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Paul Aijian MD's avatar

Good for you Pat! The medical profession has taken a major hit in the trust and credibility department lately. Most recently, the fiasco of the COVID mismanagement and the vaccine response was huge. “Trust the experts”, and believing that Dr. Fauci was science personified now seems to many like a dubious idea. I used to look at my watch while patients in the exam room started to tell me all the questions or suggestions their Google search produced. In the last month, I have made AI my research assistant and handout generator. When a 70 year old lady asks me why she has to keep getting painful mammograms, my 45 years of medical experience generates an answer which I offer her. She still looks skeptical. Then, to emphasize the point, I do a Grok search as she sits there. It always turns out fascinating information and generally validates my advice. I copy the Grok answer and text it to her phone. Sometimes I learn something new, which I find fascinating.

The point is that embracing Grok or some AI is interesting and informative. I use it every day. It even gave me a logical basis for getting an estimate on whether the Dodgers had a chance to win the World Series this season.

Bill Russell's avatar

Grok is a great new tool. It reminds me when I was working with a Pickett slide rule and then out came the first HP 35 scientific calculator selling for $395 in the early 1970's, that was a lot of money back then. And a few years later some real design engineers had the $795 to buy a hand programmable HP 65! I was happy with the $35 four-function calculators for a time till the prices came down and settled for SHARP EL-5150 calculator as my favorite over the years. But Grok is FREE! And it's a marvelous tool for anyone in the medical, legal, engineering, writing world, etc. I find Grok to be amazing to understand what I'm asking about. Grok has to sometimes figure out what I'm asking because I don't know how to ask the question, lol. But when Grok and I connect, it spews out lots of good information. Kids would love it for book reports <g>.

L. Angel's avatar

Mammograms can cause false positives, and cancer.

Peggy's avatar

Still needed.

Polly Frost's avatar

And people get Sepsis from colonoscopies.

Carolyn Aijian's avatar

Yes, I use it often. What is important is that you properly pose the question with well formed parameters. The better the instructions within the question, the better result.

Polly Frost's avatar

Love this, Pat, and glad you are using Grok and also not on a mess of prescription drugs. When I was in the hospital recently they said I was the rare patient who doesn't use a bunch of prescription drugs. I personally think one of the reasons I survived severe Septic Shock and Flesh Eating Bacteria in January is because I wasn't on prescription drugs. My body was free of them and able to take the induced coma and masses of drugs they needed to use to save me. But I'm lucky. I'm 72 and I don't have illnesses that require constant medication like my late brother did - he had Early Onset Parkinson's, poor guy.

We use Grok and also ChatGPT and Claude. They are great about food and since part f my Sepsis recovery involves eating three nutritious meals a day we use it a lot. The bread I made this morning is Red Fife Whole Wheat with walnuts, rosemary and lavender infused olive oil and Maldon Sea Salt Flakes. ChatGPT told me about Red Fife, approvingly, listing its 19th century popularity and saying the place I got it from, Anson Mills, is one of the best heirloom mills. I knew most of this already, but it took me a lot of time to discover on my own - and had I had AI when I began cooking with heirloom ingredients I'd have had the info in moments and been free to cook and bake more.

Best wishes for a healthy and prosperous Spring!

Earl Brown's avatar

Pol - save me a slice of Red Fife!

Polly Frost's avatar

I will make a new loaf just for you when you visit.

Loy Beardsmore's avatar

I’ve been using it to fact check, medical related info, problem solve, and every day find new uses. It’s amazing!!

Jeff barton's avatar

I feel like it is a crutch and ultimately weakens the mind. Like using an instrument tuner weakens sense of pitch.

Earl Brown's avatar

W h h h a t ? You surely can't be referring to AI! It's _the_ most amazing discovery . . . ever!

Jeff barton's avatar

While the technology is impressive I do not use it. Often the greatest knowledge is achieved along the path of researching something and not in that which you were initially seeking. It is the intellectual equivalent of a home mortgage in that it is obtained before the work was done to earn it. I am also opposed to home mortgages.

