Most college graduates will concede their commencement ceremony was entirely forgettable. Being handed the diploma aside, unless the speaker was a celebrity or the president, few can or will recall any speeches or the individuals who gave them....
This year may have been the exception. For the first time, at graduation ceremonies nationwide, some speakers were vocally derided and even collectively booed by graduates. The reason was the mention of a contemporary fact no one wanted to acknowledge. Something that understandably frightens all collegiate job-seeking hopefuls – the reference to “A I....”
Artificial Intelligence or “A I” is becoming ubiquitous in all aspects of jobs, employment and life. To an extent, it has been around for decades beginning with computers and then the iPhone and related myriad “smart” devices we use daily. Those make previously difficult or complex undertakings amazingly simple. However, that technology is eliminating the need for many human jobs graduates traditionally have counted on. Hence, the academic hue and cry.
When we dial the clock back to much earlier times – say 250 years ago – we return to an era when unmistakable simplicity was the beta. It was when we were required to create our own solutions to everyday situations or entertainment of any kind. In fact, the word “artificial” was probably rarely if ever used.
Ideal examples of that period are featured on a new oversized booklet of “Forever” postage stamps just released by the USPS. Each of the ten stamps in the pane showcase an item from colonial days created or used by Americans when the country was founded. All are a fascinating look back to a time when there was nothing artificial about things in everyday usage.
Included on the stamps are actual objects such as a spinning wheel used to make thread and yarn from sheep’s wool; or a simple teapot used long before we had bottled tea or self-dispensing tea machines. Emblazoned on the teapot are the patriotic words, “America, Liberty Restored.” Similarly creative is a stamp showing the horn from an ox fashioned into an essential powder horn for carrying gunpowder for muskets. Etched in scrimshaw on it is the resolute message, “LIBERTY OR DEATH.”
Other military-related items on the stamps include a banner displaying colors for the Commander-In-Chief, a.k.a. George Washington; a detailed, hand-drawn map of the Battle of Yorktown; a painted signboard with a folk-art rustic eagle surrounded by 13 stars; and a watercolor painting of two soldiers of the period standing at attention with muskets at their side.
Also, militarily-linked is a handmade honor created for and awarded to Continental soldiers injured in battle. Made of sewn cloth, the “Badge of Military Merit” was the precursor to the current Purple Heart medal given to today’s wounded soldiers.
The final two stamps speak distinctly to the creativity of the age. The first is an actual “Wampum Belt.” Such handmade items were woven bands of beads made from the shells of small clams and whelk snails. Crafted by Indigenous Northeast Indians such as those of the Algonquian tribe, Wampum Belts served as records and/or binding agreements for treaties.
The final stamp shows a portion of Continental Currency printed and used in the colonies – some made by author, statesman and printer Ben Franklin. The stamp shows a portion of a bill printed with 13 interlocking rings each with the name of a US state. The rings surround a center portion with the words, “WE ARE ONE.”
A unique aspect of many early pieces of US paper currency was the use of an anti-counterfeiting device created by Ben Franklin. Because the British were trying to bankrupt the colonies with bogus paper currency meant to destroy the value of actual notes, Franklin needed to incorporate something on the bills that couldn’t be duplicated.
Ben realized that, similar to human fingerprints, the veins in a tree’s leaf were all unique. So, he created printing dies utilizing images from several actual tree leaves included on currency notes. The British couldn’t duplicate those. So, although it wasn’t artificial, you could argue Ben’s idea was certainly intelligent.
Called the “Treasures of the Revolutionary Era” the Forever stamps are being issued in a prestige booklet. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the prevailing First-Class mail rate, currently 78-cents (but certainly soon to go up). The Prestige booklets contain two blocks of ten of the stamps along with pages of color photos and connective information about the colonial objects.
The booklet is being released in conjunction with the Semiquincentennial as are six other different related stamp issues for the anniversary. Beginning last week, the “Treasures” booklet became available at most post offices.
Special First Day of Issue cancels and pre-canceled envelopes are still available for collectors. For more information on those or to buy the booklet, log onto www.USPS.gov.
For more collecting stories and advice, log on to: http://prexford.com/.