Highly Melanated Podcast
Hosted by PJ, Blair & Red A safe space for you to enjoy every bit of your melanin no matter how "melanated" you are in skin tone, we are ALL Highly Melanated.Come enjoy funny and dynamic conversations that people of color face on a day to day basis with various topics such as loving ourselves, knowing who we are as a people and uplifting each other with a mix of class and rachetness (CLATCHETNESS)
Highly Melanated Podcast
Alexa STOP!: Is technology leaving you behind?
Whether it's the eerie accuracy of AI or the comforting reassurance of voice-activated emergency features, we're weighing the safety benefits against the encroaching presence of technology. As we explore the balance between embracing innovation and preserving human interactions, we touch on how AI impacts creativity and the skills we value. From the silliness of a misunderstood grooming tool to serious reflections on the future role of AI, this episode offers an engaging mix of humor, insight, and heartfelt musings on the tech-infused world we live in.
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When I was in high school, we used to say to each other, like, what kind of like old person we would be when we were like younger? Right, we were in high school, so we were like 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, whatever age that you landed in. So I'm just curious, like with all this new technology, you know, is there something out there that you guys are like y'all, you just don't like or just don't love like, for example? I think, wait, a lot of people are stuck in the era of are, we are, you are, we can, we.
Speaker 2:Are we starting the episode?
Speaker 1:I don't know, I don't know. Are we? I thought, I thought we already did.
Speaker 2:We've been talking for the past 45 minutes.
Speaker 3:We've done it.
Speaker 2:Hey guys, hey guys, it sounds like we're actually doing it.
Speaker 1:I don't even know. I was like, oh okay, We've been talking about technology all this time.
Speaker 3:I guess we do have to introduce. I mean, I guess. So hey guys, hey guys, hey guys. Welcome back to another episode of highly nominated podcast this space where it is okay to you know what I get the episode before you the fourth episode.
Speaker 1:Y'all know, y'all know what we say in the beginning.
Speaker 2:I just would love for the audience to know that Chris was already like 15 steps ahead to be fair, but you gotta tell her we've been talking for the past. He had been talking for a little while and I was already gone it did organically just kind of roll into what the topic of discussion was going to be, but Chris forgot that we hadn't actually, like started the show yet. So now that we've actually officially started the show, Audience y'all family out there.
Speaker 3:So I say, we get right into it, okay, but for those of you who are here for the first time uh pj is oh yeah, that part down the witch's road, down, down, down, down the witch's road. That that's what PJ's doing.
Speaker 1:Red. I was already down the rabbit hole, so like that's where I was at Come with us.
Speaker 2:And Blair is excited that spooky season is officially here. Oh, yeah. Oh yeah.
Speaker 3:The rabbit hole. It's not spooky dick season, but it's spooky season, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, it's not spooky dick season, but it's spooky season oh no, oh, spooky dick season, wow, no, no, that brought back a lot of memories. Wow, I mean no, not for me personally.
Speaker 2:Just to clarify that I was going to say you have to clarify that I was gonna say you have to clarify yeah, I know, just to clarify guys, I don't have spooky.
Speaker 3:How have you guys been? Before we get into the topic fully, lord again.
Speaker 2:How have we been?
Speaker 3:we've talked about it, but I'm not putting that out there. That's really personal, personal. So, but like for the listening audience, who's been wondering where we've been and why we haven't been, here.
Speaker 2:They're always going to continue to wonder, and I think we shouldn't even like at this point, we don't even wait ourselves anymore, because they know what to expect at this point. Expected unexpected, expect the lack of consistency, because shit gets weird over here. Sorry guys, it's nothing, it's not y'all, it's, it's totally.
Speaker 3:It's totally us, mostly me, it's us it's us, it's it's it's us, it's not you um. Life is life, and that's the only thing that we can consistently say indeed, um, but I've been good.
Speaker 2:I, like I said, I'm very, very excited that October is here. October is my favorite month for a multitude of reasons, um, the most obvious being that my birthday is this month. Um, but also, like I really fall is my favorite season. I love fall, I love like the change in weather, I love that it gets cooler, I love that the leaves are changing, I love like how scenic it gets. So, and I, because my birthday is close to Halloween, I've always been like a Halloween like lover, so I love spooky season and I love watching, like all of like the classic spooky movies. I'm very excited to watch Hocus Pocus for the umpteenth millionth time. However, I have not seen Hocus Pocus 2 and I kind of.
Speaker 2:Neither have I. I don't have any desire to.
Speaker 3:So it wasn't that bad, to be honest with you, I mean. But it's like the same with Beetlejuice. I'll wait till it comes.
Speaker 2:I, I want to see it, but I don't, I don't want to pay. I I don't even know if I want to see the new beetlejuice I'm I'm curious I, I saw it.
Speaker 1:It's um. It's not as good as the first one, but it's fun yeah, we need some more fun.
Speaker 3:We need some more fun. We don't need anything perfect and so like, let's just yeah.
Speaker 2:So I'm curious have you been, chris?
Speaker 1:I've been good um a lot of good stuff happening in the background. So, um, I'm trying to think if there's something that really stands out for real, for real.
Speaker 3:How are your plans?
Speaker 1:It depends on which ones you're talking about, my.
Speaker 3:Monstera is doing amazing.
Speaker 1:My Monstera is doing great. I have terrible lighting in this new place that I'm in right now and so unless that plant is strong and hardy, it is.
Speaker 3:It ain't making it, it is suffering. All right, I know how to get you some indoor plants. I never got you a housewarming gift.
Speaker 1:I did, you didn't.
Speaker 3:I thought you did. No, I did, yeah, I'm just you know I did. Yeah, that's what I was. I'm just, you know just.
Speaker 1:All right, give me more stuff, I mean whatever. Oh wow, Now I can brag about you guys. Pj is my friend, not yours.
Speaker 2:Isn't it my, my friend?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I've been good though, you know, just chilling, just taking it all in and just planning and planning to travel more and that's it.
