May 7 2023
existentialautotrip
May 7, 2023
# 1605
AI is King!
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Cover
An AI Primer
Dom Capossela, editor
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This link chronicles the development of the Microsoft AI product (the combination of the Edge browser and the AI powered Bing search engine), officially called Prometheus:
How Microsoft's Bing Chatbot Came to Be—and Where It's Going Next | WIRED (archive.ph)
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The amazing success of ChatGPT, outperforming the launches of Tik Tok and Instagram, led Microsoft to push for an early release of the new Bing ai.
AI, new to the world just this year, already has had a profound impact on the world. Let’s look at money.
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“Microsoft stock is up almost 10% today on yesterday’s earnings and the feeling that Microsoft is leading in the AI race. The company market cap is now 2.2 trillion dollars. Who knows if it will last. It took us 40 years to get to 1 trillion dollar market cap… and just 2 years to go from 1 to 2 trillion. … never thought I’d see this headline in a millions years. Crazy!” This from a source high up in Microsoft:
AI will generate stacks of money
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Here’s how Google blew the lead they had over Microsoft in search engines.
Google had a 'Kodak moment' as Microsoft takes lead in AI: Strategist (cnbc.com)
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The changes AI have wrought have happened just at the turn of the year, moments, really. In the months to come, the impact AI will have on the world is incalculable.
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People are using AI in innumerable, unforeseen, creative ways. Here is how Khan Academy is using ChatGPT . This is a great short video:
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But compared to scientific uses for it, how laymen are using AI sounds like baby talk. How great is, and will be, the AI impact on health care? There are already countless examples of AI in medicine. Here are two centered around cancer detection:
Won’t we all benefit by having genius doctors reading our x-rays?
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Of course, such a powerful force turned loose on the unprepared world will invite needed regulation. Here is a quick article on European regulatory approach.
Europe names 19 platforms that must report algorithmic risks under DSA | TechCrunch
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And here is a quick comparison on the EU approach and the China approach:
And so we asked ChatGPT: Should chatbots be regulated?
It answered:
The question of whether chatbots should be regulated is a complex and multi-faceted one. While chatbots can provide a range of benefits, such as improved customer service and greater efficiency in certain industries, they also have the potential to cause harm if not properly designed, maintained, and monitored.
One argument for regulation of chatbots is that they can be used to spread misinformation or engage in harmful behavior, such as phishing scams or cyberbullying. Regulation could help ensure that chatbots are designed and deployed in a responsible and ethical manner, and that they comply with relevant laws and regulations.
On the other hand, some argue that regulation could stifle innovation and hinder the development of beneficial chatbot applications. Additionally, it may be difficult to develop comprehensive regulations that are able to keep pace with the rapid evolution of chatbot technology.
Ultimately, whether or not chatbots should be regulated depends on a variety of factors, including the specific use case, potential risks and benefits, and the legal and ethical considerations involved. It may be appropriate for certain types of chatbots to be subject to regulation, while others may be more appropriately governed by industry standards and best practices.
Not satisfied, we asked Bing the same question. The difference in responses may help you to decide which chatbot is better for you. Bing’s answer:
That’s an interesting question. Chatbots are becoming more popular and powerful, but they also pose some legal and ethical challenges. According to some sources12, chatbots can be classified into different risk levels depending on their functions and impacts. For example, chatbots that give medical advice or use facial recognition are considered high-risk and may require more regulation and oversight than chatbots that provide entertainment or customer service.
Some of the legal issues that chatbots may face include32:
Data protection and privacy: Chatbots may collect, store, and process personal data from users, such as names, addresses, preferences, or health information. This data must be protected according to the relevant laws and regulations, such as the GDPR in the EU or the CCPA in California. Chatbots must also inform users about how their data is used and obtain their consent if necessary.
