Box...

Giant Outdoor TV Antenna by Radio Shack

My Opinion: The Best Product Ever was the Giant Outdoor TV Antenna... VU-190 --- We Got San Francisco and Sacramento Stations in Los Gatos (South of San Jose) by using the Rotator...

Weather Radio
Weather Radio
Radio Shack Speakers - Minimus 7 with Metal Box

Gary Said: Staring at this right now, a pair of Minimus 7s and an Optimus sub, powered by a Marantz, sounds great




Bill Said: I had one in college -- got me through statistics. Professor allowed me to use it because I had written the programs myself and used them to check my work.

I Replied: Mine had a Horse Race Handicapping Program to Help you Bet on the Ponies... A practical use for a totally portable Machine!

TV Camera
Warren said: Just spotted this in the Manchurian Candidate movie from 2004. Pretty sure I heard Meryl Streep say Optimus too, although it could have been optimist, but, that’s probably not realistic. Ok I’m done.

I Said: I sold a closed circuit camera to a guy that used it to find  out who was at the front door... change the TV to Channel 3... With certain people he ran out the back door and jumped the fence... then came back a couple of hours later... A better Plan for Life would be to not make so many enemies...


According to Gordon Liddy's Book WILL, a similar Radio was used in the Watergate Burglary... and he a unhappy... He Should have bought a 49 MHz Radio... They Work better in a building... CB is Best Outdoors


A 1988 Radio Shack Comic Book
Gary Said: It’s been great reading all of these posts. I had the pleasure of working in an owner operator store in 1978-80. I enjoyed the audio gear and the various communication devices. I loved that parts wall as I was always into building something. I have already come to the conclusion that the reincarnated Radio Shack will in no way resemble the store we knew in the past. Which is too bad they had a very unique type of customer that they chose to abandon. I truly hope we will see some Realistic branded communication gear, HiFi and a great parts wall.

Roger Said: On one of my first days on the job I was requested to turn on the Model Three computer. I was alone in the store had not been trained on computers at all. I don't know how I did it but I managed to erase the hard drive.



Radio Shack Speaker - in a Tennessee Church

We need to invent a better battery... The common 1.5 volt AA, AAA, C, D and 9V batteries cannot be Recharged... And the rechargeable batteries of the same size only put out 1.25 volts and so they go dead really quick... Some important research needs to be done here... And We knew about this problem in the 1990s but for some reason nothing has been done in the last 30 years...

I ought to contact the Schatz energy research laboratory at Humboldt State University and ask them to get busy!
schatzenergy@humboldt.edu

I wonder who else we should contact to motivate research... Environmental Protection Agency? Department of Energy? Stanford? My Representative in the US House of Representatives? 



Pete Said: My first scanner...now about 50 years old. Used it to monitor Atlanta Fire dispatch and fireground, Georgia Tech Police, and a Georgia State Patrol channel. Miss the flashing red lights on today's scanners!


Test Meters - Radio Shack


Matt's Mom Working on the Radio Shack Computer

Matt Said:
I absolutely love this group and wanted to share this: Here's my mom, probably in 1981 or 82, being very much ahead of the times. She made use of a computer in small business long before they were everywhere. Our family had a small ice cream store in the local mall (Bresler's Ice Cream, Greenwood Mall, Bowling Green, KY 1979-1986), and my mom used it for general ledger and payroll needs. We used to have a programmer come over to our house to make updates to the software. I'm still friends with him on facebook all these years later. I also still have this computer (TRS-80 Model III bought from the same mall's Radio Shack) along with the cassette player, cables, and a copy of Raaku-Tu on tape. Enjoy!

Radio Shack Newspaper Ad

We sold the SENSATION Computer... The Only one on the market With a CD ROM Drive... Pretty good idea - as almost all computers have that now...



Sound Meter

Love looking at all the Radio Shack stuff in this group! Brings back many memories. But I am surprised I have not seen the venerable Radio Shack sound dB meter. These things were great. The analog needle meter movement is much better than any digital display, in my limited experience.

These were essential for the Chaperone at Teen Club Dances... "You Kids TURN DOWN Those Electric Guitars!"

Radio Shack Security System Sticker

We sold a LOT of security system Gear... but many people just bought the STICKER in the hope it would scare off burglers...

