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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 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $45/year POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: THE MADISON COUNTY JOURNAL P.O. Box 908, Jefferson, Ga. 30549 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)