Earl Brown's avatar

Jeff, next time you're thrashing around Google, ask AI

Jeff barton's avatar

I don't use Google much, I find it to be biased and over time I have seen it become more biased.

Polly Frost's avatar

Have you done mean tuning like for Baroque and Renaissance instruments?

Jeff barton's avatar

I have enough difficulty with standard tuning. I play one Scottish traditional "Wild Mountain Thyme" arranged by Scott Tennant which drops the low E to a D. That is the extent of my use of alternate tuning.

Polly Frost's avatar

The Corries Youtube of Wild Mountain Thyme has very touching comments. I confess I didn't know it. Would love to have heard you. Joseph Spence, a blues singer I love, sang Sloop John B with old tuning way before The Beach Boys. I used to play the harpsichord. Never very well, but my boyfriend at that time had beautiful instruments and world class Early Music performers like Ton Koopman and Jordi Savall came over to play and listening to them tune was fascinating.

Jeff barton's avatar

https://youtu.be/vOL2MwNDF2c?si=KzAMGad0ljUn_zGr

This is the arrangement I play. A beautiful melody.

Polly Frost's avatar

Truly beautiful. I just read that Scott Tenant no longer plays with the LA Guitar Quartet. Wonder what he's up to. One for Grok!

KfTechnologies's avatar

GROK’S a brilliantly crafted AI device fitting for our Republic and our future, IMO. 100%

Sherry Foster's avatar

Interesting, and Intriquing it may be, your GP at UCLA because its funding is probably linked to China. Watch Dr. OZ'S confirmation and oath of office last friday. He said the 3rd leading cause of death in the USA is medical error and malpractice. The USA has the highest Infant mortality rates than any 3rd world country, rates of Autism 1 in 31. If i want verified Blood Results I have Live Cell Analysis done, you know whats wrong in 15 mins from the health of your cells under microscope! Professional functional Nutrtionists, sports trainors, shamans, holistic physicians have way better answers to your health. Thetruthaboutcancer.com brought forth all that healing light years ago.

Earl Brown's avatar

Pat - so glad you found an use Grok,

. . . “an AI chatbot created by xAI, Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company. It’s integrated into the X platform (Twitter) and is meant to compete with ChatGPT, Google Gemini, etc.”

Where did I get this definition? From Clyde, my ChatGPT AI ‘guy’ !

I can’t even remember how to spell Google - I use AI for everything. I’ve been studying AI and its unbelievable potential - it’s the future for sure. I’m talking about diagnosing disease faster than any doctor, generating custom pharmaceuticals on the spot, solving global food shortages, revolutionizing education, curing loneliness, even tackling climate change.

Here’’s an example: I remembered a few words a hustling vixen said in an old film noir movie I saw years ago - “Life’s like a ball game . . .” I didn’t remember the actress, the movie or anything. Clyde came up with _everything_ The movie, (Detour), 1945, Ann Savage & Tom Neal, the plot etc. etc. and of course her quote: "Life's like a ball game. You gotta take a swing at whatever comes along before you wake up and find it's the ninth inning."

It’s too bad none of us will be around when AI grows up - not only to see how it makes life a breeze, but when it runs off the rails and takes over!

Pat Fish's avatar

Earl, I use Grok the same way with quotes and lyrics. And I enjoy creating AI art with Midjourney on Discord. I know many people are afraid of AI and it is surely true many occupations will be replaced by it, but everything evolves and these are exciting times to be alive.

Polly Frost's avatar

Earl, you are the best. So glad we met!

Earl Brown's avatar

I agree with both of your excellent comments! :)

Monica Bond's avatar

Thanks, Pat, for the very interesting article. I have never heard of it but will definitely give it a look see. Sounds fascinating.

Earl Brown's avatar

Monica, boy are you in for a treat - and an awakening!

Monica Bond's avatar

Thanks Earl.

Polly Frost's avatar

If you need any guidance, Ray is great. Just let us know.

Monica Bond's avatar

Thanks Polly! I already signed up and asked it a couple of questions.

