Not just the dumbing down of America, but the World. Below I am showing an actual example of my description of a chainguard I currently have for sale on Ebay. I was curious and it was the first time today I tried the "Use AI description" tab that Ebay has for you to click, I have also shown their actual entire AI description of my chainguard when I clicked that button.
My Description
"Used original chainguard, original paint and screen with a small touch-up yellow 5 Speed Lemon Peeler guard as shown. The paint is all original with a couple of very small touch-up areas before the "S" that I tried to point out. This touch-up is very small and with all the scrapes and scratches I do not know why a prior owner of this guard did it unless it was when the bike and guard might have been very young and near new. This is a well used guard, lots of nicks, paint loss areas as you can see, few dings, and scratches as shown in the photos, but is a solid straight original guard. Chrome on top still shines (it is difficult to take photos of chrome but take a look anyway), but above the "N" as shown and that I tried to point out there is a ding/dents. Not a large ding but you can see it and feel it. Back has some scratches and wear, dark spots, pitting, can see and feel the before mentioned ding on the back as well the front, but still has a shine to the back chrome.. No dents or dings viewed. Rear bracket has just a small bit of a wiggle to it which is typical for most of these guards, tightens right up when installed on a bike. The original screen/lettering is original but scraped and scratched as shown. I tend to over describe my items and their flaws, but want to show and describe as best as I can. Came off a 5 speed Yellow Stingray Fastback, mounting holes are approximately 14 inches apart. Put this on an average condition original yellow paint Fastback 5 speed bike, should look great. Original paint guards in my opinion seem to look better on used fair to average condition/paint bikes than a repainted guard which in many cases depending on bike does not match up well with the original paint. Sold AS-IS with no returns, no warranties made as to what bike this will fit, condition, so look at all photos I have posted (photos are a much better indicator of condition than a written description). This came off a 5 Speed Lemon Peeler, but I make nor warranties regarding what bike it will fit. Original paint and screen guards seem to be getting tougher to find. Shipped within USA only. Shipping will be $16.75, my choice of type and carrier, or pick it up from me in San Jose for free. Selling here on Ebay since 1998, same username, 100% positive feedback, majority of items sold were Stingray related.
Ebay AI Description
"Schwinn enthusiasts and restorers will appreciate the authentic charm of this Coppertone Fastback Stingray Original Paint Screen. A genuine piece from Schwinn’s iconic lineup, this model boasts the classic design and five-speed functionality that avid collectors seek. The screen guard is an essential component for those looking to maintain the vintage aesthetics of their bike while ensuring protection and ease of use. Perfect for riders and restorers alike, this chain guard is a testament to the timeless appeal of Schwinn bicycles."
WOW, it amazes me how one description actually describes an item, and the other is really just plain crap. Now everyone is entitled to their own opinion of course, the following are just some thoughts and ramblings from an old guy who used to go out and celebrate on New Year's Eve instead of watching TV, waiting for the ball to drop, and ranting and raving on this site about something I have little to no control over. Sad part though, most of us in some form or another are responsible for what I call this dumbing down of America and our society, myself included. Now I understand that some innovation is great. Advances in medicine for instance are generally good, innovations that are for the general health and safety of people, but some new technology related innovations such as AI and other types of newer/recent innovations, especially the ones that are meant to be time savers or for convenience are just what I said, "dumbing down this country", all for the sake of saving time/convenience. I am really not that far to the left or the right when it comes to politics or life in general, kind of an average Joe when it comes to most things, but I feel pretty strongly about this. I mean here I am with a few taps of some buttons making a post complaining about certain innovations being time savers on a computer available for viewing worldwide, something that was not remotely possible when I was younger. Kind of hypocritical in a way when you think about it, my complaining about newer technology while using it to get this message across. I do use a lot of items/services today that I do not particularly like and I do think are making myself and society in whole "dumber".
Before all this new technology and advances in making life more easy, it was difficult to do what a lot of us take for granted now. Had to cook most meals from scratch, do most math by hand, and when we needed to find out something we researched it by many different means that would take time and effort. Now for a generation of people the only means of research they are going to be familiar with is AI, God help us all!. I see it on this site with more and more people making a post such as "I have a huffy girls bike, what is it worth". No explanation of what type of bike, condition, serial numbers, photos, and when you ask them to post these things I feel that a lot of these people feel it is to much work to put out to get an answer to their question, and they can just use AI for their answers. Truth is AI or any type of search engine is only as good as the data it is using and pulling from which in the case of Ebay and I bet a lot of AI sites just seems to be just some generic crap. Sometimes the best person to do something for you such as an Ebay description is yourself. Even if you know absolutely nothing about what you are selling you can state the measurements, color, condition, how it works, any markings on it, what it is used for, a lot more than an AI description is going to do. But it takes work to do this, and not as easy as hitting a button for an AI description. I am amazed even on this site which is for bikes, the number of people when selling or asking a question about a bike may put one or two photos, and little or no description as if it is to difficult to do or take more time than they want to give doing this. I can already see a generation of people out there now that have difficulty in speaking and oral conversation as all they do is text. If a phone rings and you give the phone to some people and say it is for you, they look at you with a blank stare, like am I supposed to actually talk to this person, kind of funny in a way. Anyway, I know it is called Progress, and it is easy to sit at a keyboard and complain like I am doing, but years from now when you see all descriptions similar to that Ebay AI description above I am going to say that is not progress, it is just the dumbing down of the world that is expecting to be able to do anything with the least amount of work, even if it is an inferior product, description whatever (again, I am not above all this and am guilty of this myself at times which I am not happy about) . Anyway my opinion only, just had this rant in me building up, and here it is.