Transparency and disclosure: Chatbots must make it clear to users that they are interacting with a machine and not a human. This is to avoid deception, fraud, or manipulation. Some states, such as California, have banned companies from making their chatbots appear as if they are real humans2. Chatbots must also disclose their sources of information, their limitations, and their purposes.
Liability and accountability: Chatbots may make mistakes, give wrong or harmful advice, or cause damage to users or third parties. Who is responsible for these outcomes? Is it the chatbot developer, the chatbot provider, the chatbot user, or the chatbot itself? How can users seek redress or compensation? These questions are not easy to answer and may depend on the specific circumstances of each case.
Ethics and bias: Chatbots may reflect the values, opinions, or prejudices of their creators or the data they are trained on. This may lead to unfair or discriminatory outcomes for some users or groups. For example, a chatbot that gives job recommendations may favor certain candidates over others based on their gender, race, or age. Chatbots must be designed and tested to ensure that they are fair, inclusive, and respectful of human dignity and rights.
As you can see, chatbots are not just simple tools but complex systems that have social and legal implications. Therefore, they should be regulated in a way that ensures their trustworthiness, safety, and accountability.
Restraining free flight
Lay users, us ordinary folk, use it for terribly mundane purposes. Like, what does ‘mindfulness’ mean? Name all the states whose capitals begin with the letter ‘a’. But these purposes are important to us. We ask, should I ask Bing ai chat, a search engine, or ChatGPT?
I asked ChatGPT. This is what it said.
As an AI language model, ChatGPT has several advantages over Bing AI chat. Some of the key differences between ChatGPT and Bing AI chat are:
Training Data: ChatGPT has been trained on a much larger corpus of text data compared to Bing AI chat, which allows it to understand language more accurately and generate more natural-sounding responses.
OpenAI API: ChatGPT is available through OpenAI's API, which allows developers to access its advanced language processing capabilities and integrate it into their applications. Bing AI chat, on the other hand, is primarily designed to be used within Microsoft's ecosystem.
Conversational Ability: ChatGPT has been specifically designed to engage in natural, human-like conversations with users, whereas Bing AI chat is primarily focused on answering specific questions or providing information.
Personalization: ChatGPT is capable of learning and adapting to the specific needs and preferences of individual users, which allows it to provide more personalized responses over time. Bing AI chat, on the other hand, may not be able to provide the same level of personalization.
Language Generation: ChatGPT has been specifically trained to generate natural-sounding language, which allows it to create more engaging and coherent responses. Bing AI chat, on the other hand, may struggle to generate language that sounds as natural or coherent.
Tennis, anyone
It's important to note that both ChatGPT and Bing AI chat have their own unique strengths and weaknesses, and which one is best for a particular application will depend on the specific use case and requirements.
From Bing’s perspective:
So when to use Bing ai chat over ChatGPT.
1. When the information you need is more recent than 2021. ChatGPT only has information to the end of 2021.
2. Bing’s language sounds a bit more human.
3. Bing AI’s advanced language model and integrated search engine produce more reliable, precise data.
4. As for math, You can’t expect 100% accurate results, of course. But Bing’s dataset demonstrates higher precision and comprehension than ChatGPT.
5. Both platforms face similar cybersecurity risks. Bing combats them by enforcing stricter limitations, reducing the platform’s susceptibility to jailbreaking. Conversations get terminated if you mention anything unusual.
6. When knowing the sources on which Bing based its response is important. Here’s an example of Bing ai chat’s responses pointing to sources which you can then read in the original.
Although I cut my AI teeth on ChatGPT and fell in love with its strength, once Bing ai chat was released is was ‘no contest’ for me: Bing ai chat all the way.
Check out this Primer and you’ll be a chatbot guru.
Our mission is to reach into the spaces
that smaller, distinctive groups occupy and
include them on a platform that will amplify their voices.
Defining American mainstream as
any gathering in celebration of its diversity,
we are proud to be part of mainstream America.
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New issues of existentialautotrip are published every Wednesday evening.