Speaker 2:Wonderful. We love a vacation.
Speaker 3:We, we, we and we need one. Yeah, you tell us, I get it and I'm doing well. I too, love number one. I love October. Obviously not for just the reason of that was the day that a king was born. Period, oh boy. Okay, because a queen was born too.
Speaker 2:Period. I agree with that.
Speaker 3:Not period in a text, period, as just saying period period with a t at the end but, um, I've always loved the seat. This time of year, like I love sweater weather, I really do, as I'm getting rid of some clothing because I realize how much crap I do have. I'm sorry. What the fuck, how much shit I do have. I was trying to keep PG for I don't know why I was going to say what?
Speaker 3:Oh fuck, oh, perk what. Because I had my brothers and sisters in here for a week and I met my brother for the first time over the phone. He's 15 and it's so funny because you were talking about your niece's. Um, teddy bear and his name is bear, so my brother's nickname is bear and I didn't know that. So they added bear to the chat. I said who the fuck is bear?
Speaker 1:Oh my.
Speaker 3:That was our first communication, oh my. That's Benjamin. I immediately called because I've been dying to talk to him for real Not dying, dying but it was just one of those funny moments we were talking about before. But I realized anyway. I was realizing how much stuff I actually have in my house, and throwing shit away has been quite cumbersome. So that's how I've been doing. But yeah, we're back, y'all.
Speaker 1:Hey, I'm proud that you are. You're going through and decluttering a little bit.
Speaker 3:I think we all need that. It was really because all these motherfuckers were in my house and it also makes me realize not just my brothers and sisters, but not and motherfuckers in a lovely way, because I love my motherfucking family, um, but I had my cousins and then other cousins who were meeting their sister for the first time. All happened here and I felt so special that that was like she allowed that space, like she really thanked me. It was like shout out to you.
Speaker 3:Ashley, who's my cousin, um, who we we talked about before, who we thought she was originally my sister and she's actually my cousin, and can't go too much details because there are certain family members down there that do listen. Shout out to y'all North Carolina um hey, but I had, but because of all of them here and my cousin was like sit down, sit down, I was like no, no, because this is a mess, and I was raised by a virgo, um, but we are upon libra season, soon to be scorpio season after oh, here he is after my birthday, so you guys can wait.
Speaker 2:Hey, just make sure you ready, just make sure you ready.
Speaker 3:And just so you understand, we're going to record another episode. The next episode we're probably recording is on my birthday, if we're not recording next week.
Speaker 1:Happy birthday.
Speaker 3:No, save it.
Speaker 2:Oh, we are not recording next week. You know why we're not recording next week? Because I am going to be screaming my lungs out at the Usher concert in office.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, you talked about that. I'll be here next week. They call me.
Speaker 2:U-S-H-E-R-R-A-Y-M-O-N-D.
Speaker 3:Now pay attention to all of the memes I sent. Sent you, but don't be the usher girl.
Speaker 1:Don't be the usher girl.
Speaker 2:I make no promises. I can say what I think I would do and I can say how I think I would behave, but until you're actually in A situation, no, I'm going with my friend Nicole and my sister-in-law. Shout with my friend Nicole and my sister-in-law.
Speaker 3:Shout out to you, nicole, and your sister-in-law.
Speaker 2:And my sister-in-law Toya. Hey, girl.
Speaker 3:Hey Toya.
Speaker 2:Check her out. She wins big podcast.
Speaker 1:You know all this good stuff. I did mention one thing, but I was on the fence, that's why it didn't come to the forefront of my mind, because I do like Halloween and October as well. Might throw another party, yes, yes. So you two, if I do it, you are cordially invited to come out to the.
Speaker 2:You got to let me know when, because October is stacking up.
Speaker 1:I know, I know October is a month. Okay, I, I know.
Speaker 3:October is a month okay.
Speaker 2:I've got three trips planned for this month alone.
Speaker 3:On a Thursday. Do you want to have that party on the 26th?
Speaker 1:No, I think I'm going to do it on the 26th, the weekend before, I don't know, because after that you're in November we'll be celebrating Thanksgivingween like what the hell.
Speaker 2:Halla's giving.
Speaker 1:Halla's giving. Like what are we doing?
Speaker 3:we have all of these electronics to help us along our way, to let us know where we're going it's very interesting how you did that there PJ that's actually amazing.
Speaker 1:So, okay, can I get into the topic now? I'm I'm scared. I don't want to.
Speaker 3:I mean, if you don't want to do questions go ahead yeah question of the week is basically the episode, so the question right question of the episode.
Speaker 1:Question of the episode. Question of the episode, your questions as they pertain to you prospectively and introspectively. Let's go through the intro.
Speaker 3:I don't know what it is, but I just love being Black BJ here.
Speaker 2:What up Doe? It's your girl, blair. You know, my melanin was popping yesterday, it's popping today and it's sure enough going to be popping tomorrow.
Speaker 1:It's your boy, red, and you're listening to the highly melanated podcast. What? How are you guys, as you guys are older, how are you dealing with the technology in your household, in your everyday lives, like what's going on, what's changing right? Like, for example, for me? I haven't done it for myself, but one of the things that I noticed, like my dad will do or has done now, is that he's made the text on the phone bigger. Like you know, my mom will not know how to do a particular thing on her iPad and then I have to show her and it takes her a couple of times to get it. Is there anything that you're finding yourself doing or not liking as you progress with technology? Is technology leaving you behind?
Speaker 3:It's the doing or not liking Like okay, wait.
Speaker 2:Right. So here's the thing. So for a while, for a long while, I was very against bringing any type of AI device into my home, and the Amazon Echo that I even have. I had it in a box for a year before I opened it up and started using it, and I still don't even use it till it's full like capability. I use it to tell me the, the weather and to set alarms, and that's all I use it for, and that's literally all I use it for. But that's just like I.
