I have been a long time fan of Alton Brown from Good Eats. I was excited to see this book at the bookstore a few months ago. I mentioned it to my wife, but had held fast to wait for it to come out in paperback. My birthday however turned this into a gift - and I am glad it did. This collection of essays was entertaining and a delicious read.

I was enamored by Google and some of the technological excellence they provided for consumers. The Chromecast was genius. Google smart home devices were solid in answering questions. The pulling together of their entire consumer offerings meant I wired up my entire home with a Google home device in every room.

In spite of all of the effort to make us think AI is going to be sliced bread, this book does an excellent job of showing how nuanced it is. AI is a model. Models are not real. That comes with consequences - or as I love to say, the map is not the territory.

Why it’s so hard to build a jet engine by Brian Potter

Are we in the age of hubris?

hubris 🔗

noun
/ˈhju·brɪs/

an extreme and unreasonable feeling of pride and confidence in yourself

This is a very spicy take on AI, but I have a hard time disagreeing.

I am not into Westerns, though I did just read True Grit which I reckon would imply I am. This is an epic and violent book which has won many awards. I don’t think I have ever been so drawn into such warm and vivid characters. By the third act, the book was all I could think about. I will miss reading this.

Continuing from Part 1…

Loading the OS 🔗

I was excited to get the Raspberry Pi hooked up to a monitor and keyboard. When I had started to connect it, I quickly realized I did not have a micro-USB adapter for my keyboard. I had to order one overnight, so while waiting, I downloaded the Raspberry Pi Imager (for Mac OS).

Why Blog If Nobody Reads It?

Let’s tell the truth, then: Nobody reads your blog.

Why this Project 🔗

One of my goals going into this year was to reignite my excitement for technology. This decade has brought about an existential crisis in how I feel about technology and our society. I do make my living in the technology space and the irony is not lost on me.