I think the intent of these AI companies is generally good - they're trying to create a post-scarcity semi-utopian society, like Star Trek. Oh, and make boatloads of money in the interim.

If I remember right, didn't OpenAI start as an open source non-profit?  And then they made some advances and were like, screw that, let's make this a for-profit corporation!  Cha-Ching!  Cha-Ching!  Cha-Ching!  So, I have difficulty believing in any imagined altruism on their part.

You seriously believe this? How many decades is it going to take before we get that awesome fake Star Trek future? How many will suffer? We can't even reliably give people welfare, or medical care, or food now. And that's with jobs humans can do. Take away those jobs, and what do you really think is going to happen?

Yeah. Some of us may have jobs after this "AI" crap takes over. Very few, and it won't pay much. Thinking bespoke shoe makers is a relevant comparison. I can't even.

And people without jobs or hope for any kind of advancement in their life condition have a tendency to find things to do that may not bode well for society.

What most people forget is that Star Trek future followed a third world war that left hundred of millions dead.

And then didn't happen with a first contact situation first.

And being able to generate countless books and movies is not the same as having replicators that can provide basic needs such as food, water, shelter, tools, etc.

I've got The Expanse on my list. I started watching it when it was on SyFy, but couldn't get into it. I know sometimes that can change for me, so willing to give it another try.

I just finished Space: 1999. It wasn't as bad as I feared, but those special effects left a lot to be desired. A lot like the original Lost in Space was so campy, both tried to play it serious. I do have a thing for Martin Landau, always have, so I soldiered through.

I'm about done with Primeval:  New World. Set in Canada, an offshoot of a UK show. Only one season, so no real development in the show.

I'm starting a list of what I've binged, and will add a column of potential shows. I'm hoping we soon get the final seasons of a few, like Handmaid's Tale and Star Trek Discovery. I think ST:  Strange New Worlds may be doing their final season, but hope it can go further. I like it, even though it goes contrary to cannon at times.

my son himself used to speculate about the education system and thought a network of smaller schools closer to home might work better than the fewer, larger schools we have here. Of course then you get into the argument about economies of scale, ranges of subjects offered etc, though I suppose with online learning these might not loom so large.

Ah, yes, practical constraints often limit what the best approach would be.

My former school district was relatively small (four K-8 schools and one high school). The 6-8 parts were fundamentally separate middle schools existing on the same campuses as elementary schools. In the very old days, when the district had loads of cash, it could make four small middle schools work with complete programs. As money became more scarce, it became harder and harder to do that. A few years back, the district created one middle school because it just couldn't offer complete programs any more. There was some discussion of making the middle schools magnets for different subject areas, but that proved to be too complicated to set up. (And kids that age often changed their mind about what they wanted to focus on, a potentially even bigger problem.)

I've seen the same problem when large schools suffer declining enrollment. The smaller the student population, the more tendency there is to lose programs because not enough of the remaining students are interested, and the more difficult it is to schedule students. (Classes that used to be offered every period no longer are, and more classes are offered only once, forcing a lot of tough choices.)

With regard to online classes, they are a good supplement, but I've yet to see an online program that provides everything in-person schooling can. The personal touch really makes a difference, especially for struggling students.

The only time I sell to Canada in a significant amount is if I get an international BookBub.

However, I signed up for Kobo Plus and it has earned me some nice little chunks of change. A bit more than coffee money, and I didn't have to do a thing.

I've never had business in Canada proportionate to the population. Maybe if I advertised there? But for me, it has come in behind UK, Australia, and even Germany and France.