www.fiftyplusrichmond.com MARCH 2020 • FREE 2 www.FiftyPlusRichmond.com MARCH 2020 — FIFTYPLUS 31-DAY SALE windows & patio doors This isn’t one of those ‘limited time’ offers that’s not really limited. We’re only offering these discounts, the special financing and the extra 3% for 31 days!1 Less than a month left! There are limited appointments available, and you must book yours before March 31st... ...which means you have LESS THAN a month left! SAVE $330 SAVE $900 on every window1 on every patio door1 EXTRA 3% for 1 Discount OR NO NO NO when you pay for your whole Money Down Payments Interest year1 project with cash or check1 LESS THAN a month left to book your FREE Window and Patio Door Diagnosis 804-905-8979 1Offer not available in all areas. Discount applied by retailer representative at time of contract execution and applies to purchase of 4 or more windows and/or patio doors. 3% cash discount for payment in full by cash or check applied at time of sale. Cannot be combined with other offers. To qualify for discount offer, initial contact for a free Window and Patio Door Diagnosis must be made and documented on or before 3/31/20 with the appointment then occurring no more than 10 days after the initial contact. No payments and deferred interest for 12 months available to well qualified buyers on approved credit only. Not all customers may qualify. Higher rates apply for customer with lower credit ratings. Financing not valid with other offers or prior purchases. No Finance Charges will be assessed if promo balance is paid in full in 12 months. Renewal by Andersen retailers are independently owned and operated retailers, and are neither brokers nor lenders. Any finance terms advertised are estimates only, and all financing is provided by third-party lenders unaffiliated with Renewal by Andersen retailers, under terms and conditions arranged directly between the customer and such lender, all subject to credit requirements. Renewal by Andersen retailers do not assist with, counsel or negotiate financing, other than providing customers an introduction to lenders interested in financing. VA CLASS-A2701010633. “Renewal by Andersen” and all other marks where denoted are marks of Andersen Corporation. ©2020 Andersen Corporation. All rights reserved. ©2020 Lead Surge LLC. All rights reserved. FIFTYPLUS — MARCH 2020 www.FiftyPlusRichmond.com 3 4 www.FiftyPlusRichmond.com MARCH 2020 — FIFTYPLUS thought the way a spouse might. great day; indulge yourself” cards. These examples of useful artificial intel- And yes, I usually have no trouble find- Wonder and creativity ligence (AI) come from companies that ing a card that perfectly expresses my We all want to be understood by our to know their taste (and your budget), can say they are simply trying to make our feelings for my wife. She, in turn, gives me close friends and, particularly, by our send your spouse a gift in the right size, per- lives easier, more convenient, less bur- cards that accurately convey her emotions mates. We want them to haps even with a card having dened. Personal assistants theoretically and thoughts. know what our preferences an appropriate message. have only our interests at heart. (After all, If I don’t have a problem giving my wife are, what we like to eat, with Publications that you fre- catering to our every whim is how they a heartfelt card written by someone else, whom we like (and don’t quent online know what top- make money.) And it’s true that many of why should it be a problem if I ask Alexa like) to socialize. ics you like to read and will us do appreciate the benefits we derive to “buy my wife something nice for her We want them to remem- “curate” their content for from such technology. birthday” or “send her the kind of flowers ber our birthday, what types you, showing you only the But there are other, similar artificially she likes, with a nice card”? of gifts please us, what music articles, op-eds and blogs intelligent bots that, you might say, have Well, somehow that seems unseemly, we like to listen to at different that reflect your political an ulterior motive. less personal. times of day. These are opinions (or, if you appear to For example, we all know and hate Is it just a matter of degree? Have we among the myriad ways in like getting upset, showing those daily, dastardly robocallers, who im- ended up here because we relinquished which people who love each FROM THE you the ones most sure to personate our neighbors and want to scam much of the personal touch long ago by other show they understand PUBLISHER raise your blood pressure). us. There are the emails that purport to be