My late husband had a great idea for a candy: little chocolate sailboats with sails made of some white confection such as divinity. Now you can use a 3D chocolate printer to make them for you.

The “Cocoa Press” is $1,500 for the basic model, but you’d have to have a 3D printer to print some of the parts. If you want it fully assembled, it’s $4000. But think of all the creations you could make and sell on Etsy, the crafters’ site.

CocoaPress.com shows off some amazing ones, including the iconic “LOVE” sign, based on the famous LOVE sculpture in Philadelphia. It also prints hollow models, which you can fill with jams, ganache or other goodies.

Reserve one now at CocoaPress.com for $100, then pay the rest when it ships. The basic models are coming out in September, the fully assembled models will ship in 2024. Too bad I try to eat sugar only on birthdays.

Just the Facts Ma’am 

ChatGPT is often criticized for not offering its sources. But ZDnet says you should ask for them after your query.

I went to the ChatGPT website, AI.com, and typed: “What were some of the ways that Winston Churchill was a good leader?” After reading their answer, I typed:  “Please provide URL sources.” Clicking on the links for 14 citations, I got “page not found” every time. Microsoft’s Bing AI is far superior in that department. When I went to Bing.com/new, I got complete references for each question automatically. What’s more, they were all there when I clicked.

Returning Amazon Purchases

When I buy something on Amazon by mistake, I  walk over to Whole Foods or UPS to return it. I like both options, because unless it has lithium batteries, you usually don’t need to put it in a box first. Just show them the bar code Amazon emailed you. However, if you want a UPS pick-up, you now have to pay Amazon a dollar. Other options include free drop-off at Kohls and Amazon Fresh Stores.

Chromebooks Redux

When writing about Chromebooks, I forgot to mention one potential negative: They don’t get updates after eight years, (used to be five). Does that matter? Not to some of us.

A reader wrote that his Chromebook, the CR-48, a prototype that came out in 2010, is still going strong.  “I love this machine,” he says, “because all the goodies can be upgraded,” including the RAM and solid state drive. It even has an SD card slot and a SIM card. “My only issue,” he adds, “is the dead battery. I still have not been able to get a replacement.”

Meanwhile, the US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), say the eight-year lifespan of the Chromebook is not long enough. They blame Google for contributing to e-waste. Only about a third of them are recycled, the rest wind up in landfills.

PIRG, an environmental advocacy group, says that kids who get free Chromebooks from their schools are able to break the seemingly unbreakable screens, hinges and keyboards. The difficulty is finding parts. Replacement keyboards for Acer Chromebooks, for example, cost around $90, almost half the cost of the Chromebook.

PIRG is calling for Chromebooks whose parts can be more easily swapped. But those already exist. The “Framework Laptop Chromebook” is $999. It should last virtually forever, since you can keep replacing stuff.

Confidential Gmail

To send a password-protected message by Gmail, click “compose.” When the window opens, click the padlock-and-clock icon at the bottom. Check the box to require a text message verifying the person receiving it. This means they will have to input a code from a text message in order to read the email you sent. No one else will be able to view it unless they have access to the recipient’s inbox.

Giving Away an Old Computer

To securely erase the contents of your old computer before giving it away or selling it, consider a free tool called “Eraser” from Erase.heidi.ie. It overwrites your data until it’s unrecoverable. Otherwise, someone might see your files, even the ones you thought you deleted, just by using an undelete tool.

Business Secrets

According to the Morning Brew, only five out of 18 routers tossed out by corporations were properly wiped before being tossed. I wonder how many business secrets were uncovered by the new owners.

Amazon Mystery

I tried to share a link to a mosquito-proof tent for the backyard from Amazon. I found a great one, but when my friend clicked the link, he got a different model completely. Go figure.

We tried a second time. I told him exactly what I typed in the Amazon search box. He typed the same words and got a different result.

It’s a mystery. I’m guessing that Amazon knows better than I do what my friend wants to see, so the words I see in my link are just window-dressing. The underlying code is geared to the person clicking on it. Amazing.

Internuts

– “Turn CO2 into concrete.” Search on that phrase to find out about Carbon Cure, Heirloom and Climeworks. They take carbon dioxide out of the air to make concrete.

– Fiverr.com offers services for $5 each. “Author Eva,” a best-selling poetry book editor, will edit up to 250 words of poetry for $5.

 

 

Filed under: 3D Printing, AI, Amazon, computers, Gmail, Google, Internuts, security