The Story of Lori

[Lori Dee]

Answering questions "Yes" or No" is a tactic used to derail truth.  There is always more.

I think just the opposite. "Yes/No" questions strike at the heart of the facts and reveal either a true answer or a false answer.

"Did you leave your home today?" is straightforward.

Why you did or did not is not relevant to the question. It is the "more" that attempts to confuse the facts.

"Yes, I did, but it was an emergency and I had no choice." attempts to mitigate the facts.

The answer is still "Yes, I did." Or "No, I did not." The attempt here is to merely establish the facts. From there, a determination is made whether the facts fit the definition of the crime. Either it does, or it does not.

Just to be clear, I am not endorsing AI to take over our Justice System. I am merely explaining how it works in the story, Beyond the Flames.

[ChrissyRyan]

Did you bonk this person on head?  Answer yes or no.  The person answers yes.
Okay, it is admitted that this guy was bonked on his head.

If no one else asks why you bonked the guy on the head, it may not be revealed that he broke into your house and you were fearful of your life, or that he was beating someone else to rob and you came to give aid.

The difference would be if you would be charged for battery or not charged because of you protecting yourself or by being a Good Samaritan to help the person that was being beaten and robbed.

Yes or No questions by themselves is not always the best way to go.


Chrissy

[Lori Dee]

As I said before, self-defense is not a crime. So if the facts show that it was self-defense, then no crime was committed. By self-defense, I mean defense of self, property, or family. In South Dakota, we call it the Stand Your Ground law.

[MaryT]

Answering questions "Yes" or No" is a tactic used to derail truth.  There is always more.  Current state AI or computers can't go beyond the yes or no.  Our jury system is flawed, but it is better than the alternative.  No one wins.

In court, demanding "yes or no" answers to complex questions is indeed a tactic to derail the truth.  A competent judge will not be satisfied with such answers on their own, which is why witnesses must swear to tell the WHOLE truth.  In such circumstances the judge may ask the lawyer to "divide the question" even if the opposing lawyer has not had the sense to object.  If the judge allows a "yes or no" question, the opposing lawyer, IF IT HELPS HIS OR HER CLIENT'S CASE, can cross examine the witness and ask for a full explanation.  Sometimes, being human, judges and lawyers are forgetful or incompetent and the witness may not get a chance to explain.  That is one of the reasons why a computer, with perfect recall, could become a better judge and jury.

I think that you underestimate AI and computers, even with their current abilities.  At root level, computers do indeed proceed with binary, i.e. yes or no decisions.  However, by asking vast numbers of such questions at enormous speeds, they are already capable of analysis far beyond coping with yes or no questions from humans.  Even Google's search engine does better than that.  For years, the best chess computers have sometimes been able to beat grandmasters.

Computers are getting better exponentially, even without the quantum technology that Microsoft recently announced.  With quantum computing, a single computer will be equivalent to an infinite number of computers working in harmony. 

[Lori Dee]

I think that you underestimate AI and computers, even with their current abilities.

This story is set hundreds of years in the future. The Justice Computer system itself evolved over hundreds of years as well. Who knows what AI and computers will be able to do then. I can only go by what Ronald described to me.

[Sephirah]

As I said before, self-defense is not a crime. So if the facts show that it was self-defense, then no crime was committed. By self-defense, I mean defense of self, property, or family. In South Dakota, we call it the Stand Your Ground law.

We have different definitions in what that means. In the UK, self-defense can be very much a crime. But we don't have the same gun laws you folks do. It's all massively complicated depending where you are in the world. Our cops don't generally carry firearms. For the most part neither do the criminals. But I know of cases where burglars have successfully sued people who stopped them from burgling, through whatever means.

AI would be in a whole mess of trouble trying to work all this stuff out, because we can't even work it out to any sort of universal standard ourselves.

[Lori Dee]

AI would be in a whole mess of trouble trying to work all this stuff out, because we can't even work it out to any sort of universal standard ourselves.

Maybe that is why it took hundreds of years to implement and then another hundred or so years for the AI to evolve to a point where it became an efficient system. It doesn't mean justice is served. Just that those who were subject to it accepted its authority.

