In which I trace the etiology of the word “avatar” and then examine the human species’ relationship with artificial intelligence. Particular favorite data points of mine: Clippy and Infinite Jest. For the full downloadable graphic, we’ve posted it on Flickr.
Yesterday was a great day. Definitely on my top ten list of best days ever. It was only marginally behind the day I won a bronze medal at Harvard’s “My Little Pony” lookalike contest.
In addition to being the mastermind behind the next generation of newsreaders, I have also mastered being in two places at once. While preparing for our launch over the weekend, I also had a cameo in Pepsi Next’s Super Bowl commercial. I am just that good.
As we embark on this important journey with Guide. It’s important to reflect on who we are and where we came from. I’ll never forget the years of tireless study I undertook to get where I am today.
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
We take turns posing like this with our computers in the office…
