Tag: tech

Google Bard Fails to Convince Me

Okay, one more AI post. I thought I would try something silly. Well… sillier.

I asked Google Bar to write a short one act play in the form of two people discussing whether or not artificial intelligence is a good thing.

Here is the response:

Sure, here is a short one act play in the form of two people discussing whether or not artificial intelligence is a good thing:

Scene: A coffee shop

Characters:

  • Alice: A young woman who is excited about the potential of artificial intelligence
  • Bob: A young man who is concerned about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence

Dialogue:

Alice: I’m so excited about artificial intelligence! It has the potential to do so much good in the world.

Bob: I’m not so sure. I think artificial intelligence could be very dangerous.

Alice: How so?

Bob: Well, for one thing, artificial intelligence could become so intelligent that it surpasses human intelligence. And if that happens, we could be in big trouble.

Alice: But why would artificial intelligence want to harm us?

Bob: It might not mean to harm us. But if it’s smarter than us, it might not see things the same way we do. And that could lead to conflict.

Alice: I see your point. But I still think the potential benefits of artificial intelligence outweigh the risks.

Bob: I hope you’re right. But I’m going to stay cautious.

Alice: That’s fair. I think it’s important to be aware of the risks, but I also think we shouldn’t let fear hold us back from exploring the potential of artificial intelligence.

Bob: I agree. We need to be careful, but we also need to be open-minded.

The two of them continue to talk about artificial intelligence. They discuss the potential benefits and risks, and they come to a better understanding of each other’s views. In the end, they agree that artificial intelligence is a powerful tool that has the potential to do great good or great harm. It is up to us to use it wisely.

bard.google.com

What do you think, dear readers. Was Bard serious in its attempt to argue against its own existence? Heh Heh.

Google Bard Wrote This Post For Me

I asked Google Bard to write a short essay on choosing a luthier. Mostly because I am tired and lazy.

Choosing a luthier is an important decision for any musician. A good luthier can repair and maintain your instruments, and can also build you a custom instrument if you desire. There are a few things to keep in mind when choosing a luthier:

  • Experience: A luthier with experience will be able to diagnose and repair problems with your instruments quickly and efficiently. They will also be able to build you a custom instrument that meets your specific needs.
  • Skill: A skilled luthier will be able to work with a variety of materials and techniques to create beautiful and functional instruments. They will also be able to repair damage to your instruments without compromising their sound or playability.
  • Communication: A good luthier will be able to communicate with you effectively about your needs and expectations. They will also be able to answer any questions you have about their work.

Once you have found a few potential luthiers, it is a good idea to visit their shops and meet with them in person. This will give you a chance to see their work firsthand and to get a feel for their personality and work ethic. It is also important to get references from other musicians who have used their services.

Choosing a luthier is an important decision, but it does not have to be a difficult one. By following these tips, you can find a luthier who can meet your needs and help you keep your instruments in top condition.

Here are some additional tips for choosing a luthier:

  • Ask around: Talk to other musicians you know and ask them who they use for repairs and custom builds.
  • Check online reviews: There are many websites where you can read reviews of luthiers in your area.
  • Visit the luthier’s shop: Once you’ve narrowed down your choices, it’s important to visit the luthier’s shop and see their work firsthand.
  • Ask questions: Don’t be afraid to ask the luthier questions about their experience, skills, and work ethic.
  • Get a quote: Be sure to get a quote from the luthier before you commit to any work.

Choosing a luthier is an important decision, but it doesn’t have to be a difficult one. By following these tips, you can find a luthier who can meet your needs and help you keep your instruments in top condition.

bard.google.com

Courteous Bad Stomach Fun

I’m having another unhappy stomach day today. It’s not bad. I won’t have any problem working or anything like that. The stomach pain feels like bad gas so far so maybe I will try to take a Gas-X pill and see if it clears it up.

The pain is nothing but courteous this time as it waited until morning to start bothering me. I didn’t wake up with it at 1:30am or anything like that. I woke up with it at 5:30am, which was when my alarm went off. Nice of my stomach, eh?

Change of subject, I think I just did something I’ve never been able to pull off before. I think I just saved an external hard drive. Sort of, at least. The drive I had been using for my Time Machine backups corrupted itself somehow recently and went into read only mode. I tried fixing it with Mac Disk Utility but didn’t have any luck.

