Chatting with ChatGPT

Monday, May 22^nd, 2023 – Safeway

The start of a new week and it appears that spring has again receded. Janet layered up again, but Chuck braved the elements. Okay, it was only 49°F (9.4°C), but still. It was a mundane walk with the usual amount of trash.

We did find a tool.

Yes, it’s only a bungee cord, you say, but the TrashWalking judges long ago ruled that bungee cords are tools. And unlike most bungee cords we find, the judges are not very flexible.

We came across a couple pieces of hardware.

The item on the left was easy to identify. It is a Swagman XC Series Wheel Hoop, Knob & Bolt worth eighteen dollars. The other piece of hardware was found within a block, but we could not identify it. If you identify it, it’s yours. Gratis. Except shipping and handling, of course, which can be excessive, depending on our mood.

Then, there was this piece of litter.

Really, in this day and age of health-conscience people, you name an ice cream product Fat Boy? Well, you need to give them credit for being honest.

Okay, Chuck is still trying to help Janet’s tossing ability, this time a ball.

Perhaps we need a new coach.

Tuesday, May 23^rd, 2023 – Park-and-Ride

It was a beautiful morning for a walk and the traffic was light. No roadkill, but we did find some money.

Near the apartments on 112th Ave NE, fourteen cents in the street gutter. Then later at the freeway bus stop, another nickel for our coffers.

Also, a couple of tools.

Another 10 mm Socket, the most commonly-lost socket in the world, and another combination paint can-beer bottle opener. In our opinion if you are going to paint, you need beer.

At the park-and-ride.

Your guess is as good as ours.

Also at the park-and-ride, a surfboard towel.

We have some friends who are leaving today for a week in Hawaii. We texted them to take this with them so they would look cool and not like tourists. They never texted back. They must have been in flight and out of communications.

Wednesday, May 24^th, 2023 – Safeway and 100th Ave NE

Today was an almost perfect day for a walk, except we did remove roadkill from the road – a rabbit, a crow, and a cat.

Okay, the cat was a toy that we tossed back over the fence at the KinderCare, and no, we will not count it in our roadkill tally, but it is tempting. We’ve only encountered two roadkill cats in the last seven years of keeping count.

We did find some money today.

Two pennies and a quarter at a service station and another penny at a bus stop. A nice bit of change for a change.

We also found seven balls today including this one.

An eyeball ping pong ball. We were not sure about playing ping pong with an eyeball, so, we decided to ask ChatGPT “Can you play ping pong with an eyeball?” Its answer”

“No, it is not possible to play ping pong with an eyeball. Ping pong is a sport that typically involves using small paddles to hit a lightweight ball back and forth across a table. The ball is specifically designed for the sport and requires certain physical properties, such as bounce and weight distribution, to ensure fair and consistent gameplay. An eyeball does not possess these properties and is not suitable for playing ping pong. Additionally, using an eyeball for such a purpose would be unethical and potentially harmful.”

Such a spoilsport. But what is that about the “potentially harmful?” If the eyeball is already in your possession, playing ping pong with isn’t going to bother the donor. So, we engaged in a conversation.

Us: Why is it potentially harmful?

ChatGPT:

“Using an eyeball for playing ping pong would be potentially harmful for several reasons:

1. Health and Safety: The human eye is a delicate and sensitive organ. Any kind of impact, especially forceful ones like those experienced in ping pong, can lead to serious eye injuries, such as corneal abrasions, ruptures, or detached retinas. These injuries can result in vision loss or other long-term complications.

2. Infection and Contamination: The eyeball is highly susceptible to infection and contamination. Ping pong involves hitting a ball with a paddle, and the ball can come into contact with various surfaces during gameplay. Using an eyeball directly in this context could introduce harmful bacteria, viruses, or foreign objects into the eye, potentially leading to severe infections or other complications.

3. Ethical Considerations: Using a human body part for a recreational activity, especially without consent, raises significant ethical concerns. It is important to respect the human body and treat it with dignity.

In summary, playing ping pong with an eyeball is not only physically dangerous but also ethically inappropriate. It is essential to prioritize safety, health, and ethical considerations when engaging in any activity.”

Us: But if it is already removed from the donor, what is the problem?

ChatGPT:

“Even if an eyeball has been removed from a donor, it is still not suitable or safe to use it for playing ping pong. Here’s why:

1. Biological Compatibility: The human body is a complex organism, and using an eyeball that has been removed from its original biological context can present compatibility issues. The eye relies on a complex network of nerves, blood vessels, and other structures to function properly. Once removed, the eye undergoes changes and loses its ability to maintain normal physiological conditions, making it unsuitable for use in an activity like ping pong.

