On Computers

Google Maps is much smarter now, thanks to Gemini AI, but it hasn’t rolled out to everyone yet. No matter. I like the free Gemini app. It’s map savvy. Gemini is so good that Siri recently threw in the towel and pleaded with Gemini to save her. Or rather, Apple made a deal with Google to give Siri a Gemini brain. Future Apple operating systems will also have Gemini brains. Turning to the Gemini app on my iPhone, I asked: “What’s the best way to get from the University Club to the Union League Club without a car?” Gemini said it would take 11 minutes to walk and nine minutes by train. As for restaurant stops along the way, it […]

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Filed under: cameras, Google, health, Internuts, maps, photos, robots | Comments Off on GOOGLE MAPS GETS SMARTER

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

After trying a voice amplifier that screeched, I was on the lookout for something better. I needed to interview a soft-spoken author in front of a large audience. As I was wondering how I would accomplish this, the soft-spoken author dragged an ancient karaoke system out of her closet. Brilliant idea, I thought. Unfortunately, it was missing a crucial part. So I bought the Moyleaf “Karaoke Machine for Adults and Kids,” a portable public address system with colorful disco lights. It looks like a large black lunch box with a bright orange handle, but weighs only 6.65 pounds. It’s about the height of a piece of paper, not counting the handle. I just saw it for $99.99 on Amazon, though […]

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Filed under: apps, gadgets, health, maps, music, robots, troubleshooting, Wikipedia | Comments Off on KARAOKE SAVES THE DAY

Sometimes, an artificially-intelligent search bot doesn’t know beans about beans. It can even confuse poison with food. ArsTechnica bloggers went to saveymeal-bot.co.nz, where a robot creates recipes from what you have on hand. When the bloggers typed “ammonia, bleach and water,” they got a recipe for “the perfect non-alcoholic beverage to quench your thirst.” To avoid disasters, the site now asks you to choose ingredients from a list. From my humorous choices, they created “Pickled Spaghetti Surprise.” It included jam, olives, pickles and mayo. Turning serious, I got a surprisingly tasty “Creamy Peanut Noodle Stir Fry.” To try it yourself, go to saveymeal-bot.co.nz, and click “Get Savey.” Then choose your ingredients. Happy cooking. Sharing Your Location I love sharing my […]

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Filed under: AI, Android, apps, cheap calls, Internuts, maps, photos, security, text messaging, virus | Comments Off on MORE PROOF THAT AI ISN’T ALWAYS INTELLIGENT

Two decades ago, Bill Gates began filling his enormous mansion with digital picture frames to display the world’s best art. Now you can too. “The Frame” is a Samsung TV made to look like a painting, complete with a matte finish. With a $5 a month subscription, it displays 2,300 pieces of digital art, including a new Salvador Dali collection in partnership with an institution founded by the painter himself. The 2023 model is considered a vast improvement over the version that came out in 2017. For one thing, it’s a lot thinner, nearly melting into the wall.There’s no gap. It’s a smart TV too. But when the TV’s off, the Frame goes back to displaying art. It even has […]

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Filed under: art, cheap calls, environment, Google, Internuts, maps, numbers, TV | Comments Off on ART TV DISPLAYS THOUSANDS OF PAINTINGS

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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Filed under: cheap calls, Google, Internuts, maps, phones, robots, Windows | Comments Off on PHONE STORY HAS HAPPY ENDING

With Microsoft’s free “Bing Image Creator,” the words you type turn into art. You can even sell the results. It all happens through the magic of “DALL-E2,” a tool invented by the makers of ChatGPT. I envision putting these images on t-shirts, tote bags, posters, blankets and more. But for now, I’m just using them for greeting cards and Facebook posts. To start, go to Bing.com/create. Next, type in a phrase and click “Create.” For a birthday card for my brother-in-law, for example, I typed “golfer celebrating birthday on the course in the style of Van Gogh.” In two of the results, there were facial distortions, but the other two were great.  When I typed: “a picnic on the beach […]

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Filed under: AI, art, batteries, health, Internuts, maps, tech support | Comments Off on MAKING A BUSINESS OUT OF AI-GENERATED ART

With the world’s first solar headset on my head, and a solar watch on my wrist, I marveled at how solar the world is becoming.  I can hardly wait to try the new “Solare” solar headset on the plane. It boasts 97 percent noise cancelation. I can finally hear a movie through the background noise. But there are two kinds of noise cancelation: one in the headphone and one in the microphone. To test the one in the headphone, I went to YouTube on my computer, chose “white noise” and turned it on full blast. Despite the horrendous sounds, I could hear a podcast on my phone perfectly. By contrast, my cheap headset didn’t let any of the words through. […]

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Filed under: environment, gadgets, Google, Internuts, maps, security | 1 Comment »

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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Filed under: apps, games, Internuts, maps, phones, Windows, wireless | Comments Off on SHOULD YOU GET 5G?

You probably know about “Street View” in Google Maps. But did you know that you can see inside the buildings your friends are in, if they’ve turned on “Location Sharing?”  While at home on the East Coast, my friends could see inside my Chicago hotel room, alongside a map pinpointing my exact address.  They could even see my room’s wallpaper and pillows. When I moved to the other side of the room, they saw the couch. When I was at a Cubs game, they could see the seats. At an art museum, they could see the painting I was looking at. But they couldn’t see me in any of the pictures. These interior shots, like Google’s “street view,” were taken […]

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Filed under: Amazon, Apple, Google, Internuts, maps | Comments Off on GOOGLE MAPS LETS YOUR FRIENDS SEE INSIDE THE BUILDINGS YOU’RE IN