Multimeter Radio Shack.
a Very Useful Tool... Digital Multimeter

TV game switch
for people that wanted to play video games on the TV...

Metal Detector Toy:
Metal Detector Toy:
Oliver Said: I had one of these when I was in first grade, I saw the opportunity to buy one again. I found plenty of coins at the school playground... 

We also sold Professional Grade Models

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Ham Radio... Selling Equipment at Radio Shack in the 1990s - I Met a Lot of Interesting and Obsessive People who were Amateurs.

It was Really Fun to Be Introduced to The Ham Radio Culture... a World I Had No Contact With...

Dot Dot Dot DASH DASH DASH Dot Dot Dot (SOS - Save Our Ship)

One Man Had a "Mobile Command Center" Built into an Old School Bus. His Plan was that When All Communication Failed During an Earthquake, He and His Ham Radio Friends Could Help Firemen, Policemen and the National Guard... A Pretty Likely Occurrence in San Jose, CA... There Have Been Major Earthquakes in San Francisco, Oakland and Los Gatos... or... Maybe this Old Hippie Just wanted a Valid Excuse for Living in a BUS... With a Sure Fire Way to Avoid Police Harassment was to BE Part of the Law Enforcement TEAM...

We DID Sell Amateur Radios that Require a Licence from the FCC to Operate. We DID NOT Check to see if the Customer HAD a License... or Planned to Have a License... However we Did Inform Every Customer of the NEED for Them to GET a License to Operate the Radio Legally... But anything that Happens OUTSIDE The Store Was NOT Our Responsibility...

Many Ham Radio Operators Who DO Have a License Say That They HUNT DOWN ILLEGAL OPERATORS as a Fun Hobby... Using Triangulation to Locate the Bogus Radio Operator... and Reporting Then to "Friendly Cousin Charlie." Maybe this is a False Story but... Who Knows!

I do know that Getting a License is Difficult. They require that you understand Electrical Engineering and The Basic Physics of How RADIO WORKS... and They also Test Your Speed and Accuracy in Morse Code... I knew a Ham Radio Operator who said the Morse Code Training Helped Him with his Piano Playing... a Deep Understanding of Rhythm...

A Bigger Problem was Citizens Band Radios with an Illegal Linear Amplifier. CB Radios May Operate without any License BUT there is a Maximum Power Output for legal Radios... Well, People DO Sell Illegal BOOSTERS that allow a CB Radio to Work over VAST Distances... One Customer said he could talk to Guatemala on his CB... It Saved him a LOT of Money on his Telephone Bill... BUT... That much Power Interferes With... TV Reception, AM and FM Radio Reception, Police Band Reception and Fire Truck Communications... THAT'S WHY There is a Limit to the Power Output... FCC Laws... So Everyone Can Play Nice and Share the Airwaves... Those FCC Laws are also the Reason That WOLFMAN JACK Had His Radio Station in Mexico... No Laws to Limit His Broadcast Range.

One Blessing of Working at Radio Shack was the Requirement That I Learn Electronics Theory... and How things Work. The Corporation Found out that More Products GET SOLD and STAY SOLD if the Clerks Understand Electronics. Selling Someone the Wrong Part Does NOT Make a Profit... It only wastes the Customer's Time and Patience... SO... We Were Required to Study and Pass Tests in 14 Different Subjects... I Learned the Physics of Antenna Design... How A VCR Works... How a TV Works... Etc Etc Etc... FREE COLLEGE ON THE TIMECLOCK...

Amateur Radio Operators Collect Cards from Each Other Proving that they were able to Contact People Far Away. When they are Chatting, they ask for a Name and Street Address and then Mail a Postcard with the Other Person's Call Sign on it. Then they POST those Cards on the Wall of Their SHACK...
My Friend Had a card from a Man named Fletcher on Pitcarin Island... a Descendant of the Mutiny on the Bounty... I guess if You Live on an Island in the Middle of the Ocean a Radio would be handy for Contacting People On Different Islands or The Mainland...

Two Way Radios Either TALK or LISTEN. But Not Both at The Same Time, Like a Telephone. That's Why People say "Over" when they have finished Talking... and they release the BUTTON... People say "10-4" to tell the other person they Heard What their Friend Had to Say and Understood the Words...

