Embrace or resist change: where do you draw the line?

[willowstreetguzziguy]

My post on hilarious AI cartoons got sidetracked. So here’s something to think about…
When do we decide to embrace and accept change or when and where do we draw the line to resist it?

I’m 72 years old and I got me to thinking, what changes have our embraced over my lifetime…

1- speed bicycle —-10-speed bicycle
Bicycle —- car — motorcycle
Candle— flashlight (I actually used a candle in a glass cylinder as light when camping in my tent in the 70’s)
Drum brakes — disc brakes
Points — electronic ignition
Spoked wheels — cast wheels and tubes — tubeless
Fossil oil — synthetic oil
Typewriter— word processor
Hand artwork— photoshop
Land lines —cell phones — smart phones
Books & encyclopedia— internet
USPS mail — email
Dictionary — internet
Word of mouth — forums ( like this)
 And I could go on…

As we got this latest snowfall in south central Pennsylvania, I watched my neighbor take 15 minutes to clear his driveway and walkway with his new Epowered snowblower.

I on the other hand, decided to do it myself with my snow shovels, but in stages. The first stage was fluffy snow about 8 inches. I shoveled part of that, but when it began to sleet, I stopped. I went out the next day and regretted that decision. It was now hard and packed with an inch of ice on top. And then the snow plows create a 4 foot high x 6 foot wide barrier to my driveway. After 2.5 hours of physical labor, I got it done!

I decided to embrace change and will be getting some kind of a snowblower this summer!

It was once said of businesses either “Innovate or die”. We aren’t businesses, we are human beings and are all different. How, when and if we embrace change is different for all of us.

Thankfully, when the snow clears, I can go back and enjoy riding my Moto Guzzi once again!

[MG_rider]

Atrial fibrillation heart attack and quadruple bypass open heart surgery helped embrace change a year ago.  All good now!  Still riding 30 y.o. Honda XR600R down here in Baja, no embracement of change there, stone ax reliable.  KTMs stay north now.

Has to be a piece of freedom moving forward.

Just moved $$ to step daughter from my winter place in Baja to get first house.  Took 15 minutes.

But here, we got a few residents who still insist on writing checks for dues.  Problem is MX banking policy makes that a big hassle due to money laundering.  Local residents almost all use plastic for gas and groceries now.

Embraced Mandello S a couple years ago, no looking back, great step forward for me as a sport tourer.  Road ahead shorter than road behind.

[cliffrod]

During the recent typically-overhyped winter storm, my wife and I have been spring cleaning.  The truck is now full for a trip to the dump.  When I started my studio in 2003, I had a big stack of phone books (4”-5” big city, reverse directories and local books from numerous areas where I lived) that went in the trash.  Hard to part with analog information like that, but I did because the reality is that a 20+ yr old phone book now is a lot different than a 10-20 yr old phone book was 10-20 yrs ago.  And the days of having kids sit on 1-2 phone books and maybe a sears catalog to reach the dinner table are long gone, too.  At least phone books weren’t as slippery as sitting on a stack of newspapers.

In my videos, I’ve discussed how there may be very comparable parallels between being born in 1967 (me) vs current 2026 world and being born in 1867 vs life in the 1920’s.  So much changed. 

I’ve always had a more hands-on analog perspective of life and work.  It’s curious how many things have to go from new to used to unwanted before they become relevant enough again to become valued and even pursued, even though that new relevance is often conveniently romanticized during the rediscovery.  That’s a big part of why I see importance in not losing things in the first place.  The whole truth matters, not just the fun & easy parts.

[guzzisteve]

When it snowed 5 foot of snow when I was farming I went in tool shed & got out the M with a front end loader, I didn't shovel by hand. Later I shoveled my driveway 5 times cause I had quit farming. Drive was concrete & 50' long & I used a scoop shovel then rode to the Guzzi breakfast in DeKalb, IL
I do what I can with what I have w/o spending money. Here in GA I screwed a 2x2 onto a piece of siding for a scraper, this year I just bought a coal shovel to clear sidewalks & such cause I ran out of pieces of siding.
In 07 I bought my 1st laptop & learned how so I could continue working on Guzzi's for a living. I only care what I need, don't worship the neighbors goods.

