1. Cartoon Animator.
I am not ashamed to say that I am and always have been a lover of TV cartoons. If I could draw and was clever, I may well have been an animator. My nephew, Chris Tichborne is a BAFTA winning animator. I don't know whether it was an influence on him or not, but when he was a kid, I'd always encourage him to read comics, watch cartoons and be artistic. When he was at Uni studying 3D animation at Uni he lived at my house for a while. Whilst some may see creative industries as not a proper job, I've always recognised the importance of such industries. If you have a real talent and you are prepared to work hard, then like Chris you will get on. With the advent of AI, talentless plebs like me can make our own animated videos. Whilst Chris's forte is stop motion animation, I have always been fascinated by the classic cartoons of Hanna-Barbara and the like.
AI is a subject which fascinates me. I decided to bite the bullet, sign up for a sophisticated AI tool and use it to make a video for my band The False Dots new single.. The single is called Big Hairy Spider. It is based on a terrible nightmare I had when I was sixteen, about a rather luscious beauty who lived up the road from us. I had been reading horror comics and it morphed into a nightmare dream. I wrote the song, but my then bandmate and song writing partner deemed it "too stupid and pathetic for the False Dots". It say in the unused lyrics tin until recently. It suits the current incarnation of the band rather well. It also lent itself to being transformed into a 60's style TV cartoon. Now you will have to wait until next Sunday to see it, as that is the official launch, but I had a few credits left in the AI app, so I made a trailer for our next gig (Next Sunday at the Dublin Castle, click for details), which you can see here!
Who knows, as I approach 64, maybe a new career beckons (although I doubt it).
2. Surgeon.
This will probably make you laugh. When I was at school, I didn't actually realise how thick I was! I thought I was a genius. There was just the slight matter of my appalling grades. I didn't know it then, I hadn't been diagnosed, but it should have been obvious to all that I was dyslexic. I harboured ambitions to be a surgeon. The reason was pretty simple. My Mum's life had been saved by a wonderful surgeon, called Mr Phillip King at St John and St Elizabeth's hospital, in 1970 when she had cancer. I wanted to save peoples lives. Sadly, to become a surgeon, you need straight A grades. That simply was never going to happen.
I read this week, that a man had a robotic radical prostatectomy in Gibraltar, where the robot was controlled by a surgeon in London. AI is absolutely revolutionising medicine. AI can spot cancers that doctors would have otherwise missed. Robotic surgery is becoming more commonplace. Where is it all leading? Will we ever reach the point, where someone like me would be able to press the button and do radical prostatectomies via AI controlled robots on myself? Fifty years ago, large companies had mainframe computers. They needed dozens of technicians to run them to do tasks that an Excel spreadsheet can do on your phone now.
Imagine a scenario, where you turn up at a hospital, get an MRI scan, and AI diagnoses prostate cancer, so you walk down the corridor and a fully robotic ward, where you are weighed, your vitals taken and knocks you out and a robot removes your prostate. All you need is a nurse to make sure you are comfortable and a team on standby, if something unforeseen happens. You just press the button to agree to the procedure.
I'm pretty good with IT and computers, who knows maybe I could operate a robotic surgeon tool? I am not sure I want to, but it is not beyond the realms of possibility that a whole new career could open up for many. As for the wonderful surgeons, such as Mr Phillip King and my own cancer surgeon Dr Christopher Eden, there will always be a need for people at the top, who make sure the process continues to improve. I suspect that the job of a surgeon will be very different in 25 years time.
