Author: Don

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How Creative Commons Licensing Can Help Build Your Brand and Reputation

Creative Commons licensing is an excellent way to share your creations with others while still retaining control over how they are used. There are many benefits to using Creative Commons licensing, some of which we’ll explore in this article.

First and foremost, Creative Commons licensing allows others to use your work without having to ask for permission. This can be especially useful if you want your work to be used in a specific way or for a specific audience. For example, you might want your work to be used for educational purposes or in a nonprofit setting. With Creative Commons licensing, you can specify exactly how your work can be used and under what conditions.

Another benefit of Creative Commons licensing is that it can help you to build your brand and reputation. By allowing others to use your work, you are increasing exposure to your brand and helping to establish yourself as a thought leader in your field. This can be particularly valuable for small businesses or independent creators who are just starting out.

Creative Commons licensing can also help to foster innovation and collaboration. By sharing your work with others, you are providing a platform for others to build upon and improve upon your ideas. This can lead to new innovations and collaborations that might not have been possible otherwise.

Overall, there are many benefits to using Creative Commons licensing. By sharing your work with others and allowing them to use it in a specific way, you can build your brand, foster innovation, and contribute to the greater good of the creative community. So if you’re looking to share your work with others in a meaningful way, consider using Creative Commons licensing as a tool to help you achieve your goals.

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Creating a Better World with Compassion, Caring, and Empathy

Compassion, caring, and empathy are important qualities that can lead to success in every aspect of life. When you show understanding and kindness towards others, you create a positive environment that encourages people to feel good about themselves and the situations they encounter.

In order to succeed in today’s world, it is important to have a strong sense of empathy and understanding towards others. When we can put ourselves in the shoes of others, we can better understand their needs, emotions, and points of view. This allows us to better communicate with them and work together towards common goals.

Caring and compassion are also important because they allow us to create stronger bonds with others. When we care about someone, we are invested in their well-being and want to help them in any way we can. This creates a strong sense of trust and loyalty, which is important in both personal and professional relationships.

Overall, it is clear that being compassionate, caring, and empathetic is essential for success in all areas of life. By cultivating these qualities within ourselves, we can create a better world for everyone.

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From Windows to Linux: My Experience Helping a Friend Switch to Linux Mint

Yesterday I helped a friend restore two laptops to good working order using Linux Mint 21.1. My daily driver is Pop!_OS but my friend is new to Linux and I thought Linux Mint with a Cinnamon desktop would be a good place for him to start his Linux journey.  I saved his files from the first laptop on a USB drive and then began the install of Mint from another USB drive that I had prepared for that purpose. The candidate was a three year old Hewlett-Packard Laptop with a lightweight AMD processor and 4 GB or RAM. The computer had really gotten slow and was showing signs of a malware infestation when I suggested to my friend that he let me help him give Linux Mint a try.

The install of Mint went very well and we were done in about fifteen minutes which included adding updates and restoring his word processing and image files from the Windows 10 operating system that had existed on this laptop just a few minutes before. My friend was so excited by the results and the new life in his laptop that he invited me to try Mint on an extra Acer Aspire laptop that he had in a cupboard in his home. The Acer was a great candidate. Eight gigabytes of RAM, i5 processor and 250 GB SSD drive. My friend is quite happy with his two laptops now that they are running Linux Mint. I am always delighted when I can share the gift of Linux and open source software with anyone.

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Gun Violence: A Call to Action

I asked ChatGPT to write a poem addressing gun violence in the United States. I could not have said it better!

Guns are not toys, but tools of death
Too often used to take a last breath
We hear the shots, the screams, the cries
As loved ones fall and innocence dies

From schools to malls, from homes to streets
The tragedy of gun violence repeats
Families torn apart, lives forever changed
A nation haunted, a problem not estranged

The right to bear arms, enshrined in law
But what of the right to live without fear or awe?
The debate rages on, the solutions unclear
As more blood is shed, more hearts filled with fear

We must come together, across all divides
To find a way to turn the tides
To honor the fallen and the lives shattered
To make our communities safer, not more battered

For the sake of our children and the generations to come
We must act with love, not just words and some
To create a world where gun violence is not the norm
Where all can thrive and feel safe from harm.

