The AI Art Robot Invasion Is Coming

Hide your pencils and paint brushes. The art robots will be here soon to replace you!

Robots have replaced factory workers. Robots are now roaming hospital halls.  Robots are writing articles. Robots are now bartenders, pharmacists, farmers, cashiers, and even an entire McDonald's in Phoenix is run by robots. And naturally, there is the coming robot army that will enslave us all.

But what about art? Will robots ever create art? 

Art I made "using" the iPhone app Prisma. The first shot

on the top left is from my photo. I did the face painting too. 

The rest in the series is all Prisma.

The short answer is, yes. And I'm not just saying this to make a fuss and kick dirt in anyone's face. I am an artist myself. I went to an art high school and an art college. The gut reaction behind anything we humans do with our brains and hands is to state, with confidence, that a robot will never be able to generate what we can. It feels right to say that we are entirely unique. We are special. We can't be imitated. 

The truth is a bit harder to swallow. First off, robots are humanity's creations. Like the HAL 9000 in Kubrick's 2001 A Space Odyssey they are an extension of us. As we figure out the mechanics of the universe more and more, often using mathematical algorithms to do just about anything, the computers and the software that runs on them work better and better.

In simple terms, an algorithm is a self-contained set of step-by-step instructions to be performed for a specific task. The math, programming, and junk can get awfully complicated. Once quantum computers become common it will progress even faster than they already are. 

"Bonnie and Corinne" by robot cloudPainter
from George Washington University.

The bottom line is that art is not immune to the coming robot takeover. As an artist myself I never much liked the highbrow snooty air of superiority that revolves around the profession. Sure, artists are cool. We're quirky. We make oddball life choices and spend years honing our skills. We're just people though, and what we do is not terribly complicated when you examine it like any other task humans perform. We would like to think it's special. 

So as the computers get better doing what they do,  all of what humanity does will eventually be imitated by the robot machines we make. And eventually the imitations will become indistinguishable from work done by a human's hand. If you don't think it's coming, I'd like to point to the naysayers who said film would never be replaced by digital. Kodak is gone. Digital cameras started out as entirely lacking the warm chaos of film.
We are now at a point where you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference between film an digital. And you can accomplish this now with off-the-shelf cameras sold at Target and Best Buy.

And you'll always have people trying to define what is and is not art. Those are my least favorite

Google's AI neural networks created these images

and is blowing minds as it goes. This is just the start too. 

AI robot art is in its infancy. Imagine where it'll be 

in 30 years time?

kinds of people—self-appointed gatekeepers who try to narrow the spectrum of what is and is not allowed in the world. All the while, technology and creative people chug along, churning out new and innovative creations. 

If you are an artist, you can rest easy for now. But changes in technology happen fast, so I'd suggest embracing the future rather than fighting it. One day soon you might have a robot artist apprentice who might be able to churn out art done by imitating your unique style.

Try and imagine drawing from a photo or a live image and using a special pen that communicates your style to a computer. Now that computer has learned your style, perhaps, and can imitate it with new photos. If silly old me can conceptualize this, you can be sure there are already great minds at work on this somewhere. 

Creativity will always be relevant. Don't worry about that. We're not about to become the Eloi yet. 

Computer or robot-generated art will likely become much more common as time goes on—the same way photography has become entirely common because of cell phones. Professional photographers are still around. For the moment. :)

But rather than it just being you who can take pictures, paint, or draw really well, there might also be a robot who can create art. Maybe rich artists will be the first to own them. Or maybe it will just start slowly and innocuously like with the Prisma app that filters photos into lo-grade art styles. Apps get updated. They get better. And soon they are churning out high-quality results. 

This soon-to-be-available art robot might be something you can pick up at Target, like the kitchen mopping robot pictured above. You can buy this mopping robot right now. A robot that mops your floor. 

Keep your skills honed and sharp. You might one day be teaching not just your kids how to draw, but your phone too. Still not convinced? Here are a few articles to set you straight.

