What a hoot!

A Gemini AI video construction based on an old photo of Chris in Antarctica. 

Life Trove slideshow and deep dive discussion

I love Notebook LM from Google. It is AI at its best. I gave it the link to Life Trove and here is what it had to say. Wonderfully insightful!

Slide Show

Deep dive discussion

Deep dive discussion: An older version from several months back

My first song: A song I created for mum with help from Suno

I've always wanted to be able to create special songs for people I love. Now it's possible. I'm so excited about it.

     

Thank You, Mum

Verse 1

Thank you for the gift of life,

For saying I was the cutest child alive.

For midnight cries and sleepless nights,

And for flying through my endless whines.

You gave me Jo, the best of friends,

A sister whose love will never end.

For crayon walls and sticky hands,

You still believed I’d do great things someday.

Chorus

Thank you, Mum — for everything and more,

For love that built the man I’ve become.

For the laughter, the care, the open door,

You’re my heart, my home — my mum.

Oh, thank you, Mum — for all you’ve done,

For the light you are, my only one.

Verse 2

For the ice creams, camping nights, and sea,

For every photo, memory, and melody.

For every toy, from Lego dreams

To roller skates and old machines.

For Sunday mornings under the sheets,

Your warmth was home, your smile complete.

For gentle words when I lost my way,

You helped me find my brighter day.

Bridge

For poems, pets, and birthdays bright,

For feeding hearts and appetites.

For roast beef, trifle, chocolate cold,

For teaching joy that never grows old.

For typing essays late at night,

And saying, “You’ll be fine, all right.”

For courage when Dad had gone away,

You held the sky and faced each day.

Verse 3

For Christmas smells and Easter treats,

For gentle talks and steady beats.

For all your love through highs and lows,

For giving space so I could grow.

For photos, calls, and midnight chats,

And every laugh we’ve shared like that.

For being you — so true, so kind,

The best mum any soul could find.

Final Chorus

Thank you, Mum — for everything and more,

For love that built the man I’ve become.

For the laughter, the care, the open door,

You’re my heart, my home — my mum.

Oh, thank you, Mum — for all you’ve done,

For the light you are, my only one.

Tag

Thank you for being exactly you,

I love you — always, and a day too.

Suno

There’s something quietly magical about using Suno—like being handed a doorway into a lifelong dream. I’ve always wanted to create songs, but never had the musical training or tools to do it. Now, with just a few words, melodies begin to form, voices emerge, and fully realised songs take shape out of thin air.

A book Google Book Maker created of our day walk in Royal National Park

 

Chat GPT and the explosion of AI

Utterly ground breaking.  Ever since Gavin alerted me to this, I've been utterly hooked. It's become my 2nd brain to which my real brain plays second fiddle!  It's power to generate new ideas as part of the creative process is phenomenal. So useful for my writing. 90% of the time I now use ChatGPT to find out information rather than Google. Prompting, not searching, has become the new art.

Using Google maps on iPhone to navigate

 I traded my dedicated Garmin GPS "suction cup of doom"—which loved to kamikaze onto the floor mats mid-turn—for the sleek reliability of Google Maps. Gone is the Garmin barking "recalculating" from the footwell; now, my iPhone is the ultimate co-pilot. The real magic happens when I step out of the car. There is a primal, geeky joy in watching that blue dot pulse on the screen, confirming I am the center of the universe. Whether I'm hiking or just finding a cafe, I’m no longer a lost explorer—I’m just a guy following my digital North Star, blissfully free of falling hardware.