Gary Conkling Life Notes

Gary Conkling started writing stories as a child, which he published on his own hand-cranked printing press. Little did he know digital technology would make it possible to repeat the task as an adult by publishing his own blog. He is a journalist by trade who has worked in the trenches of public affairs at the federal, state, regional and local levels. But he also is observer of life occurring around him. This blog is devoted to those reflections, coupled with some of his best, most personal professional blogs. Please follow the word crumbs of my life.

[garyconkling]

You Have Blind Spots That You Need to Manage

Magician Counsels Conscious Choices of What You ‘See’ Keelan Leyser is a professional magician and a discerning observer of human blind spots, which he says we all possess. “The techniques and principles used to create illusions and manipulate perception illustrate the speed and ease with which the most observant and intelligent spectators can be deceived,” Leyser says. His observations don’t…

You Have Blind Spots That You Need to Manage

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Have Rogue AI Agents Achieved Consciousness?

Maybe Not, But AI Creators Eagerly Trying to Prevent It Rapid evolution of AI models has elevated concern inside and outside of Silicon Valley that agents could escape human oversight or resist shutdown. Loss of control has become a potential nightmare, not just science fiction. Part Two of a Two-Part Series on AI The response by AI creators so far ranges includes installing guardrails,…

Have Rogue AI Agents Achieved Consciousness?

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Combatting Deep Division By Playing a Game

Tango Trivia May Reveal How We Can Play Together Again Image by Niles Singer/Harvard Staff Photographer Political animus in America has deepened, but creators of an online trivia game believe it can ease animosity by working together to find answers. Data suggests they may be on to something. Tango intentionally pairs people with opposite political views, then challenges them to collaborate on…

Combatting Deep Division By Playing a Game

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Roberts Court Has Earned Its ‘Corporatist’ Label

Pro-Business Bent Dates to Justice Powell’s Memo and Tenure Conventional descriptions of the U.S. Supreme Court divide it between conservatives and liberals. A better description of the Roberts court would be relentlessly “corporatist.” Critics, legal scholars and advocacy groups say the high court under Chief Justice John Roberts is decidedly “corporatist.” Unsurprisingly, the U.S. Chamber of…

Roberts Court Has Earned Its ‘Corporatist’ Label

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Philosophers Move Beyond Proverbial Coffee Bar

Deep Thinkers Play Key Role in Analyzing AI Moral Issues Philosophy majors face head-shaking, brow-furrowing disapproval for wasting a fortune on a discipline with no discernible future. That’s how my parents greeted my news that philosophy would be my college minor. Now it appears a commercial calling for deep-thinking, overly caffeinated philosophers has emerged to ponder and address the very…

Philosophers Move Beyond Proverbial Coffee Bar

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America’s Ayatollah of Christian Nationalism

No Abortion, Same-Sex Marriage or Women’s Suffrage For many Americans, Christian nationalism is an abstract concept. For parishioners in Pastor Doug Wilson’s Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, it’s very specific. Wilson, a self-identified Christian nationalist, gave an interview on NPR where he described his vision of America as a Christian nation. The following are excerpts from the interview on…

America’s Ayatollah of Christian Nationalism

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Windows Give Us So Much More Than Light

Invention of Windows Provided a View into Our Imaginations  I enjoy looking out my home office window to see our backyard garden, a nearby meadow and a squirrel acrobatically navigating tree branches and our fence top. One day I saw a young buck meander through the meadow and I fancied he looked up and saw me staring at him. The moment strangely made me wonder what people did before windows…

Windows Give Us So Much More Than Light

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Medical Advances and Medically Assisted Suicide

End-of-Life Decisions, Rising Costs, AI and Death Doulas Public attitudes remain mixed on medically assisted suicide, as the debate approaches an intersection with emerging medical treatments and skyrocketing healthcare costs. Thirteen states, including Oregon and Washington, have legalized medically assisted suicide for terminally ill patients. The practice continues to be opposed by medical…