Google’s Artificial Brain Is Pumping Out Trippy—And Pricey—Art

Humanoid Robots Are Getting Really Good at Making Art

15 incredible pieces of art created by robots

Robot Art Raises Questions about Human Creativity

Meet the Artistic Robot That Will Paint Your Portrait Using Oils and Brush Like an Old Master

Artificial intelligence writes ‘perfect’ horror script, seeks crowdfunding

Soon We Won’t Program Computers. We’ll Train Them Like Dogs

Searching for the Algorithms Underlying Life

How algorithms rule the world

The algorithm that runs the world

7 awesome ways quantum computers will change the world

Below is some art I did from a selfie and a few apps. What is possible with a few clicks is mind boggling.

Progression using a selfie photo, the Prisma art app, Google's online 

Deep Dream Generator, some back and forth between the two.

More back and forth, Photoshop, and Lightroom.

Close up

Final Abstract art from selfie.

My Favorite Melancholy Films

Herein follows a list of some of my favorite melancholy films. The list is by no means exhaustive, or all inclusive, nor does it contain every favorite melancholy film of mine. This is a first blush list off the top of my head. 

The reason I enjoy watching these films is because, paradoxically, they make me feel good. Although I love many types of films, realism and character-driven stories are my first true love. Honest, well-developed plots and characters should attempt to explore all emotional aspects. No one is devoid of conflict and melancholy.

I'm starting with my absolute favorites and working my way from there. 

Never Cry Wolf 

This is my favorite film of all time. The film follows a biologist into the wild as he searches for a link between the decline of the caribou population, with wolves being the expected culprit. The film is slow. The photography is fantastic. The music is amazing. And the protagonist winds up being very introspective, learning more about himself than he does about the world around him. A masterpiece. 

Winter Passing

Another favorite of mine. The film follows the troubled female protagonist, Reese Holdin, back home as she considers collecting her famous writer parents' love letters and selling them to a publisher for 100K. Upon returning home she finds her father living in a ramshackle shed after her mother's suicide, with two troubled younger caretakers living in her childhood home. The film has echoes of J. D. Salinger and Catcher in the Rye, with names like Holdin, a troubled protagonist coming home, nervous breakdowns, and suicide. It even had a few primary color choices here an there that help set the mood on film. An overlooked masterpiece. 

The Big Chill

Lawrence Kasdan's masterpiece is about a group of 30-something friends coming together after a friend's suicide. I've loved this film since I saw it as a kid in the 1980s. Eventually, I lost my best friend from childhood to suicide, adding another poignant layer to this film. I never tire of this film and I am always down to watch it again. 

Inside Llewyn Davis

After decades of fantastic filmmaking, the Coen brothers manage to top themselves fantastically with this nod to folk music. The film has a slightly surreal looping feel and explores being an artist without any marked monetary success, recognition, or direction. Suicide is also a theme in this film as Llewyn Davis's musician partner has killed himself before the events of the film take place. This aspect of the film mirrors The Big Chill. Great writing, photography, acting, and music make this film a contemporary classic. 

Interiors

Woody Allen's homage to Ingmar Bergman is a bleak and lonely film. The film revolves around three adult sisters after their father decides to leave their troubled mother. The film is slow. The dialogue feels very real. And the film ends on a very downbeat note. I love it! 

Husband's and Wives

Woody Allen himself has mentioned Husband's and Wives as one of his own personal favorites. I agree. The film follows four middle-aged friends after one couple decides to separate. The film is an entirely honest and unflinching deconstruction of what it can mean to be married. Infidelity, loneliness, isolation, fantasies, arguments, and reconciliation are all peppered throughly throughout this fantastic film. 

Crimes and Misdemeanors

Another great Woody Allen film follows a group of people marred by disfunction, loneliness, murder, suicide, infidelity, and generally depressing malaise. One of Allen's best. Woody Allen has many more great films that could easily be added to my list. I'll stop here though. 

The Royal Tenenbaums

All of Wes Anderson's films are great. He's yet to make a bad film. The Royal Tenenbaums, for my money, is his best. The funny/sad film follows a dysfunctional family where three middle-aged children return home after their father fakes his impending death to try and make up for a troubled past. The opening five minutes of the film are better than most directors' entire catalogue of films. Wes Anderson is the greatest American filmmaker alive and never shies away from depression, drugs, suicide, death, infidelity, sexual disfunction, and the overall conflicts that he uses to make some of the greatest films I've ever seen. Perfect writing, photography, acting, songs, and mise-en-scène are always present. 