Speaker 2:I have this, this level, and I guess it's that's me showing my age, but I have, like this level of like uncomfortability slash, distressed, that's the word Something listening to me, like I know, like our phones are always listening to us, but we're always going to go get the latest, greatest, whatever phone, but I don't know it. Just something about it just doesn't fully sit well with me to have something so invasive, I guess, for lack of a better word. So I well, we were talking about this before we actually started for real for a recording, but, um, I was telling um Red and PJ about how. So, first, this, this Amazon Echo Dot that I have, was gifted to me. That's number one, because I was never gonna buy it for myself. Let's get that straight. So it was gifted to me from Amazon can we just acknowledge that for a second?
Speaker 2:I was not going to buy it. I was not, I was not with you a thousand percent, I was not going to purchase it at all.
Speaker 3:I hope that's it, bitch, every single time I go to Target. On the second floor.
Speaker 2:Every time Bye, bye, the only reason.
Speaker 3:I have it and I'm like yeah, I'm not Exactly the.
Speaker 2:Exactly. The only reason I have it is because it was part of the cast and crew gift after the first season of Harlem, which is on Amazon. So that's what they gave us, as you know, that season wrap gift and, like I said, I kept it in that box. I never opened it, never used it for like a whole year, because I and now that I am using it, I use it to like set alarms. So in the morning it has, it apparently has like routines that you can like set for it or like progressional things that you can have it do, and it is defaulted to playing music after it sets my alarm in the or after my alarm goes off in the morning, and so I'm always telling it to stop because I don't like the musical choices that it's made.
Speaker 2:You say the way you said it earlier's made. Um, what did I say earlier? I did because I'd be annoyed because it'd be playing something I don't like at six o'clock in the morning and I'm already not a morning person to begin with, and that's probably where a lot of like the frustration and anger comes from. And then, on top of that, you play music that I don't like. Cut it out, alexa, stop 3.45 AM.
Speaker 1:nine inch nails.
Speaker 2:Exactly Something crazy. But it was maybe about two or three days ago. So it was going through and it's just like the algorithm is trying to learn me. So it played classical piano music and I let it ride Like I was like, oh, this is nice, you know. So I just, I just let it go for like the full song, and then I stopped it after the full song was over, and so now every morning since then it's played classical piano music and so part of me is like, oh, I like it, I like hearing it in the morning, it's nice. But then the other part of me is like, oh, no, it's on to me, like it's learning me, and that makes me very uncomfortable. So I have a love-hate relationship with this Amazon Echo Dot, aka Alexa, in my home. That's what I'm having, that's what I'm having an internal struggle with nice.
Speaker 1:Meanwhile I have four of them and I'm all like I don't know, oh, she's everywhere listening she's right, right, right, like you don't actually have four of them, do you?
Speaker 3:she's in the bathroom. He's very. You don't actually have four of them, do you?
Speaker 2:She's in the bathroom. He's very regular, Chris. Why do you have four of them?
Speaker 1:What do you need four of them for? So I'm going to tell you why Because it was a very alternate, cheaper option than me getting a whole sound system that would be throughout my entire place, so now you can just play everything in every room.
Speaker 3:Yeah, because you can't do that with the iHome.
Speaker 2:Was it really cheaper than just getting some JBL, whatever, whatever.
Speaker 1:Significantly. Okay, especially for what it can do, but at what? Price Listen you're asking a different question now.
Speaker 3:Yeah, basically, basically, I think that that's you might have paid less monetarily however, but I gave up my soul you have given up your soul no, diddy didn't approve. You didn't give up your baby wow he has to be here did he though no did he, no did he he did not, did, he didn't
Speaker 3:before we go, like I just need because I'm questioning- okay, have you looked at some of these damn uh, I don't know ads or whatever first of all, the internet is the most unserious place that ever ever so wait, but listen to me, I'm trying to understand why like. If there's like this little ad that says you know whatever, and it's like a instagram ad, all the comments will say nice try, diddy and like an ad.
Speaker 2:For what, though?
Speaker 3:anything you know what I'm gonna do, I'm gonna, I'm gonna.
Speaker 1:Let's now you gotta pay attention to those ads, because I think it's specific ads it has nothing like.
Speaker 2:what do you mean?
Speaker 1:Nothing, I mean like Nice, try Diddy.
Speaker 2:I don't understand.
Speaker 3:Let me go find one, hopefully.
Speaker 2:Please do, because there has to be some type of connection.
Speaker 3:There doesn't apparently.
Speaker 1:I think it's anything that has to do with any type of trickery or anything that's sexual or anything like that.
Speaker 3:Not even that but it's like saying yeah right I think that's what I take it as yeah right, this product is really going to do this wonderful thing. I don't know. Okay, that's the conversation.
Speaker 2:What technology are you uncomfortable with in your old age? Pj.
Speaker 3:Not at my old age.
Speaker 2:At my elder In your elderly years, not elderly At my mature.
Speaker 3:My maturity Mature Golden.
Speaker 1:Emphasis on olden.
Speaker 3:While we're talking, you see this strip of hair. This is literally gray, this whole thick strip. I noticed it just now.
Speaker 2:Came today? I don't know. But here's the thing Again off topic. It's something about gray hair on black men.
Speaker 3:I'm not worried about it. I'm not worried about it.
Speaker 2:That's why I'm wearing a beard.
Speaker 3:Remember hello.
Speaker 2:The guy that I'm not worried about it. You know I'm not worried about it. Alright, yeah, I'm not remember. Hello, the guy that I'm seeing. He's growing his hair out and it's like salt and pepper at the top and I'm like I love it.
Speaker 3:I do that's what do we say to this we will pin that in the parking lot and try to open that door at a delay to date.
Speaker 2:You can try.
Speaker 3:Come on secrets. I mean, for me it's really about this air fryer has become a nuisance um.
Speaker 1:I'm air frying everything like my, so are you annoyed? Are you happy because I use mine?
