LAST POST

This website will no longer interact with “X” (formerly Twitter).  It is time for the Last Post.  Recent events in Ireland highlighted how toxic a platform it has become.  Real evil lurks among its many posters.  Many using anonymous handles for vile threats and comments. Most of the posts are by the same people pretending to have a vested interest in a cause or by artificial intelligence (AI) bots (A bot is software that performs tasks automatically, usually by following rules or patterns instead of needing a human to do each step.).  Bots created by malicious people hoping to destroy democracy and world order. People who are failures in the real world but have the tools to hurt in a virtual world.

Whatever about the artificial forms, the human ones are the vilest of them all.  You know the handle, the cause, the aim is highlighted. The profile gives no indication of the real identity either in words or pictures, just the cause which usually involves undermining or threatening democratic authority and due process. However, if you dig down through their history, inevitably you will discover that they are not even from the country they are attacking. They are just cowardly excuses hiding behind anonymity and trying to sound like brave warriors.   The reality, a keyboard warrior is never a warrior in the true sense.

Disgusting also in the past few weeks, is the use of AI to produce completely false videos and narrative.  What a wasteful use of human intelligence! The anonymous threats including death threats to people in authority or indeed their families.  Their posts are a reflection on those anonymous criminals. They need prayers and they need counselling.  They lack courage and honesty to reveal their own identities. Along the way, many gullible people get dragged into their online crusades, misled by evil leaders. Some, front of stage and some, behind the shadowy scenes. I challenge any of them to a real public arm wrestle, but they are too cowardly to accept as it will reveal who they really are.  

If you were to read recent social media comments, you would be forgiven for thinking the whole world and country has a certain viewpoint that is promoted through the comments. That nobody wants people in authority and would harm and undermine, if at all possible. To truth is, these posters are clueless about how democracy works. Each one wants to be a Trump like dictator themselves. Fortunately, the reality is that less and less people are using social media as their news point. What once had wonderful potential is slowly being destroyed.  The majority of the population have given up on social media or never ventured that way in the first place. Most young people do not interact with X or Facebook for that matter. Young people are more and more looking for comic book communications but unfortunately now even video can be totally manipulated by AI. Nobody wants to read articles (like this one) anymore.  They have become too long and too challenging for the younger reader. Their knowledge depending on an instant picture rather than well thought out and verified words. 

I got involved with Social Media, to primarily promote my writings and my GAA Coaching skills.  It seemed like a good route at the time. I have found, none of these platforms to be successful with very minimal hits and engagement when required.   Little or no interaction from drama groups, producers, directors or indeed GAA clubs. This has been noticeable from performance data for a long time.  “X” can be useful for keeping up to date with live scores from GAA matches around the country. At this stage it is not worth fuelling the already bulging pockets of Elon Musk. Me, moving away from “X”, on the face of it, is not going to upset Elon too much. I don’t pay for his product in the first place.  However, I am a target for those who do pay for the advertising on “X”. If more do what I’m doing and stop using and promoting the platform, it will eventually hurt the insatiable greed of its owner. Remember, how much support this platform supports the dark web of conceit and lies that we are witnessing.

In future, I will use my websites and investigate alternative promotion options. The GAA also must find alternatives for promoting and providing live information. Anyway, the platform is extremely transient and too easily flooded with articles that are not of interest.  A posts lifespan is very short. With AI in particular, posts have become confusing and not capable of providing proper advertisement of events. If they are posted too soon, they disappear in forest and if they are not up in time, they provide inadequate notice.

I would urge people to find alternatives. Social Media is becoming a blight on the world, lets start by moving away from “X” interactions. If you are using it for viewing purposes, dig deep to see if you can validate the poster by looking at their profile and studying past posts.  Understand their agenda and motivations. Start from a point of “that’s not true” on everything. I will continue to monitor Meta contributions which does seem to do a tiny bit better in its feed delivery, for the moment. I do succeed in getting lots of sport and writing articles, most of which are valid. I am not ruling out following suit and kicking their logo off my website. I have blocked so many contributions at this stage, I am almost down to just sport and writing, but sometimes I do miss useful information. In the meantime, let’s play the last post for “X” and stop feeding the muck from Elon Musk’s product and filling hid pockets with advertising revenue!

DREAMS AND AMBITIONS HAVE NO LIMIT

What is the point? I have published my website. I have started my blogs where I have introduced a number of aspects of my persona. I have linked my work to social media. I have printed my business cards. Now as the sun shines gloriously like the summers of old, particularly the long hot summer of 1976, (What a summer memory of hay bales, sunburn and 4 goals in an under-14 hurling championship match for Windgap versus Mullinavat and still we ended up losing!)  I wonder what the point is. What am I trying to promote?

My imagination has always been one of my most powerful talents. I love the process in my head of imagining and visualising events. Some are realistic, some are practical and some are as farfetched as you will get. Mostly, I become the personality of the hero, which can sit very awkward, because real heroes are modest and humble.  These are traits which I believe are important, but if you want to promote talents such as mine, writing and coaching, you have to have that element of belief and confidence in what you are doing and these characteristics are contradictory to modest and humble.  The stories develop in my head and the next step is to develop it into the written word. To be honest, I don’t think my written word ever does the story in my head justice, but that is the zenith to aim for, as a writer.  For a long time those stories were stored for me alone. As the power of memory will dwindle with old age, I’m sure they will be a helpful aid for recollection.

In Kilkenny GAA, terms, the stars who make it to the top of the sport of hurling always speak about leaving the jersey in a better place than when they got it.  Life should be the same.  When we depart, we need to leave the small area of earth we inhabited in a better place. There has to be some sort of a legacy, no matter how small. I’d like part of mine to be my stories.  I’d like my stories to turn into publications, solid old fashioned bound books, with pictures, titles and synopsis on the cover.  I’d really like them to turn into visual media such as films so that they are nearer to the story I feel in my head. In my head, my stories are like life, lots of turmoil, but also lots of hope and good will. Overall the process of the story in my head is always uplifting even when things are not good, because I am the God of my world and I can make it better or worse for individuals in my inner universe.  That glowing feeling of the story, I would like to think can be a positive consequence for those who get the opportunity to read, see or feel the stories.  I believe that publication in book or film of my stories can contribute to the small legacy that I hope and plan to leave behind in my quest to contribute to leaving a better world after me. That is the point!

Somewhere in the world there is a publisher, a screen writer or a producer who wants to leave their own small legacy to this world. Somewhere and sometime that individual or individuals will cross my path and find my work and together we will collaborate on delivering my stories to the greater audience. To find my knight in shining armour, I need the small number of people who currently browse and like the content of this website to help me get my profile out there. He or she will never find me hidden in the bottom file of the Internet.  I ask YOU to do what you can to promote this website, but only if you like the content. For me this is certainly not about money, this is about leaving something of more value than money as part of my small legacy to the world, stories.

I welcome your advice on how best for example I could use Social Media to promote my works without coming across as too narcissistic. Please feel free to submit your advice on the blog comment or on my writers Facebook page. I would love to hear from the members of my now small community. What should I be doing? Who should I be contacting? What do you think of particular stories? What do you like? What don’t you like? What makes you cringe? What would make my stories, plays or novels better? What topics would you like on this blog?  Do you know a publisher, screenwriter or producer that you could share my website with?  Please do. I will forever appreciate it.

“Dreams and Ambitions Have No Limit”