On Computers

The new “Claude Science” from Anthropic uses artificial intelligence to tackle rare genetic disorders and tropical maladies, the kind that are usually ignored because there aren’t enough patients to justify the costs involved in finding a cure. It sounds almost miraculous but it can’t do human testing. So the company is hoping it will be a helpful tool for anyone from giant pharmaceutical companies down to individual researchers.The beta version is available to paid Claude users (currently macOS/Linux) starting at $20 a month. However, the field is ripe with competitors. Insilico Medicine, Recursion, Exscientia and Isomorphic Labs are all involved in AI drug discovery. In July 2026, Insilico launched a Phase III trial for “Rentosertib,” an oral medication for idiopathic […]

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Filed under: AI, gadgets, health, numbers, trends, Windows | Comments Off on SAVING LIVES WITH AI

I used to dread resetting my computer to fix something major. But Claude AI taught me a new trick that makes everything easy. “Peggle,” my favorite game of all time, recently stopped working. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling it. I also asked Microsoft’s Copilot AI for help, but it sent me on a wild goose chase, directing me to uninstall a driver, run compatibility mode and try some complicated codes in the Command Prompt, or what we used to call DOS. Frustrated, I turned to Claude AI. Claude said my Peggle problem was likely caused by the latest update from the “Windows Insider Preview,” a beta version of Windows 11. It directed me to Microsoft.com to get a well-tested version […]

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Filed under: AI, health, Internuts, phones, trends | Comments Off on EASY PC RESTORATION

“What women’s club role should I choose?” I wondered. To help me answer this, I enlisted the help of an artificially-intelligent board of directors. The result was stunning. In our fascinating back-and-forth discussion, a consensus emerged. The same technique could be used to get advice for starting a new business, raising a child or moving to Timbuktu. PC World offers the exact steps. Here they are. First, go to your favorite AI website or your favorite AI app, whether it’s ChatGPT or something else. (I prefer Claude AI over ChatGPT, though both are great.) Second, type in a question. Third, add the following statement, including everything that’s shown below between the quote marks. “I want you to act as my […]

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Filed under: AI, health, science, security, trends | Comments Off on GETTING ADVICE FROM AN AI TEAM

To do some chores, I hired a Venezuelan who doesn’t speak English. So I turned to Google Live Translate. First, I fired up the app and said: “Here’s where you should start today.” Immediately, we heard those words in Spanish. Then, when the Venezuelan said “Ok, muy bueno,” we heard “OK, very good.” It was practically seamless. But Apple’s Translate app is even better. You don’t have to tap “English to Spanish,” then “Spanish to English” whenever you want to switch. Just speak and you’ll hear the translation in any of 19 languages.  But what if you need to speak to someone in another country? With an iPhone 15 Pro or newer, you can hear a live translation in English […]

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Filed under: AI, Amazon, business, Internuts, numbers, trends | Comments Off on LIVE TRANSLATE

Some lawyers abuse AI, by allowing it to cite fake cases. But BrentWorks has a solution.  Unlike AI, its “CiteSentinel” tool doesn’t guess if a case is real, then lie about it when confronted. It cross references cases against verified legal databases, by scanning a legal brief and identifying every string of text.  Here’s one it would have caught before it ever went to court. In 2023, a man sued an airline after a metal cart struck his knee. His legal team used ChatGPT to generate arguments. The result was six fake citations. Even so, the team couldn’t resist turning to AI again when the judge asked for verification. Later, they had to pay a $5000 fine and send a […]

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Filed under: AI, Internuts, kids, news, passwords, photos, trends, wearables | Comments Off on AI AND THE LAW

Five-dollar chocolate bars and $15 bottles of olive oil. What gives? Chocolate prices hit record highs in 2024 due to dry weather in West Africa. Extreme droughts in Spain and Italy caused the price of olive oil to double. Could AI help? You bet. Just as ChatGPT was trained on billions of words, “Botanic,” offered by Living Models, is trained on DNA, the language of plants. It may sound corny, but Botanic “gets” corn. It also acts as a bud to your spud. For example, drought and rising temperatures in Idaho and Washington led to smaller yields and lower-quality potatoes. Botanic can help with that. Currently, it takes about eight years of trial and error to develop a new drought-resistant […]

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Filed under: AI, Amazon, Android, business, education, inventions, trends, weather | Comments Off on AI CAN HELP WITH GROCERY PRICES

I’ll never forget the time Mom and I forgot where I’d parked the car. After walking around and around a huge parking structure, we finally called for help.  But there’s a much easier way to locate your vehicle these days. Place a Scosche FoundIT in your car’s 12 volt charger, aka cigarette lighter, and it will help you find your car. It’s better than an Apple Air Tag because you never have to change the battery or look for it under a car seat. Here’s how it works. First, tap the “Find My” app on your iPhone, or Google’s “Find My Device” app on your Android, which will show your car on a map. You might also ask the FoundIT […]

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Filed under: AI, batteries, gadgets, how-to, Internuts, numbers, phones, robots, trends | Comments Off on FINDING YOUR CAR

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

When my Pixel 8 phone died in a pool of salad dressing, I sold it to Gazelle. They gave me $52, though it wouldn’t turn on. Besides iPhones, Gazelle also buys used iPads, Macbooks and phones made by Samsung, Google and Motorola. Whatever you send them, it will be carefully repaired, inspected and certified before being sold on their site. I got an instant quote, good for 30 days, and a swift payment. They even sent me a box with a free shipping label. All I had to do was check off options to describe it. I was glad I didn’t have to check the one that said “cracked screen,” though I did check off “won’t turn on.” The company […]

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Filed under: 3D Printing, AI, books, business, gadgets, Internuts, kids, printer, trends, Windows | Comments Off on CASH FOR YOUR STUFF

“I pay Apple 99 cents a month for iCloud storage. What are the bad outcomes if I exceed the 50-gigabyte limit?” a reader asked. Nothing bad. There’s a 30-day grace period. Then you can decide whether you want to pay $3 a month for 200 GB of storage space or transfer your excess iCloud files to your computer or elsewhere. To transfer them to your computer, go to iCloud.com, click one of your photos or videos, and hold down the “Ctrl” key in Windows (or the “Cmd” key on the Mac). Now tap the “A” key to select all. Then click the download icon. Alternatively, you could upload your iCloud files to a different cloud service. For example, Amazon Prime […]

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Filed under: AI, Apple, cloud computing, Internuts, robots, storage, trends, Uncategorized | Comments Off on RUNNING OUT OF ROOM