Speaker 3:I'm happy I'm. It's a little bit of both, because I'm happy of the convenience, um, but when it's time to cook for people like these are the things I picked up while they were here. Like it's, you know, like you can't air fry everything and oh, that was your first mistake.
Speaker 1:Why are you cooking for people?
Speaker 3:everything's mind. You also like. My stove at some point in time wasn't like the cleanest, so I had to like get all the cook off.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know it's it's one of those things that my sorry ADHD and depression sometimes you just gotta get in there and scrub it out yeah, and sometimes you wait for people to come, so your sister can oh, okay, well, you know however you get it done, it don't matter. Let me tell my sister that.
Speaker 1:I can't wait to tell.
Speaker 3:Alex, look, if you want to stay here for a week for free, clean my kitchen.
Speaker 3:No, no, hotels were crazy, but that's not the reason she just didn't want to see it anymore anyway, but it's really been the air fryer. I know that's the weirdest thing to say, because as much as I love to cook and love to eat, it's what it is. It's taken away from me eating the greens. I don't bother. I put this stuff in the air fryer and then do things around the house that I need to do and I don't like. Okay. At the same time I'm going to cook greens or cook whatever side dishes. I just don't, because it's so convenient for me not to have to stay in the kitchen and pay attention to it.
Speaker 1:Why don't you just air fry the greens they be talking about? You can air fry anything, so I tried.
Speaker 3:They're very crispy, to the point where it disintegrates as soon as you pick it up. So it's in there for too long and I don't have.
Speaker 1:Decrease the time.
Speaker 3:I haven't had the where all to go back and look it up.
Speaker 2:It sounds like Chris got an answer for everything. And as I do, I just haven't had y'all just gonna go back and forth to each other. Do this, I do that, I do this.
Speaker 3:I do that. It's the air and fire.
Speaker 2:So it's one of those things where it's like the the technological advances that exist today are amazing and deserve, you know, some type of awe, but on some level I feel like it's. I know that it's making all of us a lot lazier yeah, yeah and got rebuttal.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, it was. It was an agreement. That's no, no, no, no, no was an agreement. I was just going to give an example that I had.
Speaker 1:Please, dating apps right, and that's a technological advancement, but it's also it's a convenience, so it makes you lazy. I don't particularly care for dating apps like that. I've been on them before, but I always find myself you know and this is probably not even recent, but in the past going on them and then, like a week later, deleting it, because I'm just like, what's the point of this? In my 40 years of age, I enjoy meeting somebody and having a connection with them personally, despite the fact that there's a convenience when it comes to being on dating apps, and I feel like a lot of people just take that for granted, and a lot of people actually.
Speaker 1:A call back to our previous episode where we was talking about writing everything out for whoever you're going to be dating, and then they can't need. They could just read it. I feel it's something similar you can write all the stuff that you want, but until we actually talk, until we actually have that connection, until we actually mingle, then I don't know if you're my person and vice versa. There's just no way. So that's my qualm about technology.
Speaker 2:It's interesting Cause it's like I feel like that's with the dating apps thing specifically. Like that's what a lot of people say is that they prefer to meet somebody organically or they prefer to meet them like in person, and I think that that's something that a lot of us do prefer. But it's interesting because I feel like there is kind of like a directness to um the dating apps world. Like the like it's just, it's like you, we all know why we're here. Like yeah, it's very transparent, we all know why we're here. As opposed to like if you were going out like you don't necessarily go out with the intention of like I am purposefully going out out this Saturday night so that I could meet somebody, right, you know, like you're going out because you're like oh, I'm going to go out, I'm going to meet up with friends, I'm going to have a good time. If I happen to meet somebody, that'd be great. Or let me make sure we go to a place where the likelihood of meeting somebody is higher.
Speaker 3:But, like, like with the apps, it's like very like, you know what I mean if you're there for dating, if you're there just to fuck, I mean, it's very specific and I think that that's also another issue. Like at once upon a time I used them for to date, um, and realized that that was um well, you gotta be there's. There's certain apps that are to do other things, but I don't use them, you know and that was my introduction.
Speaker 2:And now we're also really sure on our age, because when tinder first came about to me, my understanding was that tinder was specifically like the hookup app, you know, like if you were on tinder it was because you were looking for hookup and not much else tinder, love and care something like that and if you wanted like, if you wanted like a real connection or a real, you know, uh uh opportunity to meet somebody of substance that really matched with you, you were on something like matchcom, you know, very interesting, but anyway, that's dating, which we can do multiple episodes on.
Speaker 1:Which I'm sure it will be an episode, because it's so full of everything. But I mean, I just don't know.
Speaker 2:I just think that it seems like the theme is is that there's like this love hate relationship, and so I was just curious as to like us because, like, if you were to ask any like you know, gen z person like ai is like the greatest thing in the world and like how did anybody ever survive without it? Kind of thing.
Speaker 3:But for us, like I think, like our generation, we're very skeptical of it like I'm still very much, I want to deposit this, this check into the bank. Uh, I do not. It took me a long time to switch over to the mobile deposit thing and I, I, I, I know you and I appreciate the person who said you know you can do that on your phone. Pops, that's a Pops. Did you smack him? I just gave him a look.
Speaker 2:As the Pops would do.
Speaker 1:Y'all both lost me on that one because I'm more like I got to walk to the bank.
Speaker 3:I used to love going to the bank here's the thing, and and here's the thing about these services that are so easy it's taken away from, and I think this is like one of the major part makings of me as a person um, interaction, yes, you, when you tend to do so much things online where you don't even know, like how the kids don't even know how to text anymore because they don't know how to take a period as a period versus an attack, like it's a way, it's just. It's just. I like going to the bank, I like going food shopping because I have random conversations with people, you know, and I'm also a people watcher, and that's how I get my inspiration for things random conversations with people, you know, and I'm also a people watcher, and that's how I get my inspiration for things I want to create, you know, based on things that I see life, life experiences and easily, even just being nosy, wanting to hear people's conversations just like the other day with the girl.
