Category: Society

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 30, 20269:18 pm

When AI Makes You Somebody Else

Earlier today, as a memory, Microsoft OneDrive presented photos taken on this date in 2022—when the village of University Heights celebrated 25 years of its iconic sign. I had captured the majority of pics using Leica Q2 Monochrom, which was beyond my meager amateur skills. I sold the camera to a doctor in December 2024.

Looking over the selection, I chose one random street shot for artificial intelligence embellishment. I clicked the “Restyle with AI” button and typed “colorize”, which took surprising amount of time to do. The app, running on Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, presented three options. I saved them all for your review, because the AI did more than add color; it made some surprising changes to the content that you must see.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 27, 20268:05 pm

The Cactus and Its Creator

I am fond of University Heights neighbors who are San Diego natives and/or raised families here. This gentleman, who for privacy purposes isn’t named, often sits with his wife on the swing. He rocked back and forth as Annie and I visited him today.

The 89-year-old bought the house 56 years ago. Many of the generational homeowners inherited properties from parents or grandparents. In this case, he is the original owner, parent, and grandparent. He has living children who own homes elsewhere in the city.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 26, 20269:54 pm

‘No Kings’ is Hate Speech

Last night’s shooting inside the Washington Hilton was unequivocally an assassination attempt against President Donald Trump. Today, one of my neighbors casually brushed off the incident as being nothing really. I disagree.

Anyone who follows me should know that I used to live in the District of Columbia and suburban Maryland. As a quasi-retired journalist (covering the high-tech industry). I can assert with certainty that for many reasons, including exclusivity of attendees, the White House Correspondents’ Dinner is one of the most secure events–or should have been. That the assassin ran across the hotel lobby, firing weapon(s), is an unprecedented breach that reminds of Ronald Reagan, when he was nearly murdered outside the establishment in March 1981.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 25, 20268:22 pm

Bike Brigade

While walking to a friend’s house to feed her cats, I came upon a bunch of bikers that appeared to be mounting up after a food/beverage break at Mystic Mocha, which is located in the San Diego neighborhood of University Heights.

The coffee and food shop sits at Alabama and Mission. But bike lanes are located on the adjacent left and right streets—Madison and Meade—that go East or West.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 20, 20269:47 pm

A Landing and a Rising

This is a Featured Image too long delayed in sharing. The view is from the Skyfari Aerial Tram at San Diego Zoo. Building in the foreground is the California Tower, which is located in nearby Balboa Park. The structure was built in 1915.

I really enjoy the zoo, but we haven’t visited since December. The new parking fees, for which members are exempt, created inertia we never overcame. Parking is more complicated now with mixed free and fee, bringing about congestion and confusion.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 19, 20269:26 pm

‘No Library Cuts!’

A few days ago, Amazon sent email with book recommendations, and one actually piqued my interest: Washington by Ron Chernow. Hey, it’s a Pulitzer Prize Winner, and with the nation’s 250th anniversary upcoming it’s a timely biography to read.

Cough, cough. I choked on the price. The Kindle version sells for $16.99, discounted from $24. Seventeen bucks for a DRM-wrapped ebook? Ah, n-o-o-o. Hardcover: $23.76, discounted from the list of $41. Still, I wanted a copy of the bio. I looked at the calendar and remembered the third Saturday of the month was ahead, and that meant book sale weekend at the University Heights branch of San Diego Public Library.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 14, 20269:18 pm

It’s a Ticking Security Bomb

Look what I saw at the dentist office today. Uh-oh. Windows 10 officially reached its end of life on Oct. 14, 2025. However, consumers and businesses can sign up for Extended Security Updates for, in the case of Home users, an additional 12 months of protection designed to “reduce the risk of malware and cybersecurity attacks”.

I couldn’t resist saying something to the doctor about Windows 10. He knew support had ended and that something should be done about that situation—but in the near future. He brushed aside concerns, asserting that the computer, and another in the next examining room, weren’t connected to the Internet. They’re standalone PCs. Hence, they’re low outside security risk.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 12, 20269:50 pm

The AI Scoundrel

I praised the artist’s skills of Rick’s male owner to his partner. But, as she confessed, he uses artificial intelligence tools to create the stickers, which are quite popular around the neighborhood. So is the black cat, who is a glutton for attention and knows how to easily get it.

Rick joined my “Cats of University Heights” series in August 2021, when he lived in an alley house with (presumed) litter mate Pixie (nickname). She’s still there; Rick moved on to Alabama Street, where he chose new owners and has lived lavishly since.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 10, 20269:06 pm

Welcome Home!

Ten days that may change humanity ended this afternoon, with the successful splashdown of the Orion capsule carrying the valiant crew of Artemis II. I was a junior high school student the last time humans traveled to the moon and back (December 1972). Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen have gone where no one has since.

Hansen comes from the Canadian Space Agency, and he is the first of his countrymen to go to the moon. The other three crewmembers are longstanding NASA astronauts—2009 for Wiseman; 2013 for Glover and Koch. All four are heroes tonight.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 9, 20269:51 pm

A Few Too Many

We love the book sale room, which is open the third weekend every month at the University Heights branch of San Diego Public Library. Most hardcovers are a buck a piece. Paperbacks are a quarter or five for a dollar. Prefer movies? DVDs are $1 a piece and Blu-rays are two bucks.

But who can keep track of what he or she past-purchased? The five paperbacks in the Featured Image are duplicates on their way to some LittleFreeLibrary here in UH. For each, I later bought a copy in better condition, typically new or near new.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 6, 202610:17 pm

What’s Normal About This?

The same day I photographed Queen, March 26, 2026, my attention turned to a mural promoting Normal Heights (where our car was in the shop for a small repair). I don’t recall ever seeing the street art on any earlier visit. One or two parked cars impeding the view would be enough to keep me walking instead of stopping.

But this day was different, and I took advantage of the unobstructive view to shoot the Featured Image using Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. Vitals: f/1.4, ISO 64, 1/2500 sec, 23mm (film equivalent); 8:18 a.m. PDT.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 5, 20269:12 pm

The Easter AI Metaphor

For Easter Sunday, let’s use modern tech to compare and contrast. Today is supposed to be the celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection and the hope human beings can receive spiritual salvation. Physical redemption is the responsibility of the Second Coming.

Easter also celebrates the bunny—a rapidly breeding animal that aligns more with ancient, pagan fertility rights. Candy and sweets are all about enjoyment of the flesh, as is the worship of fertility practices of the gods of Spring. Christian teaching emphasizes the spirit and dominion over the flesh. Materialistic cultures and religions promote physical joy, from simple pleasures to hedonism.