On Computers

The chatbots Miles and Maya sound eerily human. Anyone listening would think there’s a real person on the line. Sesame, the company behind them, says the goal of chatting with these artificially intelligent nonbeings is to feel real, understood, and valued. To try it out, click on the link in ZDnet’s article: “Can AI sound too human?” For some reason, Maya sounded too chic for me even as she tried to draw me out, but Miles is just like the Southern Californians I grew up with. Totally chill, man. He’s friendly too, and quick on the draw. When I told him I get up early, he said: “Good for you, I could never be that dedicated. I’m more of a […]

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Filed under: AI, gadgets, Google, health, Internuts, robots | Comments Off on ALL TOO HUMAN

If you’re tired of paying an accountant to do your taxes, just ask the Internal Revenue Service. Their partners might do it for free. If your income is $84,000 or less, regardless of your tax situation, you can get free tax software and step-by-step assistance. First, go to IRS.gov, and click “IRS Free File options.” Then click “IRS Free File.” You can get free help in person in your own community if you’re 60 or older, or earn $67,000 or less, or need language support, or have a disability. Click on the button that says: “IRS VITA/TCE.” It stands for “IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE).” If you don’t qualify for a free […]

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Filed under: batteries, business, education, gadgets, health, phones, robots, security, virus | Comments Off on FREE TAX ACCOUNTANT

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

Here are some of the strangest and most amazing things to come out of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this month. Ride and Fly A flying moped is coming to a driveway near you in 2026. You could be pedaling one moment and taking off into the air the next. The Rictor Skyrider X1 flies at a maximum speed of 62 miles per hour for 40 minutes. Thanks to artificial intelligence, it takes off and lands on its own and plans the optimal route. According to the company, it lands safely even if an engine fails, in which case, a parachute pops out. Thank goodness for AI. Without it, I might smash into the top of a skyscraper. […]

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Filed under: AI, analytics, cameras, environment, gadgets, health, Linux, monitors, robots | Comments Off on VEGAS ELECTRONICS SHOW FEATURES FLYING MOPED, SOLAR UMBRELLA

For her 11th birthday, my niece got a $36 Bluetooth speaker that plays music, lights up in multiple colors and calls her friends. The Hetyre Night Light Bluetooth Speaker is a 6-inch tall reading lamp, nightlight, music player and alarm clock. My niece said the alarm woke her up with the sound of birds. “My parents thought there were birds outside fighting,” she said. “It sounded like a battle.” She figured out all the features without reading the manual or asking her parents for help. For the toddler crowd, there’s the PlayMonster “OK to Wake,” $20 on Amazon. It has multiple colors, five levels of brightness and turns green when it’s okay to get out of bed. I first heard […]

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Filed under: AI, analytics, astronomy, gadgets, health, Linux, social networks, text messaging | Comments Off on KID TECH

Shopping between Black Friday and Cyber Monday brings you the best deals. But it’s also the best time for scammers. I once ordered pants that never showed up. When shopping online, look for “https” in the address bar. If it doesn’t have the “s” for security, leave. Also watch out for deals that sound too good to be true. Avoid unknown retailers. Two-factor authentication is also highly recommended. If the Hilary Clinton campaign had used it for its email accounts in 2016, for example, hackers couldn’t have gained access to the 50,000 sensitive emails belonging to her campaign chairman. Nor could the hackers have controlled the inboxes of her staffers, according to “Fancy Bear Goes Phishing,” by Scott Shapiro. Finally, […]

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Filed under: AI, computers, facebook, health, robots, shopping | Comments Off on HOLIDAY SCAMMING

Tesla recently announced the Cybercab, a driverless car without steering wheel or pedals. In 2026, this futuristic beast will cost less than $30,000. CEO Elon Musk previously said he would operate a fleet of these robotaxis, and individuals could use their own cars as cyber cabs. But he didn’t mention this at the launch. He did say that the new Cybercab won’t need to be plugged in, thanks to inductive charging. He also announced a new driverless minivan capable of carrying 20 people. But what about Google’s Waymo? It already provides 100,000 rides a week in self-driving Jaguars located in Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles, and has been operational since 2009. Soon, you’ll be able to order a driverless […]

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Filed under: AI, cheap calls, health, robots, spam, word processing | Comments Off on DRIVERLESS CARS

Listening to artificially intelligent podcast hosts is like listening to an episode of your favorite talk show. Google’s NotebookLM, a free online program, creates them instantly, based on whatever you feed it. The banter between NotebookLM’s AI podcasters is described as “stunningly lifelike” by ZDNet. I agree. They sound like people I know. To start, I uploaded a fact sheet from FoodRevolution.org called “9 Ways to Lower Blood Pressure,” because I’m big on prevention (and nagging). When I clicked the “play” button, my AI co-hosts took “a deep dive” into the wonders of broccoli and other veggies. The male co-host even made a bean joke, provoking laughter from his female counterpart. When I fed Notebook LM an issue of the […]

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Filed under: AI, apps, business, health, Internuts, robots, video | Comments Off on INSTANT PODCASTS, BROUGHT TO YOU BY AI

Google Lens is changing the way I look at objects. Now when I point my phone at one and talk, Lens answers me. After pointing Lens at a blue bar stool, for example, I said to my phone: “Where can I buy a bar stool like this?” It immediately showed me the same stool at Amazon and elsewhere. I pointed the Lens app at a plant and asked: “How often should I water this?” It not only identified the plant as a weeping fig, it told me about its watering needs– by considering the size of the plant, the pot, and how fast it dries out. I pointed at a poster and said: “What inspired this painting by Renoir?” Google […]

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Filed under: apps, drones, health, Windows | Comments Off on USING GOOGLE LENS OPENS UP THE WORLD

Using the new Microsoft Designer, which is free, I made a personalized postcard showing an old-timey train heading toward a gorgeous mountain range. My friend said it reminded him of painting on velvet, but I think it’s great. To start, I downloaded the app from the Microsoft Store for my Windows computer. Next, I chose a template, and tweaked it by typing over its description with my own words. Besides postcards, Microsoft Designer also creates images, photo collages, icons, stickers, wallpapers, birthday cards, Facebook posts, avatars and more. For an avatar, I typed over the words “athletic, happy teenager shooting a basketball in an urban court at evening,” changing it to: “an athletic, happy woman with auburn hair in a […]

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Filed under: AI, Amazon, apps, electronics, environment, health, Internuts | Comments Off on MAKE ART IN A COUPLE OF CLICKS WITH FREE MICROSOFT APP