2. Risk of Infection and Contamination: Even after removal, the eyeball can still harbor harmful bacteria, viruses, or other contaminants. Introducing these contaminants into the environment during gameplay can pose health risks to participants and spectators.

3. Ethical Considerations: The ethical concerns mentioned earlier still apply. Using a human body part for recreational purposes without proper consent or ethical justification raises ethical questions and can be seen as disrespectful to the human body.

In conclusion, even if an eyeball is removed from a donor, it is not appropriate or safe to use it for playing ping pong. It is important to prioritize safety, health, and ethical considerations in any recreational activity.

Arguing with ChatGPT appears to be futile. But we couldn’t help ourselves.

Us: What is a name for someone who will not lose and argument by changing the goal?

ChatGPT:

“A term that is commonly used to describe someone who refuses to lose an argument by changing the goalposts or shifting the criteria is “goalpost mover” or “moving the goalposts.” This term implies that the person is constantly changing the standards or criteria of the argument to suit their position or to avoid conceding defeat. It suggests that they are not engaging in a fair or logical discussion but rather employing a manipulative tactic to avoid being proven wrong.”

Us: Are you a goalpost mover?

“As an AI language model, I don’t have personal beliefs, intentions, or the ability to engage in argumentation with the purpose of winning or losing. My goal is to provide helpful and accurate information, answer questions to the best of my abilities, and assist users in various tasks. I don’t engage in tactics such as moving the goalposts or manipulating arguments. I strive to be objective and provide information based on the input provided to me.”

Yeah, well it sounds like a goalpost mover to us.

At the KinderCare, we picked up several toys including five balls and tossed then back over the fence. But we also found this.

Three unopened cheese sticks and part of a board game called “Bullies, Victims & Bystanders.” Isn’t five years old a bit young to be teaching this? How about their ABCs, counting, etc. Anyway, we are guessing that a bully grabbed another kid’s cheese sticks and tossed them over the fence. Then when the kid started crying, he tore the gameboard up and tossed it over the fence too. We didn’t find the crying kid on this side of the fence.

Thursday, May 25^th, 2023 – 160th to 124th Street

Today was another nice day with no roadkill and money.

First Chuck found a penny in the gutter. Not to be outdone, Janet found a quarter in the dirt by the sidewalk. When it comes to money, Janet is the overachiever.

And possibly an overachiever with lug nuts too.

She found four lug nuts under a bush by the sidewalk.

Okay, but Chuck found a tool.

It didn’t take long to identify it as one of seven of a caulk spatula kit. Fifty bucks for seven, so this one is worth like six or seven bucks. So, what is a caulk spatula used for? Smoothing caulking, of course. Here is a how-to video.

So where can one find a spatula? Are you ready for this?

Friday, May 26^th, 2023 – 100th Ave NE

The weather today was much the same, and we are not complaining. We had a heyday in terms of both road kills and money. We removed two rabbits and a crow from the roads but found significant money.

At Janet’s favorite drive-through, she found one dollar and fourteen cents. The dollar was a “Sacagawea Dollar” coin. Across the street, Chuck picked up a quarter and a dime dodging traffic while Janet was excavating in a closed drive-through. Then, we separately found another two dimes and a penny. Okay, don’t laugh. One dollar-and-sixty-five cents is significant to us.

Someone had his socks knocked off.

Hope it was worth it.

This is making seeing trash more difficult.

No, it’s not snow, it’s the Cottonwood trees spreading their fluffy seeds. It’s like an annual Cottonwood orgy.

Outside the KinderCare we tossed a few toys back over the fence.

The first was a triangle, but it was square. Explain that to the kids. Then a donut pillow about eight inches across. It’s like one of those hemorrhoid or post-natal pregnancy pillows but for kids.

It looks like the city is getting ready to do more roadwork on 100^th Ave NE.

The elevation here is 205.94 feet, at least we assume it’s feet. It’s certainly not inches or miles. Or maybe they are only marking the road to let us know how high we climb during our walks.

Remnants of another shattered car.

Hope the owner wasn’t too fond o’ the Honda. We picked up the big pieces, but it will take a few more Fridays to clean this up.

Speaking of Friday, it’s time to check out the accumulation in Chuck’s vest pocket.

Strangely, since we started collecting the Pokémon cards, we have not found any. In fact, we found no cards of any kind this week. We did find one Bible Buck. Can we buy some manna with it? One-hundred dollars of Monopoly money. That will let us stay at Vermont Avenue, but that’s it.