communicating with, and giving to, others and appreciate each other. By Stuart P. Rosenthal We don’t even need to ex- from our friends, but ask us to FedEx gift via Hallmark cards, Amazon “wish lists,” But today, a device can do plicitly ask these devices for cards ASAP, and the digital ads that are form letters and email blasts, and it’s just all of this for us and more, such favors. Unlike people, constantly inviting us to stray from our that the technology has gotten better? and probably do it better. A “smart refrig- they don’t need to be told or reminded diets as we pass by pizza and pastry shops. Perhaps it’s true that today’s AI com- erator” can reorder your preferred foods about our preferences. They figure them Now, I have to admit that people we puters understand us and those we inter- when they’re running low and have them out on their own and, seemingly, never for- know (and even love) can lie to us some- act with better than we do. delivered. get which clothing items we once lingered times, try to manipulate us in certain And if that’s so, what do we lose in ex- Digital assistants from Amazon, Google over while shopping online. ways, say one thing and mean another. We change for this greater efficiency? The op- and other know-it-all companies will remem- Better yet, they don’t try to change our humans are not above such behavior. portunity to make personal choices, to ber your spouse’s birthday and, once it gets opinions or expose us to different ways of But in interpersonal relationships, we be- spend a little time thinking about others, lieve we can usually detect — and even ap- and to make an effort to understand others preciate — the occasional white lie, well told. are among the things that make us human. ON THE COVER: It feels very different when we have no The movie The Matrix, which I saw Richmond artist Janet Saad-Cook is known internationally for her “sun idea where the deceptive phone calls, emails when it came out more than 20 years ago, drawings,” really art installations using objects that refract sunlight to reveal different colors of the rainbow at different times of the and digital ads are coming from, and when made little sense to me at the time, but I day and seasons of the year. we are certain that the responsible party did get the point: namely that human be- only wants our money or our vote or our ings in the future function solely as batter- STORY AND PHOTO BY DIANE YORK credit card number for nefarious purposes. ies, our purpose being to power the I went shopping the other day for a machines that really run the world. birthday card for my wife. I chuckled or In that futuristic dystopia, most human be- choked up over numerous cards in a huge ings are all but dead, lying in pods connected variety of styles. Some were clearly for the to wires, generating body heat that keeps the romantic young marrieds, others for the machines humming. “we’ve been through a lot together” cou- ples, and some were perfunctory “have a See FROM THE PUBLISHER, page 13 a publication of The Beacon Newspapers, Inc. Attn: Amateur artists and photographers Editorial Mission: Fifty Plus is dedicated to providing readers with accurate Enter your best works in any of seven categories in the Celebration of the Arts — information, professional guidance, and useful resources. Our publication is an online art competition for people over 50. Professional judges will intended to both reflect and enhance fifty-plus lifestyles, and to encourage select winners, who will receive cash prizes and exhibit opportunities. reader dialogue and input. Enter photos of your work by March 20. For more information, Fifty Plus is published monthly and distributed free of charge. The advertising see page 7, or visit thebeaconnewspapers.com/COTA2020. deadline is the 20th of each month for the upcoming issue. The entire contents of Fifty Plus are ©2020, The Beacon Newspapers, Inc. No portion may be re- produced in whole or in part by any means without the express written consent of the publisher. The views and opinions expressed by writers and columnists Letters to the editor do not necessarily represent those of Fifty Plus or its staff. Readers are encouraged to share their opinion on any matter addressed in Fifty Plus as well as on political and social issues of the day. Publisher/Editor — Stuart Rosenthal Mail your Letter to the Editor to Fifty Plus, P.O. Box 2227, President/Associate Publisher — Judith K. Rosenthal Silver Spring, MD 20915, or email to [email protected]. Vice President, Operations — Gordon Hasenei Please include your name, address and telephone number for verification.