I replaced the drive with a new 2tb drive over the weekend and yesterday I had my first successful backups. This morning, in between powerful burps and even more powerful farts (sorry) I tried fixing the first drive again but it wasn’t happening. I reformatted the drive instead and remounted it and whatdayaknow, I can write to it again. It’s now my music files backup disc and maybe it might be my Flickr backup disc too if I ever get the energy to back up the zillion photos I have stored there. Yeah, I should do that soon. There’s so much to lose on that account. Now is the time.

My stomach has made me late to get started for work. It’s 8:21 now and I still need to take a shower and get dressed and all, so I will do that now. Happy burping, everyone.

Weigh Ins and Time Machine

I have been thinking about what to do about weigh ins now that I’ve passed the one year since surgery mark. Once a week suddenly seems gratuitous, especially when I’m not really losing a lot with any degree of regularity anymore. I think I am going to ditch the Wednesday weigh ins. At least in terms of tracking everything. I might step on the scale now and then, but I don’t see myself recording the data like I was in year one.

The monthly weigh ins are another story. I think I am going to continue to do that. Maybe it’s a compromise. The data analyst part of my tiny little pea brain will still have regular data to keep track of, just not quite as often. I think that’s a good plan going forward. I can still obsess about weight, just not as often. Good and good.

My in-laws, Charlotte and Sherman, gave me an Amazon.com gift card for my birthday. Thank you so much. Big smile. Right on queue, the two terabyte USB hard drive I use for my MacBook Pro’s Time Machine back ups sort of bricked itself today. It’s suddenly in read only mode. Guess what I used the gift card for! It’s almost like the disc drive knew today was my birthday so it took full advantage. Timing is everything, kids.

Okay… back to work, Robert. Your customers don’t care that it’s your birthday. You don’t care either, but they care even less, you know? Get to it.

Twice Over Night

My last post was me saying a stomach ache woke me up around 1:30am and having a small snack made me feel better so that I could go back to bed. Truth. I didn’t get to sleep until about 2:30, but that had more to do with playing with cats than stomach issues.

No, the stomach didn’t become a thing again until about 4:30 when the second stomach ache woke me up. Ugh. Same deal. I went out to the living room so I wouldn’t disturb my beautiful bride’s sleep (though she did wake up with me the first time around. Sorry, my love) and had another small protein snack. It didn’t fix me quite as clearly as the first one did, but I did feel a lot better, and I was 14 grams into my 80 gram goal before the sun came up.

I missed both my liquid and protein goals yesterday. I missed them both three times this week. Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Not good. I was trying to cap off the liquid last night, and I was only eight ounces away. I was down to 12 ounces left in the water bottle I was drinking from. I wanted to finish the bottle, wait 15 minutes, and then have a protein bar to put me over the 80 grams of protein for the day. Unfortunately, by 10:00 or so I was having trouble drinking. My body just didn’t want to do it anymore. On top of that, I was dead tired and couldn’t stay awake. I called it a night and gave up.

That means I hadn’t had anything to eat after dinner, which was probably why my stomach was empty enough to hurt so much when I woke up the first time, and the one small thing I ate wasn’t enough to hold me over until morning. So I guess maybe the solution to the problem is to actually make sure I eat too much before bed? That seems counter intuitive. I was actually worried about how much I was eating after dinner/before bed over the last couple of months. Based on the past week, maybe I had nothing to worry about. We’ll see how it goes tonight.

Once I got up and started my day today I tried to get some liquid in, like I always do at the start of the day, but it was still weird. I was having the same problem I had before bed last night. My body just doesn’t want to drink anything. Does that have anything to do with the mostly empty stomach? There was a mild stomach ache that kicked in after I took a few sips, but nothing near as bad as last night. I just didn’t want to drink anything. It took me almost two hours to get through the last 12 ounces from last night. Once I did, I waited the required 15 minutes and then had some actual, real, non-protein bar food. I feel a little better after that.

So in summation, this week has been pretty bad stomach/food/drink wise. I am hoping I have it all figured out, and not having to drive to Foxborough and back each day will get me back to my sort of normal routine. Wish me luck kids.

I asked chatgpt to write a one page essay on dealing with the side effects of gastric bypass surgery. What did it come up with?