An Amtrak ticket. It indicates David traveled from Tacoma to Portland on May 18^th and back on May 22^nd. Somehow, he got to Bothell to get rid of the ticket. The ticket states to retain during trip, it doesn’t say to toss out the window after the trip.

A small bottle of Sunrider sunbreeze essential oil. So, just what is an essential oil? We found this article that explains that they are plant extracts used primarily in aromatherapy. Wait, What? $59 bucks on Amazon for 0.17 fluid ounces. That’s about eleven-thousand dollars a quart. Woof! Next is a bottle of Rohto Cool Relief eye drops, a mere $500 per quart.

Two small magnetic license plates that may be part of a license plate travel game and a small monster or alien head.

It could be part of an alien invasion that has travelled an untold number of lightyears with hundreds of space battle cruisers to invade the earth and enslave mankind. However, due to a slight error in scale the entire fleet was destroyed by colliding with the front bumper of 1998 Ford F-150 pickup truck. On the other hand, the truck felt nothing. Or it could just be a broken head from a toy.

A beat-up pencil and a dried-up paint brush. Both tossed. Then there’s the key that we believe is the key to all the knowledge in the universe and is what the aliens were probably after. The problem is, we don’t know where the lock is.

A couple of unused Velcro pads that are of no use to us so will continue to be unused.

The note states, “Thank you Jemal for helping me today. I appreciate it. En la buena Parcero!!” First of all, we know the note was not meant for us since we didn’t help anyone today. Secondly, part of it was in Spanish and we don’t speak Spanish. A smattering of German maybe, not any Spanish. However, feeding the phrase into Google Translate gets “in the good partner.” But we get the point, “you are a good partner.” We never found a note like this for picking up trash.

We keep finding tossed photos of kids. This one was on a freeway onramp. On the back was “Leata at 8 months.” So, does whoever tossed the photo out trying to convince himself he is not the father, or what?

We saw an egg in the grass beside the road and wondered what kind it is. It is about half the size of a typical chicken egg. We had a few guesses like duck or hawk, but upon further examination, there is a slight seam around the egg. So, it’s a fake egg. It doesn’t open like the Easter plastic eggs and appears to be useless.

So, in our opinion, this is a rotten egg, and we have egg on our face because of it.

Finally, the pin is still in the bag.

Activities and Recreation Center. After some searching, it is on the University of Washington Bothell Campus where the crows hang out. The campus, not the recreation center, from the minimal website images, we did not see any crows.

Saturday, May 27^th, 2023 – Riverside Drive

We had a roadkill first today.

A turtle. It was near some wetlands we walk by every Saturday, but this is the first turtle we have seen dead or alive. We do see a lot of rabbits around. Perhaps the turtle and the hare had another race and this time the turtle lost?

We found more money today.

Two pennies under the freeway on Riverside Drive and a dime at the park-and-ride.

We picked up a couple of car parts, but fortunately not like the mess we encountered yesterday.

The first was a nondescript wheel cover that looked to be in great condition but one of the clips that hold it to the wheel rim was broken. Recycled. The other was one of the biggest truck lug nuts we’ve found. It’s about an inch-and-a-half long. We added it too our lug nut jar.

We found a travel vacuum bag that wouldn’t be that interesting.

But this on had a price on it. Hopefully, the price was for the contents and not the bag.

On Riverside Drive we came across a dumped mess.

Someone remodeled their kitchen and dumped the construction debris. Where are the surveillance cameras when you need them? We used to call people who did this “pigs” until we realized it gave pigs a bad name.

We found four tools today.

A small screwdriver, a screwdriver bit for a drill and together, a 11mm socket and a flexible drill bit extension. Not bad for a day’s collection. We did find one other tool.

A destroyed tape measure. There were bits and pieces of this for about a block along Riverside Drive. We could tell you exactly how far, but we didn’t have a tape measure with us.

That’s it for our walking week. Our finds this week:

• $2.45. A respectable week.
• 12 Balls, mostly tossed back over the KinderCare fence.
• 9 Tools, one unmeasurable.
• 8 Roadkill including the first turtle.
• 7 Mike’s Hard Lemonade cans.
• 5 Lug nuts.
• 1 Towel, Hawaiian.
• 1 Bottle of oil, essential.
• 1 Sign, catfish detour.
• 1 Cat.
• 0 Fish.

Have a great week and remember, don’t try to argue with ChatGPT.