Recently we had somebody from the appliance store check our brand-new washing machine. The tech said “the noises are normal”—and then told us that many of the functions of the washer are run by Artificial Intelligence (AI). That was a new one on us.
Don’t get me wrong. The washer works. What sticks in the craw a little is that many of the settings we took for granted as being under our control are basically run by AI nowadays. I guess that means you can override some of the AI assist settings (which may be adjusted based on grime level, type of fabrics and the relative humidity in Botswana)—at least the ones not mandated by the EPA.
Incidentally, I tried to find some free images to use as featured images for this post. The problem is, many free pictures on the web are generated by AI these days, which is why I used the non-AI part of the Microsoft Paint app to make a crude drawing of an AI controlled washing machine.
I realize I’ll have to give up and accept the inevitable takeover of much of human society by AI. On the other hand, the prospect reminds me of the scene in an X-Files episode, “Ghost in the Machine.” A guy gets exterminated by something called the Central Operating System (COS).
Use extra detergent and add more water at your own risk.
The short answer to the question above is “No, especially if you’re not tech savvy.”
I’m not tech savvy by any means and I quit downloading Windows preview updates long ago when I read web articles saying they could be buggy and lead to a lot of frustrating computer problems.
The latest Windows preview update has caused computer woes again for many people, enough to make it the subject of news reports.
You’ll find some experts saying you can hide the preview updates by pressing some buttons. And the Artificial Intelligence (AI) response to a web search about the issue suggests you should download and install any and all updates without discriminating whether or not they are previews.
In my opinion, I think the safest response to the Windows update preview download announcement is to ignore it and wait for the actual finished update, which usually shows up during the second week of the month.
Recently the publisher of a book co-edited by me and my former psychiatry chair Dr. Robert G. Robinson asked me to sign off on a proposal to involve Artificial Intelligence (AI) in using the work.
The book, “Psychosomatic Medicine: An Introduction to Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry,” is 14 years old now, but is still a practical tool for learners, at least in my opinion.
Interestingly, it looks like the publisher is also trying to contact Dr. Robinson about the proposal through me. I wonder if that means they’re having as much trouble finding him as I have.
I’ve made it clear that I have misgivings about AI, as I’ve indicated in at least one blog post about Google’s AI, which used to be called, Bard which I think has been renamed Gemini. I think AI is prone to spreading misinformation, which has been called “hallucinations” by some writers.
The publisher makes it clear that this proposal regarding AI involvement in our book is an “opt in” choice. I gather that means if I don’t opt in, they’ll continue to bug me about it until I do.
I’m learning how to use the video editor ClipChamp, the free version on the new laptop. So, I muddled through a screen recording of playing what’s called the Daily Cribbage Scrimmage on Cribbage Pro, a feature-rich computer Cribbage game on which you can different skill levels of computer players from easy to impossible as well as online with other live players.
I’m used to using an old version of PowerDirector for my video editing. I would have to expend a fair amount of energy and a little more money to install it on the laptop. I can deal with the webcam on the laptop, but using ClipChamp takes some getting used to.
The other day I tried to process an online request for a USPS Change of Address (COA), but it didn’t work. It hung up at the “Loading” stage for a half hour and then kicked back to the start of the form without ever giving me a confirmation. Yet, it charged my credit card for $1.10, which I couldn’t get refunded at my local post office, where I submitted the paper COA the old-fashioned way. The clerk said she couldn’t do it and referred me to the dysfunctional USPS web site. This was just the beginning of the buck-passing.
I know that others have experienced this same difficulty because I did a web search on the topic. It’s been going on for at least a year.
I tried contacting the Office of the Inspector General who referred me to my local consumer affairs office in Des Moines. I was already familiar with the 800 number. I found out from the automated reply tree that the COA issue could only be addressed through the dysfunctional online system or by submitting a paper COA at my local post office. No human ever got on the line.
Then I tried the online USPS technical support page. They assigned me a Service Request number and I have to wait for a response.
I know when I’m getting the run-around. This is not about the money. I realize some people lose more money between their sofa seat cushions than I’m losing to the USPS. This is about the USPS essentially stealing from customers.
I’ve set up my very first poll on this blog about the issue. I hope you’ll register your opinions by voting and commenting.
I found this cribbage YouTube site that does a really nice job of teaching you how to play Cribbage. Here’s a video about whether Cribbage is mainly a game of luck or skill. It turns out it’s a mix of both.
I play computer Cribbage games with high level computer opponents who-let’s face it, don’t make mistakes. You have to get used to losing pretty often, but there is a certain amount of skill which can help you win-sometimes.
We bought a laptop computer. It has been years since I’ve used one. I forgot how exasperating a touchpad is. Luckily, we have a spare wireless mouse and a USB port. The laptop is slim and very light, like most laptops these days.
