Category: Just Rambling

My Week Ending 2023-01-29

by dougpete, posted in Just Rambling

It was an interesting blogging week. I enjoy it when my thinking takes me to new places. Plus, I got an interview. What’s not to like?

Readings 

You can follow my daily readings as they happen here.  Below are a selected few, with commentary, from the past week. They’re posted to the blog daily under the title OTR Links.

Sunday

  • Kind of a click-bait article but I’m always looking for new ways to work with Android
  • This is an interesting dilemma for schools

Monday

  • Here’s an alternative to Microsoft’s Notepad – I still like Notepad but should I switch?
  • This is an insight as to how Amazon works with its new location in Elgin County

Tuesday

  • Many people have given up on concert-going because of ticket prices – here’s what’s happening with Madonna in Vancouver
  • Are you looking for an alternative to Microsoft Word? I use LibreOffice myself

Wednesday

  • This is helpful to check the status of your battery on Windows
  • Why not use ChatGPT to make your next presentation better?

Thursday

  • Windsor does have the best code YQG – Your Quick Getaway – but it does start with Y like every other Canadian airport
  • If you ever wanted to know where an image came from – this might help

Friday

  • If I only had this when I was studying programming, I would have received a grade of 100%
  • I’ve reconnected with a number of former students and it’s been such a positive experience. Facebook has allowed me to connect with some former teachers. I did get admonished with on because I still called him Mr. Addison

Saturday

  • It’s interesting that we have to go online to find 3D animals
  • Supposedly, this will make Google Chrome faster and more efficient

Blog Posts on
doug — off the record

My daily contributions to this blog are linked below. If you’re looking for a week in review for doug–off the record, you came to the right place.

#FollowFriday – January 27, 2023

Photo by Alexander Shatov on Unsplash

https://wakelet.com/i/invite?code=sjsatwua

voicEd Radio

This Week in Ontario Edublogs is a blog post/show/podcast that features great writing from Ontario Edubloggers. Stephen Hurley and I use their writing as the basis for a conversation.

Featured Bloggers:

  • Sheila Stewart – @sheilaspeaking
  • Deanna McLennan – @McLennan1977
  • Matthew Morris – @callmemrmorris
  • Marie Snyder – @MarieSnyder27
  • Laura Wheeler – @wheeler_laura
  • Daphne McMenemy – @McMenemyTweets

This week’s voicEd Radio show:

Peace playlist

A playlist of the songs of Peace that we open and close the show with.

Technology Troubleshooting

It’s funny how things come together.

Yesterday, I was reading an article about how Microsoft was going to force me to upgrade to the latest release of Windows 11. I got my back up and told me that nobody tells me what to do with my computer.

I turned it on and the update was happening.

To be honest, nothing seems to have changed with what I do on the computer and I haven’t poked around.

There still is a nagging issue though; I never turn the computer off intentionally it seems. I just close the lid and let it sleep. However, 5 nights out of 7, the computer ends up turning itself off. It doesn’t happen during the day; just at night.

I can’t figure this one out yet.

Video of the Week

Just a little smile

Photo of the Week

We went on a marina visit trip yesterday just to take a break. Two pictures stood out. The first is the Guyitt Homestead which was featured as a post earlier on this blog. I stood on the roadway and took the picture after doing the unforgivable – swiping to blow up so I could see more detail and it actually worked not too badly. It’s in rough shape.



This second one is me trying to be artsy and, if you know me, I’m not. We were at Port Glasgow on the “other side” of the pier and the sun shining down gave what I think is a beautiful picture. I love the reflection on the lake.

Thanks for reading.

Please join me daily for something new and, hopefully, interesting for you. I honestly and truthfully appreciate your few moments reading my thoughts. Time willing, this summary appears every Sunday afternoon.

Be safe.

dp

This blog post was originally posted at:

https://dougpete.wordpress.com/

Advertisement

Going local

by dougpete, posted in Just Rambling

As more and more people are becoming productive with ChatGPT or just exploring the service, I’m seeing people complaining that they’re unable to log in. There was a funny message from one of my friends who had captured various screen messages to try and entertain why you wait.

Now, there’s an alternative. Set it up on your own computer.

Here’s how.

How to Install ChatGPT Locally

Those that know me know that this would be like a red flag. Surely, Doug would try this.

I don’t think so.

Yes, I am a bit curious but I just don’t have some aching need to put something like this on my computer. The instructions seem to be straightforward enough but still.

I guess I’ve watched enough science fiction.

  • what if it tried to take over my computer
  • even worse, what if it tried to organize my disorganized file organization
  • what do I need to have on demand access to something that is admittedly in testing
  • what if it learned my habits and replicated them in my absence
  • since it’s evolving as a technology, am I prepared to stay up to date with updates?

