On Computers

After a bad experience with a smart watch for kids, I was eager to try one for adults. It didn’t turn out well. I wanted a smart watch as a backup for my phone, in case I lost it again on a trip. But the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE for $136 on Amazon turned out to be too good to be true, I discovered after buying it. It’s for users in the Caribbean and South America. Beware of products marked “international.” I would have found that out earlier if only I’d asked Rufus, the AI assistant on Amazon’s product page. When I asked him later if the watch was for the US, he said that “while it supports Wi-Fi and […]

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Filed under: apps, Internet, Internuts, music, wearables | Comments Off on GETTING THE RIGHT SMART WATCH

Many years ago, a reader in Thailand blew up his computer by downloading movies from a site I recommended. Oops. Now you can get free movies from reputable sources like Amazon Prime, Tubi TV, (owned by Fox), and Pluto TV, (owned by Paramount). Tubi TV has a ton of free movies on demand, in categories like “Based on a Book” and “Most Liked.” They also have free TV, including oldies like The Avengers, Perry Mason and Columbo, and current shows, like Midsomer Murders and Master Chef. Among the 1200 kid movies, “Baby’s Day Out,” looks fun. Tubi TV has ads, but I don’t mind them. Pluto TV has lots of free movies and TV shows too. Categories include 70s Cinema, […]

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Filed under: gadgets, Google, Internuts, music, notes, shopping, TV, wireless | Comments Off on TONS OF FREE MOVIES ON PLUTO, TUBI

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

The new “Alexa Plus” can      make reservations, summarize documents, and hold a conversation without your having to keep saying “Hey Alexa.” It’s available in an “early access” program to owners of the Echo Show smart speaker. Once you have it on an Echo Show, it becomes instantly available in the free Alexa app on your phone, the Amazon Fire tablet, the Echo Dot and even in email. I started it by testing it on a document, the “Simple Sabotage Field Manual,” from Gutenberg.org, a free book site. Because Alexa Plus only accepts text in certain formats, I click the “simple text” version, copied it and emailed it to  alexa@alexa.amazon.com. I was careful to skip the intro about Gutenberg.org, […]

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Filed under: AI, Amazon, Internet, Internuts, music | Comments Off on THE NEW ALEXA PLUS

If I have to hear “There’s a bright golden haze on the meadow” one more time, I’ll turn it off. I love Rodgers and Hammerstein but there’s a limit. Now I’ve rediscovered Pandora. The problem with Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube Music is that they either play too much of what I said I liked, or they start at the top of a playlist I’ve heard too many times before. I could build new playlists of course, or try to think of new tunes to ask for, but I like the way Pandora creates a radio station for me.  Even on the same Pandora station, I get a different mix every time. For example, when I asked for the Rodgers […]

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Filed under: AI, business, environment, Internuts, music, virus | Comments Off on REDISCOVERING PANDORA

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

Would you be creeped out to hear the words “Doctor AI Will See You Now?” Probably. But chances are, a robot would be better in some ways than your own doctor. In a Ted talk by Eric Topol, an American cardiologist and scientist, I learned about several situations where artificial intelligence saved the day. A 6 year-old, for example, suffered from nonstop pain and stunted growth for three years. He dragged his left foot and had severe headaches. When 17 doctors failed to diagnose him, his mom turned to ChatGPT. The chatbot said he had a tethered spinal cord. After surgery, he became 100 percent normal. Similarly, when a female patient was told by a dozen doctors that she had […]

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Filed under: AI, art, gadgets, music | Comments Off on DOCTOR AI WILL DIAGNOSE YOU

Ever wonder how 79,032 music critics would rank your tastes? Do a Google search on “Pudding Cool: How Bad is Your Streaming Music?” After you sign into your Apple or Spotify account, an artificially intelligent robot will look over everything you’ve been listening to, ask you questions and combine the opinions of experts. “Do you really listen to The Girl from Ipanema by Stan Getz?” it asked me. When I said yes, it said, “Like, ironically?” When I said “no,” it said “cool.” It teased me about my other choices and asked whether I’d rather marry the Tijuana Brass, Glenn Miller or Fred Astaire. Yet my score was 79 out of 100, compared to 21 out of 100 for a […]

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Filed under: apps, Gmail, Internet, music, video, YouTube | Comments Off on AI ANALYZES YOUR TASTE IN MUSIC

The free app Thumbtack saved the day. I needed to help a disabled friend get a new TV mounted on her wall. Then my freezer warmed up. Thumbtack is a free service that helps you find and schedule whatever you need. You can contact them from a free app for iPhone or Android or use thumbtack.com. They offer everything from moving services to personal training, web design, electricians, app development, plumbers, weddings, roof repair and more. The technician I chose for the TV job was as great as his ratings. After the TV was mounted, he downloaded its software, made sure all the channels were there, and taught my 78-year-old friend how to use her first smart TV. He even […]

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Filed under: Amazon, apps, music, phones, printer | Comments Off on FINDING A HANDYMAN OR WOMAN

Nothing beats swimming while an orchestra plays in your head. I’m talking about the new Run Plus waterproof headphones sent to me from Mojawa. The headphones work well on land too. They’re like a thin cable that wraps lightly around the back of your head, with loops for your ears. I tried something similar from Shokz six months ago, but had trouble getting my long hair plus headphones inside my swim cap. A friend suggested I wear the headphones outside my cap. That works great. Thanks to bone conduction technology, I don’t have to line up the ear loops to my ears. The sound quality is excellent, even in water, though my splashing interferes with the tunes somewhat. To get […]

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Filed under: AI, books, gadgets, iPad, music, phones, security | Comments Off on SWIMMING TO THE MUSIC