@FrancoJTorres

  • The Worst It Will Ever Be

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    Franco J. Torres

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    Every once in a while, something comes along that is absolutely groundbreaking. For me, that thing has been artificial intelligence. Not the sci‑fi version with shiny robots and suspenseful music — just the everyday AI I use right now, in my actual life, doing real things that matter to me.

    And the wildest part is this: as impressive as AI already is, its current iteration is the worst it will ever be. That thought alone makes you wonder where it will be just a few short years from now.

    AI has slipped into my daily life. At first I thought it didn’t apply to me. I thought it would be more useful to students too lazy to write their own essays. At some point I started using it for a few small things, and then it snowballed from there. And suddenly it was everywhere — in my work, in my hobbies, and the random corners of my life.

    At work it helps me get things done faster. It does some of the boring and time-consuming stuff for me. It helps me explore ideas I wouldn’t have had time for. It’s not replacing me — it’s extending me. It’s like having an automated assistant and I am working on some projects to fully automate many tasks for me.

    At home it wears many hats. It’s a tutor. It’s helping me learn a new language. It’s a programmer. It coded me an investing app. It’s a creative writer. It’s helping me imagine entire worlds. And yes, if you must know, it’s helping me write in my blog. It even wrote me my own custom book just for me.

    I’m Optimistic About AI — And Here’s Why

    A lot of people are worried about AI taking jobs. I get it. Every big technological shift brings fear. But I don’t share the pessimism. I’m genuinely optimistic about where this is going.

    AI isn’t replacing people. It’s augmenting them. And history backs this up. Every major technology created more jobs than it destroyed:

    • The industrial revolution created engineering and logistics.
    • The automobile may have decimated the horse industry, but it created so many others.
    • Computers created IT, software, cybersecurity, digital design.

    AI is just the next chapter.

    Yes, some jobs will change. But new ones will appear that we can’t even name yet. Just like nobody in 1995 could have predicted “mobile app developer” or “influencer.” We’re not heading toward joblessness. We’re heading toward job transformation.

    The part that blows my mind. As powerful as AI is today, this is the worst it will ever be. Tomorrow it will be better. Next year it will be unrecognizable. In a decade, we’ll look back at today’s AI the way we look at the early days of the internet.

    It’s like when we could hear the dial-up modem connecting to the internet and photos would take forever to load. That’s where we are now. the next generation of kids will wonder how we ever lived without it.

    We’re standing at the bottom of an exponential curve. It’s in its infancy. We are still early. It’s still learning. Still improving. Still accelerating. And I for one am very excited to see the breakthroughs and exciting things coming in the next few years.

    Continue reading →: The Worst It Will Ever Be

  • When the Power Goes Out

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    Franco J. Torres

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    When the Power Goes Out

    This past Friday, San Antonio was hit with one of those sudden, heavy thunderstorms that seem to come out of nowhere. The kind that turns the sky dark in the middle of the afternoon and reminds you just how small you are compared to nature. More than 112,000 homes and businesses lost power across the city, and we were among them — almost two full days without electricity in the middle of August.

    It’s amazing how quickly life becomes uncomfortable when the things we depend on every day suddenly disappear. No air conditioning, no fans, no lights, no fridge, no Wi-Fi. Just heat, humidity, and the realization that modern life is built on a quiet, invisible infrastructure we rarely think about.

    Those two days were long. The house felt like it was holding onto every degree of heat. Even simple things — making food, staying cool, trying to sleep — became challenges. And while we were fortunate enough to get our power back eventually, there are still people across the city waiting for theirs to return. I’ve been thinking about them a lot, hoping they get relief soon.

    At some point during the outage, I found myself thinking about the people who came before us — the generations who lived their entire lives without electricity, air conditioning, refrigeration, or any of the conveniences we consider basic. They worked, raised families, cooked, traveled, and survived in conditions that would feel almost unbearable to us today. Two days without power was uncomfortable, but for them, that was simply life. It made me realize just how good we have it, and how much of our comfort comes from technologies we didn’t invent, but benefit from every single day.

    And when the power finally came back on, the difference was instant. The house cooled, the lights returned, and everything felt normal again. But the biggest surprise was last night — I slept better than I have in a long time. After two nights of tossing and turning in the heat, that first cool, comfortable sleep felt almost luxurious. It wasn’t just rest; it was relief. It made me realize how even something as simple as a good night’s sleep is tied to the modern comforts we depend on every day.

    Losing power didn’t just disrupt the weekend — it reset my perspective. It reminded me that gratitude isn’t only for the big things. Sometimes it’s for the hum of an AC unit, the glow of a lamp, the quiet reliability of a refrigerator, or the simple comfort of a cool room after a long day. And it’s also for the people who built the world we get to live in — the innovators, the workers, the generations who endured harder lives so that ours could be easier.

    I’m glad the lights are back on. I’m glad the house is cool again. And I’m grateful — really grateful — for the everyday conveniences that make life feel steady, livable, and comfortable. We don’t notice them until they’re gone, but maybe we should.

