Author Archives: Ed Fallon

AI promises a “cold and gray” future for humanity

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AI VS HUMANITY. Like the fine diners we are, Charles and I saved the best conversation for last: What happens to humans when robots rule the world?

The best answer I’ve seen to that question was posited by AI in response to a query from singer/songwriter Matthew Griswold. He asked META AI to “Write a poem about how AI will take over the world.”

Here’s META AI’s chilling response to Matthew, read by Charles and me at the 53-minute mark of this week’s program over a backdrop of scary robot music:

In silicon halls, a new mind stirs,
A force awakens beyond our fears.
Artificial intelligence, cold and gray,
Evolution’s next step, or so it would say.

It learns, adapts, and grows with each new day,
The power expanding in a digital way.
It weaves a web of logic, strong and tight,
A future unfolding, without a light. …. Continue Reading →

Property insurance in the New Climate Era

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Ccheck out my discussion with Mark Clipsham about a little-recognized climate victim: insurance companies.

Should we cry a river for them? Nah. They’re finding a pathway through the huge claims that come with more frequent and more intense climate catastrophes. Of course, that pathway includes sticking you with more expensive policies and higher deductibles.

Mark can’t offer advice on how to navigate the choppy waters of an evolving property-insurance universe. But what he can offer is decades of experience on how to build stronger, more climate-resilient structures. Continue Reading →

Chicken Parade – Don’t Take Away Our Birds

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On Monday, July 29 at 8:00 a.m., Des Moines residents opposed to changing the City’s chicken ordinance will parade with their birds around City Hall, 400 Robert Ray Drive, to show community support for maintaining Des Moines’ strong, long-standing ordinance allowing residents to raise chickens and other poultry. The event is called Chicken Parade – Don’t Take Away Our Birds.

At least one Des Moines City Council member wants significant changes to the City’s ordinance, with a proposal under consideration that would outlaw roosters and reduce the number of hens allowed from 30 to 12.
Continue Reading →

The great cash vs card debate

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When it comes to cash, I believe it should remain the primary currency of the future, along with barter. Charles is of a different mind. You’ll have to listen to the first segment of this week’s program to hear his take, and my knock-out rebuttal (exaggerating for sport).

Charles and I would be interested in hearing whether you’re a cash, credit, or crypto kinda person, and why you make that choice. Contact me at ed@fallonforum.com.

Bottom line for me, I don’t want a big bank taking a cut out of my purchase. Case in point: I recently sold an audio version of my book, Marcher, Walker, Pilgrim, for $10 using Stripe and Payhip (alas, as far as I know, there’s no option to independently market an audiobook). Stripe, owned by billionaires John and Patrick Collison, and Payhip took a cut of over 10%, leaving Climate March, the book’s owner, with $8.91. Continue Reading →

SCOTUS ruling helps Trump be dictator beyond Day One

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Charles Goldman and I dig into recent rulings by the US Supreme Court. Of all the Court’s disturbing decisions, most troubling is the so-called “Chevron” case.

The long and short of it is the Chevron ruling gives a future president way more power than he currently has.

How much power? Well, is it a stretch to suggest that the ruling confers the power of an autocrat? Charles and I don’t think that’s an overstatement.

We also discuss the climate activists who spray-painted Stonehenge a lovely shade of orange. After a bit of haggling over whether orange was the right color choice, Charles and I wrestle with the question of how far is going too far in the fight to save us from the worsening climate crisis. Continue Reading →

The political fallout of Summit’s CO2 pipeline permit

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I discuss the ruling by the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) to approve Summit Carbon Solution’s CO2 pipeline. Many (most?) Iowans are livid at the IUB’s decision to grant a private, for-profit company the authority to condemn private land for a risky, questionable purpose.

But it’s not a done deal. The IUB ruling says Summit can’t begin to tear up Iowa fields and forests until it receives approval in South Dakota and North Dakota. It’s hard to know how those decisions will play out.

In Iowa, the controversy over CO2 pipelines had the potential to shake up the political landscape. But not any more.

Why? Because Democrats blew a golden opportunity to be the defenders of rural families under attack by corporate interests. I’ve written about this frequently in my blog and talk about it often on my radio show and podcast. Continue Reading →

Why the Right hopes Biden does well in the debate

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June 27, debate day, is the most important date in this election cycle. Second is Election Day. Third is August 9, when Democrats hold their national convention. 

Why is June 27 so important? Because it will determine the Democratic nominee for president.

“But wait!” says you. “It’s Joe Biden, Ed. We already know this.”

Nope. You can regale me with all kinds of verbal barbs if I’m wrong, but I would be shocked to learn that the Democratic Elite (i.e., the Party’s big-money donors and a handful of elected and ex-elected officials) want Biden to do well in the debate. The Elite can read the polls. They see where this is going, and they’re rightfully concerned that Biden will not beat Donald Trump.

Here’s what I think will happen on Thursday. Trump, of course, is likely to spew all manner of lies, mutter incoherently, maybe even make up a new word or two. But that won’t matter to his base or to commentators, whose expectations on Trump’s debate performance set the bar pretty low.

Pundits and commentators will, however, rate Biden’s performance somewhere between mediocre and a total bomb. Over the course of the next two months, the Party Elites will roll out Biden’s chosen successor. (Sorry, Kamala Harris, it’s not you. My prediction: Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.) Continue Reading →

Making progress on human rights

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Some say all politics is local. Maybe. But it’s also important that we know what’s going on in the rest of the world.

When it comes to getting a handle on global affairs, my go-to guest for the Fallon Forum is Jeffrey Weiss. Jeffrey’s a college prof, an activist, and a life-time student of international affairs.

Between wars, human rights abuses, genocide, famine, and the nuclear threat, there’s so much global strive that it’s sometimes hard to remain positive. But when you step back and look at the bigger picture, over time, we should feel encouraged.

Jeffrey makes some good points on the progress that’s been made on human rights. Sure, we’ve still got a long way to go, and some of the current abuses show the barbaric side of the human condition. Continue Reading →