Medical Advances and Medically Assisted Suicide

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Not-So-Secret Goal of Trump Religious Commission 

Creating Exceptions to Separation of Church and State The first phrase of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Contextually, James Madison, the author of the Bill of Rights, was a fierce defender of religious freedom. “Conscience is the most sacred of property,” Madison…

Not-So-Secret Goal of Trump Religious Commission 

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Novel Suggestion to Fund New Road Projects

Former Lawmaker Urges Separate Entity from ODOT Public affairs advocate and former lawmaker Rick Metsger has waded into the deep end of the pool by suggesting a bold idea for funding major transportation projects in Oregon: Create a new state agency. Before rolling your eyes, hear him out. To avoid stalemate and voter frustration, Metsger recommends creating “an entirely new, stand-alone state…

Novel Suggestion to Fund New Road Projects

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Employing a 'Money Quote' to Sell Your Message

A Pithy Phrase That Packs an Unmistakably Clear Message When you seek media coverage, embrace the “money quote” to make your main point unmistakably obvious and clear so you get quoted. It is a key message on steroids. The money quote is a short phrase that sums up your message clearly and unmistakably. Well-done money quotes make their way into the first paragraph of news stories. They are…

Employing a 'Money Quote' to Sell Your Message

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Emoji Meanings Clash Across User Age Groups

Thumbs-Up Emoji Causes Intergenerational Misinterpretation Words can be misinterpreted, but nothing compared to radically different interpretations of the same emojis. Older adults may employ emojis to appear cool. However, what they think is cool could mean something very different to younger people, who view themselves as the curators of cool.  Illustration by Katie Currie Media The best…

Emoji Meanings Clash Across User Age Groups

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Anti-Immigration Hurts, Not Helps U.S. Economy

Trump’s Reasons for His Immigration Crackdown Strike Out Donald Trump justified his immigration crackdown as a way to open up jobs for Americans, raise wages and bring down the national deficit. He is batting 0 for 3. Strike One. A Brookings Institution study reports the immigration crackdown has led to the loss of 300,000 jobs held by American workers while creating serious workforce…

Anti-Immigration Hurts, Not Helps U.S. Economy

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My Belated Bow to Director James Burrows

His >1,000 Sitcom Episodes Made Us Laugh, Think and Change A belated but much deserved thank you goes to James Burrows, revered as the Steven Spielberg of TV sitcoms for directing shows like Cheers, Friends and Taxi. He died last week at 85. For decades, I praised the actors in my favorite sitcoms without bothering to acknowledge or thank the director. Luckily, Burrows was self-motivated to…

My Belated Bow to Director James Burrows

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LLMs Emerge as New Target for Earned Media

LLMs Feed Wide Audiences But Can’t Replace Human Touch In the age of artificial intelligence, earned media has a new target. Instead of driving traffic to websites, press releases must gain the attention of Large Language Models (LLMs). To understand this evolution, I turned to LLMs to explain their newfound centrality. Here’s what I learned from the PR sources it cited: From the LLM…

LLMs Emerge as New Target for Earned Media

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America's Democracy Will Be on the Ballot in 2028

Repairing Trump-Caused Damage Is a Bipartisan Project Following the Project 2025 script, President Trump has embarked on a mission to expand the powers of the chief executive – and glorify himself. He regularly has exceeded his authority, trampled on traditions and lashed out at anyone who questions him. Trump’s presidential excesses put the burden on voters in future elections to demand a…

America's Democracy Will Be on the Ballot in 2028

[garyconkling]

Spielberg’s Imagination Beguiles Our Fascination

His Empathetic View of Aliens Conveys Human Optimism Steven Spielberg’s latest movie Disclosure Day resurrects the fantasies and fears of alien life. Spielberg admits he believes life exists out there, just like a majority of Americans. Life out there could mean a lot of things, while we’re still discovering living things on earth. But the specific thing out there may be less important than…

Spielberg’s Imagination Beguiles Our Fascination