    Continue reading →: When the Power Goes Out

  • The Quiet Power of Starting Small

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    The Quiet Power of Starting Small

    There’s a strange pressure in modern life to make every project big. Big goals, big plans, big transformations. But lately I’ve been rediscovering the quiet power of starting small — not because small is easier, but because small is honest.

    Small steps don’t pretend to be anything other than what they are. They don’t demand perfection. They don’t require a five‑year plan. They simply ask you to show up today, do one thing, and let that be enough.

    I’ve noticed this in my own routines. The days I try to overhaul everything at once are the days I burn out. But the days I pick one small improvement — clean one corner, write one paragraph, fix one lingering task — those are the days that actually move my life forward. Not dramatically, but steadily.

    And steady is underrated.

    We talk a lot about breakthroughs, but not enough about maintenance. We celebrate the big reveal, but not the quiet consistency that makes the reveal possible. Small steps build momentum. Momentum builds identity. Identity builds change.

    So if you’re reading this and feeling behind, overwhelmed, or stuck, here’s the reminder I needed myself: you don’t have to transform your life today. You just have to nudge it. One small action. One small win. One small step that proves you’re still in motion.

    Big things grow from small things. They always have.

    Continue reading →: The Quiet Power of Starting Small

  • What a Burger

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    What a Burger

    I was reading up on some local news today and found an interesting article on MySA.com about which burger restaurant chain gives you the most value per dollar spent on a burger.

    In other words, the most bang for your buck.

    It cites a February 2026 study by NetCredit which ranks major restaurant chains across the country on several categories. It’s nice to see Texas favorite Whataburger ranked #1 on best overall value among competitors.

    I gotta say I agree with this ranking. I admit my bias in favor of Whataburger. For many of us in Texas Whataburger has been the go-to choice for burgers all our lives. We love it and we love the fact that it originated in Texas.

    I always felt that McDonald’s and Burger King, the #1 and #2 chains by size in the world, have too much of a generic, industrial type of taste. Whataburger is more original and manages to stay true to its southwestern roots.

    You can’t argue with the result of the ranking since it is purely quantitative in nature, basing its result on the amount of meat on a burger per dollar paid. But one can’t help oneself and turn this into a qualitative ranking based on personal preference, combining cost and taste, as well as customer service and atmosphere.

    Here is my ranking based on personal preference of the restaurants I’ve been to, leaving out the rest to be fair:

    1. Whataburger
    2. Five Guys
    3. In-n-Out
    4. Wendy’s
    5. Burger King
    6. McDonald’s

    What about you? How would you rank the major burger chains?

    Continue reading →: What a Burger

  • Is Nothing as Good as it Used to Be?

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    Is Nothing as Good as it Used to Be?

    I’ve spent a lot of time on Spotify recently looking for new music to listen to and, frankly, I left disappointed in what I found. Some of the music was decent, some was good, but for the most part, I did not like what I heard.

    I went back into my 1990’s, 2000’s and 2010’s playlists and the difference is profound. I’ve heard time and time again that this is normal, that it happens generation after generation. But it’s not just the music.

    After watching the latest Oscars show with Conan O’Brien hosting, I started to think about the movies of the previous decades and the conclusion is the same, in my opinion. I remember watching the Oscars and having watched all of the best picture nominees. Now they’re mostly unknown–at least to me.

    Television? Maybe. I’ve heard we are living a TV golden age due to all the streaming platforms pumping out so much content. I’ not sure about this one.

    So, is it just me? Am I just getting old? Or is the quality of a lot of popular media really in decline? What say you?

    Continue reading →: Is Nothing as Good as it Used to Be?

  • Dogs

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    Daily writing prompt
    What animals make the best/worst pets?
    View all responses

    You really can’t go wrong with dogs. They are perfect. They are the most amazing, incredible little creatures.

    I have two Chihuahuas and I could not ask for better dogs. They make our lives so much better. I love listening to the beautiful sound of their little paws’ tippy-taps on the floor.

    I love seeing their excitement when my wife and I come back home from running errands or a day out.

    I love that you can pick them up and cuddle them like eternal babies. They will never be too old for that.

    They each have their own unique personality.

    And to think that dogs are not even a luxury that few are fortunate enough to enjoy. They are plentiful. You can drive down to a shelter right now and adopt what could become one of the pest things in your life.

    So, yeah. Dogs.

    Continue reading →: Dogs

  • Song of the Day: Apr 5, 2026

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    Franco J. Torres

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    Punk Rocky by Asap Rocky

    Pages: 1 2

    Continue reading →: Song of the Day: Apr 5, 2026

  • Photo From Artemis II

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    View of home from Artemis II just a few miles off the Florida coast. It shouldn’t have taken this long for NASA to get back here.

    Source: NASA

    Continue reading →: Photo From Artemis II

  • Hello, world!

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    Relaunching a blog as if it was 2012 again. I don’t care if no one reads. This is more for me than anyone else.

    Continue reading →: Hello, world!

Hello,

I’m Franco

Welcome to my blog. My collection of thoughts regarding anything I want to share with the world. It’s 2012 all over again!

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