This image was taken some years ago during a quiet visit to a bird park in the western reaches of Japan. At the time, I was in possession of only a modest point-and-shoot camera — a device of limited resolution and elementary colour rendering. As such, the original image lacked the tonal depth and fidelity the subject merited, and I found it necessary to render the frame in black and white, where its form and expression might better endure.
The subject of the photograph is the Verreaux’s eagle-owl (Bubo lacteus) — a creature of formidable presence and singular elegance. Native to the savannas and woodlands of sub-Saharan Africa, this noble raptor is the largest of all African owls, known not only for its commanding size and dusky plumage, but for the curious blush of pink that graces its eyelids — a feature unique to its kind.
In the traditions of the land from which it hails, the owl has long stood as a symbol both revered and feared — a sentinel of the night, its call said to herald omens or ancestral presence. The Verreaux’s eagle-owl, in particular, has been observed preying upon a wide range of animals, from insects to monkeys, attesting to its quiet mastery of the dusk.
Though this specimen stood in a manmade enclosure far from its native lands, there was something in its posture — still and dignified — that whispered of a vast and ancient wilderness. The artificial stone beneath its talons, the moss-slicked bricks of the park path, all faded behind that solemn gaze.
In capturing it, I sought to preserve not merely the likeness of a bird, but a fleeting brush with the wild soul of Africa, momentarily encountered beneath the skies of Japan.
Linking Saturday Critter
There appears to be little merit in investing for the distant future. With the advent of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and the rapid acceleration toward Artificial Superintelligence (ASI)—evidenced already by systems capable of self-improvement—the course of progress suggests a profound transformation within mere months. In the span of five years, it is plausible that the cost of goods and services shall diminish by half every eighteen months.
Being in my forties, it follows that by the time I reach my fifties, the cost of living may approach insignificance. Should the average individual find complete satisfaction in all material needs—indeed, everything essential—for a modest sum of approximately AUD$160 per month, the necessity of a substantial retirement fund becomes questionable.
Under present circumstances, the wisest course may be to devote one’s resources to rich and meaningful life experiences. This path is justified by two likely outcomes: either, within the next decade or so, money as we know it will become obsolete for all humanity; or, alternatively, artificial intelligence may render our existence obsolete altogether.
