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Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts

Technology

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.  Arthur C. Clarke 


I love technology and feel extremely blessed to have lived through the digital revolution and to have experienced all the incredible technological devices that have been invented during my life time including the personal computer, Internet, smart phone and AI.  


Posts related to technology

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March 19, 2026

Memorable moments: The mile-high monologue

On a long-haul flight from Sydney to Cape Town, I settled in for some spiritual growth. I’d recently bought a book by an author I admire and was tucked into a middle seat, ready to dive deep into the text on my Kindle.

I hit the power button.

Immediately, a loud, authoritative, and terrifyingly clear robotic voice—not unlike the one used by David Hawkins—bellowed from the device:

"THE ENLIGHTENED SEX MANUAL—BY DAVID DEIDA—PAGE FOUR."

Somehow, the text-to-speech mode had been triggered. In the sudden silence of the cabin, it sounded less like a private reading and more like a public service announcement for the entire row.

I fumbled madly, my fingers turning into useless sausages as I clawed at the screen, desperate to kill the power before the "Enlightened" details of page five began broadcasting to my captive neighbors.

I went into that flight looking for spiritual transcendence; I left it wishing for physical disappearance.

March 19, 2026

Memorable moments: The pocket saboteur

I headed to the Apple Store with my MacBook Pro to solve a nagging technical glitch—the kind that makes you feel like an expert just for booking the appointment. I stood before the "Genius," ready to demonstrate the issue, only to hit a literal wall.

The trackpad was dead. The cursor wouldn't budge. I couldn't even log in.

The Genius was stymied. We tried every reset, every key command, and every diagnostic trick in the book. For twenty minutes, we stared at a frozen screen in a state of high-tech consternation. The mystery was absolute.

Then, my hand brushed against my trousers.

I felt a familiar, rounded bulge in my pocket. A memory flickered: “Oh yes, I brought my Bluetooth Apple Mouse.”

I reached in and pulled it out. Not only was it in my pocket, it was switched on. My thigh had been "clicking" and "scrolling" the entire time, effectively hijacking the computer and locking out the trackpad.

I looked at the mouse. I looked at the Genius. The "problem" was solved, but my dignity was officially beyond repair.

March 19, 2026

Memorable moments: Waverton to Cremorne via the scenic route from hell

There I was, gliding from Waverton toward Cremorne on a Lime e-bike like a silent, motorized god of the asphalt. I had a date with a cinema screen and the smug satisfaction of someone who wouldn't have to find parking. But then, I hit the invisible border of Mosman.

Suddenly, my high-tech steed didn’t just slow down; it went on strike. I glanced at my phone, expecting a low-battery warning, only to be greeted by a digital shrug: "E-bikes are prohibited in Mosman. Also, you cannot park here." The logic was staggering. I couldn’t ride it, but I couldn’t leave it. It had become a 25 kg paperweight that I was now legally obligated to escort. I spent the next kilometer performing a very sweaty, very loud "walk of shame" across the suburb, providing the local residents with a comprehensive masterclass in creative swearing. Why the GPS waited until I was deep in the "Forbidden Zone" to shut down is a mystery known only to God and cruel software engineers. By the time the motor finally hummed back to life, I’d missed the trailers, the opening scene, and any shred of my dignity.

November 29, 2025

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


October 24, 2025

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.




December 13, 2024

My first experience of riding an e-bike

There are an unusual number of e-bikes around Waverton at the moment. You activate and rent them with your phone. As an experiment, I cycled from my home to Woolworths, a 15 minute walk but a very fast cycle. It cost $5. I was amazed by the power of the motor, it makes going up hills an absolute breeze.

I won't be using these bikes much as I love to walk and why pay?  But a great experience, and nice to know I have this option if I am ever running late!





November 01, 2024

iPhone 16 Pro with 5x zoom

The camera now is effectively optically 0.5x to 5x zoom.  I love it. 




June 01, 2023

Airpods Pro 2nd generation

The sound on these is out of this world.  They are noise cancelling and a delight on plane flights or wanting to immerse myself in music. The catalyst to buying them was my long flight to Antarctica.





April 20, 2023

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.




November 20, 2022

iPhone 14 Pro

I took this phone with its 0.5x - 3x optical zoom and 48-megapixel main sensor with me to Antarctica and Nepal. 






June 19, 2022

Getting my first mirrorless camera: A Canon R5

I bought this amazing camera to take with me to The Arctic thanks to the generosity of a cash gift from Michael in tribute to Sue.  I was absolutely blown away by the camera, especially by it's incredible face recognition and eye tracking. It automatically focuses in on the eye of an animal or bird, allowing you to concentrate on the composure of the shot instead. It allowed me to get amazing photos of polar bears and birds in flight. It really is ground break technology that allows you to take wildlife photography to a new level.

I bought a series of lenses to go with the camera. My favourite is the 100 - 500 mm lens which is an incredible wildlife lens. It focuses really quickly and is wonderfully sharp.













June 18, 2022

Topaz Photo AI

This amazing software allows one to sharpen images, remove noise and increase the resolution of an image. It has proven invaluable, especially on my trips to Antarctica, The Arctic and Iceland to really make my images pop. 


March 22, 2022

Apple Airtags

I bought 4 Airtags which allow me to find things if I lose them. I put on in my wallet, keys, backpack and suitcase.

They have proved invaluable. They helped me find my wallet 3 times: In Argentina in the mountains, in The Falklands and when I dropped it when taking Pickleball photos for Chris.

They also put my mind at rest when flying because I put one in my luggage and know, before it appears, that the luggage has arrived ok.








February 18, 2022

Using Scrivener for writing a book

 I've discovered some wonderful software for writing my book "Life is a Movie" called Scrivener.


Benefits

  • Organized Writing: Combines drafting, research, and notes in one place.
  • Flexible Structure: Rearrange sections easily with drag-and-drop.
  • Outline view: See outline and book structure clearly.




January 21, 2022

Using Google Sheet and Google Docs

For some time now, I have been using Google Sheets and Google Docs instead of Microsoft Word and Excel.


There are a number of reasons:

  • Google Docs can be setup so there are no page breaks; just continuous scrolling. This makes so much sense if you are planning to read the doc online and not print it out.
  • Easier to share content with others and collaborate if required.
  • Easier to provide a link in Evernote than attach a file.
  • No need to remember to save; it automatically saves for you.
  • Past versions automatically archived.
  • Easier to embed onto Life Trove if I want to share the contents.

All in all, I much prefer it. I have migrated all my documents now to Google.



Google Sheet





Google Docs




November 20, 2021

iPhone 13 Pro with 3x lens

The iPhone 13 has a 3x lens which makes it possible to zoom in more on an object. It now provides an effective range of 0.5x - 3x making it a versatile camera. I took this phone with me to The Arctic. 





June 20, 2021

Macbook Pro 14 inch with M1 Max chip

Apple has started creating it's own chips and they are incredibly powerful in terms of speed and battery life.  This felt like the perfect opportunity to upgrade my laptop. With its 64gb of Ram, it's lightning fast. I'm so happy with it.  I gave my old Macbook Pro that I bought in 2015 to Chris. He was delighted.








November 21, 2019

Canon 90D

I upgraded to the 90D from my 70D. I retrospect I shouldn't have. I should have invested in a mirrorless camera. 





November 20, 2019

iPhone 11 Pro with a 0.5x wide angle lens

Having a 0.5x wide lens feels revolutionary for me.  It now has a 0.5x, 1x and 2x optical lens.  It greatly increases the versatility of the camera. 





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