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Sometimes I lie
Last week, I was having a conversation with the esteemed director of my residence here at Stonewall Gardens Assisted Living in my apartment, me seated, her standing in my open doorway. Under normal circumstances, I think the world of Brittany – she is intelligent, experienced, professional yes, but perhaps more importantly she is kind, compassionate,…
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I outwitted AI using Phil Collins!
Okay, let’s just get this out of the way right at the start. I am a Phil Collins fan. And I’m not going to justify it by claiming it’s because he’s such a talented drummer and invented the technique of gated reverb which revolutionized how drums are recorded and defined the sound of rock and…
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Stupid User Tricks
I learned just about everything I know about writing computer code from a man named Carl. I met him in the early 90s when we were working on creating a digital, automated way to transmit raw union payroll data from my company (a sound postproduction studio) to his (a payroll processing company). The idea was…
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Labor of Love
I have a saying: “there’s lots of people I don’t want to be.” That’s particularly true when I look around at some of my fellow retirees, who seem to have “stopped.” Stopped caring – yes, but also stopped growing and stopped changing. Change is life and life is change. You know what doesn’t change? Something…
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Attitudes toward AI
Everybody is talking about “AI” but few know what it is or its implications. My introduction to it has been largely positive. I have had “smart” devices in my apartment for over a year, “controlled” by Alexa from Amazon – though I have configured her to use a man’s voice, so you might say my…
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Carded by Google
After writing the other day about how I’m getting older, it would seem I had it all wrong. I’m Benjamin Button-ing before my very eyes! It started innocently enough. Google frightens me. That said, I do use it, first and foremost as a search tool that dramatically speeds up my research into the various things…
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John and his Ajax
Is it a euphemism or slang? I think it is both. We are naturally averse to talking about bodily functions in polite company. So we employ euphemisms that say what we need to say without coming right out and saying it. Nowhere is this more true than with #1 and #2, or “wee wee” and…
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A plug for Matt
Modern life is nothing less than amazing. Take a look around the room you’re sat in right now. You are surrounded by more technology than accompanied Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins to the moon! I think that is remarkable. But one thing that is undeniable is these wonderous things which make our lives…
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Wikipediasnob
I love a good dose of etymology – word origins, and how their meaning has changed over time, not to be confused with entomology, the study of bugs. But you have to be careful. There are lots of stories out there. Many are not true. Before we all had instant access to the Internet on…
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Going the way of the dodo
I remember when we got our first microwave when I was growing up in the 70s. Whenever you weren’t using it, you were supposed to place a cup of water inside. I think the rationale behind this was so the oven, if accidentally switched on, wouldn’t cook itself! A quick check of the Internet and…
Your mileage may vary.