Contact us at: dom@existentialautotrip.com
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So that’s plenty on AI.
But sometimes plenty is not enough.
There are those, intelligent, well-respected, who believe in an AI dystopia.
I give you:
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Kat’s Gen Z Corner
Check this out – Yuval Noah Harari argues that AI has hacked the operating system of human civilisation | The Economist
The end of democracy and civilization. Wow! Although big doomsday predictions, I like and trust Yuval. Sapiens was a terrific book.
AI in the News and the Novel
It’s been a lot of fun thinking about the growth of AI and how it will shape our future. My brother Chris, who works for Microsoft, shared that it will likely be most beneficial in the education and medical spaces, but I’ve also been thinking a lot about the dystopian predictions swirling around. Here are a few I've found interesting and frightening to imagine.
Chris shared Yuval Noah Harari’s article in The Economist that predicted, if unchecked and unregulated, AI could end democracy and civilization. (If MAGA Republicans don’t first.) I most liked the concept of regulating AI through a regulatory body like the FDA that approves individual new technology as it is created. He also mentions ideas related to the 2013 movie Her, which consider AI replacing human intimacy. Does having an AI friend or lover make relationships less real or valuable? Does it matter? Does it significantly differ from how social media has similarly done so?
I'm currently reading Ken Liu’s The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories, a critically acclaimed book of stories, and fell across a fantastic fiction piece on AI. “The Perfect Match” considers what a dystopian Siri could look like: a virtual assistant that knows you better than you do, to the point where you rarely make decisions for yourself any more. The more information it accumulates, the better it can serve you, but the less autonomy you have. It’s the end of privacy, of thinking, and humanity as we know it.
The future of AI also brings up an exciting number of philosophical questions that novelist Kazuo Ishiguro loves to ask. His latest novel, Klara and the Sun, asks us to consider what it means to be human, say, if AI-powered robots could get so close. What rights would and should we permit them? What role in society would they have? Never Let Me Go asks if it’s ethical to harm such creatures for the sake of saving real human lives. When is the point of similarity to humans so negligible that we would grant robots rights -- if ever?
I’ve also been listening to a lot of Ezra Klein, a New York Times podcast host and columnist, who is obsessed with the topic of AI. He worries about letting AI run away so far that we would not be able to understand its thought processes, potentially opening Pandora’s box to a slew of societal issues. How can you train or control something you don't understand? Chris said, instead of letting AI technology run away from us, we should consider AI to be a co-pilot in decision making and our work – not the main driver -- which is more likely where companies will take it.
Anyways, these are my AI rambles. I don’t know much and it seems like neither does the rest of the world. It’s still exciting to think about.
This is the front cover art for the book Klara and the Sun written by Kazuo Ishiguro. The book cover art copyright is believed to belong to the publisher or the cover artist.
https://www.faber.co.uk/catalog/product/view/id/7906/s/9780571364879-klara-and-the-sun/category/161/
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Tucker’s Cinema
With the feature story being focused on AI’s current or forthcoming impact on our lives I think it’s only fitting that my piece this week be about a similar topic. I’m stepping away from the movies for a minute to talk about a short but excellent television series streaming on Peacock. Strap in. This one’s weird.
Mrs. Davis - created by Tara Hernandez and Damon Lindelof
There’s a scene in Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark where Indiana Jones finds himself face to face with a scimitar wielding foe. The enemy flourishes the blade menacingly for a few moments before Indy, out of patience, simply shoots the man and kills him avoiding the fight altogether. It’s a great moment because of how little needed to be done to completely disrupt our expectations as viewers. Mrs. Davis is an entire series designed around that feeling.
