Posts

Posted on

What is an AI Writer?

An AI writer is a type of artificial intelligence (AI) technology that can generate written content. AI writers are powered by natural language processing (NLP) and natural language generation (NLG) algorithms that enable them to understand and generate written content. AI writers can be used to create content for a variety of applications, including content creation, automated news reports, and automated social media posts.

Natural Language Generation (NLG): NLG is a type of AI technology that enables machines to generate written content from structured data. NLG algorithms are used to analyze data and generate written content that is both accurate and engaging.

Natural Language Processing (NLP): NLP is a type of AI technology that enables machines to understand written content. NLP algorithms are used to analyze written content and extract meaning from it.

AI writers learn by analyzing large amounts of data. They use machine learning algorithms to identify patterns in the data and generate written content that is both accurate and engaging.

AI writers use machine learning algorithms to generate written content. Machine learning algorithms enable AI writers to identify patterns in data and generate written content that is both accurate and engaging.

AI writers can be used to create content for a variety of applications, including website content, blog posts, and articles. AI writers can generate content that is both accurate and engaging, making them a valuable tool for content creators.

AI writers can analyze data and generate written content that is both accurate and engaging, making them a valuable tool for news organizations.

AI writers can be used to generate automated social media posts. AI writers can analyze data and generate written content that is both accurate and engaging, making them a valuable tool for social media marketers.

AI writers can be prone to bias if they are not trained properly. AI writers can learn from the data they are given, so it is important to ensure that the data is unbiased and representative of the population.

AI writers are limited by the data they are given. AI writers can only generate content that is based on the data they are given, so it is important to ensure that the data is accurate and representative of the population.

AI writers are a powerful tool for content creation, automated news reports, and automated social media posts. However, there are some challenges with AI writers, including bias and limitations. It is important to ensure that AI writers are trained properly and given accurate data in order to ensure that the content they generate is both accurate and engaging. Despite these challenges, AI writers have the potential to revolutionize the way we create content and communicate with each other.

This blog post was created by HyperwriterAI.

Posted on

An intelligent approach to eggs

I’m not a fan of eggs in the morning so the rising prices will not effect my breakfast. But I am a fan of cookies, cakes, casseroles and breads that do use eggs. The rising cost of eggs will affect baking and many food items that use eggs. Many Americans are not aware that there are ingredients that can be substituted for eggs and the cost of the items they’re making will be reduced and maybe they’ll have lower cholesterol as well. Eggs are a wonderful ingredient but maybe there are other ingredients that are even better. I asked ChatGPT to supply a list of egg substitutes that can be used in baking and cooking. Here are five possible solutions to your baking woes:

  1. Applesauce: This can be used as a substitute for eggs in many recipes, and can be used in a 1:1 ratio (i.e., 1/4 cup applesauce can be used in place of 1 egg).
  2. Banana: Mashed bananas can also be used as a substitute for eggs in many recipes, and can be used in a 1:1 ratio.
  3. Flaxseed meal: Mixing 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal with 3 tablespoons of water can be used as a substitute for one egg in many recipes.
  4. Commercial egg replacer: There are many commercial egg replacer products on the market that can be used as a substitute for eggs in cooking and baking. These products are typically made from a combination of starches and other ingredients, and can be used in a 1:1 ratio.

It’s important to note that not all substitutes work well in all recipes, so it’s best to experiment and see which ones work best for the specific dish you’re making.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I’ve been experimenting with artificial intelligence solutions to improve my own writing and research. I used ChatGPT and HyperWrite in this blog post.

Posted on

Using ChatGPT

Earlier today I decided to begin using ChatGPT. Curiosity got the best of me. I asked ChatGPT to draw a square with Python. I’m very familiar with the ‘turtle’ module in Python and regularly use it in classes I teach for middle school students. The solution offered by ChatGPT was not one I had ever seen nor demonstrated for students. I was impressed and shared this on Fosstodon.org . Later I asked ChatGPT to draw and ‘isosceles’ triangle. I expected that it might use the ‘turtle’ module again but instead this time it used ‘matplotlib.’ Another unique solution. A response to my post on Fosstodon stated that the AI powered solution was merely repeating information that could be found with a ‘Google search.’ I liked the response and didn’t disagree. Fast forward six hours and I used ChatGPT to draw a circle with ‘C++.’ The code appeared once again. This time AI provided two possible solutions. I asked it to give me a Python program that would write haiku. Once again the answer was a code snippet I would not have thought of. 

import random

haiku = [
    "Autumn leaves fall gently",
    "As the cool breeze blows softly",
    "Nature's symphony"
]

print(random.choice(haiku))

I ‘Googled’ the same request and yes the answers were there but I had to sift through a couple of blog posts to find the code examples. I think AI is going to significantly change how we interact with knowledge from the internet and other databases that are connected to these learning engines. What are your thoughts?

