The non-artificial (aka real) learning and pleasure in placing the observation shelter

Observation shelter installed at Inspiration Point.

In my reading I’ve come across a few places online that, for a variety of reasons, advocate reading in a more traditional way - on the printed page and far from the internet - as a way to try to preserve and develop important aspects of one’s humanity. I agree with them, but I’d add that finding and developing an offline interest that engages not just the mind, but the body and soul as well is equally as important. And if it also incorporates reading, then all the better.

Work started by installing a styrene piece for a foundation and levelling it with clay blobs.

‘Interest’ isn’t a good word for the kind of activity I have in mind. Neither are words like ‘hobby’, ‘pastime’, or ‘leisure pursuit’. ‘Work’ comes closest, but it’s loaded with other meanings that are far from what I’m thinking about. ‘Calling’ is getting closer, but it also has its own baggage. I need to look into terminology some more.

Foam pieces were hot glued in place to make 'rock' steps up to the shelter.

For me model making comes close to fulfilling this role. As an ‘interest’ for me it’s not just about making things and learning to make things, but also includes reading (lots of it offline :-) ), writing, investigating, walking, wondering, travelling, observing, and photographing. Sometimes video enters the mix, but I have no affinity with it. Model railroading and train watching involve things that move, so video seems a natural fit to capture that aspect, but the shadow cast over amateur video production by the world of tv shows, influencers, media stars, and so on I find off putting. I watch and enjoy several ‘channels’, but communicating my thoughts through video isn't something that resonates with me.

CelluClay was used to reshape the top of Inspiration Point and blend in the shelter's foundation and steps.

Lurking in the background is AI, attempting to completely devour all the surface phenomena associated with reading, writing, photography, and even video. I think of AI as ‘Alien Intelligence’. Not alien in the sense of little green men from outer space, but alien in the sense of foreign to the human experience. Those LLMs powering AI are simply brute force algorithms to simulate certain outputs of our minds. They appear to do it exceedingly well, but ultimately it’s all just puppetry, and crude puppetry at that. At least a real puppet has the advantage of being an actual extension of a human being allowing humans to create and communicate in ways that enhance aspects of the body, mind, and soul. Without body and soul, and the deep ways they and mind interact to inform each other, prevent what we charitably call AI from ever truly being an artificial version of human intelligence. And what of AI’s mind? What little there is, it’s not created by us, for our purposes, so even that is highly suspect.

Several applications of CelluClay were required to mould in everything to my liking.

Placing the observation shelter was an iterative process. Effort-wise, it was only a few hours work. Elapsed time-wise though it took 2 or 3 weeks. There was lots of time spent looking, trying things out, adjusting, fiddling, more looking, mixing papier-mâché, consulting books, applying paint, re-applying paint, gluing on ground cover, more looking, more fiddling, and so on. All of this was real learning, real doing, and real pleasure. My terrain may not be great, but it is real, and from the real experiences I gained creating it, real learning can continue due to the continual feedback to body, mind, and soul engaged in the process.

Ok, let's climb down from the high country. I need some real coffee.