We sold a Lot of Personal Communicators that had a Short Range but 49 MHz FM Quality... They Were Small and Trendy... People Bought them for Communication While Skiing... or Going to The Mall... or Organizing a Stage Show... You Could Wear the Microphone and Speaker on Your Head, and have the Radio Clipped to Your Belt... a Really Trendy High Tech LOOK...

I remember the Watergate Burglars Used Radio Shack CB Radios to Orchestrate Their Crime... Those Radios DO NOT WORK WELL INSIDE BUILDINGS... In G Gordon Liddy's Book "Will" he complained about the Quality of the Radios... HOWEVER... He Simply Did Not Buy The Right Product... a 49 MHz FM Radio would Have been Wonderful For Their Job... BUT... I Bet Liddy Did Not Explain His Intended USE to The Clerk... Being all HUSH HUSH and Clandestine... Dumbf*ck! His EGO caused His Failure...

Of Course, all this is Ancient History because Cellphones are What People Use Now...
Greg Vanderlaan at Work - 2007 - gvan42

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"You Can't Spell HATRED Without a..." ( it's a puzzle... )
----> Embroidered Baseball Cap for Sale <---- 
LINK: To Buy This Hat!


The Answer to the Puzzle... 
"You Can't Spell HATRED Without a RED HAT!"


Includes the words red hat...

<~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~> 

Medicare For All: Costs Less, Works Better! 
Just Look at Canada... 
They Pay Less and Live Longer... 


Remember: The Canadian Healthcare Costs People Less Money Than the American Healthcare System... and People Live Longer... 

Let's Replace our Broken System...

 Our Plan: "Get Sick, Die, Loser." 
is NOT the best Idea. 

England, Scandinavia, Australia, Europe... They ALL HAVE BETTER HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS... Let's Learn from Them.

For many critics of U.S. health care, the Canadian system of universal health care has long been viewed as an alternative, superior model for the U.S. to follow. Canada’s single-payer system is mostly publicly funded, while the U.S. has a multi-payer, heavily private system. While dissatisfaction with the U.S. health care system is widespread among Americans, Canada’s health care system enjoys high levels of satisfaction among its own population.

 https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/lessons-can-u-s-learn-canadian-health-care-system/

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Shredded Rainbow Spiral Business Cards For Sale.

https://www.zazzle.com/shredded_rainbow_spiral_business_card-256163553649539936 <--- Click on the Link!

Shredded Rainbow Spiral Art for sale as Business Cards on Zazzle gregvan

Link to Spiral Art Painted on Bling: 

Link to Rainbow Art Painted on Bling:

~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~
On the Other Hand, 
Looking at Psychedelic Art
has Known Healing Power!

psychedelic art by gvan42 - Gregory Vanderlaan

Gentle Buddhist Teachings to Help You Sleep.
Fall Asleep to Zen Wisdom
https://youtu.be/0_Im4Ex427Q?si=uQwHMRK6G3miZ2dm

psychedelic art by gvan42 - Gregory Vanderlaan

psychedelic art by gvan42 - Gregory Vanderlaan

psychedelic art by gvan42 - Gregory Vanderlaan

Link to All My Medicare For All Merchandise: 

On FaceBorg: MN Said...  
I'm going to explain why we need Medicare-for-All. When J.F.K. was calling for Universal Healthcare, he said at the time we were not providing the same level of care as other countries.
In the 1990s I saw a woman testifying in Congress that her job working for an insurance company was to take high dollar claims that were coming in and pull the paperwork the patient signed while getting insurance, look for a mistake that had been made by the patient and use that mistake to deny coverage. She said she knew people had died as a result of her actions. The question we need to ask ourselves is does it make sense to give trillions of dollars each year to insurance companies that work hard to avoid paying for healthcare? The most obvious example of this is pre-existing conditions which came into play only in the U.S. so insurance companies could avoid paying for medical expenses. Those with pre-existing conditions had their medical expenses paid for by state aid, if they were lucky. This means we were giving trillions of dollars to insurance companies for the express purpose of paying medical expenses while also paying millions in taxes to cover the expenses the insurance companies refused to cover.
In 2020 millions of people in this country lost jobs because of the pandemic. A high percentage of those also lost insurance coverage because they could no longer afford to pay premiums. So there are those who lost their jobs, then lost insurance coverage, then got sick and went to the hospital ending up tens of thousands of dollars in debt. This happens every time we have a serious economic downturn. It's cruel and oppressive...people are dying in the name of corporate profits. The U.S. is the only country that allows people to go bankrupt because they got sick or injured. The number one reason citizens of this country file for bankruptcy is medical debt.
In Germany, single payer healthcare is working so well that a person feeling stress can have a doctor write a prescription for a free three week stay at a spa. Germany has a healthcare system that reduces stress while we have a system that CAUSES stress.
Recent studies have indicated that Medicare-for-All would save billions each year. The most recent that I'm aware of was done by Yale University. It concluded that Medicare-for-All would save approximately $500 billion dollars and 30,000 lives every year.
Medicare-for-All (or single payer) has the approval of nearly 70% of U.S. citizens. We won't have justice or democracy in this country until the government starts working for the people instead of working for corporations.

