An AI-generated image of a robot making a shoe in a factory
Generative AI and the future economy

Generative AI and the future economy

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People are, rightly, concerned about how generative AI might affect their jobs, careers, and incomes in the future. Progress has never been successfully stymied in the interests of protecting people’s now-outdated jobs. We don’t send people down into mines with pick-axes, and we don’t hand weave the clothes that most of us own. We, as society, have to ask hard questions about what the meaning of life is, and whether economies are the right tool to keep people busy when…

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The cost of going to court

The cost of going to court

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I have long believed that going to court should not be a thing that costs money. Justice, should we need to avail ourselves of it, should be a public service, like police, education, or healthcare. I first started thinking about the cost of going to court when a business owner I knew abandoned money that was owed to them because they knew that, should they pursue it, they would need to pay the court, the court again when payment was…

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HomeKit, Alexa, and Google Home – futurology

HomeKit, Alexa, and Google Home – futurology

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On the heels of a devastating election, where not only did the electoral college elect Donald Trump, but he also earned the popular vote, I am inclined to write about anything else! And as I sit here, sipping my coffee before work, I am thinking about my smart home. From May 2010 until October 2022, I was an Android user, exclusively. During that time I owned phones from HTC, Samsung, Google Nexus, Motorola, OnePlus, and Google Pixel (I made a…

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Endorsement of Joyce Craig for Governor, 2024

Endorsement of Joyce Craig for Governor, 2024

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Despite my last post, Joyce Craig is now the best candidate for Governor of New Hampshire. Joyce Craig understands the priorities of New Hampshire-ites, including the ones around limiting access to healthcare, the housing crisis, cannabis, and public transit. Kelly Ayote, the Republican candidate, would retain the current law that restricts doctors from providing medically necessary treatment for pregnant women, believes in an imaginary crisis at the northern border with Canada, and wishes to plunge public services, including Medicare, Medicaid,…

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Endorsement of Cinde Warmington for Governor, 2024

Endorsement of Cinde Warmington for Governor, 2024

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Edit September 11th, 2024: The Primary is over. See my endorsement of Joyce Craig. On Tuesday September 10th 2024, New Hampshire goes to the polls for the primary elections. In the governor race for the Republicans are two extremists who would harm individual freedoms for women, LGBTQ+ people, children in need of education (so, all of them), and other minorities not yet identified by them. Both support the former president who has admitted to abusing very young women, has been…

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Pump up the heat, man

Pump up the heat, man

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This is an oversimplified explanation of how heat pumps work. First, what is a heat pump? A heat pump literally pumps heat from one place to another. You may open your fridge and witness that it’s colder inside than out, but in terms of physics, it’s actually lacking heat. The way that happens, is that the heat inside is pumped outside. When your older fridge hums or makes a motor noise, that’s the motor in the compressor making your room…

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How to play GamePass on your iPhone

How to play GamePass on your iPhone

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Apple’s iPhones are more than powerful enough to play Xbox GamePass with ease, not least because all that’s really required is a good internet connection. What many people don’t know, is that Xbox, Switch, old Stadia, and PlayStation controllers all work on iPhone. You can connect them with a USB-C cable, or a USB-C to lightning cable (if your phone is older than the iPhone 15), or you can link them using bluetooth. The following bullet points show you how…

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Why Intel and AMD won’t stand the test of time

Why Intel and AMD won’t stand the test of time

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Microsoft recently announced its Copilot+ PCs and, at the same time, announced new ARM-based Surface computers. Intel and AMD were pointedly part of the presentation, but the talk about ARM processors, the battery-life improvements, comparisons with Apple’s M processors, and, importantly, the capability to run Intel-based applications (also known as x86) in a competent emulator leave a massive unanswered question hanging. If Microsoft can achieve this transfer from Intel-based processors to ARM based processors, what market is left for Intel?…

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Contactless payments – travelling in Europe

Contactless payments – travelling in Europe

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When travelling in Europe one is able to use public transportation for most journeys. This means that a hire car is unnecessary, and that the environment is a little bit more protected. We started our most-recent adventures in Brighton & Hove, England, using buses and trains, then went to Brussels, Belgium, using trains and trams. Now we’re in Essen, Germany. The first two make it very easy. Touch your contactless debit or credit card on the reader on the way…

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Playing video games on Mac is heart wrenching

Playing video games on Mac is heart wrenching

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I’ve written before about how I recently became an Apple devotee. I was previously an Android-and-Windows all the way kind of person. In my pension, I own shares in Microsoft because I believe their system is ‘better’ in some intangible way – selling software and letting others innovate in the hardware space. Apple is a different proposition, and one that should attract games and gamers, if the iPhone and consoles were a guide. Games are missing, leading me to wonder where…

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