Speaker 3:Told the lady she can go to a shelter. Shelter too, bitch, you can't stay with me, you know.
Speaker 2:And that well, you won't get that talking to a. I tell you what.
Speaker 3:You said her name.
Speaker 2:She's not paying attention. She's mad at me. I think she's mad at me. She's temperamental, alexa.
Speaker 1:Hey girl For fantasy wild robot book series this will spark your interest.
Speaker 3:What did she?
Speaker 1:say Alexa, alexa, stop you started telling you a whole bunch of stuff she said hello and then she started talking about some damn book.
Speaker 2:Are you a fan of the random book series?
Speaker 3:if you are, you'll love this so I noticed this and so, like this is also another thing that's making us lazy, and I think about technology and it even goes back into what I'm saying about like ordering things. Like I was just watching fresh prince of bel-air, right, and which I think is amazing not not the show, but it's an amazing idea to have a QRC code in the show to show little things that they had there that's actually for sale, like little product so there was a product placement there was something.
Speaker 2:I forget a couple years ago there was something on TV that was just like that and it was like you could shop the show, so like whatever show. You could say like oh, I like that outfit, let me get that. Or oh, I like that. And it was like you could shop the show, so like whatever show. You could say I like. Oh, I like that outfit, let me get that. Or oh, I like that lamp.
Speaker 3:Like and I think that that's great. Like it's, it's easy, it's convenient, but it takes like I would rather go to the mall. I don't like shopping for clothes on Amazon or anywhere. I can't try them on and interact with people or like, feel like and that's the part about it like to even be in the moment and say okay, do I like this shirt? Like, how does it look on me? If, do these pants get me aroused? If not, I don't want them.
Speaker 1:so it's like one of those things who asked that question?
Speaker 3:who?
Speaker 2:doesn't ask that question. I don't think you should be in the dressing room asking yourself that I don't have to look at him cleaning it up.
Speaker 3:I don't have to ask, baby, if it doesn't, it does alexa is pj cleaning this up?
Speaker 3:she said I'm not quite sure how to answer that I'm glad she does it, but oh my god, it's just, I think it's just taking away from our, it's just making us more stuck inside and more not just accessible, but like into these little zones. Like how you see the? Like the I forgot what I was watching and it was like a TikTok shop type of situation. But everybody there was like on TikTok, in like these little corners selling whatever item and the people were at home just watching it and they were just all stuck here. Like you can lay in the bed and have all these arms that have all of the things that you use, like you never leave the bed.
Speaker 1:So, okay, this brings up an interesting question, though. This brings up an interesting question though. So do you think that this is, or how do you think this is changing our perspectives and our point of views of different things? Right, because we're essentially the last generation I'm including you, pj but we're essentially fuck you.
Speaker 2:You went for the jugular. You just said in there, didn't you?
Speaker 1:no, no, no, I was just trying to, I was just trying to be inclusive, uh, anyway, um, we're the last generation that actually knows of like the duality between the two worlds, right, where we didn't have technology like that, and now we do.
Speaker 1:When you go out and I'll give an example me, me and my family went out I think it was to celebrate my mom's birthday, and so it was all of us and then we had my niece there as well.
Speaker 1:My niece is only five and she was there, sitting there in her dress, talking, no iPad, no, nothing, and she was being well behaved. And, when I tell you, women and people were coming up to her and they were like, oh my goodness, they were so fascinated by the fact that she didn't need to necessarily be distracted by anything and that she could just sit still and just know that she's at dinner and this is how she's supposed to act. So, and these are older people, these are people that I want to say, that the, the, the two white women that came up to us, they were like, in there, yeah, that's a that's, that's a whole another topic, but they, they were in their 60s and and so their expectation has been different and they've even said, like their children, their, their grandchildren. They can't get them set still, and they're 13, 14 and 15.
Speaker 3:So I see a lot of the schools that these kids just pay attention, without a device. You know, it's so beautiful that your niece is that way. Number one, I want you, I want Alex to know that she's doing an amazing job as a mother. Your family is doing an amazing job raising this little girl, Sure tell them. But you know, the.
Speaker 2:Thing that makes that. That, my mind goes to, is every generation has had some type of shift or some type of something that happened within their lifetime that has an effect on the generations that come after it of you know shift or some type of something that happened within their lifetime that you know has an effect on the generations that come after it. For us, it's major advances in technology. You know, before, before us, it was, you know, like I don't know, like switch. Let me stop damn it.
Speaker 2:I was I was gonna something you know, like advances in travel, or like whatever it was. You know, like said something happens that changed the way this industry or this world works from from here on out here.
Speaker 2:That's like you can imports and exports you can.
Speaker 2:There's a good to it and there's I won't say like necessarily a bad to it, but like there's.
Speaker 2:Everything that's happened has been to make our lives quote unquote easier. You know, like less and less you know laborious on the actual, like human body or actual person kind of thing, and there are good things that come along with that, but then there are also maybe some like negative things that come along with that. But again, it's up to the people who are employing that technology or that new advancement or whatever it is, to kind of help regulate it. So, just like in the example that you gave Chris, with your niece and how you, your sister and your family is like raising her versus how other parents, you know, just shove an iPad into their kids' hands and, like you know, have that be it. It's about the choices that we're making when it comes to how much we're going to allow x, y and z have an effect on our lives you know, and it's so funny you say that because my other one, that's actually not really an electronic, but it still, it still exists.
Speaker 3:Um, and as a creative, like the whole idea and I think we've talked about this numerous times um, but the whole idea of ai being introduced, like I, so I I downloaded this, um, this editing app, um, that's like an editing website for, you know, video production and it's ai and I.
