“You know you’ve made it when you get your first stalker.”
~ Daniel Radcliffe (actor)
Joel Bowman with today’s Note From the End of the World: Carvoeiro, Portugal...
We’ve made it, dear reader. Well, sort of…
Friday morning we woke to discover we had an online imposter. At first, we were flattered. That anyone should visit our tiny corner of the Internet at all, much less take the time and effort to try and imitate us, is praise of a kind.
But wait… this was serious. This imposter, a cheap Joel Fauxman, was brazenly soliciting our dear readers! We leapt to action, posting the following…
SCAM ALERT: Someone is attempting to scam my readers under a fake account called “Joel Bowman Notes.” He is asking people to contact a broker and hawking some scammy stock.
DO NOT CONTACT HIM! HE IS A SCAMMER!
I have already blocked this person’s account, reported him to Substack admin and removed all his comments. If you see anyone impersonating me or asking you to contact their broker here on Substack, please report them immediately.
Thankfully, my readers know me well enough to know I’d never flog a stock to them or ask them to contact some dodgy broker. They responded to his bilking accordingly.
Our best defense against these scammers is community vigilance. Thanks in advance for your understanding and apologies for any inconvenience. Cheers, (the real) Joel Bowman.
Astute Notes readers were, indeed, quick to notice the fraudster. Which got us to thinking… how vulnerable are we all in this brave new online world? How much more exposed are we now that Artificial Intelligence has entered the fray? And what, if anything, can we do about it?
Part of what makes us human, discernible one from the other, is our ability to be uniquely ourselves. That includes making mistakes… flouting the rules… committing the occasional tipo, daring to boldly split an infinitive, or all of the above in the same cursed sentence.
When AI-powered tools like auto-correct and predictive text mush our individual voices into a kind of tasteless, Dickensian-style gruel, it robs us of our individuality… making it all the more difficult to tell our real selves from some ersatz, rapscallion swindler.
So if we sometimes use unusual language, if we offer an unpopular opinion, manage to offend both sides of the political spectrum or occasionally come across as a bit… sesquipedalian… known at least that we’re future-proofing these Notes against AI charlatans and chatbot wannabes. At least, that’s our story… and we’re sticking to it!
And now for your Notes From the End of the Week…
Final Notes…
This week’s solitary flâneur, shown in the short clip above, was taken along Portugal’s “silver coast,” about an hour north of Lisbon. The sandstone cliffs of Praia do Rei Cortiço (King Cortiço Beach) stretch for miles between Óbidos and Peniche.
A short ways north, the famed Nazaré is a playground for dare devils and big wave adrenalin junkies. The record for largest wave ever ridden belongs to German surfer, Sebastian Steudtner, who in 2020 rode this 86 ft (26.2 m) monster...
Whether you’re conquering titans of the sea or enjoying a leisurely stroll along the shore, we trust you’re enjoying your weekend.
Stay tuned for more Notes From the End of the World…
Cheers,
Joel Bowman
P.S. It’s been a little over a year and a half since we embarked on this little Notes journey and, thanks to the generosity of our Members, we’ve been able to parlay our scribbles into something that threatens to become a full time endeavor.
In fact, we’re now read in all 50 US States and across 140 countries around the world. Consider us chuffed.
Here’s what a few dear Members have to say about their Notes experience…
If you’re not already a Member, but you enjoy and/or value our work, you can correct that cosmic oversight easily enough, right here…
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