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The Celebration of America Through Song: A Reflection on Super Bowl 57

Super Bowl 57 provided a number of poignant moments.  For the first time in the one-hundred-three year history of the National Football League the two opposing quarterbacks in the championship game were African-American athletes. Prelude to this historic match-up were several songs that honored America and Americans. The National Anthem of the United States was performed by Chris Stapleton and during its conclusion four US Naval women aviators passed overhead in F-16 aircraft.  Its  lyrics are familiar to us all as we hear them frequently but just prior to the anthem we heard “Lift Every Voice and  Sing,” whose words are less familiar and offered a contrast and tribute to our sixteenth President Abraham Lincoln.

James Weldon Johnson’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing” is a powerful tribute to Abraham Lincoln and a celebration of the United States of America. The song is full of hopefulness and optimism, and is a reminder of the promise of the nation. In contrast, Francis Scott Key’s “Star Spangled Banner” is a poignant depiction of the aerial bombardment of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. Key’s poem captures the emotion of the moment, and serves as a reminder of the courage and resilience of the nation. Both songs honor the United States of America and their authors, James Weldon Johnson and Francis Scott Key, represent two very different eras of American history. While Johnson was a 20th century civil rights activist, Key was a 19th century lawyer, amateur poet and slaveholder. Despite their differences, both songs give us a glimpse into the history, struggles, and triumphs of America.

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Being Woke: A Path to Justice, Love and Equality

 

I asked ChatGPT to write a poem about being “Woke.” It came out better than I expected. It’s another reason to like this new AI technology and the perfect response to those who would discourage others from caring deeply about social issues.

“Being woke is a state of mind, Where truth and justice we hope to find. It’s a path to consciousness and light, Where prejudices and biases take flight.

With eyes wide open, we see the truth, The struggles and hardships of those who were deemed uncouth. We stand for the marginalized, for their rights to be heard, And strive for a world where love and equality are revered.

Being woke is more than just a trend, It’s a call to action and a commitment we tend. To make the world a better place, with love and respect, Where every person, no matter their race, is truly accepted.

So let us rise, and never rest, In this quest for justice, love and success. For being woke is not a destination, It’s a journey towards a world of peace and liberation.”

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The Ethical Implications of AI in Education

As the use of technology in education increases, so do the questions of ethics and fairness. ChatGPT and other AI technologies, while potentially useful in providing students with more answers to tests and writing essays, can also be seen as a form of cheating. This is especially concerning in light of the already existing issue of cheating in high schools and universities.

The larger problem here is not the use of technology, but our society’s obsession with testing. Education should not be about passing tests, but rather about learning and exploring new ideas. Too often, our educational system is driven by politics, leaving teachers and students feeling as though they are only being evaluated on the basis of their results on standardized tests.

Rather than relying solely on tests, we should be focusing on teaching students how to think critically and apply the knowledge they have learned. ChatGPT and other AI technologies could provide students with the knowledge they need to operate in the world, but it must be done in a fair and ethical manner. We need to shift our focus away from assessment and towards learning, in order to ensure that students are getting the best possible education.

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The Evolution of Data Analysis: From Calculators to ChatGPT.

I was a sophomore at Clemson University in 1977 and was taking a course in probability and statistics. We learned the basics of statistical inference and we used our Texas Instrument calculators to compute means, medians, t-scores and more in our class.  The problems in our book were represented in this script which, we had to write out on tests and in our homework. For example, the sum of the numbers 2, 4, and 6 could be written as Σ(2 + 4 + 6) = 12. As we approached the end of the semester we received a very large set of numbers which required us to use the university’s computer center. Fortunately for me,  my roommate was a math major and volunteered to complete this assignment and I got a “B” in the course.