Speaker 3:It takes, oh my god, it takes everything out and it's just the idea of trying to stay with the curve as it's moving, but realizing that it's pushing us out, those of us who make these things, and, yes, it's convenient, but for now, once our generation you know mine and yours, since you invited me, I'm inviting you too oh well, thank you. But once we're like obsolete you know mine and yours, since you invited me, I'm inviting you to so, thank you. But once we're like obsolete, like as we can see the way that kids are attached to these devices, that's when AI is really going to be like, oh right, so now we run your life, you know.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I just, I just that was so conspiracy theorist of me, but it's the truth well, no, no, no, but there did this.
Speaker 1:There's some of it, there's some truth to it because, just like I heard the other day, I'm, I'm, I'm on another project where, um, I'm dealing with a new cast of people and, um, they were talking about their day jobs and one of the guy was just like, yeah, he was like you know, I don't even do the summaries anymore because my boss is just like you know, just use the ai. That way you could just summarize it all, just to just to kind of get it done and just add it away. But they're not terribly young, but there's the. They're young enough.
Speaker 1:That makes you want to wonder whether or not you've developed that skill set enough yet to be able to do less, because think about it all any, any type of skill, because people think, like you know, there's talent and then there's skill. But, like even the people who are talented, they still have to put in time and effort to get or or hone a skill.
Speaker 1:So, think about all the skills that we've developed over the years. Right, that took time and fire and struggle to go through that to get to where that point is. So now you just know it, like off the back of your head, what happens when people they can't do that.
Speaker 2:And I just wonder about stuff like that Exactly Because that's when you're going to start to see like the quality of things change, because I'm with you on that.
Speaker 2:Just, you know, submit it and use it or whatever, without like understanding what's what an acceptable summary or report or whatever should look like.
Speaker 2:Because you should have that knowledge, you should have that skillset, you should have that talent and if you're going to use the chat GPT or whatever it's so that you can go in, it can start it for you, it can have a base for you and you can go in and fine tune it and critique it and edit it or whatever. But, like, if you're missing that part where it's like you yourself don't even know, like, for example, like if I were to go into ChadGBT right now and tell it to write a, you know a coding program for me to create. You know a video game, you know whatever, whatever. I personally don't know how to really do that shit. And if I'm just relying on what chat GBT has spit out to me and taking that for truth, I'm going to run into some issues down the line. Because who's to say that, like, what chat GBT has created for me is actually really what it is that I need, you know what I mean?
Speaker 3:Or do you own it? Is it legal?
Speaker 2:But that's a whole other part of it.
Speaker 3:A step above that the idea of when you're auditioning for something and there are apps that you can like, read, but then it gives you the impression that you're looking forward, or like you know, like I think what this is. And here's one of the ads I'm talking about, like the Instagram ads about. And here's one of the ads I'm talking about, like the Instagram ads about. And so maybe it's because it's my algorithm does a lot of production stuff and like photography, so it shows a lot of the video editing, like the people are talking but they're looking here reading what they're reading, but it looks like they're looking here showing things and it's just like the idea that that's the skill. That's weird. Yeah, it exists.
Speaker 3:So, like some of the stuff that you see, um, aren't even them. It's like that person, that creator, created an ai image of them, which looks exactly like them, by the way, um, and she'll cut in and out. She's like that's not me, that's ai. If you want to download this and you're just like that's, but it takes half the time, that's not me, that's ai, if you want to download this and you just like that's but it takes half the time that's suspicious.
Speaker 3:It is very and and so on top of the suspiciousness. I don't mean to wave that in your hands, y'all. I'm sitting here waving a hot comb that doesn't get hot um, still black come on, cold comb first of all, isn't that a dog grooming tool?
Speaker 2:First of, all?
Speaker 3:isn't that a dog grooming tool? You ain't had to put my business on there like that.
Speaker 1:I'm logging out right now. Goodbye. Say no hot coal that's what I use to comb my beard.
Speaker 2:Stop it Now. You put yourself out there. You have dogs, so it makes sense that you would have one for them.
Speaker 1:I'm never coming back. I'm never coming back. Chris, come back. You made me lose it. What was I saying?
Speaker 3:I lost my train of thought. Thank you, my bad.
Speaker 2:I know I've been saying that I'm kind of skeptical about some of this AI technology. I'm a little apprehensive towards it, but there are some technological advances that make me feel more comfortable, and the example that I'll give is I live alone. I lived alone for quite some time now. You know would go a few days without actually like seeing another person or interacting or talking to another person, like on the phone or whatever. Like you know, like texting would probably be like the most, but like it was.
Speaker 2:There had been plenty of occasions where, like I didn't actually like speak to or see another human being for a couple of days, and so a fear of mine that I've always had is that something would happen to me in my apartment and I'd be unable to call for help or whatever it is, and something would happen and I'm here in my apartment and it would be a couple of days before anybody would think to think, oh, maybe something's wrong. You know, and everybody knows, you know those first. You know, first hour, first 48 hours, whatever, it's the most crucial time, whatever, we're not going to get into the true crime stuff as a whole nother, I have a whole Right right.
Speaker 2:But so it's a huge fearher. I have a whole right, right. But so, yeah, what? It's a huge fear. But like what? Actually? I was talking to somebody about this I worked the other day and he's like, well, why don't you just put the voice command stuff on your phone? And I was like, what are you talking about? And he's like you could like have it respond to like a voice command, so that way, like if you are like incapacitated in some way, you can't move, whatever, you can still speak and tell your phone to call emergency services or whatever it is.
Speaker 2:So that's when he did he set up Gemini on my phone, so that way I could say, hey, I'm not going to say it cause it's going to turn on but I could say hey and then tell it to call whoever you know and it will do that, and so that has helped make me feel a little more reassured that in an emergency situation you know I can be okay and that's technology doing that for me. So that's just to kind of give like both sides of the coin like it. Like you said before I read sometimes it's a love-hate relationship or like a love. I won't even say hate because I don't hate it, but I'm just I'm, I'm learning to be comfortable with elements of it. I don't think I'm ever going to be completely comfortable with it in its entirety, but I can learn to like the things that I do like about it and say no to the things that I don't like about it.