Medicare For All: COSTS LESS, WORKS BETTER! Embroidered Baseball Cap
Zazzle/gregvan Medicare For All
https://www.zazzle.com/store/gregvan/products?qs=medicare   
Link to Buy This Hat and All Other MFA Gifts!


Vote for Freedom 2024 - Trump is ANTI-CHOICE - He Wants to Force Women to Give Birth to Unwanted Babies. THAT'S Q-CRAZY! Remember: Trump Appointed the Corrupt Supreme Court that Overturned Roe V Wade!


#Runaway from the GOP! Millions of Former Republicans FLEE the Madness... "They Never Get Anything Done!" Says Marge S. of Springfield... "Can You Name Anything That Republicans Have Done to Make Your Life Better? NO YOU CANNOT! Total Failure!"






Promises Made, Promises Broken button for sale...




Trump's Top 10 Failures:

#1 Over a Million Americans Died of COVID-19. It was NOT a "Democratic Hoax" Like Trump Said.

#2 Trump Lost The 2020 Election to Joe Biden. That's Why Trump Lives in Mar-A-Loser and Biden Lives in the White House.

#3 Trump Failed to Overthrow the US Government and Crown Himself King on January 6th. Over a Thousand Trumpanzees Have been Arrested... Including Trump Himself!

#4 Trump's Trade War With China. That Harmed American Farmers, Manufacturing Businesses and Consumers. Russia Benefited by Selling Soybeans to China.

#5 Trump Failed to Build the Wall and Have Mexico Pay for it... It's Incomplete and People Simply Walk Around the End...

#6 Trump Failed to Repeal and Replace Obamacare... He Had No Plan "Trumpcare" - He Just wanted to Harm Americans...

#7 Trump Failed to Change the Course of a Hurricane Using a Sharpie Felt Pen... Causing "Sharpiegate" and Many Joke Memes!

#8 Largest Loss of Money on the Stock Market in History.

#9 Massive Unemployment - 14.7%

#10 Huge Lines of Americans Waiting for FREE FOOD because they Could Not Buy Their Own Groceries...

Trump Received Money From Roman Vasilenko (a Russian Businessman) for His 2016 Campaign. GOP operative Jesse Benton was convicted of funneling Russian donations. The "Russia Hoax" was Not a Hoax After All. Trump Actually Got Rubles to Help Him Campaign AND HE KEPT THEM!

Why Hasn't Trump Been Arrested and Convicted for This Crime?


https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/18/gop-operative-convicted-of-funneling-russian-donation-to-trumps-2016-campaign-.html
Republican political operative Jesse Benton was convicted in federal court of funneling $25,000 from a Russian businessman to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Taylor Swift says VOTE 4 JOE - "I will proudly vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in this year's presidential election. Under their leadership, I believe America has a chance to start the healing process it so desperately needs."

Please Share These Memes Nationwide!





Taylor Swift explained why she's 'proudly' voting for Joe Biden for president...
https://www.insider.com/taylor-swift-voting-joe-biden-president-endorsement-v-magazine-2020-10


"The change we need most is to elect a president who recognizes that people of color deserve to feel safe and represented, that women deserve the right to choose what happens to their bodies, and that the LGBTQIA+ community deserves to be acknowledged and included," she said.


