Host Moving

I’ve already writtten a bit about my experience moving to Bluehost, but I’m still feeling the impact of that. I have learned more about WordPress security and capabilities ( a good thing), while also feeling the angst of whether everything is “right” or not. That’s taken away from posting.

I also posted recently that I’m retiring from Cape Elizabeth School Department. So there’s lots of work to do to tidy things up before June 30th. Plus, there’s planning on what I’m really going to do. I’m not sure exactly what I want to do yet, but I’ll be doing something. There are a couple of volunteer situations to check out. I’m going to reach out to a local school to see if I can become their sports photographer (they don’t appear to have one). Plus, I’ll probably sub in a couple of schools.

Home Work

I’ve installed a whole house water filter in the basement. This is actually the second one that I’ve installed. The first one doesn’t filter for lead. Thus, back to the drawing board and one that does. The new one also filters for PFA’s as well. Now that I have experience working with PEX piping and Sharkbite connectors, things went pretty smoothly.

AI use

The more that I’m using and trying out AI, the less impressed I am. I’ve been using Google Gemini to set up a Moodle instance and a Gravity Forms workflow. Although Gemini did well with formulas for spreadsheets, it’s lacking in Moodle and Gravity Forms. It frequently tells to make selections of things that don’t exist, or that things can be done that just can’t.

Speaking of AI, I found AI SLOP is like Cocomelon for Boomers and Gen X? Oh, no, it’s way worse really good.

Reward

I did have a chance to enjoy a bottle of one my “treat beers”. I rarely have these, but I like to take some time and enjoy a really good bottle. This was a bottle by Goose Island Brewing:

2024 Bourbon County Brand Original Stout
After crafting the very first bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout, we’ve learned that to have the best beer, you start with the best possible ingredients. Barrels are such an important ingredient and we continue to use only the best our friends on the bourbon trail have to offer. 2024 Bourbon County Brand Original Stout is aged in a mix of freshly emptied bourbon barrels from Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill, Four Roses and Wild Turkey distilleries. Barrel-aged for an average of 12 months, Bourbon County Original Stout boasts deeply developed flavors of fudge, vanilla and caramelized sugar with a rich, decadent mouthfeel.

STYLE
Imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels

TASTING NOTES
Vanilla, cherry, cocoa, toasted almond & caramelized sugar
ABV
14.7%

Podcast

The podcast this week was a good one. Shawn is always up for a good discussion.

Other Stuff (Links I found)

  • Holding kids back in 3rd grade can raise test scores — but a new study shows a long-run cost – …a new study offers a warning about the downside risks of retention. Third graders who had to repeat a grade in Texas were far less likely to graduate from high school or earn a good living as young adults, nearly two decades later. The harmful effects were quite large and came despite initial improvements in test scores.
  • AI autocomplete doesn’t just change how you write. It changes how you think – …the people in the study didn’t tend to think the AI autocomplete suggestions were biased or to notice that they had changed their own thinking on an issue in the course of the study. Warning the participants that they might be exposed to misinformation by the AI didn’t temper the persuasive effect either.
  • AI Isn’t Coming for Everyone’s Job – About 130 years ago, the job of pianist was automated when Edwin Votey created the first player piano. The machine worked by reading music that was encoded by holes punched into rolls of paper, which in turn directed airflows to levers that depressed piano keys. The human’s task was relegated to pumping a foot pedal to create the pneumatic pressure that drove the automaton. Things got worse for the human pianist from there.
  • Something Big Is Happening – I know the next two to five years are going to be disorienting in ways most people aren’t prepared for. This is already happening in my world. It’s coming to yours.