Speaker 3:Pause for a second. Why am I getting four emails back to back from Savage Fenty? Now I understand what we were just talking about earlier. Here it goes, and then three emails back to back from gobo screenings, which is a production thing. So they, that's how the emails get to a hundred thousand times 100 000 that was, you know, being a side, are you?
Speaker 2:ever gonna order from savage x venti?
Speaker 1:no, I actually liar at this rate you're going, you're going to freaking.
Speaker 3:Get something from them eventually looking on unsubscribe now.
Speaker 1:So you so that that actually brings up a very valid uh, uh concern with technology. I think the thing that I hate about technology I know that we were doing stuff like things that we like, but I hate the accessibility to your converse. I hate it, right, because now it's not just with the emails, where someone will send you four different emails from all from Home Depot 1, 3, 4, and 8. Emails from all from Home Depot 1, 3, 4, and 8. But now it's also. You're getting text messages and phone calls from people that you don't even know who they are the spam likelies, the people who are like, please vote for me. The people who are you know, who are talking about, like, hey, I can extend your car's free, limited warranty All of them.
Speaker 1:I think it's an overload and I hate that because, depending on what you're doing and where you're at, it takes you out of the moment for doing that. You're there, you're hanging out with your family and then you're thinking that you're getting an important phone call from Spike Lee or Megan. Good, nope, we wanted to know if you're selling your important phone call from Spike Lee or Megan. Good, nope, we wanted to know if you're selling your property. What property?
Speaker 3:nigga. Wait, wait, okay, so throwback when you got that email from Tracee Ellis, or was it Tracee Ellis's team? I'm sorry, Ms Tracee Ellis Ross.
Speaker 2:Forgive me, I was so pissed.
Speaker 3:I know.
Speaker 2:I was like I got so pissed. I was like what kind of bullshit.
Speaker 3:But I hate it. I hate it too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm not a fan.
Speaker 3:I mean, I don't think that there's anything positive that can justify all the negatives.
Speaker 2:Well, here's the thing it's with anything there's always gonna be two sides. You know, for every win there's gonna be, you know for every, you know step forward and every every, for every good that it does, like there are some things that we're gonna have to unfortunately put up with, you know, side side note and we could just laugh at this.
Speaker 1:Right, I'm sorry. Side side note talking about the people who were calling call people spam and be bothering people and stuff like that. You remember, you remember, mark, right, uh, pj yeah, I remember mark yeah, he did tell me that.
Speaker 1:Um mark said he had gotten a spam, uh text message or whatever and they would ask him whatever. And he said that he was just sick of it because they just kept bothering him and asking them to have fools. So he took the time to find a picture after they said was you know, excuse me, can we talk? And then sent them this. He said he's. He said that he never, he said he'd never had get off the screen.
Speaker 3:Never had. Somebody was, I don't know, just a youth.
Speaker 2:It's not appropriate to describe.
Speaker 3:Okay, I'll stop.
Speaker 2:It was vulgar.
Speaker 1:He said that he's never had somebody stop talking to him and then block them so fast. That's like me telling them, you know hey is this.
Speaker 3:Alicia.
Speaker 2:And I'm like no Alicia's dead, shaniqua don't live here, no more you know I've learned to have fun with it, but still comes at the most inopportune moments. I'm sorry. He said I've never had somebody block me so fast undelivered okay.
Speaker 2:I think that with the good I mean it's just, it's up to us it's up to us to have more responsibility with with where things go and how they get there, because I think I think the thing that I fear the most with AI technology is the lack of ethics and the the the ways that it can be abused.
Speaker 3:So so I'm watching this interesting show on Apple TV. Rashida Jones is in it. It's called Sunny. It's a Japanese show with a home bot and it's your typical home, I think I've seen commercials for that. It's interesting, it's creepy, and creepy in the way that you know.
Speaker 3:This may be a thing Like Jetson's years are upon us, I mean but that we're working towards it, we're getting, I mean, but that that we're working towards it, we're getting, I mean like we already have like prototypes of a house right now exactly this goes back to the point of we, my generation and yours, will be obsolete by the time that yet, um, but and I'll have to add you guys in there, because you're the the millennial generation is the last generation to be like, really dealt with the we said what?
Speaker 2:The best.
Speaker 3:The best. I just said the last.
Speaker 1:The best I know. I told you, I corrected you.
Speaker 2:You said the millennium generation is the last generation to be the best.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow wow, look at that we be the best.
Speaker 2:Oh wow, we're the best around. Nothing's gonna ever take us down. Don't be mad, we are the best.
Speaker 1:Who are you writing email to? You're spamming.
Speaker 2:You're clickety-clacking on them keys.
Speaker 1:They responded back to Savage Fenty.
Speaker 3:I just said you rabe you know, never mind, I actually knew what I was going to say, but he wanted to say something about his generation being better, but you know no it's you keep saying the best.
Speaker 3:But you know, I was just generation being better. But you know, no, it's it's you keep saying the best. But you know, I was just finding a way and I found it. Um, being a millennial is the best thing I never had, uh, because I am, you know, a gen xer. So, anyway, I was trying to bring bionce some way somehow, but how you gonna hate from outside the club.
Speaker 3:You can't even get in leg out but, as I would say, yeah, it's like we're the last generation who had to deal with so much up front, um, and be quiet about it, um. No, that's not what I was gonna say because it doesn't really correlate, but I just think, oh no, we're the last generation that we were able to like interact with each other. We're the last generation you and I are the last generation that know what it means to be social and are okay without having you know devices. That's why it's so great that your niece is like that, and I hope that she creates a friend circle that's like that as well.
Speaker 1:You know what's funny about that? I think I want to adjust your statement. I'm not saying that it's wrong. I think that it's not the last generations to not be social, but I think it's just. The socialization is just different.
Speaker 2:And we just don't know what that looks like.