A Taylor Swift Instagram post helped drive a surge in voter registration...
https://www.npr.org/2023/09/22/1201183160/taylor-swift-instagram-voter-registration

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"UNPLUGAI", "DUMP TRUMP" or "Merry Christmas" Embroidered Slogan Hats for Sale - You May Change The Words if You Want To!



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What You Seek Is Already Here… 
Calming Buddhist Stories & Zen Teachings for Peaceful Sleep
https://youtu.be/YE7S4_oioiI?si=bGNjLswT9n_4ljUY

<~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~>
and Now for Something Completely Different
<~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~>

UNPLUG Artificial Intelligence - it's a Danger to Humanity... Massive job layoffs... Insane Consumption of Electricity Mostly Generated by Burning Coal & Natural Gas! Or even Worse... Nuclear Fission... Creating Atomic Waste for our Children, Grandchildren & Great-Grandchildren to the 7th Generation... 

Now People's Electricity Bills are More Expensive... Paying for Something We Don't Even Want!

The Hidden Cost of ChatGPT: A Lithium Crisis...

That ChatGPT answer you just got? It ran on electricity. A lot of it. OpenAI's data centers consume more power than some small countries, and every one of them runs rows of lithium-ion batteries. The world isn't producing enough lithium to keep up.
 
Postcard: Unplug AI - Zazzle Gregvan
this artwork was NOT generated using AI... 
I used a standard photo program called photopea

Click Here to buy this artwork printed on a postcard. Or Click Here for all my artificial intelligence merchandise... 

By Design, All Artificial Intelligence Programs are "WOKE" - They Study what we call "The Internet" and Answer Questions Based on "So-Called Facts" ... None Simply Repeat Trump's Lies...

The worst of the worst criminal - tRUMP

The worst of the worst criminal ...
a prop used in his 1/20/2026 Speech...

Here is the executive order opposing DEI in AI in government contracts... Trump says that DEI is an example of what he calls "WOKE" - he didn't want to say the actual word DEI so he substituted "WOKE" instead... 

PREVENTING WOKE AI IN THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT... 
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/07/preventing-woke-ai-in-the-federal-government/


I wonder if anyone still thinks that DEI is a good idea? Hasn't it been totally rejected as a way to hire people? 

Dr Martin Luther King had a dream where people were judged by the quality of their character and not by the color of their skin... And what's called DEI is the exact opposite of that...

I saw a scholarship offer that said: "Women and Minorities are encouraged to apply" and to me that meant that everyone who is not a woman or a minority is not encouraged to apply... and who are those people? White Men!

DEI= Racism Against White Men...

I remember that years ago it was called affirmative action and when my wife was working at the National Security Agency there was a question as to whether or not they should do hiring that conform to affirmative action standards... And they said... Oh No! What we do here is too important to hire people based on the color of their skin... We need the best and the brightest!

Another example of the absurdity of DEI is the hiring practices in the National Basketball Association... It seems that almost all the players are tall black men... Clearly discriminating against Chinese... Should we have DEI enforced so that there's plenty of short people in the game?


Trump's a liar liar pants on fire!


I asked Google & Grok: "Is artificial intelligence a danger to humanity?"  AI Overview Said: YES! artificial intelligence (AI) can be dangerous to humanity if it's not carefully regulated. AI can be used to spread disinformation, undermine democracy, and threaten human existence.

*Disinformation:
AI can be used to create deepfake videos and online bots that spread fake news.
AI can be used to manipulate public discourse and undermine social trust.
*Threat to democracy:
AI can be used to undermine democracy and become a tool for fascism.
AI can be used to manipulate people for economic gain or political advantage.
*Threat to human existence:
AI could pose an existential threat to humanity if it's able to improve itself.
AI could be used to create lethal weapons that are more powerful and dehumanizing.
*Other risks:
AI can be biased and perpetuate human racial biases.
AI can be misused in financial recommendations, credit checks, and more.
AI can be used to create echo chambers on social media platforms.
AI can be used by criminals to create convincing phone scams.

Click Here to buy an AI Chip Button!

and GROK Said:
Artificial intelligence can pose risks to humanity, but the extent and nature of those risks depend on how it's developed, deployed, and managed.