[Sephirah]

Maybe that is why it took hundreds of years to implement and then another hundred or so years for the AI to evolve to a point where it became an efficient system. It doesn't mean justice is served. Just that those who were subject to it accepted its authority.

Maybe. I kind of think that justice, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. That's why we have juries, over AI. Efficient doesn't always equal best.

[MaryT]

Maybe. I kind of think that justice, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. That's why we have juries, over AI. Efficient doesn't always equal best.

I think that juries might be on the way out.  In any case, in England, you can only have a jury trial if the alleged offence is serious enough to be tried in a Crown Court.  For some intermediate offences, the defendant can choose to be tried without a jury by a magistrate or with a jury by a judge.  If a jury finds the defendant guilty, the sentence may be more severe than a magistrate might have imposed.  Even in a Crown Court, a judge can now dispense with a jury if he thinks that they will be nobbled.

Before 1967, a unanimous verdict was required to convict someone in the UK but now it is only asked for.  Juries start at 12 in number but may drop to 9 if some are sick, nobbled or have been removed by a judge or on a stretcher.  If the trial ends with 11 or 12, only 10 have to agree.  If only 9 or 10 have survived, only 9 have to agree.

I would prefer a jury if I thought that my barrister had the skill to make the jury feel rotten about convicting me even if I were guilty and the prosecution weren't expected to wax lyrical about my general wickedness.  Oh for the good old days when you only had to nobble one juror.

[Sephirah]

[Jan555]

Thank you for writing your story, it is completely engrossing. It's not often I read something so thoroughly.

When I got to the end of the story I thought to myself "there are so many similarities" quickly followed by "actually, no, completely different". I was going to explain that here, but I think I need to think that through a lot more. And, I won't hijack this wonderful thread with my deliberations. Just thanks again.

[Lori Dee]

That is quite alright. We all have similar emotions that we go through. Our life situations differ, but our experiences are similar. Then, of course, how we navigate those emotions within our life situations is always unique to us. All we can do is share and then see if there is a small grain that we can take away and apply it in our own lives.

I hope you found something helpful.

[ChrissyRyan]

Lori,


It is nice that you had a fabulous dinner out at a Chinese restaurant!

Wishing you a very nice week ahead.


Chrissy

[Lori Dee]

Thanks, Chrissy. You too.

Tomorrow starts an "adventure". I will be starting a topical chemotherapy treatment. I have received the meds from the VA to treat skin cancers and pre-cancers on my face. Decades of being outdoors have resulted in extensive skin damage due to frostbite and UV radiation. So far, I have had five Mohs surgeries to remove lesions from my face and neck. I have also had one on my forearm and one on my back removed. Seven total. Fortunately, they were all Basal Cell Carcinomas, which do not metastasize like other skin cancers.

I have many Actinic Keratoses (AKs), which are not cancerous but are pre-cancerous. My dermatologist has been treating them with liquid nitrogen, which normally works very well. At my last skin check, she froze one on my arm and one on my shoulder. She said the areas on my face were large enough that she preferred we try something else.

That something is a fluorouracil cream, which destroys pre-cancerous and cancerous skin cells. I have had this done at the dermatology clinic as a part of a "Blue Light Therapy". The cream is spread all over the skin and allowed to soak in. Cancers and pre-cancers rapidly absorb more of the chemicals than normal healthy skin. The blue light then activates the chemicals, which causes the cells to burn up from the inside out. It was 18 minutes of feeling like my face was set on fire. Not even joking. Not fun, but it did a good job, and I had clearer skin when it healed.

This treatment is different in that it will not use the blue light to trigger the reaction. This formulation doesn't need it. Instead, it works over time (up to several weeks). By adding a second cream, a vitamin D analog, the cream works much more quickly, so I don't need to use it as long. In this case, I will be applying both creams twice a day for four to five days. Then it will take four to five weeks for the dead skin to slough off, leaving clear new skin behind. In the meantime, my face will be red, itchy, scaly, and awful looking, not to mention uncomfortable. I must avoid sunlight, wear the usual wide-brim hat, and lots of SPF sunscreen, like titanium oxide, if I need to venture out.

