Eyes Wide Shut

I would say “I can’t help it” but really I can and choose not to.  I am a statistics person.  I enjoy the slog of compiling stats from different sources and putting them in one place and then asking, “what do these statistics tell me?”
I have been doing that regarding the suburb I live in.  Namely Burpengary including Burpengary East.  At the moment there have been two ways I have accessed statistics.  One is the census. The latest online is the 2021 census so I have used information from that.
I have determined what I thought useful as opposed to other stuff.  For example, I have not noted the average number of cars per house.  Interesting but not useful for me.  I just know there are a lot of cars at a house up the road.  We only have one, having gotten rid of our other.
The other way I have gotten information is using AI.  I am finding that source incredibly useful.  For example, I asked AI how many and what type of businesses are in Burpengary.  I have a list of the category of businesses and the numbers.  Under Trades & Construction there are Electricians, Plumbers, Builders & Contractors, Concrete Contractors and Excavation Services.  My list only has like “5+ or 3+” but depending how I word the question I can get a list of where each service is.  To me information like that can be very useful in getting say a local plumber or someone’s service I was unaware of, that is local.
For all the negativity I have heard about AI I feel it can be very useful when used the right way.  I understand that so much depends on the gatekeeper and one AI producer will not say anything about what it does not want you to research. To me that is just another example of being encouraged to think in a way the powers that be want me to think.
I am in the early stage of researching local statistics. The Census tells me the median age in Burpengary is 35 and there are around 23,100 people who call Burpengary home.  Also the highest age group is the 20-29 year olds.  They are closely followed by the 10-19 and 0-9 year olds.
That did surprise me though really it should not have.  I see a lot of older people but I think that is because the kids are at school and the 20-29 year olds are at work.
I know this sort of thing is not everyone’s cup of tea but it is mine.  It does present me with a dilemma though like “what’s it all mean?”  I have heard it said that a church should reflect the community.  We have a ways to go but are getting there.