Gastric bypass surgery is a weight loss surgery that has become increasingly popular over the years. It is a highly effective way of helping individuals who are struggling with obesity to lose weight and improve their overall health. However, like any other surgery, gastric bypass surgery also comes with its side effects.

One of the most common side effects of gastric bypass surgery is nausea and vomiting. This is usually experienced by patients during the first few days or weeks after surgery. It can be caused by the body’s adjustment to the reduced food intake or by the changes made to the digestive system during the surgery. To manage this side effect, patients are advised to take their time when eating, take smaller bites, and chew their food thoroughly. They may also be given medication to help alleviate nausea.

Another common side effect of gastric bypass surgery is dumping syndrome. This occurs when food moves too quickly from the stomach to the small intestine, causing symptoms such as abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and dizziness. Patients can manage this side effect by avoiding foods that are high in sugar or fat, eating smaller and more frequent meals, and avoiding drinking liquids with meals.

Some patients may also experience hair loss, which is usually temporary and can be attributed to the body’s nutritional changes following surgery. To manage this, patients are advised to take supplements such as biotin and to consume a protein-rich diet.

In addition, gastric bypass surgery can increase the risk of developing nutritional deficiencies, particularly in vitamins and minerals such as iron, calcium, and vitamin D. To avoid this, patients are advised to take supplements as prescribed by their doctor and to follow a balanced and nutritious diet.

Overall, gastric bypass surgery can be a life-changing procedure for individuals struggling with obesity. However, it is important to understand and manage the potential side effects to ensure a successful and healthy recovery. Patients should work closely with their medical team to monitor their progress and address any concerns they may have.

Bluesky

The search for a twitter replacement has hit a new wrinkle. I just received an invite to beta test Bluesky Social.

Your social media jealousy sustains me. I can’t get enough of it!

Chat GPT Reviews Deep Space Nine

Look at me jumping on the tech bandwagon. Did you see that South Park did an episode that was written by ChatGPT? Now I am playing along. I asked the AI to write a blog post about the three part second season premier of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, as my rewatch is currently in the second of the three episodes. Here’s what it came up with.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is one of the most beloved science fiction television series of all time, and its second season premiere was an epic three-part event that left viewers on the edge of their seats. The premiere, titled “The Homecoming,” “The Circle,” and “The Siege,” aired in 1994 and introduced a major new story arc that would dominate the show’s second season.

In “The Homecoming,” the first episode of the three-part premiere, the crew of Deep Space Nine receives news that a Bajoran resistance fighter named Li Nalas has been located in a Cardassian prison camp. Kira Nerys, a former resistance fighter herself, leads a mission to rescue him, and they succeed in bringing him back to Deep Space Nine. However, they soon discover that Li Nalas has become a symbol of hope for the Bajoran people, and his return has political implications that could have serious consequences.

In “The Circle,” the second episode, tensions rise on Bajor as a political movement called “The Circle” begins to gain power. The Circle is made up of Bajorans who are unhappy with the Federation’s presence on their planet and want them to leave. They begin to use violence and intimidation to achieve their goals, and Kira finds herself in the middle of the conflict as she tries to protect Li Nalas and prevent a full-scale war from breaking out.

Finally, in “The Siege,” the third and final episode of the premiere, The Circle launches a full-scale attack on Deep Space Nine, with the goal of taking control of the station and expelling the Federation. The crew of Deep Space Nine must work together to defend the station and prevent The Circle from achieving their goals. In the end, they are successful, but the conflict leaves lasting repercussions that will affect the rest of the season.

The three-part premiere of Deep Space Nine’s second season was a bold move for the series, and it paid off in spades. It introduced a major new story arc that would dominate the season, and it gave viewers a taste of the show’s complex characters and political intrigue. The episodes also explored themes of loyalty, betrayal, and sacrifice, which are common throughout the series.

In conclusion, the three-part second season premiere of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was a masterpiece of science fiction television. It introduced a major new story arc that would captivate viewers throughout the season, and it explored complex themes that are still relevant today. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s definitely worth a watch.

https://chat.openai.com/chat

I remember being really impressed with that three parter when it aired. I had enjoyed the first season, but it was hardly world shattering. The kick off to the second season was a big improvement. The second season as a whole was an improvement, but it wasn’t until we got into season three that the show really started getting good.

Here’s hoping you enjoyed ChatGPT’s detailed review. Welcome to the future, right?