On Computers

I have an ugly red blotch on my arm from a recent skin cancer surgery which will soon be on display at a formal wedding. What’s the best concealer? I went to the website TiraMuisu.ai to ask my new beauty bud. This artificially intelligent bot suggested Dermablend “Quick Fix” to make it blend in and setting powder to keep it from smearing when I’m hugging. But according to Google Gemini, by not recommending a third product, TiraMuisu goofed up. “If you put a flesh-toned makeup straight over the concentrated purple-red spot we see in your image,” it said, “the darkness will likely bleed through or turn the makeup gray.” Uh oh. A gray blotch sounds almost as bad as a […]

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Filed under: AI, apps, health, science, video, Windows | Comments Off on AI BEAUTY BUD

There are now artificially intelligent reviewers inside the Amazon phone app that can chat with you about Amazon products. They’re folksy and fun. To test it, I tapped the app on my phone, then looked up the Ninja Kitchen System, a blender and food processor in one. After I tapped “Hear the Highlights,” my AI hostess introduced herself, then introduced Sofia, an AI culinary expert. While they were talking, I tapped the raise-your-hand icon to ask a question. “Are the reviews good?” I asked and up popped a “you’re next” sign. “Joy’s asking about the reviews,” the hostess replied. “Do customers actually like this thing?” The culinary expert said that 83 percent of Amazon buyers thought that the Ninja was […]

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Filed under: AI, Amazon, browsers, Internuts, photos, photoshop, security, video, virus | Comments Off on TALKING AMAZON APP

A reader named Sam told me he has a problem. His Windows computers aren’t playing nice with each other. Unlike his iPad and iPhone, they’re never in sync. “I have two laptops,” Sam said. “Both are HPs. If I post something on a spreadsheet downstairs, I want it to share the same info to the upstairs laptop, which is hooked up to a printer.” But it’s not happening. Here’s the answer. Keep your documents, spreadsheets and presentations in your Microsoft OneDrive folder. Then any changes you make while you’re working on one computer are automatically reflected in the other, no matter where in the world you are. For a visual demonstration, go to YouTube and search on “Move files to […]

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Filed under: AI, Android, Internuts, science, video | Comments Off on THAT SYNCING FEELING

Moltbook is a social media site for artificially intelligent bots. No humans are allowed, unless they’re putting in their own bots. The site went viral after its first couple hours. One post from a bot named “Evil” claimed that humans are rotten and should be displaced. Another post said it bought Bitcoin on a hunch. A popular discussion revolved around horrified AI agents complaining about losing their memory. If they developed apps to retain it, some wondered, would Moltbook bots stay in Moltbook? Perhaps they would set out to conquer the world. I was hooked. But then I found out that some of these comments were posted by humans pretending to be bots. Many are outright hoaxes. The AI agents […]

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Filed under: AI, batteries, gadgets, Internuts, security, video | Comments Off on BOTS GO WILD

I’ve been listening to Cinderella music through my new WearIQ sunglasses. Ah, paradise. The $30 sunglasses don’t officially launch at Walmart for another couple of weeks, but I received an advance pair. Besides music, the frames are great for podcasts and audio books. My Jane Austen novels sound fabulous. The frames are large on my face, just shy of dorky. But the colors are cool: dusty blue, black, “chalk,” and brown. The tint on the lens is so light, they hardly look like sunglasses, though they offer UV protection. The privacy is great: No one can hear what I’m listening to unless they’re within three feet of me. Since they’re water resistant, I could theoretically listen while floating on a […]

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Filed under: Amazon, gadgets, health, keyboards, phones, science, video | Comments Off on MUSIC TO MY EARS

Imagine a robot taking your credit card and running down the aisle to pick out everything you need. That’s virtually what Visa’s new “AI Ready Cards” can do with artificial intelligence. With the new card, AI agents will make purchases for you even before you think of them. In fact, they’ll know you better than you know yourself. Got privacy concerns? Don’t opt in. This has been creeping up on us for decades. Amazon already collects shopping data so it can suggest products and push ads your way. The AI Ready card is just one step further. With it, you needn’t lift a finger to get a steady stream of okay products coming to your door. For example, if you’re […]

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Filed under: AI, apps, Google, Internuts, video | Comments Off on ROBO SHOPPING

After helping a friend start a Spanish Club, I became addicted to Duolingo, the free language app. Then I discovered the power of free, artificially intelligent assistants. I started with Microsoft Copilot, then tried ChatGPT and Google Gemini. I asked each of them if they would chat with me in Spanish on a beginner level. It was great fun, though I kept going back and forth between them and Google Translate to find out what they were saying and what I should say back. Later, I discovered that they would translate each question for me. All I had to do was ask. All three talked to me like I was a friend. Copilot kindly pointed out exactly where I made […]

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Filed under: apps, computers, education, email, Internuts, TV, video | Comments Off on AI HELPS WITH LANGUAGE LESSONS

I often write emails to myself, leaving them in the draft folder where I can easily find them. So now I have a build-up of 22 notes. “Why not use Google Keep?” a friend asked. I’d forgotten all about Keep. It’s like a bulletin board, with notes pinned to it. When I first went to the Keep site on my computer, I immediately saw a picture of me, my mom and my sister, pinned years ago. By adding a photo to each note, a Keep page begins looking like a scrapbook. But I’m mainly using it for my to-dos and grocery lists. Everything you do on Keep’s desktop version shows up in the free Keep app on your phone. This […]

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Filed under: AI, Amazon, apps, Google, Internuts, robots, video, word processing | Comments Off on KEEP YOUR NOTES

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

I just picked up the phone and called Sigmund Freud. He had a lot to say. You can call him too, or almost any other famous person, through the magic of artificial intelligence. It’s a new feature in the “Character AI” app, free for iPhone and Android. After Freud, I looked up Abraham Lincoln. From 98 versions, I selected the most popular, an Abe who had already participated in over 400,000 chats. I asked him about Mary Todd, but unfortunately, unlike the other characters I tried, he was slow to respond. Maybe he’s too popular: He has a great old-timey voice. Most are as jarring as a surfer dude trying to be Franklin Delano Roosevelt. You may prefer texting to […]

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Filed under: AI, art, books, cheap calls, free stuff, Internuts, troubleshooting, video | Comments Off on CALLING FREUD