If someone asked me to describe Mrs. Davis, I’d probably boil the premise down to: a nun, her mother, and a cowboy go on a quest to destroy the Holy Grail. Still with me? Good because in the process they’re going to run into a secret society of militant banking women, Schrodinger’s cat, a sneaker-hoarding priest and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Damon Lindelof and Tara Hernandez helm this series that plays out as if by stream of consciousness for how quickly it ping pongs from one insane moment to the next. It’s hard to play Mrs. Davis in a particular genre but then Lindelof in particular has never been one to be hemmed in by those kinds of rules. The result is a show that blends Indiana Jones, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Moby-Dick, and Dan Brown novels like The Da Vinci Code. It’s wholly bizarre, very funny and above all, profound. It’s a show to be experienced not described.
With the rise of AI in our world Mrs. Davis comes along with a very timely premise: In a world much like this one an artificial intelligence called Mrs. Davis has achieved omnipotence and, in the process, has worked her way into the lives of nearly everyone on Earth. Her achievements are many including eliminating war, famine, and really all human struggle effectively creating a utopian society free of any doubt. The few that don’t trust the AI believe it (not she) is robbing humanity of privacy, free will, and faith in the unknown.
Speaking of the few that dislike AI, here we meet our lead. Sister Simone (Betty Gilpin) is a nun living in a shabby convent on the outskirts of Reno, Nevada. She’s dedicated to her sisters but moonlights as a bounty hunter of sorts swooping in to save unsuspecting tourists from Reno’s con artists and magicians looking to use their skills to swindle the out of towners. Simone believes Mrs. Davis is responsible for her father’s death and so avoids modern technology like the plague. However, you can’t avoid something that’s everywhere and soon Mrs. Davis delivers Simone a message through the every day people around her. That message is an offer she can’t refuse: If Simone finds and destroys the Holy Grail the AI will shut itself down for good. Soon after Simone’s adventure takes her to England, Italy, the high seas, you name it.
This kind of unpredictable plot is pretty old hat for a writer like Damon Lindelof. He’s the man behind Lost, HBO’s Watchmen series as well as The Leftovers. What’s lovely though is the basic premise of the series actually comes from the show’s co-creator Tara Hernandez, a major contributor to The Big Bang Theory. Thankfully Mrs. Davis couldn’t be further from that show’s lowest common denominator approach. Quite the opposite in fact. Mrs. Davis reels from wild hilarity to dark complicated reflection, sometimes from minute to minute. Lindelof and Hernandez wear their influences on their sleeves and Mrs. Davis is a series that loves its myriad of influences from westerns to heist films and religious parables.
The series hangs itself on Betty Gilpin’s VERY capable shoulders. Fans of Netflix’s prematurely cancelled GLOW will know her well. She’s an extremely talented actress who’s approach to any given scene or character isn’t the first, second, or maybe even third decision most actors would reach for. Her line readings are always out of left field but work every single time. She can move from sarcasm to real tears in the blink of an eye. Her portrayal of Simone is fun and ballsy and even though she moves through life with a kind of detachment Gilpin fills in the lines with a real sense of faith and purpose.
Simone is joined by two mother figures in the series. Her real mother played by Elizabeth Marvel and Margo Martindale’s mother superior. The two women demonstrate opposing sides of the motherhood coin. One a toxic mother, the other a patient, loving surrogate. Mother-daughter relationships are explored a lot throughout Mrs. Davis and all kinds are welcome whether they be biological, spiritual, or…algorithmic.
Mrs. Davis won’t be for everyone. Most of the time you’re watching it you’ll feel like you just snorted a pixie stick. There’re a million things going on in each episode but thankfully unlike Lost, this series has a plan and the writers are sticking to it. I encourage you to watch the first episode and then see how you feel. Nearly everything on TV is a version of something we’ve seen before. I promise that isn’t the case with Mrs. Davis.
Vermilion Theater Presents Vermilion Five-Night Flight—A Celebration of AAPI Heritage Month
Get ready for a spectacular week-long celebration of the Asian American and Pacific Islander
(AAPI) Heritage Month with Vermilion Theater! As an AAPI-led nonprofit theater company, Vermilion Theater is committed to promoting cross-cultural conversations, breaking down language barriers, and fostering a sense of belonging for the AAPI community through our work.