[Oca Grassa]

I dunno…in relation to motorcycles…I struggle to see reason to change. My Norge is the newest in my small stable of bikes. Not only new to me but in age also. I can see little reason to buy anything newer than a 2008.

Few bikes after then get my attention….and fewer still hold my attention. Most often I find myself looking back at bikes I’d consider buying versus looking ahead to see what the newest, latest & greatest is. Nothing I’ve seen in a really long time drops my jaw or makes me stare.

I would seriously consider a 1990s ZX-7R before almost anything made in the last 5 years. Sad maybe but true. I may have to embrace change in some areas of my life…but the motorcycles I ride…no change or adaptation required.

[Toecutter]

My post on hilarious AI cartoons got sidetracked. So here’s something to think about…
When do we decide to embrace and accept change or when and where do we draw the line to resist it?

I’m 72 years old and I got me to thinking, what changes have our embraced over my lifetime…

1- speed bicycle —-10-speed bicycle
Bicycle —- car — motorcycle
Candle— flashlight (I actually used a candle in a glass cylinder as light when camping in my tent in the 70’s)
Drum brakes — disc brakes
Points — electronic ignition
Spoked wheels — cast wheels and tubes — tubeless
Fossil oil — synthetic oil
Typewriter— word processor
Hand artwork— photoshop
Land lines —cell phones — smart phones
Books & encyclopedia— internet
USPS mail — email
Dictionary — internet
Word of mouth — forums ( like this)
 And I could go on…

As we got this latest snowfall in south central Pennsylvania, I watched my neighbor take 15 minutes to clear his driveway and walkway with his new Epowered snowblower.

I on the other hand, decided to do it myself with my snow shovels, but in stages. The first stage was fluffy snow about 8 inches. I shoveled part of that, but when it began to sleet, I stopped. I went out the next day and regretted that decision. It was now hard and packed with an inch of ice on top. And then the snow plows create a 4 foot high x 6 foot wide barrier to my driveway. After 2.5 hours of physical labor, I got it done!

I decided to embrace change and will be getting some kind of a snowblower this summer!

It was once said of businesses either “Innovate or die”. We aren’t businesses, we are human beings and are all different. How, when and if we embrace change is different for all of us.

Thankfully, when the snow clears, I can go back and enjoy riding my Moto Guzzi once again!

nothing you listed removes the human equation from the picture.

AI has value... but that value should be to allow us more time to pursue things like music, art, literature. it should be a tool to better our lives... not to allow people who lack talent to access talent to convert other people's work into profits.

ART IS HUMAN EXPRESSION.

AI will only ever be a pale, soulless copy. Even in "funny" cartoons... a hand drawn cartoon will always have the soul of the artist in it.

If you sit next to an illustrator and toss all your ideas at him, that illustrator will create something for you. Something of value. Something personal. But you are not the one creating it.

if you type prompts for an AI...  you will  get a reasonable facsimile of what you wanted, stolen, mined and scraped from existing works and smashed into something resembling your idea. It is not art; it will never be art. 

AI is nothing more than a tool to allow the rich to gain more wealth, by allowing them to eliminate their labour force... and the more we welcome it, the more we "play with it", the worse it will get.

[guzzisteve]

To answer your Q, I resist change I guess. Got a 87 Jeep  new when I quit farming & I have kept driving that same body style & motor all these years plus it'll go on til death. Don't want to learn anything new or want new Guzzi's either, junk Chinese crap brought to you by Piaggio. They should say assembled in IT.

[Dr. Enzo Toma]

"... the Amish are the truest geniuses of technology, for they understand the necessity of limiting it, and they know how to limit it. They have refused to see technological innovation as an end in itself." - Wendell Berry, The Unsettling of America

I tend to give new tech a try and see if it suits me or not, and then either use it, adjust how I use it, or don't use it. In terms of products, sometimes there's limited choice because all manufacturers of a product have decided on the same features whether you want it or not. If I can't find out why such an innovation exists, I try to reflect and ask if it helps with accessibility. Things that often seem silly or pointless tend to be accessibility tools that are critical to enabling people with disabilities to live their daily lives with more autonomy, while also providing a curb cut effect to others.