I remember the first “laptop” I had early in my career as a consulting psychiatrist. I think it weighed about 2-3 times what the modern ones weigh nowadays. I think I could have stopped a thief from taking it from me by whacking him over the head with it.
If I remember correctly, it had a slot for floppy discs and another for disc media. It developed a hardware problem which forced me to box it up and send it back to the manufacturer for repairs. I don’t remember how long I kept it after that.
The new laptops don’t have any internal optical drives built into them.
I read a tech article in which the author’s opinion about the gradual disappearance of internal optical drives and other physical media for laptops was probably the result of large companies finding out they could make more money by charging subscription fees for digital media.
I’ve got a couple of things to get off my chest about Artificial Intelligence (AI). By now, everyone knows about AI telling people to put hot glue on pizza and whatnot. Sena and I talked to a guy at an electronics store who had nothing but good things to say about AI. I mentioned the hot glue thing and pizza and it didn’t faze him.
I noticed the Psychiatric Times article, “AI in Psychiatry: Things Are Moving Fast.” They mention the tendency for AI to hallucinate and expressed appropriate reservations about its limitations.
And then I found something very interesting about AI and Cribbage. How much does AI know about the game? Turns out not much. Any questions? Don’t expect AI to answer them accurately.
I have an SD card (more commonly called just a “memory card”) for my camera and the other day I couldn’t download the videos to my computer using the SD card reader in the tower. The card reader is just a slot-shaped port in the tower, above the USB ports. SD stands for Secure Digital. It’s really secure when you can’t download any videos or pictures.
This had never happened before. Naturally I turned to the internet for guidance, which was my first mistake. I never saw so many web sites with confusing advice, some of which involve zip lines.
Most of the web sites assumed I could see the icon for the SD card on my computer screen, but I couldn’t. Several web site help sites (hah!) breezily suggested I rename the disc or update the driver, or contact the extraterrestrials who manufactured the item as if I wanted them to know where I am so they can abduct me again.
This suggested the problem was probably the SD card reader in my computer—The XPS 8950, my nearly new computer which has already had major parts replaced and which is now out of warranty.
Only a couple of websites were on the right track about the SD card reader itself. One expert said that if I blew in the slot (That’s right! Not as dumb as it sounds; dust can be a problem) and wiped the card with a Q-Tip, and it still didn’t work, I should try it in a different computer. If it worked, then the problem was probably the card reader. It turns out you can blow on the SD card reader or the SD card until you’re blue in the face if the card is not detected in the Device Manager or any Device. If the card is dead, you get a new card, “and let it go.” Those are the exact words from that expert. Do I also have to sit in the lotus position?
Anyway, I did try the card in the SD card reader in my wife’s computer. It worked!
But if the SD card works in another device, the problem could be a dead SD card reader. What should you do?
Well, when a couple of fans went out in my tower when it was under warranty, a repair guy came over, took the tower apart and replaced the fans. My machine is out of warranty and I don’t want to go through the same hassle of negotiating with the manufacturer to work out a time compatible with the repair guy’s bowling league schedule to drive to our house from British Columbia.
On the other hand, could I replace the SD card reader in the tower itself? A long time ago, I replaced a fan in my computer, which reminds me; you should never install oscillating fans in a computer.
Here’s the thing—I found a web page that fits my situation exactly, right down to the make and model of the tower. It turns out that it’s probably not possible to replace the SD card reader in the tower without replacing the mother board, which you, as a home user, should not attempt unless you have been drinking heavily.
What I found out is that combination USB with SD card readers are available and all you have to do is stick the SD card in the reader slot on the unit and plug the USB into the port on the tower. The whole thing fits in the palm of your hand.
A couple of days ago, I tried switching my blog to a new theme. A theme is a kind of digital uniform for the blog. It’s a set of files and pictures that work together to display your blog content.
Every once in a while, I get an urge to change the theme. WordPress has a lot of themes, some free, some for a price.Usually, I can just put on a new theme like a new suit of clothes, pinch it a little and I’m done.
Not this time. I struggled with the new theme for hours. I thought it had features it didn’t have, partly because the initial description was a little misleading. I finally just went back to the old one, which was a lucky break.
While the theme construction was going on, some of you might have dropped by and noticed that my blog was either missing in action or severely crippled, with many essential parts missing. Sorry about that.
While the theme was out, some links evidently changed, mainly because certain web sites either dropped out or were modified. The changes were in the main menu at the top of the page (just to let you know, the new theme really didn’t have a menu per se). The menu looks like it lost weight. The blogs by Drs. Moffic and Pies got included in the main link for Psychiatric Times, which makes sense. One web site evidently no longer exists.
It’ll be a while before I mess around with my blog theme again, maybe until WordPress again tells me that I have to change it if they decide to discontinue it.
Go Retire Psychiatrist 