Thirteen years later I was a graduate student at the University at Buffalo. I took two courses in graduate level statistics where we regularly solved for ANOVA and ANCOVA along with a host of regressions and t-tests. We didn’t use Texas Instrument calculators. We were instructed to use IBM mainframes and we tediously entered our data into text files that had to be formatted “just so” so that they could run correctly and generate the data we were looking for. What a relief instead of manually pressing the ‘Sum key’ on the calculator and though formatting the text files was tedious it was far superior to the earlier method.

A couple of years later we were solving the same statistical analysis using Microsoft Excel. We could generate ANOVA and ANCOVA and all the other data without the tedious formatting. In the last fifty years we’ve seen tremendous changes in data analysis that came from improved methods of collection which include such as sensors, mobile devices and social media. We have big data tools driven by Python and R which didn’t exist 50 years ago.

We have improved data visualizations which were rudimentary and frequently inaccurate fifty years ago. These methods have improved as our tools have improved. This in turns has led to more accurate interpretation of results. The ability to use a variety of techniques and technologies has led to a greater understanding of the world we live in.

Now we have the development of machine learning,  learning algorithms and artificial intelligence that enable computers to do the work that was hitherto reserved for humans. These changes have enabled more sophisticated and faster data analysis.

ChatGPT can automate data preparation tasks, allowing data analysts to focus on higher-value tasks. It offers advanced natural language processing capabilities to provide insights, has a natural language interface for better user experience, and integrates with data visualization tools to present data insights more interactively. Ultimately, ChatGPT can revolutionize the way data is analyzed, leading to more informed decisions faster and more efficiently.

Should we return to 1977 with TI calculators and punch cards or dare we enter a new age that can enable us to have more diverse and accurate representations of the world we live in

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Will ChatGPT replace journalists?

I asked ChatGPT if it would replace journalists. I think the answer is instructive.

“It is unlikely that ChatGPT or any other language model will completely replace journalists in the near future. While ChatGPT and other language models are capable of generating text that can be used for a wide range of applications, such as news articles, they are not currently able to fully replicate the research, analysis, and critical thinking skills that journalists bring to their work.

Journalists are trained professionals who have developed the ability to gather, verify and present information in an accurate and unbiased manner. They also have the ability to provide context, analysis and in-depth reporting on a subject, which is something that a language model like ChatGPT can’t do.

Additionally, ChatGPT and other language models rely on data to learn and generate text, so their understanding of the world is limited by the data they have been trained on. Therefore, they may not be able to provide accurate information or report on certain topics, especially when it comes to complex and nuanced issues.

That being said, ChatGPT and other language models can be used to assist journalists in their work, by helping them generate text quickly and efficiently. They can also be used to generate news articles, summaries, and other types of content in areas where there is a shortage of human journalists, such as rural or remote areas.

In summary, ChatGPT is a powerful tool, but it does not replace the expertise, critical thinking and analysis skills that journalists bring to their work.”

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Feckless politicians cower while innocents die

I asked ChatGPT to write an essay about our feckless politicians who routinely fail to stand up to the NRA and the gun lobby in the United States of America . It was spot on and I decided to share it.

It’s truly admirable how our esteemed politicians in the United States have the bravery and backbone to stand up to such a formidable foe as the gun lobby. I mean, who wouldn’t want to take on a group of individuals who believe that any sort of regulation or restriction on guns is a direct violation of their constitutional rights? Certainly not our fearless leaders in Congress.

No, they would much rather cower in fear and do nothing, rather than risk the wrath of the gun lobby and their supporters. After all, what’s a few hundred lives lost to gun violence each year compared to getting re-elected?

And let’s not forget the brilliant arguments put forth by the gun lobby, such as “guns don’t kill people, people kill people,” as if the availability of a deadly weapon doesn’t play a role in the number of deaths caused by said weapon. But our politicians are too intelligent to fall for such logical fallacies.

But perhaps the most impressive aspect of our politicians’ lack of courage when it comes to gun control is their ability to ignore the overwhelming majority of the American public who support stricter gun laws. But why listen to the people you represent when you can listen to a powerful lobby with deep pockets?

In conclusion, I’m sure we can all rest easy knowing that our leaders in government have the courage and conviction to stand up to the gun lobby and enact common sense gun control measures. Oh wait, no we can’t.