Chasing the Oracle

A snow day in Canada with Jill Heinerth and Robert McClellan, riffing in their pajamas about creativity, artificial intelligence, and the upcoming holidays.

On a recent walk through the woods, Jill and Robert discuss dive shows and conferences, endless airline travel, and the state of their world. 

Artificial Intelligence for good. AI Maestro Jill is a voice bot that was previewed recently at the Diving Into the Darkness screenings at Sydney, Australia. Ask Jill Heinerth questions and Maestro Jill is programmed to respond in an incredibly accurate way! 

Jill and Robert discuss the future of expedition travel, updates on the Diving Into the Darkness documentary film, Ottawa Riverkeeper and Loon calls! 

Here’s a bonus podcast - Jill and Robert discuss Women’s Dive Day and Jill shares her insight, from proper-fitting dive gear to dive travel safety and support organizations. Here’s a link to the Youtube video Jill promised about female outdoor urination products: https://youtu.be/z3SCfSSkaiw?si=mGilHcuymaY31-FQ

Chasing The Oracle - An Audio Story of an Expedition to the Lawless Egyptian-Libyan Desert in Search of Alexander the Great

If you have been following the world news this week, you will have likely seen an article or TV news segment about the expedition from which I just returned. One week ago, my team from the Royal Canadian Geographical Society located the wreck of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s last vessel, Quest. After six years of preparation, a team of 14 plus 8 crew set off for the Labrador Sea with a very tight plan to locate the lost vessel. Sir Ernest Shackleton is an icon to most explorers. His leadership during the famed Endurance Expedition stands as a timeless lesson in resilience, optimism, and the power of teamwork. As his ship was trapped and eventually crushed by Antarctic ice, Shackleton faced what seemed like insurmountable odds. Yet, his steadfast optimism and unwavering commitment to his crew turned a potential tragedy into an extraordinary tale of survival.

What is real? What is authentic? In this short audio podcast, Robert continues his one-man Boomer crusade against singers who use excessive processing and autotune on their vocal tracks. (Ugh…he sings!) Also - Jill's comments about Photoshop and AI post-processing applied to underwater photography. They share their love for authentic experiences and encourage young people to interact with their peers in real life. Jill spent the weekend with remarkable young people presenting at the Our World Underwater Scholarship Society - which gave her great hope and optimism for the future.

Jill Heinerth named honorary Ottawa Riverkeeper. She shares the important message of water literacy and how the river plays a role in the health of Canada's capitol city.

Artificial Intelligence has entered the chat. The media is full of articles about advanced AI applications and how it will soon touch every aspect of modern life. Love it or hate it - it’s going to change the way we interact with our digital devices. But fear not - AI has been embedded in everything from our smart phones to our kitchen appliances, and so far our refrigerators have not organized a robot rebellion. So far. Jill and Robert discuss how AI has been assisting underwater explorers and what the future looks like when intelligent, robotic digital “personalities” are a common part of daily life. As we discussed on the podcast, here’s a link to a special online preview of Diving Into The Darkness