Posted on

Walking along the Allegheny

I like to walk every day. I’m fortunate today to be walking on one of my favorite trails along the Allegheny River near the campus of St. Bonaventure University. Ten days ago it appeared as though we’d have an early onset to our winter here in southwestern New York State. Now we’re having a respite from the snow and cold and I can easily stroll along with it fear of slipping or losing my balance on ice or snow. I love coming here and sitting next to the river. There’s a lot more water in the river today than the last time I was here three weeks ago.

I’m drawn to peaceful spots like this. It’s a tonic for my soul.

Posted on

NYSCATE Ten Years Later

I’ve been following the NYSCATE Conference on Twitter using their conference hashtag #NYSCATE22. This has become an annual event for me to attend via the Twitterverse. I last attended NYSCATE as a presenter in 2012 when I talked about how we had published a book in our digital citizenship class using Moodle and Lulu. The idea for that activity came from a presentation I had seen the year before by Adam Bellow at NYSCATE 2011. I reported on that conference for Opensource.com

Sometimes it doesn’t seem like ten years and at others it seems like an eon ago. I didn’t realize it then but that 2012 conference would be my last. I retired from public education the following year.

Attending via Twitter is an incomplete experience but from it I’ve learned that some of the buzz this year is around augmented reality and virtual reality. I’ve seen many examples of interactive whiteboards. This morning there was a talk about cyber-security by FBIjohn. I’m sure that would have been very interesting and certainly timely too. One of the presentations that got my attention was connecting classrooms globally with digital pen pals. That resonated because we did that once in the 1990’s when Franklinville Elementary connected with the Dalkey School in Dublin, Ireland. Another session that got my eye was “Promoting an inclusive and accessible learning environment.” Accessibility has become more important for me as a person with whose hearing and sight aren’t what they used to be. Here is a presentation that I would like to have seen in person but learned about on Twitter and it involved some of my favorite topics: STEM, veterans and computer science.

I recognize the names of some of this year’s presenters too. Some were colleagues at one time. Last year our family attended MakerFaire Rochester which is part of the conference too. An active life precluded attendance this year but I got an update from a new follower on Mastodon in addition to following the event on Twitter.

Thank you for the learning NYSCATE!

Posted on

Giving with intention

The holidays are upon us for another year and with that comes the need for many folks to purchase and ship gifts to friends and family around the region or world. In previous years I’ve sent Amazon gift cards, money or sometimes gifts that I thought had meaning at least for me to the person(s) on my gift list. Some on my list have food allergies. Giving a fruit cake or even cookies to a person who’s gluten sensitive or has some other allergy is not a good idea. Earlier this fall I received a gift from a person who had made a donation in our names to a historical foundation. That invited me to begin to explore what other possibilities there were and in the process I found two new B-Corporations who have great gifts that demonstrate care for the recipient but at the same time are good for the planet.

Who Gives A Crap is one corporation that caught my eye. They sell toilet paper, paper towels and more. Some of their items are made from bamboo and others are made from recycled paper. They learned that 2.4 billion folks didn’t have access to a toilet in 2012. That number has decreased in part due to their efforts. They delivered their first product in 2013 and they have been going strong ever since. They donate 50% of their profits to build toilets and improve sanitation in the developing world.

Another eye catcher is Lula’s Garden. Their specialty is selling small succulent gardens. The business was born out of a love of succulents and a belief that a gift should serve a higher purpose. That grabbed my attention because that is exactly what I wanted to do this year. Gift giving ought to be something that impacts the recipients wellness throughout the year. They believe that better gift giving encourages better living. There will at least a couple of folks on my list who will get a succulent garden this year. Each garden sold provides six months of safe drinking water for someone in the developing world.

One of my favorite B-corps is Greyston Bakery. They make brownies for Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream. Besides making the best brownies I have ever eaten they create job opportunities for folks who are traditionally discriminated against in the labor market. I’ve sent many brownies to friends and relatives in the years since I first learned of Greyston.

Finally, for the folks on my gift list who can eat, bread, peanut butter, biscotti and more I recommend Monks Bread which I eat nearly every day for lunch. Trappist monks at Abbey of the Genesee have been making delicious bread since 1951. They’ve diversified their baked goods in recent years to include biscotti and cheese crisps. You can also purchase products from other Trappist communities whose items they also sell in their online store.

