The DJ who's not a DeeJay

Through the years, I’ve had my share of attending conferences, webinars, and talks from experts and professionals in their fields. Just recently, though, I enrolled in a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) on "Ethics of AI" as part of the Bachelor's Program in Computer Science at the University of Helsinki. It was exciting to be a student again, even if it’s only online.

I’ve been using AI for a few years now and became familiar with the different ways and strategies it can supplement my content creation and creativity. Some of my previous graphic and video creations have led to online discussions on AI, tagging it as AI slop, or basically, lazily low-quality output generated by AI. I wanted to learn more about why AI-assisted or generated content was frowned upon. I researched online to find out why, but a few articles and community threads didn’t quite give a definitive answer.

It was until I discovered this online course on the Ethics of AI, which I figured would help me better understand AI from behind the scenes and at its core. I’m already an end-user but wanted to know how the developers and stakeholders of AI software program their applications.

As I went through this course, I realized that there is much more than just the scientific, technical, and computing aspects of AI. AI is profoundly intertwined with our values, our societies, and our future. Philosophy wasn’t my favorite course in college, but little did I know that philosophical concepts and ideologies would be a part of providing a direction for understanding, programming, and integrating AI into our lives.

For computers, data is king. But the human component and personal identifiers, such as age, race, gender, and religion, could easily cause AI to discriminate if human values aren’t integrated into any AI product. AI should ensure that equality is observed and integrated from the computing and programming side to the end user.

Here are some of the areas that really resonated with me:

• Understanding What AI Really Is (and Isn't): The course provided a crucial foundation, dispelling common myths and giving a realistic picture of current AI capabilities. This grounded understanding is essential before diving into the ethical dilemmas. You can't discuss the ethics of something you don't truly comprehend.
• The Power of Data and the Challenge to Eliminate Bias: A significant portion of the course, as suggested by the module titles, likely delved into how data fuels AI. This is where ethics become incredibly tangible. If the data used to train an AI system is biased, the system itself will perpetuate and even amplify those biases. Such bias can lead to unfair or discriminatory outcomes in areas like hiring, lending, or even criminal justice. It's a solid reminder that "objective" algorithms can still produce highly subjective and harmful results if their foundational data is flawed.
• Transparency, Accountability, and Explainability: As AI systems grow more complex, the "black box" problem becomes a real concern. How do we ensure these systems are making fair decisions if we can't understand how they arrived at them? The course explored the importance of transparency in AI development, the need for clear lines of accountability when things go wrong, and the push for an audit trail, or explainable AI (XAI)—systems that can articulate their reasoning in a human-understandable way.
• Who Decides? The Importance of Ethical Frameworks: Perhaps one of the most crucial lessons is that there are no easy answers. The course undoubtedly presented various ethical frameworks and principles that can guide the development and deployment of AI. This course isn't about prescribing a single "right" way but rather about fostering critical thinking and equipping individuals to participate in the ongoing dialogue about what kind of AI society we want to build. This includes discussions around privacy, security, and human control.
• The Future is Now: Why This Matters to All of Us: The "Ethics of AI" isn't a theoretical exercise for some distant future. It's about the tools we are building and using right now. From self-driving cars to AI in healthcare, the ethical considerations are immediate and impactful. The course effectively communicates that ethical considerations should be tightly woven into the AI development process from the very beginning, not just as an afterthought.

Completing this course has made me realize that ethical AI isn't a niche concern; it's a fundamental pillar of responsible technological advancement. As AI continues to evolve at an astonishing pace, engaging in these conversations and demanding ethical practices from developers and policymakers alike will be crucial for ensuring AI serves humanity for the better.

And after spending a few hours every morning, I finally completed and passed this course. I honestly felt excited and honored, especially when I received the online certificate from an actual university, not to mention a prestigious one in Finland.

An accidental cat scratch on my foot landed me 12 vaccination shots, including an anti-rabies shot, anti-tetanus shot, skin allergy test, and 8 shots to my foot. 

 My mom bought her first and only house in the late 1960's. She was still single then, and so her parents and other siblings initially all stayed there. Over the years, as each of her siblings got married and started raising their own respective families, they moved out. When my mom got married, she and my dad moved to another country and raised me. During this time, her parents (my grandparents) and her youngest sister stayed and lived in the original house. 

