Watch this video on YouTube. And for those who insist reading on your phone is the same as reading a book. It’s not. “Reading on a phone or tablet is generally passive scrolling, often interrupted by messages and alerts. When we read on screens we tend to skim and when we skim, we’re more susceptible to misinformation.”
Category Archives: Science & Technology
“A record of the dialogue”
In the two-plus years I’ve been playing with ChatGPT I’ve found many of my “conversations” interesting enough to share 127 of them here. It’s a tedious process involving copying and pasting and re-formatting. What I’d really like is a one-button solution that would publish the chat. I can already share a link to a chat (or part of one) but posting to some public space on my ChatGPT account seems like an easy next step.
I brought this up to ChatGPT and it “thought” it was a splendid idea. I even exported the 127 conversations so it could analyze what I’d been doing. And just for fun, I prompted it to use these to create an interoffice memo to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, pitching the idea for a new feature. I was also curious to get ChatGPT’s take on these blog posts: Continue reading
Stop saying you’re too old for new technology
ChatGPT world’s most downloaded app
ChatGPT became the world’s most downloaded app in March 2025, surpassing social media giants Instagram and TikTok with 46 million new downloads, driven largely by the viral success of its new image generation feature.
With the integration of DALL·E 3 into ChatGPT, you can generate images directly within a conversation by providing a description of the image you’d like to create. I tried this out by asking for an image of a Series III Land Rover.
At first glance I thought this was a photograph but then I spotted some mistakes, which ChatGPT caught as well:
While it looks pretty convincing at a glance, there are a few telltale signs it’s not a real Series III Land Rover:
- Badge: It says “LAMIS ROVER” instead of “LAND ROVER”—a classic AI hiccup with text.
- Proportions: The front end is a bit off. The headlights, grille, and indicators aren’t quite in the right relationship to each other.
- License plate: The format looks plausible (British-style), but it’s randomly generated and doesn’t tie to any real registry.
- Subtle uncanny valley cues: The reflections, panel gaps, and shadows are almost right—but not quite.
She then asked if I’d like to see the Rover next to my pick-up truck. Sure, why not?
While the photorealism is pretty impressive, the buzz seems to be about “Studio Ghibli-style visuals” which refers to the distinctive look and feel of the animated films produced by Studio Ghibli, the iconic Japanese animation studio co-founded by Hayao Miyazaki. “The visual equivalent of a warm, slightly surreal daydream—equal parts magic, nature, and melancholy.”
I assume this is useful for something more important than Tik Tok posts but I’m not sure what. Still, damned impressive. And addictive.
Why Your Eyes Instantly Find Where You Left Off in a Book
When I’m reading a book I sometimes stop at the end of a chapter but just as often stop reading in the middle of a page or a paragraph. When I pick the book up again, an hour or even a day later, I open the book to the bookmarked page and start reading to find where I had stopped reading. Before I am conscious of reading a line, my eye is instantly(?) pulled to the exact line where I previously stopped. Every time. It’s as though my brain has scanned the page and remembered where I quite reading, before I am consciously aware of this happening. I asked GPT 4o to explain this phenomenon:
Why Your Eyes Instantly Find Where You Left Off in a Book
When you return to a book and your eyes are drawn immediately to the exact spot where you stopped reading—even in the middle of a paragraph—it’s the result of several subtle mental processes working together:
1. Implicit Memory at Work
Your brain doesn’t necessarily store a conscious note like “I stopped in paragraph three.” Instead, it saves a situational snapshot—a blend of the visual pattern of the text, the shape of the paragraphs, the words nearby, and your position on the page. This is a form of implicit memory—unconscious knowledge that influences your behavior without deliberate recall.
2. Visual-Spatial Recognition
Books are both visual and spatial. Your brain remembers where you were on the page (top, middle, lower left, etc.). When you reopen the book, your eyes are drawn to that same general area because the layout is unchanged—your mental map still fits.
3. Contextual Cueing
This is a subconscious process where your brain uses surrounding information to guide your attention. Words or phrases near your stopping point act as subtle cues. Even if you don’t consciously recall them, they feel familiar and help your eyes lock in on the right spot.
4. Speed: Faster Than Conscious Thought
You often find the right place before you’re even aware of reading. Your brain’s attentional systems guide your eyes within milliseconds—faster than conscious awareness can keep up. It’s as if your mind says, “Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”
5. Meditation May Enhance This
If you practice meditation (as you do), your ability to notice subtle shifts in attention and visual memory may be heightened. You’re more likely to register that precise moment of recognition and experience it with clarity.
