AI in San Diego...

Many mornings on my commute (usually around 5:00 or 5:30 am), I listen to Chip Franklin, a local talk show host on KOGO (AM 600). Mostly it's lightweight debate and discussion on the political or other issues of the day. Every week or so, though, he has a particularly fascinating segment called AI – “Arrested Intelligence”. In these segments, Chip walks around on the streets of San Diego, randomly stopping people to ask them a question. Their edited answers (chosen, of course, to be the most shocking or entertaining) end up in his segment.

And I am shocked. Repeatedly. Shocked that he can find more than one or two people who don't have a sensible answer for his ridiculously easy questions. He has dozens of them, on each and every AI segment that I've heard. My fundamental reaction to hearing one of his AI segments is to wonder whether we can prevent these ... specimens ... from contributing to the gene pool. Or maybe we could “donate” them to the radical Islamists. Sheesh!

You can listen to all the AI segments from this web site. Here are some examples of the questions he's asked:

• Should we give citizenship to New Mexicans?
• What is FEMA?
• How many days are there in the 12 days of Christmas?
• Can you spell February?
• What do you know about Thanksgiving?

Listen to a few yourself, and leave your impression in the comments...