We are proud to launch Vermilion Five-Night Flight, a series of community theater events to honor and showcase the diverse and richness of AAPI culture and storytelling. From May 14 to May 18, we will be hosting a range of theatrical events, including workshops on props, scene work, and lighting, along with a theater therapy experience exploring the healing power of theater and a community acting showcase.
Vermilion Five-Night Flight
Time: May 14–18
Location: BCA Plaza Black Box, 539 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02116
Sunday, May 14
5-9 p.m.: Opening Night Star-gazing Party
Monday, May 15
7-9 p.m.: Props & Scene Workshop Experience
Tuesday, May 16
7-9 p.m.: Lighting Workshops
Wednesday, May 17
7-9 p.m.: Theatre therapy experience
Thursday, May 18
7-9 p.m.: Community Acting Showcase & Closing Night Gala
*Events from May 15–18 are all open and free to public, with seats limited to 30 people per event.
To join this flight, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/vermilion-five-night-flights-tickets-629512437647. We look forward to you celebrating the vibrancy of AAPI storytelling with us. Stay tuned for more information and updates on our website www.vermiliontheater.com and Instagram @vermilion_theater.
About Vermilion Theater:
Through producing multilingual versions of plays originally written in Mandarin or translated to Mandarin from other languages, Vermilion Theater aims to facilitate cross-cultural conversations and foster a sense of belonging among the Chinese diaspora and the broader non-Mandarin-speaking audience along the East Coast. For more information, go to Instagram account @vermilion_theater or visit www.vermiliontheater.com.
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MONTHLY HEALTH REPORT CARD: of an 81-year-old male.
Dom Capossela
Weight-lifting
April was a good month for me.
I was at the club three times weekly.
Pretty perfect.
My energy level is high and I happily anticipate my visits.
In February I wrote: Although I don’t anticipate my strength growing, at age 80, that it has not waned for the last year is a positive.
Change that: I got stronger over these last three months. Yippee.
Grade: A+
Walking
April was also a good month for walking.
As a matter of course, I walk anywhere from three to five miles a day and I did that this month.
In addition, my speed and endurance seem both improved.
One of the benefits of city-living is that we can walk to most of the places we frequent.
Which is why we moved here in the first place.
Consider one or two instances in our routines that we may convert to an opportunity to walk.
With nicer weather, I’ve added a second walk in the evening. About 2 miles.
Grade: A+
Illness
In February I wrote: Happy to report no illnesses.
Not so in April.
Here is the medical event, the first event I have faced in decades. The physician writes:
“This visit involved low medical decision making Skin type: II
Actinic keratosis (primary encounter diagnosis)
Comment: Erythematous papule(s) with gritty scale present on left cheek, left temple
Differential diagnosis includes squamous cell carcinoma versus basal cell carcinoma versus seborrheic keratosis inflamed
“Actinic keratoses as outlined above were treated with liquid nitrogen cryotherapy.
“We discussed actinic keratoses, the fact that they are related to years of sun exposure, the approximately 10% risk that they can develop into squamous cell carcinoma, and treatment with liquid nitrogen cryotherapy. I strongly advised a return visit in one month if any of the lesions treated today did not respond to therapy.
“After verbal informed consent obtained, treated 5 lesions with liquid nitrogen. Benefits, expectation and side effects of treatment reviewed with patient, including pain, blistering, crusting, scarring, hypopigmentation and reoccurrence.
“If not clearing in one month, follow up for further evaluation and potential biopsy
Plan: DESTRUCT PREMAL, 1 LESION, DESTRUCT PREMAL, 2-14 EA LESION”
In lay terms:
A section of facial skin developed actinic keratosis: a spot from the sun - one in 20 can turn into a skin cancer in 20 years. My doctor offered me a biopsy. I selected the less intrusive liquid nitrogen method where the skin is frozen off. It’s of no practical consequence. But it does reduce my grade to
Grade: B
Injury
None.