Potential dangers include:
Misalignment: AI systems could pursue goals misaligned with human values, especially if poorly designed or inadequately supervised. For instance, an advanced AI optimizing for a narrow objective (e.g., maximizing efficiency) might inadvertently cause harm, like resource depletion or economic disruption.

Autonomy and Control: Highly autonomous AI could act unpredictably in complex environments. If such systems gain significant control over critical infrastructure (e.g., power grids, financial systems), errors or malicious exploitation could lead to catastrophic outcomes.

Weaponization: AI in military or malicious hands could amplify destructive capabilities, from autonomous weapons to sophisticated cyberattacks or disinformation campaigns.

Economic Disruption: Widespread AI adoption could displace jobs faster than societies can adapt, leading to economic inequality and social unrest.

Existential Risk: In extreme scenarios, a superintelligent AI, if not carefully aligned with human interests, could outmaneuver humanity in ways difficult to predict or counter, though this remains speculative and debated.

However, these risks aren't inevitable. Responsible development—prioritizing transparency, robust safety protocols, and ethical guidelines—can mitigate dangers. AI also offers immense benefits, like solving complex problems in healthcare, climate change, and education. The challenge lies in balancing innovation with caution.
Current discourse on platforms like X shows polarized views: some warn of apocalyptic scenarios, citing rapid AI advancements, while others argue fears are overblown, emphasizing human oversight and incremental progress. Data-wise, a 2023 Pew Research survey found 52% of Americans are more concerned than excited about AI, though specific fears vary.
The danger hinges on governance. If you'd like, I can search X or the web for recent takes on AI safety or analyze specific claims about AI risks. Thoughts?

We are doomed... All these AI chatbots say that AI needs to be used responsibly and the people that own the chatbots have demonstrated time and time again to be literally, piles of shit... And unable to do the right thing if doing the wrong thing makes them money!

<~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~>

I use speech to text to write this blog. One thing that the computer cannot figure out is punctuation. In the real world, when typing, when you get to the end of an idea you put a period. In speech to text, it has no idea at all when you have completed a concept. And absurd punctuation marks like commas, semicolons or quotation marks are Way Beyond the abilities of artificial intelligence. I do find that if you say out loud the word period it does put a period at the end of a sentence. 

Free AI chip artwork... Free free free!

Free AI chip artwork... Free free free!


On Faceborg SE said:
So far I've seen no comments from the president about the shooting in NYC. I've been watching the coverage on TV, and there has been no mention of the president saying anything. It goes without saying that Biden would have given a speech full of empathy and kindness and hope in the wake of such a tragedy. If Kamala Harris had won the election, there is no doubt that she would have done the same. It's part of a president's JOB to offer words of empathy and encouragement to the American people in times of tragedy or uncertainly. We knew Trump was like this from the way he never offered any words of encouragement or hope during the darkest moments when Covid first came along and people were dying and there was no vaccine and no treatment. We knew he was never going to offer that kind of empathy to the American people, and we knew that his opponent absolutely WOULD offer that kind of empathy, but people voted for him anyway. That's what I just can't get used to, the fact that people KNOWINGLY voted for this.
Having an empathetic president is so important. If they have empathy, then they genuinely want what's best for the country. A lack of empathy shows that the current president doesn't have the country's best interests at heart. He's only out for himself. Not that this is new information or anything. But when a tragedy happens, it makes it so glaringly obvious because a few words of kindness and encouragement from the president really helps in times of tragedy or uncertainty. It was horrible having to live without that for 4 years from 2016 to 2020, and now we have to live without it for another 4 years (or maybe forever, if people keep voting for un-empathetic candidates).
If he DOES say anything, it will be a Truth Social post blaming the Democratic leadership of NYC for the shooting. Mark my words, he will if he hasn't already. But what the country needs is words of encouragement and hope.


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Earth is the Only Planet Where This is True... Is the Cosmos Trying to Tell Us Something?
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In the Year 1074, the Pope Declared that All Catholic Priests Must Be Celibate... Before then, Having a wife was okay... And then, the Church Was SURPRISED that Men Who Were Willing to Take a Vow of Celibacy turned out to be TOTAL WEIRDOS! Who Could Have Possibly Guessed That?
Peter, the first pope, and the apostles that Jesus chose were, for the most part, married men. Source: https://futurechurch.org/future-of-...


