I think I've caught the Computer God's attention. My usual method of updating this blog consists of me typing a separate Word document and then cutting and pasting the document into Blogger, adding labels and then hitting Publish to send it out into the AI-scraping world. It's worked fine for years, right up until last night. I typed up a flash, copied the file, went to paste it into Blogger/New Post and...nada. The Paste function refused to activate. Instead the system listed the empty blog window as "Published." Some wires have gotten crossed in the system. And yes, I did try turning everything off and then turning it back on. Didn't do jack squat. I may need to seek professional help.
In the meantime, though, I still have the notebook longhand version, which I've retyped here so the few humans who drop by won't have to do without. I can't help thinking this is some form of tech retaliation from our would-be computer overlords. This is why hardcopies and knowing how to write longhand or even print your words are still relevant and important. As long as I have a pen, paper, and a functional left hand, I will not be stopped! The battle continues...
$$$$
"Now then, Loretta, if you can tell me the answer to question 12 on page 14--"
"Mr. Sherman, Louie took my notebook and he won't give it back."
"Louie, give Vanessa back her notebook."
"It's not her notebook any more. It's the people's notebook. It belongs to the collective."
"Ah. Gone socialist overnight, have you, Louie?"
"Democracy doesn't work. The system is rigged in favor of the capitalist overlords."
"I see. I suppose Vanessa's answers to last night's homework belong to the whole class, then?"
"It's for the good of the whole, Mr. Sherman."
"You didn't do last night's homework, did you, Louie?"
"Just the reading for social studies."
"The part about how the good of the group outweighs the will of the individual?"
"How did you know, sir?"
"Lucky guess. Unfortunately, this classroom isn't a socialist collective. It's an autocracy, and I'm the dictator in charge. Now give Vanessa her notebook back or you're going to the gulag."
"The gulag, sir?"
"Principal Stratton's office."
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Now, back on track. Question 12--"
"Screw you, honky. Power to the people! Right on!"
"Nice try, Jamir, but we won't be covering the 1960s until Thursday. God, sometimes I hate the History Channel."