Grade A+
Diet
I have stayed on my diet for most of the month and my weight has remained stable.
Grade A+
Oral Health
No issues. I floss regularly.
Grade A+
Substance Abuse
I continue to drink coffee in he morning and afternoon, and alcoholic drinks at dinner time. But only at dinnertime.
Grade: B
Manage Stress
Being retired and living alone I am deprived of the joys of gainful employment and daily social intercourse. But, on the other hand, I avoid the attendant stressful situations that result from both of those endeavors.
I did have an argument with a good friend and it isn’t resolved yet.
Grade: B
Sleep
The last week of February saw a somewhat miraculous turn of sleep-events: I slept for six hours each night without using any sleep aids, particularly melatonin which I have used for several years. Will these blessed events continue into March. I pray they will.
Grade B
Regularity
While my current diet is a great improvement over my diet of a year ago that got me into short-lived but very uncomfortable issues with my digestive system, it’s not perfect.
My biggest improvement has come by a strict regime of eating meat or fish only once a day at dinner. My ‘off’ meal is usually a bowl of Miso Soup and an apple, plant-based food only.
I have not been trying hard enough and twice a week use stool softeners to make sure I remain regular.
Grade: B-
Memory
Stay mentally active. Staying mentally active may help sustain your memory and thinking skills. You can read, play word games, take up a new hobby, take classes, or learn to play an instrument.
Meal planning for us cooks is a useful exercise.
Yet, despite all I do, my memory loss is a nuisance. I walk into a room and forget why I chose to come here. This part sucks.
Grade: B
Social Activity
Social interaction helps ward off depression and stress. For most of February I was fine but the last few days I have been a bit isolated. I will work to correct this.
April was a good month for social events, despite that argument with a friend mentioned earlier.
Grade: B+
Overall Grade for April:
B+ to A-
You read mine.
Let’s see you grade yourself.
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Food
Chickadee Restaurant visit
Gorgeous looking: CRISPY HEN OF THE WOODS
skordalia, nigella seed, almond oil, chive
Very tasty although a tad overcooked masking the texture of the mushroo.
GREEN GARLIC SPAGHETTI with
razor clams, green harissa, pecorino-romano
This was the pick of the night. Perfectly cooked lovely noodles and a tasty sauce.
The clams were chopped to a small dice so we couldn’t appreciate the look of the razor clams.
DUCK THREE WAYS
Arroz de pato, linguica, pineapple, jicama, chili crisp
Breast of duck, perfect, duck sausage, delicious, and duck confit with rice.
A beautiful presentation.
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Chuckles and Thoughts
Ogden Nash: The Camel [first lines]
The camel has a single hump,
The dromedary two,
Or else the other way around,
I'm never sure. Are you?
Dromedary camel in outback Australia, near Silverton, NSW.
Jjron - Own work
CC BY-SA 3.0
File:07. Camel Profile, near Silverton, NSW, 07.07.2007.jpg
Created: 7 July 2007
About Media Viewer
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Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts, including links.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
text to 617.852.7192
This from Kaye Hu of the Vermilion Theater on the layout of their piece last week:
It looks great! Thank you!
Kaye
Editor: From our perspective, we were greatly appreciative of the quality of the submission. What fun any endeavor is when the participants are all happy.
This from Kat C in response to writer Howard D’s contribution, “Bibliomania”, in the April 30 issue:
This was a lot of fun to read. I’m jealous of your reading capacity, Howard. You should come to Book Club Trivia night next time in New York :)
Editor responds: Howard is a uniquely fine writer.
And this from dear friend, Jim P, re: the construction of our mission statement:
How about “celebration of its diversity” instead of its “diverse minorities”??
Otherwise, it reads great.
Editor responds: I like it. I’ll change it immediately. A single word or phrase is of great importance. Thank you.