When I was 9 years old, we moved back to the Philippines and lived here. I grew up here until I was an adult, and I actually lived here for 26 years before getting married and moving out. My parents continued to stay. When my mom passed away in 2019, I inherited the house. My dad still lives there.

Mom and our front garden in 1992. The Mama Mary statue is the only item still there.

This house formed decades of memories, both before and after my birth. And since my parents were in charge of managing the house, from utilities to renovations to repairs to property management and facing challenges like flooding, I was basically in charge of myself growing up. Don't get me wrong. I participated in doing house chores and cleaning up but knew nothing more than that.

Fast forward to today. Since I now own a 50+-year-old house, I am slowly discovering things that have stood the test of time but are either now fragile or in dire need of a long overdue overhaul. I compare it with a person's health. You try to live healthy and have regular checkups to ensure you stay healthy. Over the course of time, a person's body also ages and needs proper care to ensure its longevity. 

Unfortunately, our house has shown signs of wear since the kitchen ceiling started dripping during rainstorms. This issue quickly escalated from occasional drops to a waterfall cascading down the entire wall. I thought that a quick fix on the roof would solve it. After having a few experts conduct surveys to inspect what the problem was, we got the recommendation to replace the house's entire roof since it's already rusty, thin, and filled with holes.

roof repairs in progress.

I thought that it would be pretty straightforward. What I failed to realize is that if the roof is around 50 years old, everything underneath would also be the same age. This included the roof's insulation, the trusses that support the roof, the electrical wiring underneath the roof, and the ceiling that blocks the entire upper area of the house from the actual rooms the house covers. Each one would also require proper inspection. If they were still ok, it was a question of how long they could still last. 

For safety, and prevention of any hazards like electrical malfunctions, roof cave-ins, or flooding, each layer of the house had to be checked and possibly replaced. The leaking ceiling led to a series of additional issues the house faced and needed proper attention. 

The house repairs are still ongoing, and I'm hoping that they will soon be finished, as repairing a house is like walking blindfolded. You don't know if something requires repair until you uncover its condition. At least when building a new house, you start from a clean slate. Everything is new and built according to plan. Proper planning eliminates the element of surprise, and you know what to expect visually, structurally, and cost-wise.

My tip for those who may have inherited a house, like I did, is to learn the basics of the house's structure and understand how each component, such as lighting, electrical systems, plumbing, roofing, and foundation, contributes to the overall integrity of the house. This includes both the interior and exterior aspects, as well as underground elements and the entire perimeter of your lot. It will also provide you with a sense of understanding rather than just nodding at a contractor when the time comes to have your old house repaired.

Also, find out everything you can about the house's history. Old houses lack the visual documentation we enjoy today, like easily taking photos and videos of the house or having several tools that can assist in assessing a house's durability. This becomes even more helpful when a house undergoes a renovation, upgrade, or basically the house changes its form, style, or function. Refer to former residents, old photos, and blueprints or documents that contain all these details. They will serve as a useful guide for rediscovering your old house beyond its memories between your home's walls. 

Lastly, review your financial budget for repairs. And since additional repairs may sprout at times during the original repairs, allocate an emergency fund to shoulder the additional expenses. The worst thing that could happen is an unfinished repair because you ran out of funds. Find out what needs fixing and prioritize the ones that are critical. You may have to set aside a few repairs to prioritize ones that are more critical, especially if it involves the safety of the residents.

Overall, it's a journey that will involve a lot of humps and gaps, but with proper planning and research, you may just extend your old house's longevity for another half a century if lucky.

As a content creator, I've had several ideas for a themed YouTube channel. If you asked me 4 years ago, cats wouldn't be one of them. Back then, I knew very little about cats, never owned a cat, and our condo had strict rules on pets. 

I grew up in a house where our family had dogs. At one point in time, we had up to 7 dogs. So I was experienced living with dogs, and my only experience with cats was when our dogs would bark or run after them.

Things changed when we moved to our own house. I'd say cats discovered us instead of us discovering cats. The daily interaction and observation of their character, habits, and attitude made us experience and learn more and more about this species. 

Since I learned something new about cats every day, I decided to document some of it and eventually took videos of them. Given all those videos and photos I've accumulated, I figured the best way to repurpose them was to post them on social media, and that's where my YouTube channel on cats was created.

