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

Pain

June 1, 2023 Uncategorized 4 Comments
Episode #748 June 3, 2023 Sometimes it has to hurt.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgxsFL7-psI I have tried all the methods of opening a jar. There is the “tap on the lid before you open it” method. This method loosens the vacuum seal and only works some of the time.  If you are at a higher altitude the pressure inside the jar is greater than your air pressure. If you don't have to reseal the jar you can poke a hole in the lid with an awl to release the pressure and the lid comes right off. In my kitchen I have...
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Minimalism

May 27, 2023 Uncategorized 3 Comments
Episode #747 May 27, 2023   Less is more.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRxW8alHJCM The Universe is a perfect example of minimalism. Everything is mediated by gauge bosons which mediate the fundamental forces of nature (such as the photon, which mediates the electromagnetic force). These invisible particles are so simple that they are elemental. All energy and matter from quarks to complex molecules exist at the whim and design of these minimal forces. I believe in minimalism because it is easy to execute. A minimalist approach speaks to the function of the project. For example, when I set out to build raised...
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Comments

May 19, 2023 Uncategorized 5 Comments
Episode #746 May 20, 2023 The iMentor Hints and Rants blog has become inundated with spam comments from foreign countries.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gxtsa-OvQLA&list=RD_bW4vEo1F4E&index=8 Luckily I have editing and approval privileges over the comments that are submitted. I can label the comment “spam” or simply trash an undesirable one. The comments don’t go live until I approve them. I receive a dozen foreign spam comment submissions every week. The most common country is Russia. These Russian comments are not always political. Most are links to the dark web for illegal software or pharmaceuticals. Recently one comment linked to a crypto trading company,...
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Cold and Snow

May 11, 2023 Uncategorized 1 Comment
Episode #745 May 13, 2023   South Bend, Indiana, is the target of an artificial snow belt.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSe6iZF_UfE The snow belt is created when cold air blows over Chicago encountering cloud making thermal pollution from power plants along Lake Michigan. Those clouds are seeded by the coke smoke stacks of Gary, Indiana’s steel mills. This dumps snow directly on the University of Notre Dame. BTW, don’t eat the brown snow. For this Southern California boy the snow was interesting, entertaining and sometimes annoying. My fellow midwestern students laughed at me when I made my first snowman. I knew nothing...
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Swimming

May 5, 2023 Uncategorized 2 Comments
Episode #744 May 6, 2023 Swim in the deep blue sea. Swim in the river of creativity.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brZq1GSHPrE Swim in the fast lane. Swim in the sea of emotions. Swimming in opportunities. Swimming in the sea of possibilities. Swimming in a troubled mind. Swimming in debt. Swimming in compliments. Swimming with the tide. Swimming upstream. Swimming through life. Swimming in money. Swimming the butterfly stroke. Swim for your life. Swim towards success. Swim in circles. Swim with dolphins. Swim in a sea of options. Swim on your back. Swim marathon. Swim meet. Swim spa. Swim in confidence. Swim in...
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Empathy

April 28, 2023 Uncategorized 2 Comments
Episode #743 April 29, 2023 Maya was the tech in charge of LuLuMAC, a Large Language Model AI Chatbot for customer service. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EbHermSJXY Maya stared at her computer, frustrated and bewildered by the angry messages that were popping up on her screen. The Artificial Intelligence, which was supposed to handle customer service requests, was sending out rude and offensive responses to customers. Maya queried LuLu: “What is going on here? This is terrible. You are sending out rude responses to our tech support customers. I need to fix this immediately." As she asked the question, Maya began a diagnostic which...
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