On Computers

When an old high school friend reached out to me through Classmates.com, I had a fascinating discussion, thanks to input from Google Gemini. First my friend Stephanie and I reminisced about the good old days on the high school newspaper staff. One time, some sang “Tea for Two,” while others pounded on their desks to the beat, pulled the blinds up and down rhythmically or used a ruler as a baton to add to the merry mayhem. Meanwhile, our mild-mannered teacher ignored everything. He wasn’t even that mad on the day when students set up the whole classroom on the street, complete with the American flag in its holder. Or when a few guys locked me in the dark room […]

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Filed under: AI, Apple, art, Google, wearables | Comments Off on ART AND AI

A magician asked me to make him a website. But what about a free business page on Google, Facebook or both?  Years ago, I created a Google business page for testing purposes. Though people thought I was a computer store, I was still getting legitimate calls until I finally removed it. For small businesses, a free Google page is often enough. With a Google Business page, people can easily find you. For example, they could type “magician near me” to find my friend.  A Google or Facebook business page can include hours and services, as well as photos, videos and responses to good or bad reviews. Some restaurants use only a Facebook business page for their online menus. Over 200 […]

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Filed under: AI, art, career, facebook, Internuts, printer, security, TV, voice recognition, web, YouTube | Comments Off on NEED A WEBSITE?

The Tick Talk 5, a $150 kid watch, makes me feel like Dick Tracey every time I tap my wrist. It’s a blast. Children will love the Mom icon. Tap it to ring her up immediately. Another icon launches a video call. There’s also a calculator, stopwatch, calendar and a wildly generous step counter. With the Tick Talk app, parents can send holiday e-cards to the watch wearer. For the watch face, I chose a cheery blue elephant in a jaunty hat and sunglasses. He nods and smiles, then shows his eyes.  I love the podcasts and music, though they cause the battery to drain quickly. I don’t mind popping the watch on its wireless charger, as often as necessary, […]

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Filed under: analytics, Apple, apps, art, gadgets, health, Internuts, kids | Comments Off on KID WATCH

A reader asked me how he might safely donate a computer to a local refurbishing group. “Our son-in-law takes the hard drive out and destroys it with a hammer,” he said. “Is that the best way?” Unless you have business secrets or a celebrity past, you probably don’t need to destroy or remove perfectly good equipment. Instead, try the free Windows program “Eraser,” which uses Department of Defense-level data destruction algorithms to get rid of files permanently. For Macs, there’s “Clean My MacX Shredder,” $40. Both are highly recommended by TechRadar. But for most people, a factory reset is enough. Even for an expert, it would take specialized software to restore your files after a reset, which often doesn’t work. […]

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Filed under: 3D Printing, AI, apps, art, career, printer, robots, science, security, text messaging, trends, voice recognition | Comments Off on GIVING AWAY OLD COMPUTERS

I accidentally got into a car with a stranger in Chicago at night. I thought the guy was a Lyft driver. Lyft and Uber have a problem. The drivers ignore your pick-up address. Instead, they use GPS. When you’re standing next to skyscrapers, GPS makes mistakes. When I was on S. Michigan Ave., for example, the Lyft driver’s map showed me on E. Adams St. “Where are you?” I texted the driver. “I’m right around the corner on Adams,” he said. On Adams, I saw one car, right where he said he’d be. I got in. The driver asked me where I wanted to go. “Don’t you see my destination in your app?” I asked. He looked confused. “Do you […]

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Filed under: AI, Amazon, apps, art, Internuts, numbers, trends, wireless | Comments Off on GETTING INTO THE WRONG CAR

I love listening to books in Amazon’s Audible app. Many of the voice actors dramatize the scenes so well, it’s like listening to a play. But times are changing, thanks to artificial intelligence. Now you don’t have to ask Meryl Streep to come into the studio since you already have a sample of her voice. Audible can clone it with AI. But will the clones be able to perform the full range of characters? For example, when Jonathan Cecil read P.G. Wodehouse, he could convincingly switch from a young man’s role to that of an old woman. Currently, Audible is only inviting a small group of US-based narrators to train AI to replicate their voices. But if this thing takes […]

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Filed under: AI, Amazon, apps, art, crytpocurrency, Internet, security | Comments Off on AUDIBLY AI

I just picked up the phone and called Sigmund Freud. He had a lot to say. You can call him too, or almost any other famous person, through the magic of artificial intelligence. It’s a new feature in the “Character AI” app, free for iPhone and Android. After Freud, I looked up Abraham Lincoln. From 98 versions, I selected the most popular, an Abe who had already participated in over 400,000 chats. I asked him about Mary Todd, but unfortunately, unlike the other characters I tried, he was slow to respond. Maybe he’s too popular: He has a great old-timey voice. Most are as jarring as a surfer dude trying to be Franklin Delano Roosevelt. You may prefer texting to […]

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Filed under: AI, art, books, cheap calls, free stuff, Internuts, troubleshooting, video | Comments Off on CALLING FREUD

After printing out eight placemats for my sister’s birthday, I laminated them with the Scotch “Thermal Laminator,” $31 at Target. The placemats include photos of my six-month-old niece, a “Happy Birthday” greeting and a cartoonish cake. I know my sister will like them because she’s still using the holiday placemats I made years ago. To start, I used “Hallmark Card Studio,” $31 on Amazon, which can be downloaded to multiple machines. After finishing a variety of designs– which was as easy as choosing images and text to plop onto paper– I turned to YouTube for a demo of the laminator. I’m all thumbs when it comes to hardware. Here’s how it works: To start, choose one of two settings, depending […]

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Filed under: AI, art, cheap calls, Internuts, kids, video | Comments Off on MAKE YOUR OWN PHOTO PLACEMATS AND LAMINATE THEM

“You’ve been hacked!” Those words spilled out all over a friend’s computer screen. Then her phone rang. The caller said he represented U.S. Bank, which happened to be her bank. “You’ve been hacked,” he repeated, giving her his fake employee badge number. Then he got permission to install an app to control her computer from afar. After that, she called her bank. They told her to come in and set up a new account. Then she asked a techy friend to fix her computer. He probably used Windows recovery options. But she still couldn’t sleep. So when I dropped by, I ran a McAfee virus scan, just to be sure. I wasn’t expecting any problems, because I would have seen […]

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Filed under: AI, Android, art, Internuts, photos, robots, security, social networks | Comments Off on HACKED!

Art Selfie 2 is a fun way to see how you’d look dressed for the Italian Renaissance, a Woodstock Festival and a Frida Kahlo portrait, among other settings. I discovered that I look ridiculous in a powdered wig. Start by downloading Google’s free “Arts & Culture” app for Android or iPhone, then tap on “Art Selfie 2.” The app prompts you to take a selfie, choose a style and save your portrait. I never pictured myself with flowers on top of my head or wearing a hippie’s outfit. Groovy, man. Far out. Be Real During a busy day the other day, I went all over town. But every time the “Be Real” app popped up to take a selfie of […]

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Filed under: AI, Amazon, apps, art, batteries, gadgets, Internuts, security | Comments Off on APP TURNS SELFIES INTO ART