Speaker 1:We don't know what it looks like at all.
Speaker 2:It's being redefined, it's evolving. The way that we were social is different from the way our parents were social yeah and it's different from the way the generation after us is being social because they'll sit down.
Speaker 1:but don like, that's my friend, don't forget.
Speaker 2:Don't forget, the millennial generation is the one that invented social media, just say.
Speaker 3:Agreed, this is your fault, so.
Speaker 2:Wow, wow. Once a hater, always a hater.
Speaker 3:I mean, if you didn't fix, why would you fix something that was never broke? Now here we are, broken as a society.
Speaker 2:Are we broken? We're not broken. I don't think we're broken.
Speaker 3:Trump 2024.
Speaker 2:That's a whole different thing.
Speaker 3:Broken as a society.
Speaker 2:That's a whole different thing All of it intermingles Social media AI. Fair Fair. He does love himself a good twitter, but not even that.
Speaker 3:But not even that, but the things that people say online, like in the comments, used to be such a great safe space, and now it's just in the comments used to be you know, that's quite a statement.
Speaker 2:I feel like people have always been tussling in the comments.
Speaker 3:We're going back to when 2000.
Speaker 2:Because people could hide behind their words online. So that's People were ruthless, savage. I don't ever remember the comments being a safe space.
Speaker 3:Maybe I do At one point in time.
Speaker 3:So you want to go back to you know, not sharing each other's emotions and keeping everything so I was watching the sherry show and she was talking about, uh, like these emojis and how the kids are like now they communicate with only emojis and no periods, no punctuation, like that's been on social media lately about no periods, no punctuation. But she was talking about how they were breaking down, like the different, like smiley faces, and when to use them and when not to use them and when to use what. Because these, these new generation, these gen z years not not lessons for old people, lessons for old people.
Speaker 3:I need to know it, we all need to know it, and myself, as a high school teacher, you know side note.
Speaker 1:I don't know, I have another side note this is like, this is an outline.
Speaker 3:So what is that? Go ahead never mind what you know when side note is the .11 and then A.
Speaker 2:A3 or lowercase. It's the next bullet. We're on section.
Speaker 1:Side note 43. I just wanted to be real nerdy for a moment. Like you know, you see how like language is evolving, like they say the same thing, like if we were to look at like, let's just say, the English language, in like 100,000 years it would be totally unrecognizable because of stuff like that.
Speaker 2:It's going to be completely different.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's going to continue to evolve and change and grow and, hopefully, we'll still be, around, but the only thing that won't be around is white people not if they have anything to say about it and I only mean that not in a way that like kills off all white people, but the way. That's what white people are upset about, because they're all crossbreeding. Yeah, but that's what they're becoming the actual minority. And you know I'm all here for Tain the white blood.
Speaker 2:Are you? Are you contributing to the cause?
Speaker 3:I am.
Speaker 1:You know what I am so sick of this podcast.
Speaker 2:Now you locked down. Side note I don't, I'm just joking. I'm just joking. Definitely cut this part out of the episode. But I don't ever see you dating a white man. Pj, you should never Like. I don't ever see that happening. I don't ever see that happening.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we're not cutting that out. Okay, I bite.
Speaker 2:Oh my God, I mean, it's just not for me.
Speaker 3:I mean, that's not a me racist.
Speaker 2:You've made that abundantly clear.
Speaker 3:I've fucked many white men, but I'm not, you never know.
Speaker 1:Here I come, being all like what if?
Speaker 3:No, because at the end of the day, I don't want to have to explain where those raisins are not going.
Speaker 1:Well, maybe you won't have to explain. Maybe, he'll be somebody who's down with the brown.
Speaker 3:And I don't have hair.
Speaker 2:Maybe you don't need to explain it to him.
Speaker 1:Yeah, maybe. What if he came on with a t-shirt with a raisin on the image of it and a big slash with a red circle he knows Anti-racism, so this is his idea. I hate raisins and racism R&R. This time for racism R&R.
Speaker 3:It's time for a little R&R. Listeners out there, we really want you to think about. How are electronics affecting your life? What do you want to do with it? What's the question that you asked, Chris?
Speaker 1:What are you in your old age? What are you finding that you're? Would you that you're loving about technology and what are you hating about technology?
Speaker 3:yeah, think about that you know, you know you don't have to, but if you know, if you want to reach out to us, um, you can email us at where when can they email what is the highly melanated podcast at gmailcom?
Speaker 2:that's it, that's it for real y'all.
Speaker 3:On that note, guys, thank you for taking the time to listen to another episode of highly motherfucking melanated. The say space where it is okay ow shit. I wrote something down. Motherfucking melanated. The safe space where it is okay Ow Shit. I wrote something down. The safe space where it's okay to say fuck them electronics. Wait, come back, I need you.
Speaker 1:Love hate, love hate.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's okay. Okay, it takes place to have a love hate for things, you know. Just make sure that you use it for what is. Use it for good, not for snapping half of life across the universe.
Speaker 2:We don't need nobody Thanos in out alright, thanos, I'm not trying to be Thanosed away when it's my time to go, it's going to be because my Lord and Savior has called me to his side.
Speaker 3:I just saw the rapture just happen in my eyes.
Speaker 1:Oh, no, you didn't, I didn't. No, you didn't.
Speaker 3:Oh, it's so weird not to say it, so I'm not going to say it. So on that note, peace, love and. Alexa, finish this phrase peace, love, and I'm not quite sure how to help you with that Peace love, and I not quite sure how to help you with that peace love and I am not sure how to help you with that but we are sure so make sure you tune in for the next episode and this is why you don't use chat GPT, because it can't help you remember we will not be here next week because the player will be shouting and hollering, yelling at her.
Speaker 1:H-E-R. Are you going to be?
Speaker 3:signing to him when he's.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. I didn't learn sign language from nothing. Perfect, I cannot Jesus what is that?
Speaker 3:I saw that piece of language Bye.