3. TV Chef.
I love cooking. I love showing off (which is why I sing in a Ska band). When I was 20, a mate of a mate worked in a kitchen in a top hotel. He was a brilliant chef. I was out of work and needed some temporary work to see me through. He got me a weeks work in the kitchen, as someone was off ill. What could be easier than peeling spuds and washing up? I have to say that of all the jobs I've ever had, it was the most punishing and brutal. It was absolutely non stop, unrelenting and punishing. Every plate has to be perfect. Every potato peeled properly. Nothing could leave the kitchen until it was right, but everything had to be done immediately. I was the bottom of the pile. I have never been sworn at so much. When I watched the chef's work, I was in awe. How the hell could they remember all of the stuff they need to do? But after a week, I'd learned enough so that when I cook Xmas dinner for 25 people it doesn't phase me. Much as I would love to be a top chef, it is just too hard. You need to know all about everything on the menu. Is the produce fresh? Is the oven the right temperature? Is there enough salt and pepper in the kitchen? Is the customer justified saying the steak is undercooked when they asked for rare? But, there is a new type of chef (well not that new). It is the TV chef. The TV chef has no one yelling at them. No customers moaning because there is no gluten free pie option. They just make videos and write books about cooking delicious food and they make millions. Whilst there is no way I could ever be a real chef in a commercial kitchen, I have some great. recipes. With AI video production tools, maybe I could make a few Youtube cooking videos and see if a lucrative career awaits me. I have a bit of a different spin on the TV chef. I am going to make a couple of videos and see if it works. You will think I'm bonkers when you see it!
4. Architect.
Buildings fascinate me. I know the names of the architects of all of my favourite buildings. I know the name of the architect of all of my favourite London buildings. St Pauls -Christopher Wren. St Pancras Hotel - Gilbert Scott. St Pancras train shed - William Barlow. The Post Office Tower - Eric Bedford and G R Yates.The Shard - Renzo Piano. All these men were masters of their art. I worked in an office on Park St, near Borough Market. I watched The Shard being built, I had a view of it from my desk. If I looked the other way, I saw St Pauls. When I was at school, I did building studios and did projects about the building techniques used for St Pauls, St Pancras and The Post Office Tower (as it was then). The sheer logistics of such difficult buildings being built was mind boggling. If you design a building, you need to know you can actually source the materials and get them to the site. Imagine the challenge for St Pauls and Wren? Only barges, horses and carts.
But now, with AI, anyone can design a reasonably decent building. But..... Now this is what really fascinates me. I am a musician. Over the years, there are places I love to play, because Rock and Roll works well in them. Then there are other venues where it simply doesn't work at all. People may come and have a great night, but it simply doesn't feel like a gig in the same way. The job of an architect is to ensure that a space is fit for purpose. I've actually worked with architects and designers to build studios. I think we did a good job at Mill Hill Music Complex. But there are so many venues that just don't work. I'd love to build a proper music venue from scratch. In the world of church design, there is a word called Numinous that means the amount of spirituality a religious space exudes. It is something many historic churches exude and new ones often don't. I have realised that a similar concept exists for rock and roll spaces. There are local pubs that put on great bands, but I have no desire to play at,because the space is simply not "rock and roll" in its feel.
I'd love to take all of the lessons I've learned from 47 years in a band to make the best venue ever. If you are a millionaire and you want to be part of something great musically, get in touch! I am not an architect, but I believe that with AI and a little help from my friends, we could build the best small venue in the world!
5. Bomber Pilot.
My Dad was an RAF bomber pilot in World War II. He flew Wellington Bombers for 40 squadron and flew 40 combat missions, getting shot down on his last one. He was held a POW and escaped. He was an officer, having passed out with the highest grades in his intake at the Royal Australian Air Force training centre. When I was a kid, I wanted to be like my Dad. I dreamed of flying bombers and winning the war. Dad didn't encourage me. In fact, the opposite. He told me I was too thick to pass the exams needed. He also felt that I was too indisciplined and unruly for a career in the forces. He said that the RAF works because people follow orders and don't question their officers. He reckoned I could start an argument with myself in a phone box. By the time I was about 14, I was into punk rock and rejected the notion of war. I joined CND, which confirmed to my Dad that I was a naïve idiot, who understood nothing about the world. He also simply couldn't understand why I had no real interest in travel or learning to drive and fly planes. I learned to drive when I was 29, long after he passed away. After the age of nine or ten, I lost all interest in being a bomber pilot. As I approach 64, it would be sensible to assume that the ship sailed a long time ago. However, with AI and the advent of drones, it occurred to me, that anyone can fly a drone. You don't need to be fit, have perfect eyesight or risk getting blown to bits by anti aircraft fire. Theoretically I could fly a drone from my front room and drop bombs on people. Now it is actually the last thing I want to do. But it is possible. I wish my Dad was alive to discuss this with. I think the technology would fascinate him.
No comments:
Post a Comment