Looking at these beautiful colors reminds me of the night we popped fireworks. In Hawaii, aerial fireworks remain illegal for the most part and we did not have those fireworks. As I was growing up, it was a tradition to have Red Devils or Duck brand firecrackers hung on a pole, preferably a telephone or electric pole, so we could ring in the new year. This year will be a year of growth for me. This year will be the year of no-holds-barred. In other words, I will not give up on my passion for anyone, anything, or any place. 
The battle rages on between people who do not want to work and want
machines to do everything for them versus the CEOs who wish to remain leaders
of various industries who want to do things in a physical office.
“Alice, you know this Financial Aid packaging system?” Bernard asked Alice.
“No.” Alice was not really paying attention. She had deadlines to call
Academic Affairs to get them to waive certain courses in a student’s schedule.
She was only half paying attention because of the stress of talking to students
trying to become better citizens.
“This financial aid system really is SKY NET. Remember how in Terminator I,
there was the main character named John who had to stop the ending of the world
by stopping the Artificial Intelligence system from unleashing nuclear bombs on
planet Earth."
“OMG.” Alice squinted looking at Bernard thinking about what he just said.
She felt as though Bernard was on to something.
“There is something going on in our world today. Everything is changing.
Retail stores are closing, the only thing that we will be able to do in person
is probably eat at a restaurant or go to a ball like in the 18th century.”
Bernard’s eyes grew big in his excitement.
***
The stresses of being a counsellor to students with endless problems really
debilitated Bernard’s plans to earn a PhD and become a professor. Like any
other goal that working adults set, Bernard had many challenges. Right after
work, Bernard would go straight to a bar and have lots of drinks. On a good
day, Bernard would go straight home and went straight to bed.
Bernard found himself in the future but as another being. In his dream, he
was no longer wearing a blue polo shirt, Khakis, and black shoes. He has a
metallic glimmer emanating from his entire body and ran without effort. All around
him he saw blue orbs flying all over the place. The orbs came from what looked
like metal cubes floating in the sky. The planet was dark and the only lights
that he could see came from a spacesuit that he wore. The blue orb came
straight for him he jumped in the air seemingly with less gravity and flipped
over only to find a red orb projected from his robotic armor. He fought and
fought only to wake up in a puddle of sweat.
When he awoke, he went straight to the bathroom mirror and looked in it to see
what the hell happen in his dream. He was bionic like Robocop and did not
understand where this dream came from.
Over the course of a couple years, he continued to have nightmares. Almost
apocalyptic in nature. What the hell was happening in his brain he thought to
himself. Was it the talks that he had with his boss about the future?
***
Bernard walked into his boss’s office to discuss his work. Alice continued
to type.
“Have a seat,” Alice spoke to Bernard without making eye contact. She
continued to type super-fast like a robot.
“I have something interesting to tell you.” Bernard opened his eyes wide
with excitement. “Did you know that in the year 2030 they will not be oil left
of this planet?” He could not hold his theories in any longer. He had to get
them out. He had to tell them to someone. “The world as you know is changing. I
predict that gas prices will continue to skyrocket. How much is the gas today?”
At this point, Bernard had difficulties breathing because he said too many
words in one sentence.
“Bernard, you have a really good point. A gallon of milk is about 10 dollars
now and it really should not cost that much. What about the poor people who
cannot afford to get milk, bread, and eggs?” Alice predicted the closing of the
famous dairy in Hawaii called Meadow Gold. She even predicted the closing of a
famous bakery called Loves Bakery. She sat straight up in her chair and fixed
her clothes so that she looked presentable. After all, she was the boss. “The
things we talk about in our meetings truly changes the way I look at the
world.” Alice exercised every day and believed that she should work her butt
off.
Closing the Book on 2025: A Landmark Year for the Internet Archive As 2025 comes to an end, the Internet Archive is marking a year fille...