[snobear]

i might be the odd man out here on the motorcycle side of the question.
I have had a number of fuel injected/water cooled motorcycles and they were great but any issues were related to electrical as a rule.
I currently have a DR650, an 1000SP and a V85.
I am near to purchasing a 2000 Quota and the goal is to replace the V85 if I am happy with the Quota.  Yes the Quota is fuel injected (its biggest weakness) and some have converted back to carbs as a result.  I can fix carbs on the road to keep moving if needed.
The V85 is fine, service light stuck on forever now but I love the old school feel so there ya go.

[Vagrant]

If it feels good, ride it!

[Bulldog9]

I've found the line for 'tolerable' technology moves..... I only have moral absolutes. When it comes to technology, there are no hard set lines, only timing, need, and what works.

Preferences? Sure. But time, necessity reality and convenience will always have a vote and usually smash any idealistic lines we may draw.

I remember the day when my world war II veteran (Europe and Pacific Infantryman and POW) Irish grandfather left the house in his 1970 Buick estate station wagon, and a couple hours later drove in the driveway with his brand new 1978 Toyota Cressida station wagon...... He drove it till his death in 1995.

Now we all drive Toyotas.....

[kballowe]

HA !

Reminds me of a song....

"He's an old hippie and he don't know what to do
Should he hang on to the old
Should he grab on to the new..... "

[Muzz]

I moved from a pushrod single in 1964 to a pushrod twin in 2003.

[Moparnut72]

Love Jerry Lee's music. I saw him in a small night club years ago. Amazing what he could do with a piano. Anyway back to the subject in hand. I have for awhile trying to remember how I found all those addresses in strange states and cities that I traveled to on my bike. The post about phone books lit the light. Phone books back then had detailed maps of the local streets.

I am not against modern technology but for this old guy it has gone too far. For example I replaced my Mandello with a new V7850. It has all the tech I need but a lot of old school, easily adjusted valves, air cooled engine etc. Another example is that I just got a newer laptop because my old one couldn't do some things I would like to do. I have had Android machines, this one has Windows 11. OMG it has taken me a couple of weeks to figure out how to do basic things. How many different ways does someone need to access one function? I almost drug my old one back out but I am finally able to do basic stuff. One plus is that it was able to connect to my printer with minimal input from me. I was actually afraid that it was going to tell me it was no longer supported which has happened in the past. I will just continue in my seme Luddite ways and get my semi basket case T3 together and running.
kk

[MikeP996]

My wife recently purchased a car - it has an owners manual that is 400+ pages, the electronics can do stuff that I couldn't figure out WHAT it does given years to learn it and, more importantly, I can't figure out WHY anybody decided it NEEDS to do 95% of what it can do.  Of course, it's all about marketing -  "WITH OUR car you can program 40 individual automatic seat positions; our nearest competitor's cars can only accept 30!!!!" 

OTOH, I much prefer fuel injection to carbs, think anti lock brakes are great, and use GPS on my iPhone mounted on the bike!  Some modern tech stuff is great; some of it seems silly...

[tommy2cyl]

Embrace change or don't, its still going to happen at an ever increasing pace.

Exactly.  Humans are relentless, and the changes that come with that brings improvements and problems.  One group can gain an advantage
while others are disadvantaged due to technological advances.  What you choose to accept to improve your life and or deny as a potential harm is
highly individualistic.   However, my biggest concern with AI is to be able to know what is real.  Specifically, the manipulation of voice and image.
We all see the effects of this now and how "realistic"  something can look.  Add another 5 - 10 years, give or take, and will we be able to discern the
person or event we just watched on visual media was real or generated?  What we are on the edge of is something humanity has never had to deal with
on this immediate and widespread level.