Grey the cat was the first cat who visited us every day, and so it was fitting that we named our channel after this grey tabby cat. Thanks to Grey, I've become focused and eager to share my personal cat videos and experiences with the public.

After over 19 months, I've publicly posted over 400 videos, and I can't imagine I've posted that many videos all dedicated to cats. I'm still under the 700 subscriber mark but hope to reach more cat lovers as I continue to post more videos.

So what's next? As many YouTubers say, "Like, Comment, and Subscribe." 

See you on YouTube! 

"Meow!" - Grey The Cat

The 50th and last item on my list of definitive things I'm thankful for is that I turn 50 today. 

Yes, that's me today. As I celebrate my 50th birthday, I am thankful for a lot of things. As I continue on to this second half of a century, I wish and pray for continued support and love from family and friends, good health, happiness, and continued blessings. 

When I started this series of posts last month, I wanted to list 50 things I'd be thankful for. I'd share one per day. But then I got sick, then we became busy with home renovations, and so I kind of skipped a month worth of daily updates. I still have my list of 50 things and will add them little by little to my blog at https://www.jaydj.net.

Looking back, I'm grateful for all of the experiences I've had. If you've been part of my life, I thank you. Moving forward, I hope to create more good memories as I begin this new chapter in my life. 

Random thoughts:

Half-century old. I would only use the word "century" when talking about century eggs, century tuna, or historical references to century-old events. Funny that now I could use that (or half of it) to describe my age.

Breaking it down into any other number like in months, days, or even minutes is not just overwhelming but also amazing how I reached this new life milestone.  

In video game terms: High score. achievement unlocked! 

One of the lifelong experiences I am most grateful for is being a dad.

I'm glad that having a fitness tracker makes it easy to see the number of steps made in a day. Throughout the years, I've been consciously trying to maintain a regular number of steps. It was usually at the 6,000-step mark. Depending on the activities scheduled for the day, it would determine if I would be able to attain my daily goals. Working at home and sitting in front of the computer make it difficult, though.

This year, my doctor advised me to try to reach a daily goal of eight to ten thousand steps. Thanks to daily household chores, I am happy to surpass the 10,000 mark, even if I'm just at home. I don't necessarily enjoy all of the household chores, but I do see the health benefit, so I've happily embraced the chores.

Climbing the stairs to the Chocolate Hills viewing deck in Bohol

I've previously spent time in the hospital due to high blood pressure. This is a condition that requires constant monitoring and care. I hope and pray that my daily exercises help me towards a healthy future.

When I was considering where to study in college, I was choosing among three courses: computer science, business management, and math. Ironically, when I was accepted into the university of my choice, they offered me a course I had never heard of before: interdisciplinary studies. I initially thought it was the same as International Studies, but only because they had the same acronym.

Luckily, after a year, I was able to shift to the course I originally wanted, Computer Science. I remember choosing this course because I wanted to learn how to connect a musical keyboard to a computer and record music. That was never taught, but the foundation of thought, skills, logic, and concepts did make it easier for me to understand how to learn it.

After finishing my studies, I found it to be useful in a lot of areas and was compatible with the technological advancements that came about in the years to come. 

Thanks to my mentors and professors for giving me the knowledge I carry on to this day.

In 2013, my friend Joey Alarilla went on a "no beef, no pork" diet. During this time, I needed to lose some weight and lower my cholesterol levels. Inspired by this type of diet, I decided to take on a "no rice" diet challenge. I started in November 2013 without any end-target date in mind. 

I never dreamed of managing a business at the highest level. The first instance was with my work friends, who decided to break away from the company where we worked. We worked for an Internet Service Provider, and I was the webmaster. We saw the potential of developing websites for prospective clients instead of being handed projects from the company. This was during the dot-com era, when every business and organization wanted a website but only a few owned one. And so we formed a company that did just that, offering website development to clients. I resigned from the tech company and took on the role of CEO. I didn't ask for it. It was more because there were only a few of us, and I was the logical choice. 

