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

Robots

February 22, 2024 Uncategorized 2 Comments
Episode #786 February 24, 2024 Robots, cyborgs and androids are everywhere.       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc6f_2nPSX8 Walk into your kitchen. There is a computer brain in the stove, dishwasher, refrigerator, coffee maker, rice cooker, microwave and most of the electric hand tools. The computer brain helps the appliance be a better appliance. Some of these computer brains are quite smart. Some refrigerators scan the food you put into them and scan what you take out. They can send you an email when it is time to restock. Some refrigerators can even autonomously place an order to grocery delivery services. This kind...
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Hot Time

February 14, 2024 Uncategorized 1 Comment
Episode #785 February 17, 2024 It was a hot time in the old town that night. One year for Thanksgiving my wife Paula challenged me to make a holiday feast. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo8lhYVaMHc I am a great fan of Racheal Ray, the TV cooking personality. One of her shows featured a one hour Turkey dinner. Perfect. We invited 12 of our friends and relatives. The invitation read: “You are cordially invited to a Thanksgiving feast. There is, however, a requirement to attend. Everyone will be the cook. Arrive by 3pm. We will eat at 5.” The menu featured boneless turkey breasts. Myself...
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Old

February 7, 2024 Uncategorized 1 Comment
Episode #784 February 10, 2024 When I was a young man, my given name, Ricki, was mocked by my fellow 5th graders. 5th graders are cruel.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7eB7Wns1-M   I shortened Ricki to Rick. As I grew older my best friends used Ricki as a term of endearment. Yet, for 60 years I have worn the name Rick, not having learned from my friends' kindness. Now, 60 years older, I have embraced my name and introduce myself as Ricki. I like my name, I always have. In the tradition of great prose, my end is my beginning. I was Ricki...
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Stuff

January 30, 2024 Uncategorized 3 Comments
Episode #783 February 3, 2024 Like everyone else, I accumulate an excess of stuff.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q_c160jfBY I bought a shed to store garage stuff. We remodeled the bedroom closet to hold more stuff. The back of the SUV has become useless with all the emergency stuff. Even the Christmas stockings have overflow bags hanging off of them for extra stocking stuff. I have always had a twelve month rule for stuff. There are exceptions. If stuff is stored and I do not use it for twelve months I keep it because it is a holiday decoration, memorabilia, a useful...
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PRAM

January 23, 2024 Uncategorized 9 Comments
Episode #782 January 27, 2024 Last week my computer began prompting me to sign in to FaceTime every time it started up.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtRk1YSpcKU I tried to sign into FaceTime, but the sign-in routine just spun and spun, finally failing to log in. Also, I noticed that I was only receiving SMS text messages in the Mac Messages app. No iMessages appeared. I signed out of iMessages, but when I tried to sign back in the login routine spun and spun and failed, just like FaceTime. Now, iMessages did not work at all. The error was an inability to...
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Garage to Shop

January 15, 2024 Uncategorized 2 Comments
Episode #781 January 20, 2024 My garage was so full of stuff that cars would not fit. I parked the cars in the driveway.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FgfSIB8UsU   Worse than no cars, the garage had no room for woodworking. I own the essential power tools for a wood shop, but I needed room to stand and to layout the materials. On one wall of the garage was a shelving unit made from 2x10s and 2x4s. On it was Christmas, camping, game, beverage, donation, holiday wrap, auto, bicycle and recycling boxes. You know, all that stuff that you use occasionally, often only...
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