[faffi]

Evolution create new winners and losers. It used to be important to be strong and agile and precise in order to hunt down pray needed for survival. Today, these values hardly matter. Instead, you need to master the current technology. Brain is more important than brawn for the majority.

Just a good (IMO) news story: In Norway, book sales is up significantly, and it is the young and very young that constitute the increase. The kids want something tangible again instead of just looking at a screen. It seems they have drawn a line.

[Dirk_S]

I’m all for technology if it provides safety. And necessary advancement. This includes AI. Let the cars drive themselves if people want that, because too many drivers are distracted or fail to take other people’s safety in mind (do what you want with your body, but don’t affect my safety). Let AI software scan millions of documents and offer guesses for ailments.

I am not all for AI being used when it comes to cultural stuff. Culture is solely tied to the carbon-based living organism. Of course there’s bias, being a commercial artist. I don’t want to be entertained by a cold, non-thinking, non-empathetic, non-autonomous, non-sentient entity that has zero respect for what came before or what’s to come.

Soul and funk are two of my absolute favorite genres of music. I recently heard a soul rendition of a popular rock song in the 90s, and I was taken back by the unique take. I dug it…until I discovered it was AI. There was no human creativity behind it, no practice to make perfect the emotional connection to the listener. Genius matters to me. It shows some of the best of humanity in that if a human chooses to take their natural curiosity and develop it to the best of their ability, that talent can provide awe-inspiring revelations and creations. Or at least contribute to a pool of great ideas and content. If soul doesn’t have emotion, passion, and hurt behind it, is it really soul music? For all the folks who like gospel music, do you want that beautiful music—developed by humans through a wonderous creative journey stretching over centuries of evolution to Gregorian chants and African rhythms—to be superficially mimicked from something that doesn’t even have faith in what it’s singing about? (by the way, I’m agnostic, and I love gospel). So, give me technology if it really helps save lives or frees us up to actually enjoy life more.

But the arts? Aesthetics? I just feel it’s more than grabbing from the bottom shelf. It really feels unethical, IMO. Especially when you consider the governments are in such a competition with one another over the growth of AI that they don’t bother to see who it’s already affecting. Over half the illustration gigs I see advertised now are really asking for people to make art to insert into the generative software as reference, or for retouchers to fix errors. Demoralizing.

I’ve had art directors tell me they’ll ask illustrators they’re working with if they can get approval to input some of their artwork into AI software in order to make more art in that style. The illustrators says no, of course…the art director does it anyway. Multiple times I’ve been told that.

AI is going to take so many jobs in the next 5-10 years. You retired folks or those near retirement might not care—that’s natural. Let the younger generation deal with the issue. Sit back and watch and be thankful of yesteryears or enjoy the amazing motorcycle art that comes out of this stuff. But there are SERIOUS economic, environmental, and societal concerns on the horizon, and if we don’t start actually considering a universal base income of some sort, we’re going to have a big problem. “Well, new jobs pertaining to the AI economy will pop up.” Sure, it’s already happening. But will there be a 1:1 flip of job openings to closures?

I knew we were a creative content-addicted society, but I didn’t think we were that bad that we lusted it so much that people are OK with throwing the human factor out of the equation. And I find that pretty disgusting. Who cares about the next great artist? What purpose do they serve?

But I’m a little biased. And I get that the gray swings one way or another with regard to the type of content for each person. I’m not as passionate on my opinion when it comes to graphic design, playing with shapes and layout. In my career so far, I’ve done packaging art, product art, book interior and cover art, logos, editorial art.

I like looking at objective, figurative art, or hearing a cool song, or reading an interesting article, and thinking “I REALLY LIKED THAT. I WONDER WHO DID IT. LET’S FIND OUT.” But I find it so incredibly insulting that this crap is made, mimicking a style of some commercial artist who worked their butts off to get somewhat successful, only for it to be stolen and regurgitated.

Technology improvement is one thing, but AI generation software is on another level, and I feel we’re just so dang giddy about it that not enough folks consider if it’s needed and actually helpful in certain arenas. Considering the arts and humanities, it’s destructive, IMO.

