On Computers

Recently, I went to a big chicken dinner at my sister’s house, where I happened to be staying. The issue was: “What shall Health Nut Joy have?” So I asked Microsoft Copilot. First, I told my artificially-intelligent sous chef about the stuff in the pantry and fridge. Then I asked it to come up with an oil-free, salt-free, sugar-free, vegan recipe. It gave me three choices. The first was “Italian Broccoli–Brussels Sprout Pesto Bowl.” The second was “Mexican Sweet Potato–Black Bean Tacos.” The third was “Moroccan‑Style Sweet Potato & Black Bean Tagine.” There was one complication. I had to make my dish early, or my brother-in-law, a true chef, wouldn’t have the time or space to create his own masterpieces. […]

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Filed under: AI, games, Internuts, photos, photoshop | No Comments »

A reader named Karl sent me a newspaper column that raged against data centers and artificial intelligence. He hoped I’d give him a different point of view. We sure need one. In April, Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI, the company that makes ChatGPT, was targeted in an attempted firebombing with a Molotov cocktail at his San Francisco home. Apparently, the suspect thinks AI poses grave risks to humanity. But so far, technological progress is the reason that we’re all still here. Thanks to technology, in the past 100 years, the average human lifespan has doubled, and the average per capita income worldwide has tripled, adjusted for inflation. Child mortality has come down by a factor of ten. There’s less […]

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Filed under: AI, gadgets, games, Internuts, inventions, kids, numbers | Comments Off on DATA CENTER BLUES

Right after I told you it wasn’t worth switching my cell phone carrier, I switched. I knew that Consumer Cellular is touted for its budget-friendly plans and reliance on the robust AT&T network, but it took a reader to suggest it. “Consumer Cellular has been great!” she wrote. “Cut my bill for two iPhones. I now get unlimited text and calls and a good amount of data for $57 per month. Several family members have also switched. Their call centers are all US-based.” With the switch, I’m saving $15 a month, which isn’t huge. But the quality difference between Xfinity and Consumer Cellular is immense. With Xfinity, I was getting at least one dropped call a day. What’s more, the […]

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Filed under: Amazon, games, health, Internuts, iPhone, phones | Comments Off on SWITCHING PHONE SERVICE AGAIN

The new Google comes in two modes, regular and AI.  “AI Mode” takes you on a deep dive. To try it on your phone or computer, do a Google search on “AI Mode” and turn it on, or if you see a laboratory beaker, tap it. I started by asking:  “Were Native Americans typically more savage on a day-to-day basis than the early colonists?”  AI Mode pointed me to Historum.com, which suggested that Europeans viewed Native Americans as “savage” due to customs like scalping. But it also said that Native Americans viewed European colonists as “savage,” because they killed or injured Native populations, ignored tribal land rights and tried to convert Natives to Christianity. The second link, from Quora.com, said […]

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Filed under: AI, computers, gadgets, games, Google, Internuts, music | Comments Off on DEEP DIVE WITH THE NEW GOOGLE

I used SurveyMonkey to get 28 responses to an online survey for members of my new book club. But it only showed me 25. If I had insisted on seeing all 28, it would have cost me over a thousand bucks. A friend suggested the free Google Forms, which works great. Just like SurveyMonkey, it can create surveys, questionnaires and quizzes. It also gives you a link to send out by email, text or social media and tallies the results. Needing help, I asked ChatGPT how to improve the survey’s appearance. That worked. Automatic Zippers I recently returned a wetsuit because it had only one tiny zipper, located in the front, which made the suit tough to get into. A […]

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Filed under: AI, business, gadgets, games, maps, robots, trends, TV | Comments Off on CONDUCTING ONLINE SURVEYS

Which is better, Android or iPhone? Whatever team you’re on, you’re unlikely to switch. Unless your family is on the other side. An Android-loving grandfather said he switched after his son-in-law couldn’t send video of his child, born seconds before. “He said the video wasn’t sending and he figured out it was me,” the reader wrote. “When he deleted me from the group, it sent, and every iPhone got it.”  There would have been no compatibility issue if everyone had been using the free WhatsApp. So I asked Granddad why he didn’t suggest it, since he’d used it to send texts to his friends in Haiti. He said he didn’t want to make everyone else use a different app just […]

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Filed under: AI, Android, Apple, games, Google, health, inventions, iPhone, news | Comments Off on ANDROID VERSUS IPHONE

Have you ever received a printed card a day before Christmas or Hanukkah, too late to respond? I have. Electronic greetings to the rescue. I’ve just been trying out Ashampoo’s new PhotoCard 3, $22 for Windows. To start, choose a design, then click an empty space to upload your photos, or snap a picture from a webcam connected to your computer. Next click “create” to share it on Facebook, by email or by printing it out. For more elaborate, multi-page cards, I like Punchbowl e-greetings for $45 a year. They allow you to add a short video recorded live as well as a gift card from many stores. Jacquie Lawson cards are also gorgeous and less expensive than Punchbowl. Their […]

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Filed under: Amazon, apps, crytpocurrency, games, science | Comments Off on LAST MINUTE GREETINGS

I think Venmo failed me. It looks like I may be out $150. Venmo is an app that lets you pay friends electronically. But my friend said she never got the money. So why did my bank deduct the $150 from my account? The bank said that was Venmo’s problem. When I called Venmo, I got a recorded message: “Venmo cannot cancel a payment sent to a registered payee. Only if the payee agrees can it be refunded.” But my friend won’t agree to cancel something that never happened. Even her bank told her to steer clear. I tried going to Venmo.com for more info, but my Malwarebytes Browser Guard flagged it as unsafe. I had to turn the guard […]

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Filed under: AI, digital, environment, games, Google, trends, YouTube | Comments Off on VENMO DISASTER

“With the election season going full bore,” a reader wrote, “the robocalls are non-stop.”  I use Magic Jack and haven’t gotten a single one. The Magic Jack gizmo, the size of a thumb drive, replaces your landline phone service with a $43-a-year internet phone service that sounds great to me. Each caller has to punch in whatever single-digit number a Magic Jack voice asks for, and robo dialers can’t do this. So I haven’t gotten any spam since I signed up years ago, though I’m using an old number that used to get a lot of robocalls. Another plus: I like using the landline’s big handset when my sister calls for a long chat. Setup is a snap. First connect […]

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Filed under: AI, cheap calls, games, Internuts, security, shopping, spam | Comments Off on STOP ROBO CALLS

I just had a fascinating conversation with Aristotle, the ancient Greek philosopher. Instead of just texting him, I talked to him on the phone. It’s the latest feature from the free app, Character.ai. There have already been 80 million calls to characters from the past and present in dozens of languages. The average number of daily calls is 1.25 million. To start, open the app, tap a name and tap the phone icon. The app will say “Listening,” because it’s waiting for you to start speaking. I started by shooting the breeze with Aristotle, then asked about his differences with Plato. Plato, he said, believed we could achieve justice through wealth distribution. Aristotle believed we could attain it by cultivating […]

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Filed under: AI, anti-virus, Apple, apps, games, troubleshooting, virus | Comments Off on TALKING TO CELEBRITIES THROUGH AI