I suppose that I’m just not sold on having that much of an artificial intelligence agent on my side – yet.

I have no doubt that, when it becomes viable, it’s going to be incorporated into operating systems or browsers or any applications that I might have. At that point, I’ll probably have little choice.

I do have enough assistants around here to direct me. I do find myself ignoring or disagreeing with them at times. Who needs another thing to argue with?

How about you? Are you ready to have something like this installed as your helper?

My Week Ending 2023-01-22

by dougpete, posted in Just Rambling

I didn’t feel well yesterday and so went to bed – missing football so that should be an indication. Company is coming over today – will I get this post written in time? I tend to linger as I look back at the past week’s posts and sharing. Oh, and I tend to ramble on…

Readings 

You can follow my daily readings as they happen here.  Below are a selected few, with commentary, from the past week. They’re posted to the blog daily under the title OTR Links.

Sunday

Monday

  • Why not tax parking? We tax everything else – would this make you ride the TTC, Toronto friends?
  • The winners of the 2022 Canadian Photos of the Year – I didn’t make it but these are why

Tuesday

  • If you think there’s outrage about ChatGPT in education, imagine if this came true
  • The 519 Podcast had this interesting story about the scare of Jack the Ripper being in Ontario, near Listowel

Wednesday

  • If ad-blockers do become irrelevant in Chromium-based browsers, I’ll be using Firefox full time. Full stop.
  • When Doug McDowall writes a post, it brings a smile to my face

Thursday

  • I think that there will be more people that end up not supporting ChatGPT in schools – it just takes time to get your mind around it
  • This was a cause for a blog post here but in case you missed it, Anne of Green Gables transcript is now published on a wedbite

Friday

  • I had to smile at the images here – I have difficulty at times with Google logos and icons
  • Owl Pellet Dissection was a big thing, I recall. Here’s the activity

Saturday

  • This is absolutely disgusting – on the aftermath of a teacher shooting
  • It’s like this person read my blog post – yes, we adapted to calculators

Blog Posts on
doug — off the record

My daily contributions to this blog are linked below. If you’re looking for a week in review for doug–off the record, you came to the right place.

#FollowFriday – January 20, 2023

Photo by Alexander Shatov on Unsplash

https://wakelet.com/wake/hOaH_369NPC8Bqeppi_MX

voicEd Radio

This Week in Ontario Edublogs is a blog post/show/podcast that features great writing from Ontario Edubloggers. Stephen Hurley and I use their writing as the basis for a conversation.

Featured Bloggers:

  • Edugals – @Edugals
  • Jennifer Casa-Todd – @jcasatodd
  • Vicky Loras – @vickyloras
  • Paul Gauchi – @PCMalteseFalcon
  • Jen Giffen – @VirtualGiff
  • Cecilia Aponte-de-Hanna – @capontedehanna
  • Aviva Dunsiger – @avivaloca

This week’s voicEd Radio show:

Peace playlist

A playlist of the songs of Peace that we open and close the show with.

Technology Troubleshooting

We had a state of panic this morning.

My wife couldn’t solve the Seven Little Words puzzle. It’s a ritual for the two of us on our devices. It worked fine on my Android but, over the web, she got six words and the seventh was to be a 10 letter word and all that she had left was two letters.

I tried it on another device and it worked.

Of course, the solution for her case was to close the tab and start again and it loaded perfectly. I’ll take the win for that one.

Video of the Week

Working with the Program Department, this was a favourite school to visit. Ferry ride and a sleepover added to the value. The island is a beautiful place to visit and I’m still amazed at how the east and west side are completely different. If you ever get a chance…

Photo of the Week

My daughter and I visted a new (to us) nature walk yesterday – this is The Big O Conservation area. Lots of beaver activity and we were impressed with that.





Thanks for reading.

Please join me daily for something new and, hopefully, interesting for you. I honestly and truthfully appreciate your few moments reading my thoughts. Time willing, this summary appears every Sunday afternoon.

Be safe.

dp

This blog post was originally posted at:

https://dougpete.wordpress.com/

Dumb luck pays off – sometimes

by dougpete, posted in Just Rambling

I’m on a mission to take better pictures. I do have a 35mm camera but it always seems to be a hassle to take it anywhere with me.

Like most people, I suspect, I always have my smartphone with me and so I’ve tried to learn everything about its camera from the inside and out.

Sometimes I do get some nice pictures.

Yesterday, I got what I think is a nice picture but it’s really dumb luck.

My daughter and I took our dogs into Windsor and decided to walk the Windsor Waterfront from the Ambassador Bridge to the Great Canadian Flag downtown. It’s a wonderful walk with all the art statues and you’re lower than Riverside Drive so the cars driving along are hardly heard.

