When I was a young boy, my grandfather Charles Garland Sparks shared with me the story of the 1938 radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds. Listeners who tuned in late believed the alien invasion was real, leading to widespread panic. My grandfather used this story to teach me an important lesson: understand before acting. Seek truth before reacting emotionally.
I’ll never forget being with him the day President Kennedy was shot. We were told at the time it was the act of a lone madman, but my grandfather quietly remarked that something didn’t seem right. Decades later, that doubt has only deepened as theories and evidence continue to be debated. That was his way — never taking things at face value, always probing deeper.
He was a self-taught master of many trades: machinist, electronics whiz, handyman, you name it. In every way he could, he offered me the chance to expand my world, whether it was checking pin voltages on a vacuum-tube television in my early teens or learning to play the 12-string guitar he bought me.
Those lessons still resonate today. But as I experience the evolving landscape of the internet and social media, I am both fascinated and horrified at the difficulty that can present to those who have less experience and might be a little more susceptible to making a decision without all the facts. The speed, the reach, the frenzy — it can lift us up or spin us wildly out of control. My grandfather’s reminder feels more timely than ever: seek truth before reacting.
And now we stand at yet another crossroads. With the advent of AI — which can literally put words in someone’s mouth — and the ease of anonymous posting, accountability is vanishing. The very social interaction that once grounded us often feels like it is slipping away. In too many ways, we are regressing. The role of media is to inform without bias, yet that has become almost non-existent in our society.
As a publisher, writer, and photographer, I hold fast to one belief: if you are not proud enough of what you have to say to sign your name to it, then keep it to yourself. Words matter. They can lift up or tear down. Truth matters. It affects how people make decisions that can impact them and those around them. And integrity matters most of all. Acting ethically and morally in a manner that you wouldn’t mind sharing with the world at any time.
That being said, I also believe AI can be used constructively when guided with intention. In this issue, for example, we asked AI to generate a helmet image to illustrate how companies scramble for even the smallest piece of the endorsement pie. The design intentionally incorporated the University of Tennessee’s familiar Power T logo as part of that illustration. To be absolutely clear: UT had no involvement in the image, nor would the university ever allow its logo to be used on a helmet in that way. The intent was never to suggest otherwise, but simply to use a recognizable symbol to spark conversation about marketing, branding, and sponsorships. We all loved the concept but almost immediately abandoned the idea. It would have been both morally and ethically wrong. So we used fake logos to make the same point and no one was injured. We stayed within the lane of what we knew was right and therefore on balance.
This issue is a testament to that balance — of curiosity, exploration, and reflection. In these pages, you’ll find stories that inform, inspire, and ground us. Not rumors, not noise — but voices and visions that help us understand the world a little better.
Thank you, as always, for reading and being part of this community.
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