In short, your brain combines visual memory, spatial awareness, and unconscious pattern recognition to bring your eyes exactly where they need to go—with remarkable precision and speed.
I remain fascinated that GPT remembers things like my practice of meditation. I followed up on that. And in how many other parts of our daily life is this happening.
After years of reading and meditation practice, I’m convinced that 1) the self and free will are illusions. Most of our existence is happening under the hood. Our experiences are just replays.
When Did Social Media Begin?
In the twenty-three years I’ve been maintaining this blog more than 800 posts wound up in the INTERNET category, making said category almost useless. And do I make SOCIAL MEDIA a tag, or a sub-category under INTERNET? To sort this out I am reviewing each of those 800+ posts. During today’s lunch break I asked GPT 4o when SOCIAL MEDIA became a thing.
While it’s impossible to pinpoint an exact starting point, social media as a component of the Internet has evolved over time. It depends on how you define it—whether as any form of online interaction or as modern profile-based networks. Here are some key milestones:
1. 1970s–1980s: Early Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) and Usenet
- BBSs (1978): Allowed users to post messages, share files, and engage in discussions.
- Usenet (1980): Functioned like a decentralized forum, organizing discussions into topic-based newsgroups.
2. 1990s: The Web and Early Social Networks
- AOL, CompuServe, Prodigy (late 1980s–90s): Introduced chat rooms, forums, and member profiles.
- GeoCities (1994): Gave users personal webpages in themed “neighborhoods.”
- Classmates.com (1995) & SixDegrees.com (1997): Often cited as the first modern social networks, with SixDegrees offering profiles, friend lists, and messaging.
3. 2000s: The Boom of Modern Social Media
- Friendster (2002), MySpace (2003), LinkedIn (2003), Facebook (2004): Refined the model, with Facebook becoming dominant.
- Blogs, LiveJournal, Twitter (2006): Expanded social networking beyond direct connections, introducing microblogging.
Conclusion: The “beginning” of social media depends on the criteria:
- If looking for early online social interaction, BBS and Usenet were the start.
- If considering profile-based networks, SixDegrees.com is a strong candidate.
- If marking the moment social media became an Internet-defining force, the mid-2000s explosion with Facebook and Twitter is key.
I remember the modem screech that connected me to my first BBS. Posting to a Usenet group. My first CompuServe email address. And all that followed. Here on smays.com SOCIAL MEDIA started getting some ink in the mid-2000s.
Evelyn and Marie: Brownie box camera
The photo above (my mom and Aunt Marie) was probably taken sometime in the mid-1940s on the family farm near Broseley, Missouri. I’ve seen this photo countless times but not sure I’ve noticed the camera in my aunt’s hand. A little history from ChatGPT:
The “Brownie” box camera, introduced by Kodak in 1900, was a revolutionary development in photography. Designed to be affordable and easy to use, it brought photography to the masses and helped popularize snapshot culture.
Key Points in Brownie History:
- 1900: The original Kodak Brownie was released for just $1, with film costing 15 cents per roll. It featured a simple cardboard box design with a fixed-focus lens and a single shutter speed.
- Early Success: The Brownie was heavily marketed to children and amateur photographers, making it one of the first truly accessible cameras.
- Evolution: Over the years, the Brownie evolved with different models, materials (from cardboard to metal and plastic), and features like built-in flash units.
- Cultural Impact: The Brownie was instrumental in capturing everyday life, historical events, and even wartime photography. It remained popular for much of the 20th century.
- End of an Era: Though production slowed in the late 20th century, the Brownie’s legacy continues as one of the most influential consumer cameras ever made.
ChatGPT: Advanced Voice
There are now nine Voice options in the ChatGPT app. Each one has a different tone, style and… “personality.” (I went with Sol) It also has something called “speech-to-speech capabilities.” This means that it can pick up on tone changes, “allowing for a more natural, human-like conversation and faster interrupting.”
I’m not sure about “Advanced Voice.” If you want it to sound more like yourself then you can ask it to adopt a specific accent. It won’t be able to directly mimic your voice but it can sound like it’s from your neck of the woods. I don’t think so. If I want to hear the lilting sounds of Southeast Missouri, I’ll talk to Barb.
How deep is the ocean?
We called them “pay phones”
There was a time (before mobile phones) when I knew the location of every Casey’s and Hardee’s pay phone in Iowa. They were the only way to stay in touch with the office. Check for messages, etc. Here’s how I remember making calls from the road:
- enter 10-digit Sprint Card number
- enter 10-digit number of the person being called
- enter my personal Sprint number (10 digits?)
And while I couldn’t recite those Sprint numbers, I could punch in the numbers without thinking.