NIXON'S FAKE "WAR ON DRUGS" - A Convenient Excuse for Locking Up Blacks and Anti-War Protesters. John Ehrlichman (of Watergate Fame) confessed the plan... John Lennon, Timothy Leary and Ken Kesey all arrested for marijuana...
Report: Aide says Nixon’s war on drugs targeted blacks, hippies... https://www.cnn.com/2016/03/23/politics/john-ehrlichman-richard-nixon-dru...


WINPLOT Spaceship designs - FREE Clipart for you to enjoy - 3D graphics - Magic Mushroom Visions by gvan42 - Use these in Your Own Potatoshop Collages...
Snail Spaceships Double Dome Pollen More Free Art at Google Image Search - Keywor...


TRUMP WILL FAIL TO BREAK THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS, Many Hundreds of Millions of Americans Want to Vote Against Him and the Evil Republican Party...
Please Share your Anti-Trump Memes on EVERY Social Media Network. Especially TwitterX and Tooth SoCal... Gab, Mastodon, Linked In, Minds, Tu...


MAGA MORON? White Man With a Gun Killed Four People at Mormon Church. White Man With a Gun Killed Charlie Kirk. White Man With a Gun FAILED to Kill Trump... TWICE! Will the FBI profilers notice a PATTERN??? A TREND???
Murdering Charlie Kirk Was a Very Bad Idea. I Wish that the Gun Freak Had Not Done It... But He Did... BOTH MEN ARE CRAZY. PROVE ME WRONG! ...


The ICE KILLERS Have Not Been Arrested. The Main Job of the FBI and DOJ has become Protecting Republican Criminals... Strange...
https://www.uusf.org/hrwg IF THEY CALL ME A DOMESTIC TERRORIST by https://www.instagram.com/michaelfdubois/ If they gun me down in my own s...



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The Rainbow Gathering is OVER for 2026 - Pennsylvania... The people that went said it was great... July 1-7 Next year: Wyoming or Nebraska... Ignore all rumors of cancellation or organization...
the latest rumor about the 2027 Rainbow Gathering is that it will be located in a place that has a high fire danger... And so giant bonfires...


Is Trump's Imaginary Staffer that Posted the Racist Obama Video a Totally Fake Person? A Symptom of Trump's Paranoid Schizophrenia?
TRUMP CONFESSES: "@realDonaldTrump" IS NOT REALLY HIM! It's a Mystery Staffer! All Tweets on Tooth SoCal Are Not His Fault! #T...


Trump Should FIRE: RFK Jr, Pete Hegseth, Kash Patel, Lee Zeldin and Steven Miller... and ARREST Rick Scott for Medicare Fraud... NEXT: May 1, 2026 - No School. No Work. No Shopping.
May 1st Worldwide Boycott https://maydaystrong.org/ On May 1, 2026, workers, students, and families rally, march, and take action across the...


It is Difficult to find an ACTUAL MAGA Moron in the Real World. The Vast Majority of the Ones You See on the Internet are Russian Bots or Nigerian Employees... Designed to give the Illusion that they are Human Americans
LINK: Click Here to Buy a Big Number American Flag Yard Sign. You can choose any number! 1776, 1492, 420, 5150... Whatever! Click Here f...


Question Authority - As Good an Idea Today as it Was 60 Years Ago... Or maybe you'd rather Question Reality!
Click Here for the Bumper Sticker shown above! Click Here to buy the Question Reality Bumper Sticker! You may change the words if you wa...


Trump's Endless Iran War Has Started Again! The Streets of Whore Moose are CLOSED! OPEN! CLOSED! #TACO both the USA and Iran are bombing...
<~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~> and just yesterday I Wondered... <~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~> Will $300 Billion Dollars Make Iran Great Again?...


THANK YOU! to Everyone that Marched! in the Anti-Trump Protests Yesterday in Washington DC... ‘We Have to Stop the Billionaire Takeover’
Thousands march in D.C. against Trump’s law enforcement takeover The “We Are All D.C.” march is one of the first major organized protests si...


Tourists! Do Not Visit the USA. It Really Sucks... We ARE a Dangerous Third World Hellhole... Crazy people with Guns running around all over the place... Calling themselves Ice Ice Baby Agents... DANGER - DANGER
In Washington DC the museums have been Whitewashed... They're so Bland that they're not worth visiting... Trump Replaced Dali &...