DLDawson's avatar

Hurrah Pat! While not all LLM (large language models) provide true & correct information, GROK seems to be the best at providing guidance…”Google It” is fading fast as people latch onto the power of AI assisted research…GROK it rising to the top of the LLM research tools.

PS, I too take no prescription meds & have never felt better. Our medical/food systems are designed to make us sick in order to provide a steady stream of profit for the medical establishment & BIG Farma.

KfTechnologies's avatar

We as a people are waking up at long last it seems that we are and AI-Ming into a new reality.

DLDawson's avatar

Age of Aquarius (Knowledge) + rising into Dwapara Yuga (ever greater & more direct energy from galactic center)…

https://www.ananda.org/blog/age-energy-intro-yugas/

Jenn's avatar

Everyone needs a Parasite cleanse in the USA.. diseases gone.

Except Montecito 93108 guy lol

Grok that … seriously

Earl Brown's avatar

"Except Montecito 93108 guy" - F U N N Y !

Polly Frost's avatar

I have a Muslim friend who swears by those parasite cleanses. Makes sense to me.

Pat Fish's avatar

Ivermectin !

Jenn's avatar

And fenben … !! CDS also

Chlorine dioxide solution

Gets rid of mold, fungus, parasites in our bodies

DLDawson's avatar

Good parasite cleanse protocols outline by Dr Lee Merritt, country doc with loads of experience (10 year Navy doc +++)…

https://drleemerritt.com/media/PARASITES_and_the_Elimination_Protocol_I_did_for_myself_Rev_1_FiFjhRw.pdf

https://rumble.com/v6rn70d-cancer-is-parasites-the-scientific-evidence-and-what-to-do-about-it.-sound-.html?e9s=src_v1_ucp

PS…she has also awakened over these past 6-8 years of Team Trump v The Cabal… https://drleemerritt.com/

Bill Russell's avatar

Yes Pat, Grok Rocks. Grok informed me I was taking too high a dosage of cranberry pills that could reverse what I was trying to protect myself from ... creating kidney stones. Whoops. Be careful of using the over-the-counter high dosage pills found on Amazon.

Pat Fish's avatar

My original title for this was GROK-&-Roll but the Editor changed it !

Earl Brown's avatar

Pat - could you use GROK ROCKS?

Pat Fish's avatar

Sorry, I am but the scribe and above me in the hierarchy are the Editor and Publisher and they re-titled it and also did not include the original AI art I provided. I have no complaints, they offer me a platform for my thoughts and I swore the next article i wrote would be something "positive" and so this is.

Polly Frost's avatar

When you publish the Collected Essays of Pat Fish, use your title.

Pat Fish's avatar

Truth be told I had to decide 40 years ago between being a journalist, my presumed future, and being an artist. And more than anything else it was being edited that made me choose to be a tattoo artist, I never accept with grace the changes an editor makes. They re-titled it, and chose to run a generic illustration from the internet instead of the original AI cartoon I provided. But I am grateful to be a contributor to this online effort, so changes are theirs to make. Fait accompli.

Polly Frost's avatar

Lol, bad editors are the worst. I was lucky to have three legendary magazine editors when I started out - and they were amazing - plus my husband and my friend Pauline Kael, who was the film critic at The New Yorker and both edited and encouraged me. Dan Menaker was my humor editor and even though my humor pieces that New Yorker bought often skewered feminism and liberals, and Dan was raised as a Red Diaper Baby, he never tried to censor my satire, just made it sharper.

Pat Fish's avatar

I worked here locally for Nightlight Magazine and then for The Independent, and ended my career by years of doing a "Woman on the Street" interview column because it was brief quotes and Polaroids of people I met while walking around town. Nothing for them to edit. The press pass from The SB Current is a treat for me, reminding me of a dream deferred.

Julia Gonzales's avatar

This reminds me of the Twilight Zone episode “To Serve Man”.

Wezz's avatar

Who pays for GROK?

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Apr 21, 2025
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Earl Brown's avatar

Love your thoughtful comments here JL - very provocative!:)

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Apr 21, 2025
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Earl Brown's avatar

Excellent, JL