Wonder Boys

Based of the Michael Chabon novel of the same name, Wonder Boys centers around a group of writers during a weekend writing festival at a university in Pittsburg, PA. Writer's block, sexual confusion, suicide, infidelity, theft, divorce, and a dead dog weave throughout this wonderfully comedic film. A personal all-time favorite of mine. 

Being There

Being There follows a simple-minded older man, Chance, who is thrust out into the world after living as the isolated gardener of an older, wealthy man. It's implied that he was possibly the wealthy man's illegitimate child. As the film unfolds, Chance wanders aimlessly and manages to avoid desolation by finding his way into the good graces of a wealthy dying banker and his wife. The film explores how chance and luck are often behind the directions our live's take. The protagonist's willingness to accept what comes his way without question is also behind his good fortune. Despite the good luck of the main character, the film still has an overall melancholy feel that deals with death, adult sexual needs, and the randomness of life. 

Kafka

A largely unknown film explores the writing of Franz Kafka. A mysterious castle, bureaucracy, terrorism, loneliness, writing, and science punctuate this exploration into the human condition. 

The Double

A recent favorite. This film is an adaptation of the Dostoevsky novel of the same name. The film revolves around an introvert protagonist with a bleak existence. He comes to meet his doppelgänger who possesses all the traits he wishes he had. Introversion, suicide, loneliness, isolation, unrequited love, and the directionless trail life often takes are all explored in this wonderfully sorrowful film. :)

Smart People

This film revolves around a dysfunctional literature professor who is coming to terms with the death of his wife. His intelligent college-aged kids, burned-out adopted brother, and a lonely female doctor all help to bring this small unknown film together. Death, incest, dysfunction, drugs, loneliness, and intelligence with no wisdom pepper this film and make it a hidden melancholy gem. 

Crumb

A documentary that explores the dysfunctional life of the famous cartoonist, H. R. Crumb, his family, and his art. Beyond my simple description, you should just go see this fantastic film right away.

Little Miss Sunshine

A very funny film that follows a family while they attempt to bring their awkward daughter to a beauty pageant. Suicide, nihilism, divorce, bankruptcy, sexual disfunction, infidelity, jealousy, nervous breakdowns, and financial insecurity are just a few of the themes that weave through this wonderfully bleak film that uses comedy brilliantly to soften the subject matter. 

Ghost World

Ghost World follows two aimless female high school graduates as they come to terms with social and societal pressures to conform. 

American Splendor

The film follows the bleak day-to-day existence of the real-life cartoonist, Harvey Pekar. A lost voice, loneliness, dysfunctional people, cancer, creative problems, and financial issues all work well together in this wonderful film. 

Thanks for reading.

—A

Take the Red Pill: The Sony NW-ZX2 High-Resolution Walkman

The SONY NW-ZX2 High-Resolution Walkman recently woke me from a coma. One I did not realize I was in. The ubiquity of music today had clouded my experience of it. I had become dulled by it all. Despite possessing almost my entire music collection in my pocket on my iPhone, I had slowly lost my passion for it without even realizing it.

On a whim at my local Best Buy, I was tempted to buy the SONY NW-ZX2. At $1,200 it is not a drop in the bucket. I did pause to consider if I truly wanted/needed it. But I figured that all my dicking around to save money with that Cartwheel coupon app at Target each week needs to pay off for something, right? Also, deep down, I felt like Neo in The Matrix, just knowing, sensing, feeling, that something has been absent or missing inside of me.

My hunch was right. Something was missing.

After pairing the high-end ZX2 Walkman with a pair of $300 Sony MDR1A Premium Hi-Res Stereo Headphones, (these are actually low-end as far as premium headphones go) and putting a few Apple Lossless CD rips and FLAC files on the ZX2, I felt like Morpheus had just given me the red pill. My dulled old-man ears woke up. The ZX2 exploded old favorite albums anew into my head and helped to clear the wax from my ears. Everything I played sounded better. Even standard MP3 rips.