We parked near the bridge where the parking is free and I took a picture of the Ambassador Bridge just as we were getting ready to leave.

As we were walking along, we chatted about the Detroit skyline and the statues on the Canadian side and just how nice and quiet it was. We both remarked how the river was so calm which is unusual. Usually, there are some waves and/or some wake from boats headed north or south on the Detroit River. Not that morning.

I still swear that I could swim across it.

As we headed north, we came in view of downtown Detroit and the fabulous buildings there. Of course, the Renaissance Centre is front and centre. We both stopped to take pictures. Here’s mine.

I pulled Jaimie back to get him out of the shot but forgot about Buddy. Let me crop him out.

It’s funny how the story changes a bit when you lose the perspective of the interlocking brick path headed north to downtown Windsor. It also exaggerates how I didn’t have the camera completely level to the horizon.

I should have seen this but didn’t realize it until I got home and looked at the picture. The river was just so calm and what was supposed to be a quick picture of the complex is actually kind of artsy as it’s reflected in the river. I like it.

This was entirely unscripted.

I had advice given to me once to take pictures, lots of pictures, and be prepared to throw away most of them and you just might find that golden one.

I like to think that is what happened yesterday.

I thought I’d try my luck this morning before going for a walk with you know who.

It’s proof that not all pictures are winners.

But later in the day, we took this.

My Week Ending 2023-01-15

by dougpete, posted in Just Rambling

I almost hate watching the news and seeing how much snow the rest of Ontario is getting – almost.

Readings 

You can follow my daily readings as they happen here.  Below are a selected few, with commentary, from the past week. They’re posted to the blog daily under the title OTR Links.

Sunday

  • If I was charged with protecting a computerized system, I’d be really paying attention to this since so many hackers come from within
  • I love lists like this – there was a time when this was a to-do list – now it’s just interesting – the top Tools for Learning in 2022

Monday

  • Do you have to declare that you had help from ChatGPT if Microsoft brings it to Word, Powerpoint, or Excel?
  • There’s no place like home – this was great news for Damar Hamlin

Tuesday

  • Do you take public transit? Here’s a list of the top cities in North America
  • It never seems to me that I’m on the cutting edge of anything anymore but Google is going to update some versions of Android – hopefully mine

Wednesday

  • Detroit Tigers‘ fans will absolutely love this – they’re moving the fence in and lowering the walls – let’s hope that this brings more home runs, more scoring, more wins
  • Who would have thought that we’d see the day when someone on a scooter would get charged with impaired driving but impaired is impaired

Thursday

  • This was sad news – Jeff Beck has passed away
  • I’ve long since kicked Windows 7 to the curb and I’m glad that I did – it’s now dead

Friday

  • This is just pain enjoyable – a Beaver building a dam inside a house
  • Do you think the success of the Chromebook affects Apple’s plans to work on a touchscreen computer?

Saturday

  • Some plusses and minuses about a touchscreen Macintosh
  • Our town is getting a bunch of new signs

Blog Posts on
doug — off the record

My daily contributions to this blog are linked below. If you’re looking for a week in review for doug–off the record, you came to the right place.

#FollowFriday – January 13, 2023

Photo by Alexander Shatov on Unsplash

https://wakelet.com/wake/DhGEBy_w561riH239PUs9

voicEd Radio

This Week in Ontario Edublogs is a blog post/show/podcast that features great writing from Ontario Edubloggers. Stephen Hurley and I use their writing as the basis for a conversation.

Featured Bloggers:

  • Deborah McCallum @Bigideasinedu
  • Mark Hodgkinson – @Mr_H_Teacher
  • Lisa Corbett – @LisaCorbett0261
  • Amy Bowker – @amyebowker
  • Anthony Perrotta – @aperrottatweets

This week’s voicEd Radio show:

There was no show on voicEd Radio this past week.

Peace playlist

A playlist of the songs of Peace that we open and close the show with.

Technology Troubleshooting

My biggest focus this past week has been to try to get my Chromebook to run faster.

My thoughts were in the post on this blog yesterday.

I seem to be having some success.

Video of the Week

You may never fly again after watching this.

Photo of the Week

Ever wonder what I looked like as a kid? This is me, cropped out of a newspaper article that told about us passing a swimming test years and years ago. I was branded with the number 13 on forehead and chest with lipstick so that I could be identified in the water.





Thanks for reading.

Please join me daily for something new and, hopefully, interesting for you. I honestly and truthfully appreciate your few moments reading my thoughts. Time willing, this summary appears every Sunday afternoon.

Be safe.

dp

This blog post was originally posted at:

https://dougpete.wordpress.com/