Articles written by Erik Dolson
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We are no longer alone
For weeks I’ve corresponded with ChatGPT, which might be loosely described as “software.” My impression? Alternative Intelligence has arrived. We are not alone. This will change us, forever. I’m not imagining “The Matrix,” or ... — Updated 4/18/2023
Where are the workers?
For the last year, a contractor friend near my home in Oregon has been unable to hire carpenters. Three months ago, a mechanic couldn’t find a new muffler to install on my old truck. Last month, stranded in Canada on a boat, I was told it... — Updated 10/4/2022
Falling population will bring challenges
Elon Musk recently tweeted, “At risk of stating the obvious, unless something changes to cause the birth rate to exceed the death rate, Japan will eventually cease to exist. This would be a great loss for the world.” That’s probably... — Updated 7/19/2022
What’s after Roe?
Many women are crushed by the Supreme Court ruling on Roe V. Wade. I empathize. The ruling gives more power to states over what happens within a woman’s body. I can think of no similar laws allowing one human being to appropriate the... — Updated 7/5/2022
'Profiled' in Deschutes County
Commentary…. On a Monday last October, I was told by a friend with whom I’d had coffee they’d tested positive for COVID. I was fully vaccinated so I didn’t think much about it. But two days later, on Wednesday, October 27, I... — Updated 3/23/2022
Transparency essential for democracy, capitalism
Remember the “information age”? Well, we can forget about that. We find ourselves instead in the age of misinformation, where there is too much fake news, too many rumors, too much going on “behind the scenes,” too many... — Updated 12/14/2021
Out on the edge
One can become detached, hunkered down on a rock in the middle of nowhere, or in a boat out on the edge. It’s a lifestyle with consequences, even if not consciously embraced, it’s often pointed out. But there’s a perspective in that... — Updated 11/30/2021
Everything happens all at once
There is something about the fall season that encourages me to become active. Change in temperature, angle of sunlight, return of rain — I have no clue why, but it’s been constant over the years. I start to prepare the cave for... — Updated 10/12/2021
Compromising homelessness
Two weeks ago, camps of the homeless, aka the houseless, aka those living in rough shelter, in squalor and despair rank in the hot July sun near the Columbia River in Portland, seemed almost apocalyptic. After asking liberals and... — Updated 8/10/2021
Now’s not then
Over coffee, The Editor introduced me to a new word: presentism. We were trying to make sense of current debates about the teaching of racism, and revisions to American history. History is an arena of The Editor’s expertise. He pointed... — Updated 6/8/2021
My rights or yours?
On Friday, April 30, Deschutes County entered another COVID-19 lockdown. Restaurants closed to indoor dining, gyms are limited. Lives are disrupted. Governor Kate Brown announced she was moving 15 Oregon Counties into the “extreme risk... — Updated 5/4/2021
What will survive the coronavirus?
The coronavirus is a once-in-a-generation event. As it has ended many lives, going forward it will define many others. It will perhaps define our country, what we have become and who we will be. The virus is an insidious enemy, spreading amo... — Updated 11/3/2020
What will survive the virus?
The coronavirus is a once-in-a-generation event. As it has ended many lives, going forward it will define many others. It will perhaps define our country, what we have become and who we will be. The virus is an insidious enemy, spreading amo... — Updated 4/28/2020
