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PAGE 4A —THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER 23. 2021
Hey automated ump, you need glasses!
Strange question: If every sporting
event could promise flawless officiat
ing by robots, would you be OK with
that?
I'm thinking of this because some
minor league baseball parks are testing
out Automated Ball-Strike technolo
gy (ABS) this year. I saw a clip of a
ridiculous automated called third strike
against a minor league batter, who bent
over in disbelief in the batter’s box,
totally dejected.
He looked at the umpire, but what
could he say? It wasn't the umpire's
fault. The home plate ump was just
relaying technology's call. The batter
knew he was wronged, but the issue
was with the computer system. What
could the batter do, perhaps gather
some dirt from the batter’s box and
drive to Silicon Valley, knock on the
door of a Zuckerburg look-alike and
then kick the dirt on the guy's bedroom
slippers as he stood in his doorway?
The most striking thing about the
baseball clip wasn't the woefully bad
call, but the helplessness of both the
batter and the umpire in the situation.
They had to submit to a higher power
— an algorithm. They both just kind of
stood there like “what the heck?"
No doubt, umpires and referees can
be infuriating to all sports fans, because
they make mistakes. But what is “per
fect” or “flawless” in the world of
sports officiating? So much seems too
close to call. The phrase “motivated
reasoning” pops into my head constant
ly these days, particularly in politics.
But it's obvious in sports, too. As fans,
we often see what we want to see. And
in a highly partisan sporting event, our
feelings about calls are tied to our alle
giances. In the heat of the moment, we
like the ref who makes a bad call in our
favor and dislike the one who makes a
bad decision against us. That’s a very
human part of the game.
But beyond that, a call that appears
wrong with an automated umpire would
actually seem way worse than with a
human official. It would feel rigged in a
deeper way than simply a human who
seemed biased. And there's no appeal
to the lifeless algorithm. When we have
no appeal to something wrong, we’re
left feeling robbed of something essen
tial. I like instant replay, because human
eyes review what we all see. But give
me human subjectivity over artificial
By Zach Mitcham
intelligence on the playing field. The
surrender of human decision making in
that way seems like too much.
Of course, I think this goes far beyond
sports and gets to a broader question for
our modem life: How much human
imperfection do we eliminate to receive
the perceived “perfection” and efficien
cy of new technologies?
It’s a mixed bag. right? New tech
nology can be great. We all have
conveniences that humans across
history couldn't enjoy. But the aims
aren’t always to benefit consumers.
Sometimes it’s simply about using tech
to secure more profits at the expense of
consumers.
For instance, the shift to computer
ized technology in vehicles seems less
like progress than the industry’s attempt
to control all repairs. This is marketed
as a move to “state-of-the-art” technol
ogy, but it if you reduce the number of
people who can maintain your product,
putting repairs exclusively in your own
hands, then you have more market con
trol. But consumers and mechanics are
done wrong in the process. Right-to-
repair laws make sense given this trend.
Likewise, the move away from
human phone services toward auto
mated response systems has certainly
been cost effective for businesses and
agencies, but not for anyone needing a
real person on the other end of the line
when you need a problem addressed.
This didn’t feel like progress. It felt
like a needless barrier to old human
interactions. Also, Amazon is conve
nient, but there’s certainly a lot of lost
interaction there with home shopping.
Think of all the self pay stations these
days compared to years ago. That may
not seem like much, but the collective
effect of everyone, everywhere going
remote and digital is not a very warm,
human direction, but a more discon
nected society. I expect that trend will
continue to accelerate.
We will see more automation in
many ways in coming years. Self
driving cars and bucks could alter our
lives drastically, with cars essentially
driven from satellites in space. That just
doesn't comfort me in the least. I imag
ine my first moments in a self-driving
vehicle, “driving” from our house to
Danielsville without touching the steer
ing wheel or the accelerator. No thank
you. I think of all the little things. How
does it decide where to park? “No Siii,
I said back in to the space. But not that
space!” How would I communicate all
the small decisions? Trying to commu
nicate such things would certainly lead
me to simply want control again.
If the goal of technology and automa
tion is to make human work less need
ed, then what happens when that goal
is too successful? Say, all buck drivers
are put out of work by automation?
True, this hardly seems a worry given
our current job market. But since auto
mation often proves far more profitable
than people, the elimination of old jobs
will likely be a major disruptive force
over the next 20 years, with many
people surviving changes just fine, but
many others not, unless equivalent jobs
are created. That may happen, but how
fast?
