Joy to the World of 2021!

Like everyone else I know, I am entering the new year on a guardedly optimistic note. I doubt the Good Guys will both win in Georgia - pleasantly surprise me, pretty please - but it could happen. Although there's a non-zero chance that Mad King Donald will stir up violence in DC on Wednesday - he appears to be lusting after it, hoping that the day is "wild" - and the seditionists in the House and Senate are preparing to cause trouble, it's more than highly likely that for the kabillionth time, Joe Biden's election victory will be affirmed. So we're getting closer to the day when Trump will golf off into the sunset. 

Unfortunately, Trump's leaving so much that is bad and precious little that is good in his wake. (I hope that the faith I'm placing in Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance and NY AG Tish James is not misplaced or displaced but well-placed, and that they go after Trump & Family for what are no doubt a multitude of crimes.)

So my optimism on the political front is Guarded with a capital G. 

Despite the not surprisingly quasi-botched rollout of the vaccines - Plan? What plan? We don't need no stinkin' plan. - I'm Capital C Confident that, once we have administrative competency restored, that we'll all be vaccinated by summer. 

As for now, I'm in the lower end of Phase II, but whenever it happens, I'll be happy. In fact, if it takes a month or two longer to get to me so that they can get to workers who may not be frontline but are plenty exposed - waitstaff, bartenders, et al. - so be it.

But when my name and number are called, I'll be there for it. 

Here's hoping that the late August Billy Joel concert at Fenway will take place. And that there'll be baseball games played in front of actual fans at some point before 2021 is out, and I say this even though I have no expectation that the Red Sox will be anything other than marginally better than they were in 2020. (Statistically, they could almost not be any worse.)

Here's hoping that by mid-summer, anyone who wants to get on a plane and go somewhere will be able to do so. Count me as someone who's bags are packed. I'm ready to go.

What else is on tap for my world in 2021? The usual suspects: Finish my novel. Lose ten pounds. Start using my rowing machine. Get back to volunteering at St. Francis House. Clean out my junk drawers. 

And - I hope, I hope, I hope - plenty of Capital J Joy to this world of ours.

One thing that has brought me a bit of Capital J Joy is the vid of Boston Scientific's dancing robots, bustin' some mighty fine moves to "Do You Love Me?"

I don't have a lot of Faith with a Capital F in my video-embedding capability. It has small-f failed me in the past. So here's the URL. (And if that doesn't work, you're smart. You'll find it.)

I've been admiring these robots since they first introduced us to Spot the robot pooch a few years back. Love watching what they can do. It's completely fascinating. 

Yes, I am concerned about what's going to happen to all the workers whose jobs are eliminated by robots and other forms of automation - and there'll be plenty of them - as we don't have a great track record when it comes to doing anything about jobs that go away on the micro level. We seem okay at handling it at the macro level. The overall economy and life in general does tend to improve. More or less. But there are plenty folks in that "less" category, and other than tell them to 'learn to code', we've come up empty for large swaths of the population.

But, no, I'm not concerned that the Singularity is coming, when technology will take over everything. (And you thought Planet of the Apes was terrifying. At least those critters were sentient.) I don't think it's going to happen and, well, if it does, maybe the robots will do a better job of it than we have. Maybe they'll do something about systemic racism, global warming, increased inequality. You know, the things that are going to destroy us.

Anyway, here's to the dancing robots. And, yes, I do love them even more now that they can dance.

Joy to the World in 2021!