So the treatment may be rough this week and for a while afterward, but I am hoping for a much nicer complexion and fewer AKs and cancer growths in the future. I have plenty of aloe vera to get my skin healed fast, so I'm as ready as I'll get.

Fingers crossed.  

[ChrissyRyan]

Lori,


I will keep my fingers crossed for you too.  I hope this treatment takes care of this.

Stay strong.


Chrissy

[UUtransspouse]

no matter how much you overthink it, it all boils down to honesty. When you deceive others, you are also deceiving yourself. Our entire transition is about being true to ourselves about who we are. Be honest with others too. Let them decide if they will accept it or not.

Some will accept it. Some will accept it and be supportive. Some will have nothing to do with you anymore. Do you need that negativity in your life? Probably not. Surround yourself with loving people who accept you for who you are. Everyone else is basing their decisions on appearances, bigotry, and/or misinformation. Help them understand. But allow them the courtesy to decide if they want to be a part of your life. It is YOUR life after all. Live it!

I love this and think this is true for everyone (eliminating the word "transition" except that even non-"trans" people change). Politically, life in the US is hard and we have to make choices about our relationships. Thank you for sharing all this! Do you mind if I share this?

[Lori Dee]

I love this and think this is true for everyone (eliminating the word "transition" except that even non-"trans" people change). Politically, life in the US is hard and we have to make choices about our relationships. Thank you for sharing all this! Do you mind if I share this?

Feel free. It never hurts to share positive thoughts. 

[ChrissyRyan]

Thanks, Chrissy. You too.

Tomorrow starts an "adventure". I will be starting a topical chemotherapy treatment. I have received the meds from the VA to treat skin cancers and pre-cancers on my face. Decades of being outdoors have resulted in extensive skin damage due to frostbite and UV radiation. So far, I have had five Mohs surgeries to remove lesions from my face and neck. I have also had one on my forearm and one on my back removed. Seven total. Fortunately, they were all Basal Cell Carcinomas, which do not metastasize like other skin cancers.

I have many Actinic Keratoses (AKs), which are not cancerous but are pre-cancerous. My dermatologist has been treating them with liquid nitrogen, which normally works very well. At my last skin check, she froze one on my arm and one on my shoulder. She said the areas on my face were large enough that she preferred we try something else.

That something is a fluorouracil cream, which destroys pre-cancerous and cancerous skin cells. I have had this done at the dermatology clinic as a part of a "Blue Light Therapy". The cream is spread all over the skin and allowed to soak in. Cancers and pre-cancers rapidly absorb more of the chemicals than normal healthy skin. The blue light then activates the chemicals, which causes the cells to burn up from the inside out. It was 18 minutes of feeling like my face was set on fire. Not even joking. Not fun, but it did a good job, and I had clearer skin when it healed.

This treatment is different in that it will not use the blue light to trigger the reaction. This formulation doesn't need it. Instead, it works over time (up to several weeks). By adding a second cream, a vitamin D analog, the cream works much more quickly, so I don't need to use it as long. In this case, I will be applying both creams twice a day for four to five days. Then it will take four to five weeks for the dead skin to slough off, leaving clear new skin behind. In the meantime, my face will be red, itchy, scaly, and awful looking, not to mention uncomfortable. I must avoid sunlight, wear the usual wide-brim hat, and lots of SPF sunscreen, like titanium oxide, if I need to venture out.

So the treatment may be rough this week and for a while afterward, but I am hoping for a much nicer complexion and fewer AKs and cancer growths in the future. I have plenty of aloe vera to get my skin healed fast, so I'm as ready as I'll get.

Fingers crossed.   

I hope it started well today Lori.

Chrissy

[Lori Dee]

I hope it started well today Lori.

Chrissy

Thanks, Chrissy.

So far, so good. The first treatment was painless. Just minor irritation, so hopefully, this will be a walk in the park.

[davina61]

I missed that post, hope it works. XX