Tech
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- Written by: Hartigan
- Category: Tech
- Hits: 11
Many people have told me I've told this story too many times, but... When I hosted a superbowl grid a few years ago, I asked AI to "generate the programming for a ten by ten grid to allow users to select up to four squares and accept a name and email address". The first attempts weren't as good as what could be downloaded from https://github.com/stchiang/sbsquares. But more recently, the programming has improved (not workable for me, but close), and it also responded with technical notes (e.g. register a website, secure a web provider, ensure certain packages were installed) and user documentation (e.g. Select some squares, enter a name, send money to the gridmaster). It was much more of a response than what I expected. I didn't end up using much, but it sparked some ideas to make building the pages and getting them completed much easier.
Recently, I had a need to pull a bunch of information from a website and reformat it into an MS-Excel spreadsheet. Getting the information involved a series (hundreds?) of API calls which returned .json files. The files had some mandatory and some optional fields. Some files had one entity; others had multiple entities per file. I needed to parse the results into a one-line-per-entity format for Excel. I'm ok when using the Linux 'jq' command, but don't know all its features and options. A back and forth conversation with an AI provided me with the commands I needed. Additionally, when I forgot a column or header, I prompted, "just like that, but now I need column headers" (or an additional field). Voila. The correct command string was provided.
All the models are getting better at a faster and faster rate. I'm not going to recommend my preferences. I do recommend if you're in the thinking business, you should become adept at using AI in your worklife.
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- Written by: FDD10
- Category: Tech
- Hits: 8
My father-in-law has led a very interesting, purpose driven life. He has stories about growing up in an agricultural part of New York State, then joining the military, and travelling the world in retirement. He has an interest in geneology and has researched his family tree to the Mayflower and Plymouth Rock. It is a story worth telling, and after he gathered his ideas in a Open Office and/or MS-Word document, it was decided to publish the book.
It's good to have an editor in the family. Reviewing stories to build a narrative while not bruising someone's writing style is a talent -- much more than can be accomplished with a spell and grammar checker. Maybe artificial intelligence is catching up, but it's not what I would trust valuable stories to ... yet.
Once the book is somewhat complete, its time to get the government involved by getting a copyright and international standard book number (ISBN). The US Copyright office has a wonderful website for newbies to navigate. I still required some help to complete the process. The staff was helpful and knowledgeable.
Finally, I contacted https://48Hourbooks.com to turn the document into a three-dimensional object. I recommend their services to anyone with similar aspirations. They were able to get the table of contents, dedications, and chapters formatted into a state where it was easy to imagine what the finished product would look like. They have people who can help with the cover design. It was a happy day when the box arrived on the front porch with 100 copies of the book.
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- Written by: FDD10
- Category: Tech
- Hits: 8
With a longer commute, I\'ve made time for more and more podcasts. It's difficult to remember which ones are good and which ones get stale. The application I use, Pocket Casts, is great. I use it mostly from my phone, which bluetooths to the car. When I installed the app, I loaded up with podcasts. Here's a list:
* The DailyShow Podcast -- This is a good behind the scenes podcast. It's especially good if they have a good guest.
* 99% Invisible -- Roman Mars -- This one's great. The topics they come up with are incredible. They're angles and story telling are fantastic. I find myself listening to old episodes when there\'s time. I really need to donate to these folks.
* Welcome to Nightvale -- I enjoyed Twin Peaks and other off beat serials. Nightvale is definitely notable. I don't listen to it as much as I did. If there were a group of people listening to and discussing it, I'd be more apt to make time.
* Stuff you should know -- Like 99% Invisible, this podcast has a great grasp of topics to tackle. They seem to hit a Wikipedia pages and other resources to quickly research a topic. But they discuss it in depth -- much like we used to do in college when preparing a project.
* FreakonomicsRadio -- Stephen Dubbner and NPR/WNYC do a great job of making economics very approachable. Like the Daily Show, they interview people in power and ask questions in a very 'common man' voice. It's definitely one to make time for.
* Planet Money -- I don\'t make time for the Wall Street Journal, Money magazine or other printed financial news outlets. But I do want to be fiscally literate. This show has done a good job of explaining financial matters.
* MarketPlace -- This is another one of those shows I catch on the radio, but sometimes it\'s not convenient. Good financial news.
* Motley Fool Answers -- I've always enjoyed the MotleyFool.com site. This is a good representation of their web presence.
* Startup -- This has been a good podcast as I was re-setting up hartiganconsulting.com. Like MarketPlace, it has a good balance of "normal" versus "business" person.
* The Moth -- Another podcast I'd heard on NPR. It\'s like a box of chocolates -- you never know what you'll hear. Like StoryCorps, most stories are thought provoking and insightful.
* Fresh Air -- WHYY/Terry Gross -- The interviewing is excellent. Well researched, and well organized. It reminds me of Charlie Rose's show. I normally only listen when there's an interviewee I'm interested in.
* On the Media -- WNYC/Brooke Gladstone -- We can normally catch this on the radio most weekends, but sometimes it\'s not convenient. It\'s a good analysis of the past weeks news and how it\'s reported.
* Judge John Hodgeman -- An interesting twist on "the Peoples' Court". He interviews people who email in a problem that requires his redress. Many times it's simple topics (e.g. should guests take their shoes off when entering a house?). His analysis is mostly thoughtful and funny.
* RadioLab -- This is one of my first podcasts. We heard it on the radio infrequently, and looked forward to hearing the shows. The website is great and provides a good background of the topics discussed. I've donated money before, and should probably again.
There's several techie and newly added podcasts, but I won't list them here, as this post is longer than I expected. Maybe later.