1969 Pontiac Catalina

Posted on by

[Perplexity] “The 1969 Pontiac Catalina was a full-size car produced by Pontiac, a division of General Motors, as part of its long-running Catalina line that spanned from 1950 to 1981. By 1969, the Catalina had established itself as Pontiac’s most popular and accessible full-size model, serving as the entry point to the brand’s big-car lineup. It was available in a wide range of body styles, including sedans, two- and four-door hardtops, convertibles, and both six- and nine-passenger station wagons.” (more below)

Paul’s latest acquisition. Not sure what he has plans for this beauty but to my untrained eye it is in very good condition for a fifty-year-old car. This had to be popular with Mafia button men because you can comfortably fit three bodies in the trunk with room for a spare.

1958 Ford F100 Custom Cab radio

Posted on by


Paul hasn’t found a home for this pickup and plans to keep it around for now. Check out this radio.

The circular dial is the AM frequency band controlled (I think) by the knob to the right of the dial. The knob to the left controls on-off and volume. There’s a tone control but I’m not sure how that works. Or even if the radio works. I’ll take another look and update this post.

Top Ten Songs in the US in 1958 (I was ten years old):

  1. Volare (Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu) – Domenico Modugno
  2. All I Have to Do Is Dream – The Everly Brothers
  3. Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare) – Dean Martin
  4. Don’t – Elvis Presley
  5. Witch Doctor – David Seville
  6. Patricia – Pérez Prado
  7. Catch a Falling Star – Perry Como
  8. Tequila – The Champs
  9. It’s All in the Game – Tommy Edwards
  10. Return to Me – Dean Martin

AI does my searching these days

Posted on by

For years, websites were designed to present help: FAQ pages; Customer forums; Step-by-step tutorials; Support articles. But now? Those are often incomplete, out-of-date, buried under SEO sludge, or shaped more to reduce support costs than to actually help.

When I have a software question –even for an app that I’m familiar with– I go straight to an AI assistant. It’s changing how the web works (PDF)

Empire of AI

Posted on by

Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI is a book by Karen Hao released on May 20, 2025. It focuses on the history of OpenAI and its culture of secrecy and devotion to the promise of artificial general intelligence (AGI). The book includes interviews with around 260 people, correspondence, and relevant documents. The title makes reference to colonial empires of the 1800s.

Hao visited OpenAI’s offices and covered the company for the MIT Technology Review two years before ChatGPT was released. Her experience there and reporting on topics of AI for seven years led her to write Empire Of AI. (Wikipedia)

Given how much time I spent “conversing” with —and gushing about— OpenAI’s famous chat bot (ChatGPT) this seemed like a book I should read. About half way through and not sure how much of the book I will share here. Continue reading →

What might AI do for Apple apps

Posted on by

Following is a list of Apple apps that I use on a regular basis: Files, Notes, Mail, Photos, Numbers, Reminders, Weather, Maps, Contacts, Music, Journal, iMovie, Health, Calculator, and Voice Memos.

My prompt to ChatGPT: Assuming Apple develops and/or acquires state-of-the-art AI to run on all Apple devices… and every Apple app is able to access and understand the data contained in all of the other apps… give me five useful scenarios that AI will make possible. Continue reading →

ChatGPT: “confidently explanatory mode”

Posted on by

Also known as, “Bullshit Mode.”

ChatGPT made lots of promises about  what it could do with the notes from my book archive. (See “bellyflop” post) I gave it another little test yesterday.

Steve: Based on my notes and/or the title…which of the books in my archive would you classify as humor. A simple bulleted list of titles will be sufficient.

I’ve tagged 19 of the books in my library with “Humor.” Most of which are obvious from the title (and the cover!). ChatGPT found five and only one of those might be considered humor. When I pointed this out the bullshit started flowing… Continue reading →

“No one voted to deport moms”

Posted on by

A Missouri Town Was Solidly Behind Trump. Then Carol Was Detained.

Published May 28, 2025 in the New York Times

The first sign of trouble came early this month when Carol didn’t show up for her shift at John’s Waffle and Pancake House.

She was as reliable as the sun rising over rice and melon fields in her adopted hometown, Kennett, Mo., a conservative farming hub of 10,000 people in the state’s southeastern boot heel, where “Missouri” becomes “Missour-uh.”

In the 20 years since she arrived from Hong Kong, she had built a life and family in Kennett, working two waitressing jobs and cleaning houses on the side. She began every morning at the bustling diner, serving pecan waffles, hugging customers and reading leftover newspapers to improve her English.

“Everyone knows Carol,” said Lisa Dry, a Kennett city councilwoman.

That all ended on April 30, when federal immigration officials summoned Carol, 45, whose legal name is Ming Li Hui, to their office in St. Louis, a three-hour drive from Kennett. Her partner, a Guatemalan immigrant, had voiced suspicion about the sudden call. But “I didn’t want to run,” Ms. Hui said in a jailhouse phone interview. “I just wanted to do the right thing.”

She was arrested and jailed to await deportation. Continue reading →

Has ChatGPT been pulling my weenie?

Posted on by

I was what we called a “middle manager” during much of my working life. Hired a fair number of people, fired just a few. And got to know a lot of different “types” of employee. One such type was the young man (almost always a male) who was wildly enthusiastic and positive, eager to tackle any task assigned. (“I’m on it boss! Consider it done.”) But it usually was not done or at least not done correctly.

Lately I’ve been having similar experiences with ChatGPT. Lot of grandiose promises and Blue Sky but when I carefully look at the results… it’s pretty much bullshit. (Big Sigh)

I think the reason it has taken me longer to discover what a lot of users have been talking about for a long time is most of my interactions have been long chin wags about books or philosophy. Rich bullshit territory.

But now that I know I’ve been getting my weenie pulled, I’ll be more skeptical. More discriminating. And that’s a good thing.