My Description
"Used original chainguard, original paint and screen with a small touch-up yellow 5 Speed Lemon Peeler guard as shown. The paint is all original with a couple of very small touch-up areas before the "S" that I tried to point out. This touch-up is very small and with all the scrapes and scratches I do not know why a prior owner of this guard did it unless it was when the bike and guard might have been very young and near new. This is a well used guard, lots of nicks, paint loss areas as you can see, few dings, and scratches as shown in the photos, but is a solid straight original guard. Chrome on top still shines (it is difficult to take photos of chrome but take a look anyway), but above the "N" as shown and that I tried to point out there is a ding/dents. Not a large ding but you can see it and feel it. Back has some scratches and wear, dark spots, pitting, can see and feel the before mentioned ding on the back as well the front, but still has a shine to the back chrome.. No dents or dings viewed. Rear bracket has just a small bit of a wiggle to it which is typical for most of these guards, tightens right up when installed on a bike. The original screen/lettering is original but scraped and scratched as shown. I tend to over describe my items and their flaws, but want to show and describe as best as I can. Came off a 5 speed Yellow Stingray Fastback, mounting holes are approximately 14 inches apart. Put this on an average condition original yellow paint Fastback 5 speed bike, should look great. Original paint guards in my opinion seem to look better on used fair to average condition/paint bikes than a repainted guard which in many cases depending on bike does not match up well with the original paint. Sold AS-IS with no returns, no warranties made as to what bike this will fit, condition, so look at all photos I have posted (photos are a much better indicator of condition than a written description). This came off a 5 Speed Lemon Peeler, but I make nor warranties regarding what bike it will fit. Original paint and screen guards seem to be getting tougher to find. Shipped within USA only. Shipping will be $16.75, my choice of type and carrier, or pick it up from me in San Jose for free. Selling here on Ebay since 1998, same username, 100% positive feedback, majority of items sold were Stingray related.
Ebay AI Description
"Schwinn enthusiasts and restorers will appreciate the authentic charm of this Coppertone Fastback Stingray Original Paint Screen. A genuine piece from Schwinn’s iconic lineup, this model boasts the classic design and five-speed functionality that avid collectors seek. The screen guard is an essential component for those looking to maintain the vintage aesthetics of their bike while ensuring protection and ease of use. Perfect for riders and restorers alike, this chain guard is a testament to the timeless appeal of Schwinn bicycles."
WOW, it amazes me how one description actually describes an item, and the other is really just plain crap. Now everyone is entitled to their own opinion of course, the following are just some thoughts and ramblings from an old guy who used to go out and celebrate on New Year's Eve instead of watching TV, waiting for the ball to drop, and ranting and raving on this site about something I have little to no control over. Sad part though, most of us in some form or another are responsible for what I call this dumbing down of America and our society, myself included. Now I understand that some innovation is great. Advances in medicine for instance are generally good, innovations that are for the general health and safety of people, but some new technology related innovations such as AI and other types of newer/recent innovations, especially the ones that are meant to be time savers or for convenience are just what I said, "dumbing down this country", all for the sake of saving time/convenience. I am really not that far to the left or the right when it comes to politics or life in general, kind of an average Joe when it comes to most things, but I feel pretty strongly about this. I mean here I am with a few taps of some buttons making a post complaining about certain innovations being time savers on a computer available for viewing worldwide, something that was not remotely possible when I was younger. Kind of hypocritical in a way when you think about it, my complaining about newer technology while using it to get this message across. I do use a lot of items/services today that I do not particularly like and I do think are making myself and society in whole "dumber".
Before all this new technology and advances in making life more easy, it was difficult to do what a lot of us take for granted now. Had to cook most meals from scratch, do most math by hand, and when we needed to find out something we researched it by many different means that would take time and effort. Now for a generation of people the only means of research they are going to be familiar with is AI, God help us all!. I see it on this site with more and more people making a post such as "I have a huffy girls bike, what is it worth". No explanation of what type of bike, condition, serial numbers, photos, and when you ask them to post these things I feel that a lot of these people feel it is to much work to put out to get an answer to their question, and they can just use AI for their answers. Truth is AI or any type of search engine is only as good as the data it is using and pulling from which in the case of Ebay and I bet a lot of AI sites just seems to be just some generic crap. Sometimes the best person to do something for you such as an Ebay description is yourself. Even if you know absolutely nothing about what you are selling you can state the measurements, color, condition, how it works, any markings on it, what it is used for, a lot more than an AI description is going to do. But it takes work to do this, and not as easy as hitting a button for an AI description. I am amazed even on this site which is for bikes, the number of people when selling or asking a question about a bike may put one or two photos, and little or no description as if it is to difficult to do or take more time than they want to give doing this. I can already see a generation of people out there now that have difficulty in speaking and oral conversation as all they do is text. If a phone rings and you give the phone to some people and say it is for you, they look at you with a blank stare, like am I supposed to actually talk to this person, kind of funny in a way. Anyway, I know it is called Progress, and it is easy to sit at a keyboard and complain like I am doing, but years from now when you see all descriptions similar to that Ebay AI description above I am going to say that is not progress, it is just the dumbing down of the world that is expecting to be able to do anything with the least amount of work, even if it is an inferior product, description whatever (again, I am not above all this and am guilty of this myself at times which I am not happy about) . Anyway my opinion only, just had this rant in me building up, and here it is.