And then Jim wrote:
You are welcome Dom…
Thanks for the tip on Bing vs. ChatGPT
This was all the world of Star Trek when we were growing up…..
Transporters are next. I’ll beam right over!
Editor responds: Cute. But, seriously, having Bing AI at my elbow changes my life.
It's a stunner.
Redefines futuristic.
And then Jim wrote:
A sort of ‘Bingo’ moment!
But what if you get the message: “Take me to your leader!” 😊
Editor: I’ll respond, “We’re there.”
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Korean Drama
Crash Landing on You
2019–2020 South Korean television series written by Park Ji-eun, directed by Lee Jeong-hyo and starring Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin, Seo Ji-hye, and Kim Jung-hyun. It is about a successful South Korean businesswoman and chaebol heiress who, while paragliding near Seoul, South Korea, is swept up in a sudden storm, crash-lands in the North Korean portion of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), and meets an army captain and son of the Director of the GPB in the Korean People's Army who decides he will help her hide. Over time, they fall in love, despite the divide and dispute between their respective countries.
Reception
The series aired on tvN in South Korea and on Netflix worldwide from December 14, 2019, to February 16, 2020. It is the highest-rated tvN drama and the fourth highest-rated South Korean TV drama in cable television history.
This is a poster for Crash Landing on You. The poster art copyright is believed to belong to the distributor of the item promoted, tvN, the publisher of the item promoted or the graphic artist.
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Travel
We’ve set the date for our trip, early September, and we bought the plane tickets.
Kat and I will meet up in the Rome airport and drive to Florence together. Will will arrive a day+ later.
We’ve prepared our itinerary for the week.
Here it is:
Day 1 Thursday
Aug 31 Travel day
Lovely.
Day 2 Friday
Sept 1 Customs; connect w Kat; transport; check into hotel; leisurely late afternoon, perhaps shopping; Dinner for 2
Day 3 Saturday
Sept 2 Will arrives late afternoon.
Dinner for 3
Day 4 Sunday
Sept 3 Uffizi starts day and takes all morning
Walk around until late afternoon when we visit Michelangelo’s Davide. Dinner
What’s his diet, I wonder?
Day 5 Monday
Sept 4 Siena rivals Florence and Rome as a destination city. We’ll leave Florence at 9.00am and enjoy a ride through the Tuscany countryside for the 1 hour + trip there. We’ll walk around, have lunch, enjoy a café, a museum, and think, “Life is good.” We’ll leave Siena at 3.30pm. Dinner
Day 6 Tuesday
Sept 5 Pisa and San Gimignano are loaded with Guide Michelin *** sights. We’ll leave Florence at 9.00am and enjoy a ride through the Tuscany countryside for the 1 hour + trip there. We’ll walk around, have lunch, enjoy a café, a museum, and think, “Life is good.” We’ll leave San Gimignano at 3.30pm. Dinner
Day 7 Wednesday
Sept 6 The attractions in Arezzo and Assisi emanate from the foundation art found there that began the transition from the middle ages to the Renaissance. We’ll leave Florence at 9.00am and enjoy a ride through the Tuscany countryside for the 1 hour + trip there. We’ll be sure to visit the two museums (these are very short visits, like 30 minutes) have lunch, enjoy a café, and indulge a religious moment visiting the chapel of St Francis of Assisi who worked and died in there, and think, “I want to believe that life is good.” We’ll leave Assisi at 3.30pm. Dinner?
Piero della Francesca
Day 8 Thursday
Sept 7 Travel
The joy of revisiting a familiar place and having my children reinterpret it for me.
*The Blog Meister selects the topics for the Lead Picture and the Short Essay and then leans heavily on Wikipedia and ChatGPT to provide the content. The Blog Meister usually edits the entries.
**Community Pictures with Captions are sent in by our followers. Feel free to send in yours to dom@existentialautotrip.com
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