Tower of Babylon

And, here is a tree and its gnarled surface. The cat seeks out its dappled spots, quickly lapping up the fat globules of light. The scent of burgeoning cashew blossoms lingers around the feline creature, the sheared bits of deep blue sky wells up in its eyes. 

The avian life, nervous by the paw-still presence of the new arrival, is suddenly on tenterhooks, issuing forth many a cacophonous conversations, aimed at strategic action or change of plans, who can tell? But the noise is unbearable. Moreover, I am completely excluded from the decision-making process. Conversations give way to heated arguments. Rufus treepie and cuckoo are the most vociferous, their size give them the leverage. But the tiny sunbirds with hooked beaks tutting away in loud metallic chirps would not be left behind...their little nest swinging from one of the upper branches is at stake and so is the future of their brood. 

Trying to read Camus's The Myth of Sisyphus, I find myself going over the same sentence in a loop without comprehending the slightest bit. I too switch to action mode and google how to silence a bunch of birds outside my window. Predictably, it is the over-eager smarty pants AI who is the first one to raise its arm and blurt out whatever comes to it:

"To quiet noisy birds, focus on positive reinforcement of quiet behavior, provide enrichment, and address potential stressors like overstimulation or boredom by offering new toys and activities"

Trust AI for innovative solutions! No wonder our corporate leaders are lamenting the underutilization of AI in our professional sector. "AI to add 500 billion dollars to nation's GDP by the end of the year," the media screams even as more and more journalism jobs, besides many others,  get devoured up by this pathbreaking technological tool.

I venture out with a bamboo stick and threaten to shake the branch violently if they don't shut up. The contrary happens. My approach has signaled off more alarm calls, "The three-legged mad woman is here..." Strangely, this I understand.