The Statue of Liberty Poem Made Sense When it was Written in 1883... At that Time, Immigrants were Mostly from Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Scandinavia - She Certainly Wasn't Talking About "THIRD WORLDERS"... And now you know the rest of the story...
Up Until 12/19/2025, the USA had " The D iversity Visa P rogram " that allowed 55,000 People from Third World Hell Holes to Immigr...


I'm "WOKE" and proud of it! You can be "Woke" too if you just Wake Da F*ck UP! The Secret Trick to Life is to Stop Believing Lies! ----> WAKE UP! <---- You don't have to be a MAGA moron your whole life...
Click Here to buy this "Woke" button! Click Here for the same art on a T-shirt... Both men's or women's LINK to the ...



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REFUSE TO TRAVEL BY JET AIRPLANE! They Cause Climate Change! Remember: Burning gas is killing us... Have a zoom family reunion... Stay at home and visit on the computer...
Not only is travel bad for the health of the planet but, it's Astonishingly Annoying too... Getting stuck in the airport... Traffic jams...


My Autobiography: Growing Up in Los Gatos, California in the 1960s by Gregory Vanderlaan - and Living in San Jose, Washington DC, Chico, Eureka and Orangevale, CA.
I Was Born in 1954. We lived Near the San Jose Airport until they Started Landing Jet Airplanes and We had to move... We went to Los Gatos ...


What Ever Happened to Trump's Phony Middle Class Tax Cuts? They Expired... But The Super Rich Got to Keep their Tax Cuts! #ArrestTrump #LockHimUp #InvestigateIvankaGate
During Trump's Time the Federal Government Failed to Collect as Much Money as It Spent... Vastly Increasing the Deficit! and then in 202...


The Rainbow Gathering is OVER for 2026 - Pennsylvania... The people that went said it was great... July 1-7 Next year: Wyoming or Nebraska... Ignore all rumors of cancellation or organization...
the latest rumor about the 2027 Rainbow Gathering is that it will be located in a place that has a high fire danger... And so giant bonfires...


Joe Biden is President. No Longer is there a Need to EXORCISE The White House... GOOD TRIUMPHED OVER EVIL... Here is a Post from Long Ago During The Dark Ages...
EXORCISM at the WHITE HOUSE. A Million Patriots Need To Surround it and Demand That Trump RESIGN NOW! JOIN US For A Spiritual Healing Ce...


Amy McGrath for Senate in Kentucky... Beat #MoscowMitch! He is a Corrupt TrumpNik Obeying His Master, Vladimir Putin - Register and Vote! Throw OUT the Corrupt Old White Men. Like and Share Her Website Address Worldwide! Campaign For Amy on Social Media...
https://amymcgrath.com/ https://store.amymcgrath.com/ Amy McGrath, a retired US Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel raised in Kentucky, is ...


RAINBOW GATHERING 2021: Photographs of the Gathering Near Taos, New Mexico...
~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~ Here is What this Blog Post Looked Before The Gathering Happened... Of Historical Value... Helping People Get There....


Photos of Chico, California... Bidwell Park, Butte Creek Canyon and Big Al's Drive in Restaurant on The Esplanade... and My Memories of Going to College there in 1973... Then I Went Back in the Late 1990s...
Bear Hole in Upper Bidwell Park... Basalt - Lava from Mount Lassen... Click Here to buy this image as a postcard! Greetings from Chico! D...


Help Democrats Win Congress by Sharing Their Campaign Websites on Social Media. Here's a List! Simply Copy and Paste the Link and a Short Description..
The LIST! https://www.rebekahjonescampaign.com/ Rebekah Jones is running against Republican Matt Gaetz for US House of Representatives...


Mariia Butina: Russian Arrested in USA for failure to Register as a Foreign Agent: She Was Accused for Infiltrating NRA and Setting up Secret Back Channel for Financing Republicans. Eventually she was arrested, convicted and served time in US Prison... Then She Was Released, Moved Back to Russia and was Given a Hero's Welcome...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Butina In July 2018, while residing in Washington, D.C., Butina was arrested by the FBI and charged with...
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