Posted on

Happy Birthday Mary Patricia

My youngest sister was born 59 years ago today but Mary only lived a day and a half out of the womb. Her lungs never fully inflated. She was rushed to Children’s Hospital in nearby Buffalo New York but there was nothing that could be done for her. We lacked the know-how in those days to save little girls like Mary Patricia. Now we have lots of technology that make it possible for little girls like my sister to survive and have long lives. My mom was exposed to rubella while she was carrying Mary. I had come down with rubella that previous winter because in those days there were no vaccinations which prevented that virus. There was a time I felt responsible for my sister’s short life. That’s not the case anymore but her untimely death always reminded me of the importance of vaccinations and how they’ve saved our children and grandchildren from viruses that were once quite common. I remember standing in line at our small elementary school to receive the polio vaccine. Just a generation earlier adults and children were crippled for life because of polio. Thank God our generation was spared. Now, there is a vaccine to prevent rubella and little people like Mary get to thrive where once upon a time they didn’t.

I think about Mary Patricia from time to time when I drive by the cemetery where she is buried. My folks said that she looked like me when she was born. I remember sitting next to my Mom on the couch and feeling Mary kick my mother from the inside. Her death traumatized our family. My sister remembers putting away the baby clothes that were meant for her. My father never really recovered from her death. He died ten years later. They rest side by side in the same plot at St. Peter and Paul cemetery in Arcade New York. Maybe someday we’ll meet in the afterlife if there is one. Happy Birthday Mary Patricia from your big brother!

Posted on

The Fediverse is rich

I am really enjoying the Fediverse and what it has to offer. That doesn’t just apply to the instance that happen to belong to either. There are so many rich conversations from all over. I am interested in open source in the broadest sense of that word which includes Linux of course which is my daily driver. I am also interested in open education and open educational resources, Python, libraries, educational technology, open organizations, Creative Commons and more. I have found all of that here and the best part of this experience is that it is not driven by an algorithm. This morning I was thinking how grateful I am that I was literally driven here against my will. I haven’t left Twitter entirely but my focus has definitely shifted. If you are new to Mastodon as I am and you are looking for help I suggest you follow Fedi.Tips.

If you are new to the Fediverse I suggest you take a look at this help for beginners. Consider following the Fediverse group which is a community dediated to Fediverse news and discussion.

Posted on

Welcome to the Fediverse

Three years ago when I first signed up for a Fosstodon account I really had no comprehension of what a wonderful universe of learning I was getting involved with. Fast forward three years and the impending erosion or collapse of the birdsite and I’m reevaluating my use of social media. I had forgotten how great it was to be with folks who posted interesting content and were more interested and engaged with what I was sharing too. I’m still a neophyte in this federated blogging world but already I can appreciate the richness of what is offered.

I am only beginning to appreciate what it means to be federated and to enjoy what the fediverse has to offer. I spent much of a good deal of my work years in public education and while I was there I worked as a school district technology leader and a classroom teacher who specialized in keyboarding, coding, staff development and digital citizenship. In addition to that I worked as a system administrator for Windows, LInux and LInux servers some of which existed as virtual machines. That unique mix of teacher and technology administrator left me with a broad skill set that I still enjoy today.

The district that I worked didn’t always have robust funding and that sent me looking for innovative solutions for teachers and students. Discussion outside of the classroom and insights from friends led me to consider Linux and open source as viable alternatives for education. I have found in the past almost twenty-five years that open source can provide answers and opportunities not found in proprietary solutions. WordPress is one of those open source gifts. When our school was struggling to afford software for our students and staff that provided a common platform for discussion I saw WordPress as that medium and I continue to believe that WordPress could easily be used in many PK12 classroom and could easily be used in most educational settings to provide an inexpensive and flexible program for home and school interaction.

I see some of those same possibilities with Mastodon and the federated blogging that it supports. At this point Mastodon has not seemed to make as many inroads into PK12 as it has into higher education. I hope that can change. I am recommending it to all of my personal learning network who are still mostly stuck at the birdsite. How can we get the word out to those folks in a way that doesn’t disparage what they are currently using. I think it’s possible to use Twitter and Mastodon. I don’t see it as an either/or but a both/and universe.

Posted on

The Little Three

Tonight I’ll be joining our family in Buffalo, New York for the St. Bonaventure University vs Canisius College basketball game. This will be the second or maybe third time I have gone to a game at the Koessler Athletic Center where the Golden Griffins play their basketball games. It will be the first time I have attended with our entire family. Forty-one years ago I asked this lovely young woman to attend a St. Bonaventure vs Duquesne game and little did I realize where that date would lead. After a courtship of about eighteen months we were married and eventually had two children who accompanied us to Bonaventure games. Now the children are grown, married and have families of their own. Tonight we will be joined at the game by our daughter, her husband (Canisius graduate) and our grandson Edison. Our son Devin and grandson Myles will be there too. We’ll also be with our two newest grandchildren who are currently in utero. We don’t know if there are two boys, two girls or a boy and a girl but they’re going to be introduced to a “Little Three” rivalry which spans many years. We’re a basketball loving family and grateful to be together tonight.