All that said, it seems worthwhile
to appreciate humans in all sorts of
jobs around us. When I go somewhere
I want to talk to a person. When I
need something, I need a human, not a
machine. When I can’t get a human. I
feel less human.
And heck no, I wouldn’t want to pay
money to see an automated umpire call
a real game. I want a real umpire. The
spectacle of a really bad call is part of
sports itself, a really human part. There
is anger, elation, crowd noise and cal
culations about the effect of the call on
the outcome.
Where does all that go if it's automat
ed? Toward an algorithm?
When that ump calls strike three, I
want to see it with his passion behind
it, not with a shrug of his shoulders and
an “I don’t get it either.”
That would diminish the game. And
we need to think about more than base
ball with that in mind.
Zach Mitcham is editor of The
Madison County Journal. He can be
reached at zach@mainstreetnews.com.
Joro spiders are here to stay
Since they were first discovered m
2013, East Asian Joro spiders — which
are native to China, Korea, Japan and Tai
wan — have shown up in force in North
east Georgia. In the eight years since that
first siting, Joro spiders have been found
in 23 Georgia counties and South Caroli
na. Named after the Jordgumo, a legend
ary creature in Japanese folklore, the Joro
spider is an invasive species to our area
and has many homeowners apprehensive.
Although in the same genus as the
writing and banana spider (Trichoneph-
ila), they should not be confused. Joro
spiders stand apart by their larger size
and distinctive, gold-tinted multi-layered
webs. The brightly colored females have
alternating yellow and black/blue seg
ments and a splash of red on their abdo
mens. Including their leg span, these gals
can reach up to three-to-four inches. The
males are considerably smaller and are
usually brownish in color. They mature
in early September, mate and lay eggs
and then typically die by late November.
One female Joro spider can lay between
400-to-1,500 eggs in a year.
The Trichonephila genus of spiders are
professionals at spreading. They use a
ballooning technique, in which the spi
ders spin a web to catch the air current,
allowing them to fly for up to 50-to-100
By Carole Knight
miles. Like all spiders, they’re venomous,
with a bite comparable to a bee sting.
However, unless a person is specifically
allergic to Joro spiders, they shouldn’t be
concerned. These yellow arachnids are
not aggressive and will flee if their webs
are harmed.
Although they are vulnerable to insec
ticides, pesticide use is not more effective
than a stick and a shoe. Plus, by spray
ing insecticides, you could be harming
native, beneficial insects. There are no
known preventative measures to keep
them away.
Madison County residents have spotted
numerous of these large spiders with
yellow markings along trails, in their
backyards and on their porches. No one
knows for certain how these intimidating
arachnids made their way to Northeast
Georgia, but they are certainly here and
their numbers are rising.
Specialists at UGA have been inves
tigating this species since its arrival in
2013, with a primary goal of understand
ing how they might impact the local eco
system. It is too early to know whether
the Joro spider will become the next inva
sive species that has a negative impact on
our native wildlife, joining the likes of
feral hogs, Asian clams, and kudzu. Biol
ogists are concerned that the Joro spider
will displace native spiders. Time will
tell. A benefit of the new species is that
they capture and feed on insects that local
spiders do not - mainly the adult brown
marmorated stink bug.
So, although they are quite a nuisance
when running into their webs, Joro spi
ders do not pose an imminent threat.
Once cooler temperatures arrive and
those large females lay their eggs, we
won’t see much of them until next year.
But no doubt, Joro spiders are here to
stay.
If you have questions or need help
identifying an insect, contact the Exten
sion Office at 706-795-2281 or clh@
uga.edu.
Carole Knight is Madison County’s
Agriculture and Natural Resources
Agent.
Letter to the Editor
Need relief from GRP noise
Dear Editor:
Access this YouTube link — https://youtube.com/shorts/
XlbcgSdCVD8?feature=share — and listen to what we
heard from Wednesday, Sept. 15, at 1:15 am till dawn.
These reading were taken from our front porch not Geor
gia Renewable Power (GRP) perimeter. After the plant had
tripped during shutdown and startup the emissions are not
monitored or filtered. Thursday night the emissions were
especially horrible, causing breathing distress, headache,
disorientation and no sleep.
