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.

GO TO ARCHIVE

Author: Rick Thues

Impatience

July 6, 2021 Uncategorized 1 Comment
Episode #649 July 10, 2021 The Artificial Intelligence in a Costco water vending machine taught me a lesson in patience. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErvgV4P6Fzc The machine was filled with small water bottles, eight slots across and five rows down. The price for a bottle was 25 cents. After inserting my quarter i had to press codes A1-8, through E1-8. This code seemed unnecessary since all the slots were filled with the same water bottles. i pressed B-4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9FExe6KZ44 The automated arm scurried across and up to B-4. The mechanism pushed on the line of bottles, but the bottle did not fall into the arm....
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Ditch Digger

June 29, 2021 Uncategorized 3 Comments
Episode #648 July 3, 2021 When i was a little boy my mother encouraged me to study hard in school. “You don’t want to become a ditch digger when you grow up,” she said. So i studied hard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNI27KOQoF4 i excelled in high school. My grades were good enough to be accepted at a prestigious university. i started my university courses in the sciences and segued to English and the Arts. As VP of my residence hall i had access to the underground steam tunnels. Was this a preview of things to come? Mine was a full and rounded education. With...
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Negotiation

June 23, 2021 Uncategorized 6 Comments
Episode #647 June 26, 2021 It was in high school English class that i first learned about negotiation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho7796-au8U i have never been able to spell. When in high school there were no word processors or spell check applications. In fact, the only computer in the school did little more than run an Adventure game. Only the honors class had access to the computer.   My senior English final exam was divided between vocabulary and essay.  The vocabulary section was based on the “Building Word Power” text book. We were to memorize the words, their meanings and spellings. The essay...
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Multilingual

June 17, 2021 Uncategorized 5 Comments
Episode #646 June 19, 2021 Technology demands that we are multilingual. Religion, society, trades, sports and entertainment also require us to speak many languages. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sX_NeOkcFec As a computer consultant a common observation is that clients try to speak Geek. “I’ve been hacked,” she said. “Why do you think so?” i asked. “Someone is uploading viruses to my Google. Apple Support says they have detected a Major Security Issue on my computer,” she states. i think in fluent Geek: “She has been tricked into installing malware. The adware is popping up fake alerts in Safari which say that the Apple tech...
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Infinity

June 8, 2021 Uncategorized 2 Comments
Episode #645 June 12, 2021 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… Keep counting.   Can you count to an infinite number? You can try. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WN0T-Ee3q4 A person can count the integers by adding the number “1” to each number: 0+1=1, 1+1=2, 2+1=3… The person could keep counting until their death without reaching infinity. Let’s make a solar powered computer to count to infinity. It would count until the Earth or the Sun was destroyed. Still, it would not have counted to infinity. Most computer programs, such as operating systems, are designed to run until the program or the computer is...
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Susurration

June 1, 2021 Uncategorized 7 Comments
Episode #644 June 5, 2021 The wind is a susurrus. The susurration of wind in trees whispers the secrets of their leaves. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld6fAO4idaI Osmosis is almost silent, but on a molecular scale it is a susurration. Calmness speaks in the babbling of a brook; the murmuring of water. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX0ecr8YW_w Politicians mumble in droning undertones of deception. The Internet is a susurrus of untruth. Yet the truth is found between its lines. i saw a rustling of flowers in a mustard field. It was accompanied by ravens’ not so quiet calls. From the field emerged a Lynx. She shook her head...
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