The unit is surely not for everyone. It’s not as easy or convenient to get music onto as your iPhone is. I need to re-rip old CDs in Apple Lossless and then copy album folders over to the Walkman one-by-one. This slow process has me carefully recalling what I always loved to listen to. Old soundtracks such as A Clockwork Orange, and Passion by Peter Gabriel, or the work of classic techno musicians such as Aphex Twin, B12, Kruder & Dorfmeister, all sprang back to life for me. Led Zepplin erupted like I’ve never heard them before. Bjork, Thievery Corporation, Radiohead, Meat Beat Manifesto, The Smiths, Depeche Mode, 10,000 Maniacs, Charles Mingus, The Police, and Cat Stevens are just some of the artists whose work I’ve loaded on the ZX2 and listened to with amazement so far. Nothing I’ve played has disappointed me yet.

As the days went on, I unpacked my CD collection. I rarely even look at it anymore. Everything has been ripped to mp3s, (mostly 192kbps) a long time ago. Suddenly I was revisiting my CDs again, carefully scrutinizing what to re-rip into the Apple Lossless file format and what to add to the new 128GB high-end pocket powerhouse. The ZX2 can be expanded with a micro SD card.

The ZX2 is built like a brick shithouse. It’s has a heavy, thick, solid aluminum construction. The headphone jack exits at the bottom from a dime-sized, solid brass outlet. Many fine audio components are housed inside that are absent or severely reduced in today’s cell phones. Also, many audio formats can be played on the ZX2. AAC (Non-DRM), AIFF, ALAC, DSD, FLAC, HE-AAC, Linear PCM, MP3, WMA (Non-DRM) can all be loaded with no problem, playing nicely together. Online reviews I’ve read said that the ZX2 requires a burn-in period of between 100 to 200 hours before the fine capacitors inside begin to shine and produce the best quality sound. That blows my mind, as I’ve probably only listened for about 15 to 20 hours so far and I’m already amazed.

The Walkman has a nice touchscreen and uses an older Android Lollipop OS. Apps can be loaded onto the machine as well. With the built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, you can even browse the web and stream music from online sources. Little of this matters to me as I already have my cell phone for all that. It’s the quality of the music that is important here, and from what I’ve heard so far, I’m giving it the highest praise.

Here are a few links for the technical details and some more in-depth technical reviews.

ZX2 High-Resolution Walkman®

ZX2 HIGH-RESOLUTION WALKMAN® Product Specifications

Sony’s NW-ZX2 Hi-Res Walkman – ‘Cuz You’re Not a Teenager Any More

Sony Walkman NW-ZX2 Music Player

The bottom line here is that if you feel you want to revisit the music you love and experience it anew, then this is the unit for you. The price, for sure, is a big-ass camel hump. We all have our priorities that we blow money on, and we find reasons to justify doing it, too. This one is mine, and I’m glad I took the red pill.

Braxton Woods Mystique Official Release

After years of hard work and anticipation, it is finally the release date of my first published work of fiction, Braxton Woods Mystique.

Thanks to my agent from Trident Media Group, Mark Gottlieb.

Thanks to my publisher from Ravenswood, Kitty Honeycutt.

Thanks to my editor, Mary Harris.

Thanks to my cover artist, Robyn Diaz.

Thanks to my wife, Kathy Furgang, and our two sons.

I'm eternally grateful to all of you.

RUN TOWARD WHAT SCARES YOU… After losing everything in a fire, Leo and his mom move into an unfinished development far off in the middle of Braxton Woods. As summer vacation begins, Leo and his new friends set out to explore the land behind their homes. They are alarmed to find sinkholes, horrific creatures, electrical disturbances, and even a buried carnival from long ago. Despite their growing fears, they are drawn toward solving the extraordinary mystery. Little do they know they are about to unearth a sinister force and discover a dark, forgotten secret from the town’s past. Ultimately, they must overcome the willies, heebie-jeebies, creeps, shakes, and shivers as they chose danger over a far greater threat—a dull summer.

Paperback

Kindle

Kickstarter: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

On December 26, 2013 the Kung Fury Kickstarter project launched. The campaign and trailer depicted a cheesy, pseudo-80s cop film. At some point after the launch I pledged for the project and hoped for the best.

The reward I pledged was: "Amount pledged $30.00 USD Reward Region-free Blu-Ray of Kung Fury, with extra features, behind the scenes featurettes and directors commentary. Estimated delivery Nov 2014."