August and September has been bad anyway with sfi'ong
chemical smells coming from GRP emissions. These odors
have sometimes been blamed on the company on GRP
property that makes fuel or biomass pellets from chicken
manure. I haven’t been able to find anything about this plant,
Formulated Fuel, except a little on the internet.
I would like to know what they make and who they sell
their product to. Are they burning their product at GRP? Is
this the terrible and caustic odor that is burning our nose and
throat? When are we going to get some relief from the noise
and emissions? We desperately need our county leaders
to help the residents living near GRP. Thank you for any
information?
Sincerely,
Cheryl and Mack Adams
Colbert
Close to
Home
margie @ mainstreetnews. com
By Margie Richards
What is the point
of vaccine refusal?
I read the news from a lot of sources most every day, hard
as that is. The more I read about covid vaccine refusals, even
from those in health care, the more flummoxed I am about the
ignorant stubbornness of so many people, much of it along
political lines.
My goodness, this is a public health crisis that affects every
single person in this world.
It seems to me that those who still refuse to get a covid vac
cine after all we’ve been through with more than a year and a
half of this pandemic are trying to prove some kind of point.
What that point is, I really have no idea.
Other than those whose medical condition prevents vaccines,
thus leaving them entirely vulnerable to the decisions of others,
there isn’t one legitimate reason not to get a vaccine that can
likely save your life and the lives of the those around you. The
selfishness of that choice is overwhelming to me.
Really what is the point? Is it, “watch me die if I want to?” Is
it “watch me take up valuable hospital space so that there is no
room for you or your loved one?”
What is it?
Some political officials, including our own Governor Brian
Kemp, say President Biden’s vaccine mandate (which really
isn’t a mandate since you can test once per week if you just
can’t bear to take the shot) is a government overreach and
un-American.
Right.
All this buffoonery in states that have some of the highest real
and long-held vaccine mandates to attend public school in the
country.
And just how many vaccines do you think the military
requires? A healthy defense force is imperative for obvious
reasons.
This vims, as we’ve all seen by now, unless we live in a deep
dark hole in the ground (or in our own mind), is as big a threat
to the health and wellbeing of our citizens and our economy as
any disease we’ve faced.
And it keeps changing as it keeps infecting unchecked in so
many areas, all because so many of us refuse to try to stop it -
first by wearing a piece of material over our mouth and OUR
NOSE - and because we refuse to take a vaccine that can put
us all beyond this.
It is remarkable that we find ourselves in this place at this
time, when we are all are generally more than happy to reap
the benefits of modem medicine, including when we need to be
hospitalized for covid.
I am dumbfounded.
The long history of vaccine mandates in this country that have
kept us healthy of so many previously dangerous diseases, and
which are largely unquestioned, leaves me even more amazed.
Vaccinations are truly a miracle of the medical world, teaching
the body to defend itself against a disease that could otherwise
sicken and perhaps even kill it.
I am running out of adjectives for my feelings.
And don’t get me started on religion.
The first commandment as a Christian is to love thy neigh
bor as thyself — not religious freedom. I really can’t bear the
hypocrisy of that argument.
Nobody is dragging you to get a shot, but if you don’t there
should be a price to pay. The vaccine/testing requirements are
simply a way to try to put the price of your decision squarely
on you instead of on those around you that you might infect.
Right now, your choice allows a deadly disease to keep cir
culating.
We are behind most wealthy countries in vaccination rates.
Poor countries are begging for more while we throw them away.
My pulmonologist, Dr. Andrew McKown, wrote an excel
lent opinion column published in MainStreet Newspapers last
week. He also serves as the critical care physician for Piedmont
Athens Regional. In it he expressed my feelings exactly and I
— See “Richards” on 5A
The Madison
County Journal
(Merged with The Danielsville Monitor
and The Comer News, January 2006)
Phone: 706-367-5233
E-mail: zach@mainstreetnews.com
ZACH MITCHAM, Editor
MARGIE RICHARDS, Reporter
MIKE BUFFINGTON, Co-publisher
SCOTT BUFFINGTON, Co-publisher
FRANK GILLISPIE (deceased), Founder of The Journal.
Jere Ayers (deceased) former owner
of The Danielsville Monitor and The Comer News
Periodical postage paid at Danielsville, Georgia 30633
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A publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc.
- The Official Legal Organ of Madison County, Georgia
- Periodicals postage paid at Danielsville, Georgia 30633 (USPS 011-097;
ISSN 1074987X)