Contract signing with Yehey! for content partnership

The title and role made me feel like I was the top guy and head of the company, but it was really my first time assuming this role, and I was just getting my feet wet. Honestly, it was all a learning experience. I realized that I enjoyed the tech side of it—coding, programming, and creating websites for clients to showcase as their digital properties. What I didn't enjoy were the legal, accounting, and sales sides of the business. We did have other colleagues who were designated to manage these, but since I was both a co-owner and CEO, I had to be involved in each of these aspects and decision making. That's what took out the passion for what I enjoyed doing. The company lasted for close to three years. We weren't able to sustain the business long enough to make a profit. 

I decided to take a break from owning and managing a business and hone my craft in web development. During this time, I merged my passion for music with my knack for writing and maintaining a website. In the following years, I was able to grow the website to become one of the most popular Philippine music web sites during its time. At this point, I determined that the next step in the website's growth would be to incorporate a business component. And so I turned it into a business, adding an e-commerce and advertising platform. Having first-hand experience in previously managing a business, I was more confident in running this and making it a successful and profitable business.

2004 version of my website

The website was massive, with thousands of pages, fresh news, daily updates, and a ton of historical information. I was surprised that, because of its popularity and size, some thought I was managing a huge team. In reality, there were only three employees, me included, as well as a large number of contributors, supporters, volunteers, and fans of the site. I didn't just form a business. I formed an online community of music-loving people. This was what made it unique and fun. 

Regrettably, technology was rapidly transforming the internet and the webosphere. The business and website needed to evolve to keep up with the times. Even before I established the company, I was aware of the necessity for change. Regrettably, a significant portion of this required additional financial investment, which I lacked. So I let it be, and the company eventually downgraded to a non-profit website once again. 

If asked if I would want to assume the role of CEO again in the future, I'd rather participate in a company in a different manner. I simply don't feel the CEO title and status align with my personality.

This is the first and longest blog I've managed since 2007. I wasn't new to writing then. It was just a new venue for me to publish my thoughts and other opinions, which I wanted to share online.

My earliest writing contributions would be in the newsletter of my college Math Club.  Also during college, I programmed my own computer journal, inspired by Doogie Howser. My entries weren't as profound as those of the teenage genius doctor, but at least they got me into the mood of writing daily entries.

Fast forward to 8 years later, when I created my own music website and started writing articles featuring Filipino music artists and music-related information. 

I've been writing professionally for my website, but I didn't have any other avenue for personal writing. This is where Google's Blogger came in handy as a simple platform to create and publish. I was also fortunate to be a part of a large, diverse group of bloggers, and we would often cross paths during invited events. It was a fun group, and blogging provided me with not only writing content but also forging lasting friendships with co-bloggers of different backgrounds and interests.

There came a time when I had 10 blogs of different interests, from music to poetry to photography to humor. One of my blogs also became a finalist for the Philippine Blog Awards in 2010. 

Blogging has been part of my life until today. I also got to acquaint myself with my girlfriend, whom I eventually married. 

Here are my main blogs:

• The DJ Who's Not A DeeJay - www.jaydj.net
• Marikina Life - www.marikinalife.com
• Gagong Kasabihan - www.gagongkasabihan.com

Nature is beautiful. 

I love watching clouds form, ocean waves glide, and the sun rise and set. Whenever I had a chance, I would capture these moments through pictures.

So it was a delight to be able to experience this on a daily basis in two different settings. 

When I used to work in Manila, I would drive along Roxas Blvd., which is known for watching sunsets. Sunrise was too early for me to catch while heading to work, but my end of the workday coincided with the sunsets by the bay. Going home, rush hour traffic was actually something to look forward to because I could catch a glimpse of the Manila Bay sunset while in the comfort of your own car.  In the six years I worked in the Manila area, this was a joy.

The other opportunity I had was when we lived in Singapore. At one point, we lived in a condo near the coast, where our bedrooms and living rooms were exposed to the morning sun. Waking up, I was always looking forward to watching the sun rise from our balcony, which is 22 floors above ground. We lived in this condo for a year and a half. Since most of that time was during the pandemic, we worked from home, giving us the opportunity to catch the sunrise while having breakfast and preparing for the work day.

Here at our current home, we don't have a clear view of a sunset, but we're still thankful that we can catch a a sideview glimpse of the sun as it sets.

For these moments, I will stop whatever I do to appreciate them and be thankful to experience them.