ARTIFICIALLY INTELLIGENT MUSIC

AI writes the songs that make the whole world stop singing. In other words, artificially intelligent music is definitely a work in progress. For example, I went to Suno.ai and typed: “Write a song in the style of Dixieland jazz.” It was awful. So was 60s rock. And so was a rewrite of “The 12 Days of Christmas.” If this is the future of music, I might stop listening. But I liked the bluegrass tune “Neon Cowboy,” and was intrigued by “My Truck Found Love.” It’s about a self-driving vehicle gone rogue. Supposedly, you can also get tunes from the Suno plugin in Microsoft’s Copilot. Search on “Microsoft Copilot” or click the blue-turquoise icon in the top right in Edge. […]

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USING YOUR PHONE PAST ITS EXPIRATION DATE

My Motorola-loving friend just got a new Samsung. Why? He wanted the latest security updates. He also wanted a faster processer and the latest operating system. But it’s not perfect. Compared to his old Moto G Power, the new Samsung A54 seemed to have a shorter battery life and lacks the headset jack needed for a wired headset, which he finds superior to the wireless kind. Also, he had to download the free Google phone app, which screens calls, after discovering that the Samsung app was letting in spam. I told him he should have stuck with his Motorola. But he disagrees and so do the experts at ZDNET. ZDNET calls the Samsung A54 “the best phone under $500.” Amazon […]

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MOTOROLA MYSTERY

A reader said that he wants to replace a five-year-old Motorola phone with a later version. But new Motorolas often have worse reviews than old ones, though the new ones tend to cost less. For example, I paid $170 for the 2021 Moto Power G on Amazon but it now goes for $270 to $400.  Does that mean people prefer the old to the new? Has Motorola gone downhill? The latest Moto G Power has nine percent one-star reviews on Amazon, which is a lot. But it’s reasonably priced at $200, has a relatively fast Snapdragon processor and the same great  battery life as the older Moto G phones. It can go five days on a single charge. It also […]

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PHONE STORY HAS HAPPY ENDING

After telling you all about my ordeal with Xfinity, I left you dangling.  Now, my new phone service is here, but to get it, I had to learn a big lesson. Don’t sign up for Xfinity phone service over the phone or even at your local phone store. With them, you have to go to the corporate store. That’s what a clerk at my local Xfinity told me. “Why not just call the corporate store?” I asked.   “They don’t have a phone number,” she said. Sure enough, Google listed it as the same 800 number that created my nightmarish runaround. One long bus ride later, I was at the corporate store. They said my phone deal never went through […]

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CASTING ANY WEBSITE TO YOUR TV

My women’s group wanted to see a live memorial service in New Hampshire on a big screen TV in Chicago. Here’s how I cast it from the church website to my TV. First, I went to the website in the Google Chrome browser on my Windows computer. Then I clicked the three vertical dots in the upper right and chose “cast.” Up popped my TV as one of the choices. The ladies were delighted. If you’re casting from an iPhone or iPad, you may need a TV with Apple TV built in, or at least one that’s compatible with AirPlay. Once you’ve got it, follow these steps. First, start up a video on your phone or tablet. Next, look for […]

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A NEW STIMULUS

There’s a new social network in town. It’s called “Stimulus.” They had me with “cash giveaways.” So far, Stimulus has given out over $100,000. In their welcome message, a middle-aged guy with a strong Italian accent says: “You’re like me. You’re tired of all the fake accounts that spoil all the fun. Stimulus is a happy social network where brands and generous people give away money to earn attention. Brands need attention to grow, people need money to live. Stimulus helps both.” I was sold. I clicked on a post saying “don’t forget your lima beans,” and was immediately entered into a $500 giveaway. Winners will be announced in three days. Next, I clicked on 10 more giveaways. Each one […]

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USING AN APP TO SAVE ON MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS

I’m saving over $200 a year on magazine subscriptions with a free app called “Libby.” All you need is a library card. Once you sign in to the Libby app, available on a phone, a tablet or at libbyapp.com, you get access to 4,034 magazines. They also have 23,748 audio books and 57,401 e-books. You can borrow up to ten books, ten audio books and ten magazines at once. I checked out People Magazine’s special edition on the Beatles, Time Magazine’s issue on the Roosevelts and The Economist. Normally, The Economist alone would cost me at least $99 a year. I also looked at Reader’s Digest, The New Yorker and The Week Magazine, though I already have the paper copies. […]

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ONLINE PIANO LESSONS ROCK

Years ago, my mediocre piano teacher failed to show up for my lesson, even though we were meeting at her house. I heard she did it to others too.  Phooey on her. I can get the best teachers in America online, and they’re cheaper. According to a 2020 report from Thumbtack, the average in-person piano teacher charges between $40 to $100 an hour. I just got 36 lessons for $25 from TheGreatCourses.com during one of their major sales. By using the free Chrome extension from CapitalOneShopping.com, the price dropped to $18. The equivalent from a live teacher would have cost $1440 to $3600. My online teacher, Pamela Pike, won the “Outstanding Teacher Award” from Louisiana State University, among other honors. […]

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SHOULD YOU GET 5G?

Do you feel pressured to get a 5G phone? If so, ignore the hype. “I’m told I have to go to a 5G phone soon,” a reader wrote. “What’s your best recommendation for an old guy who seldom makes more than two to three calls a month but wants to keep GPS and take photos?” “Fuggedabout it,” I said. “You don’t need 5G.” Why should he get a new phone capable of using a higher speed network when he’s not  experiencing any delays now? As for GPS, it has nothing to do with 5G. AndroidCentral has an article on both sides of the fence. On the pro-5G side, it claims that the “extra milliseconds it takes 4G LTE to form […]

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THAT DARN CAT

I might have said yes to the cat my neighbor offered me if I’d had “Leo’s Loo Too,” a robotic kitty-litter cleaner from SmartyPear that ships this month. It looks like a miniature dryer. Cat pooh can be dangerous. According to a University of Chicago study, 60 million Americans have “toxoplasmosis,” a parasite you can get from touching it. It causes “intermittent explosive disorder” and increased aggression in humans, experts say. With the Loo Too litter cleaner, a rotating drum separates your fur baby’s pooh and sends it into a carbon-filtered, odor-containing waste drawer. When the drawer is full, a notification on your smart phone tells you it’s time to take out the trash, which is automatically bagged. You’re back […]

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