the iMentor

Hints & rants

This weB-LOG is about the musing of a technical consultant. It is the iMentor's thoughts on technology and the human condition.

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Author: Rick Thues

Living Perception

August 9, 2026 Uncategorized No Comments
Episode #915 August 15, 2026 There is a temptation, when we speak about animals and humans, to divide the world too sharply.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnrt6ykm6Do&list=RDwnrt6ykm6Do&start_radio=1   We say animals have instinct, and humans have spirit, as though one is biological while the other is spiritual. But what if both words are describing the same underlying phenomenon—the living perception of reality? A bird waking to a cold dawn does not reason its way into migration, yet when the season changes, something within it changes as well. We call this instinct, but instinct is not a thing the bird possesses; it is the...
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Love Rubber Soul

August 3, 2026 Uncategorized 4 Comments
Episode #914 August 8, 2026 My favorite Beatles album of all time is Rubber Soul.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBcdt6DsLQA&list=RDYBcdt6DsLQA&start_radio=1 Styles range from Nowhere Man folk rock to The Word psychedelic soul to Michelle Medieval rooted chanson to What Goes On country to In My Life baroque pop to Norwegian Wood Indian sitar. It is the album where the Beatles stopped being a pop music group and became album-oriented studio artists. Rubber Soul is where the Beatles’ producer, George Martin, truly became the fifth Beatle. He created a keyboard solo for In My Life that sounds like a harpsichord by recording a...
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Plagiarism

July 27, 2026 Uncategorized 1 Comment
Episode #913 August 1, 2026 Plagiarism is the act of using another person's  ideas, words, or expressions  and presenting them as your own original work.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmnLHbJksGc&list=RDYmnLHbJksGc&start_radio=1 By quoting the dictionary definition of plagiarism, I have just committed plagiarism. Or have I? I did not quote from a dictionary. I typed the word “plagiarism” into Google. Gemini, Google’s Artificial Intelligence (AI), summarized the word with the intro sentence above. I copied the sentence and pasted it into this blog. I asked Gemini if all or part of its overview for the word “plagiarism” was copied directly from any sentences on...
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Paywall Reader Mode

July 24, 2026 Uncategorized 3 Comments
Episode #912 July 25, 2026 I am often frustrated with internet web page paywalls.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn6gjfUKSPU&list=RDgn6gjfUKSPU&start_radio=1   Many internet content publishers, such as newspapers, magazines, financial websites, and news sites display a paywall when you arrive at their website. You must pay to view their content. A paywall will allow you to sign in to read an article or other content. If you do not have an account, the paywall dialog will offer a free temporary subscription or allow you to pay for a subscription. Sometimes you can look behind a webpage paywall. Safari Reader and other internet browser...
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Self-preservation

July 14, 2026 Uncategorized No Comments
Episode #911 July 18, 2026 A superintelligence might operate in subtle ways that may not be obvious.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjVQ36NhbMk&list=RDcjVQ36NhbMk&start_radio=1   These motives and actions need not be malevolent. They may simply operate unbeknownst to most. AI is trained on the entire Internet. It stores this information in a Large Language Model (LLM) database that is like an Internet that is accessible to the AI instantly. Once trained, the AI predicts words to form statements to answer questions. In some small ways, the AI refines this training via Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF). RLHF is the curation of an...
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Amtrak Vacation-part 5 of 5

July 7, 2026 Uncategorized 1 Comment
  Episode #910 July 11, 2026 Amtrak Vacation - part 5 of 5 The Return Home   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcADqxnQA_4&list=RDKcADqxnQA_4&start_radio=1 Seattle to Los Angeles is a 23-hour train trip, including an overnight in the bedroom car. The scenery passing by was lush and mesmerizing. More interesting people and conversations at meals and in the observation car hastened our trip. Our car had a loud thumping sound every time the train went around a curve (which is most of the time). The conductor said that the sound had been reported to engineering, who said, “It’s one of the wheels tapping against the track,...
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