The piece below took 45 hours, btw. Completed a few years ago. This was the first traditionally painted piece I had done in a while; most of my color art is digital. The majority of my black and white art is traditional, but occasionally I’ll do it digitally. If I did traditional painting more often it would’ve been completed a little faster. This piece particularly impressed an art director I reached out to recently to see if they were interested in hiring me for freelance work. Thank goodness some companies and industries still support human artists over AI generated art, but they’re only standing tall on that hill because that particular industry’s customer base demands human-made art. My and other illustrators’ jobs depend on that type of customer base, otherwise the art director in this capitalist society would clearly go for the cheaper option, regardless of ethical consideration...

[bad Chad]

Changes in my lifetime that OP didn't mention.

Soda Pop containers have exploded in size

Popular music has become demonstrably worse

Constitutional republic to authoritarian regime

I used to be able to read books, now I look at a screen and rot

TV show choices have become overwhelming

On the other hand, women's bathing suits have essentially stayed the same size for the last 30 years.

[SIR REAL ED]

Changes in my lifetime that OP didn't mention.

Soda Pop containers have exploded in size

Popular music has become demonstrably worse

Constitutional republic to authoritarian regime

I used to be able to read books, now I look at a screen and rot

TV show choices have become overwhelming

On the other hand, women's bathing suits have essentially stayed the same size for the last 30 years.

One could argue that with the explosion of obesity in the last 30 years, larger bathing suits for women (and men) would be a good thing.

Assuming of course one can tell the difference....

[SIR REAL ED]

In my videos, I’ve discussed how there may be very comparable parallels between being born in 1967 (me) vs current 2026 world and being born in 1867 vs life in the 1920’s.  So much changed. 

I’ve always had a more hands-on analog perspective of life and work.  It’s curious how many things have to go from new to used to unwanted before they become relevant enough again to become valued and even pursued, even though that new relevance is often conveniently romanticized during the rediscovery.  That’s a big part of why I see importance in not losing things in the first place.  The whole truth matters, not just the fun & easy parts.

Your thoughts reminded me of a conversation with a friend who collects antiques, and how they said the prices have dropped a lot in recent years.  I asked why, and the reply was "The people who used to buy antiques are either dying or spending money on health care!"

And also of an interview I heard with the author of the book The Silent Coupe.  About "American culture" (which would be tough to define) being replaced by foreign cultures.  Made me think of "the Generation Gap" and how the culture of parents will eventually be replaced by the culture of their children and later on their grandchildren no matter what.

[SIR REAL ED]

If it feels good, ride it!

That comment is gonna offend someone!  They will be screaming at Dan or Luap and demanding they delete your comment and ban you!

Whoa!  There is a huge change for me!

People who get offended by something they read on the internet.  It the good ole days, as long as someone did not punch them in the face, or kick them in the family jewels, they got along with other people just fine.

One of my other gripes is people inventing their own personal acronyms. For example MCM = motorcycle mechanic.  MD = motorcycle dealer.

[SIR REAL ED]

I've found the line for 'tolerable' technology moves..... I only have moral absolutes. When it comes to technology, there are no hard set lines, only timing, need, and what works.

Preferences? Sure. But time, necessity reality and convenience will always have a vote and usually smash any idealistic lines we may draw.

I remember the day when my world war II veteran (Europe and Pacific Infantryman and POW) Irish grandfather left the house in his 1970 Buick estate station wagon, and a couple hours later drove in the driveway with his brand new 1978 Toyota Cressida station wagon...... He drove it till his death in 1995.

Now we all drive Toyotas.....

That was a huge step for that generation.  No way in Hell was my FIL (father-in-law) , a Korean War Vet, going to buy a Honda when he asked me about new cars!  A few months later a brand new Honda Accord was in his driveway.  After the dressing down he gave me, I had to ask.

"These are made in Ohio!" he replied.  Never argue with an old guy....  Every four years after that, he traded for a new Accord.