Fast forward to today—Monday, April 4, 2016 and I have still yet to receive my region-free blu-ray of Kung Fury. I did, just now, finally, get the oddball address request that comes at the end of every Kickstarter campaign before they get ready to ship you your reward. Imagine ordering something from Amazon and every time, just before they ship, you need to give your address, again, and fill out these oddball forms. I'm not going to feign complete and total ignorance to the Kickstarter process. They likely collect this information because many campaigns take so long that it's easily likely that you may have moved, or even died, before getting what you plopped down some money for.

If business was easy, everyone would do it.

There is a real and concrete reason I never went into business. It's a huge pain in the ass. I think it's great that very wide-eyed, optimistic people jump in head-first to create things that corporate America could not be bothered with. Kickstarter has produced a lot of awesome things over the years and many campaigns I've been involved in go exactly as planned. That's the good.

The bad is when it takes longer than estimated. A few months is entirely understandable. People who have never run a business from their living room don't realize what a hassle it will be to pack and ship everything to the hundreds or thousands of us who eagerly gave over some money for fancy dice, or a cheesy film, or a wacky board game. A delay is fine. We already knew we'd be waiting months.

No matter what goes down, I never complain to those who are running the Kickstarter projects. I know from experience in life that complaining rarely changes anything. Sometimes complaining can even make things worse. It may seem like I'm complaining now, but I'm not. I'm just exposing and explaining what is going on with some of these Kickstarter campaigns. Many people do complain. It can get crazy sometimes. This is the ugly. Sometimes projects never ship and the entire thing goes bust. I've never had the privilege, yet, of losing the money I gave and getting zero in return. I know that this does happen though. I'm sure it sucks.

Now, with the Kung Fury Kickstarter campaign, I pledged for and wanted a blu ray of a film that would not be available anywhere else. When it wound up on iTunes, Netflix, and even on freaking-focking YouTube well over a year ago, I got a little annoyed. Had I suspected I could have watched this film on Netflix without pledging a dime I'd never have engaged in this campaign. I'm sure there are all these fancy smoke and mirrors details that the creators could explain if I cared to inquire. Maybe they made zero money from the iTunes and Netflix distribution. Maybe. I still don't have my blu ray. Even though I have been given a digital copy of the film and can watch it on Netflix at any point, I still refuse to do so. I wanted the blu ray of the film that I backed because it would be a unique thing to have. I never figured any schmuck with Netflix would be able to see the film before I got my blu ray. So yes, I'm a bit miffed. My panties are in a bunch. My feathers are ruffled.

I don't want this to be a Kickstarter bash. I have pledged money to some fantastic Kickstarter campaigns. All the Dwarven Forge RPG terrain campaigns have been completely amazing. Well worth the money. That's because the people running the Dwarven Forge campaigns are already in business. They know what they are doing.
All their campaigns have been great. And they make a great product and offer great rewards.

A friend of mine made wonderful typography book, A-holes: A Type Book. He kept his campaign small and he stuck to what he knew. The campaign was great and the unique book was delivered as promised and on time. These are the GOOD campaigns. The ones that pan out as expected with little to no wait time beyond what was explained up front.

The Doublesix Dice I pledged for were a full year late and countless updates kept coming in with an endless litany of explanations and excuses. The Doublesix Dice did eventually arrive, although the guy running the campaign seemed incredibly flustered by the end.

Kung Fury, though, definitely takes the cake with longest overdue item. It's been so long I no longer care. I've changed. I'm not even the same person any more. It's 2016 now. I hope when I finally get the blu ray in the mail that it works on one of my blu ray players. I hope I can bring myself to get back to where my mind was in 2013 when I pledged some money for this film. We'll see.

So the bottom line with Kickstarter is that you need to kiss your money and expectations goodbye when you pledge. Think of it as a donation. And if you do ever get what was promised, remember that many people running campaigns were educated in a trial-by-fire manufacturing, learn-as-you-go, pseudo-business college. That's also what you funded.

Some people graduate from Kickstarter University with a 4.0 GPA, and some graduate with 2.0 GPA.

Some don't graduate at all.

Zero point zero.