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Category Archives: Technology
A few thoughts on AI (and a bit of history)
While benign and belligerent robots and machines have existed since the dawn of science fiction, it was about ten years ago that I had some sort of epiphany and gradually began saving and/or bookmarking various online articles about artificial intelligence following recent worrisome developments in that field: chatbots were showing signs of coherent speech, Boston Dynamics’ robots had started doing backflips and parkour — but it was demonstrations of autonomous weapons systems that I took particular issue with. I wanted to keep the articles as “evidence” and “for future reference” — such as for essays like this one, and to backtrack how we got to where we are now. Continue reading
Posted in History, Internet, Technology
Tagged AI, apocalypse, art, artificial intelligence, augmentation, chatbots, ChatGPT, civilisation, current affairs, digitization, dystopia, enlightenment, ethics, evolution, extinction, growth hack, humanity, man-machine, progression, Skynet, virtuality
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September and the inner demons of detritus
My desktop machine had died overnight. Just like that. No warning. This was not the downtime I had in mind for my holiday. Whilst we took our three furry monsters to the beach, another demon waited for me at home. This was as good a time as any to upgrade my 8-year-old machine. Has it really been that long? Continue reading
Posted in Technology
Tagged age, CDR, data loss, DJ, failure, garbage, hardware, insanity, kaputt, longevity, personal demons, time, upgrade
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AI Photo Enhancement: Boon or Bust for Old Photos?
Digitizing old family photos is a great way to preserve family history and memories for future generations. But let’s face it: old photos can be faded, scratched, and just plain old-looking. That’s where AI-powered photo enhancement software comes in. But is it really the panacea it’s cracked up to be? Continue reading
Posted in Technology
Tagged AI, AI and photo authenticity, AI image editing, AI photo enhancement, authenticity in photo restoration, ChatGPT, digitization, digitizing old photos, images, photo enhancement ethics, photo enhancement software, photo restoration techniques, photography, photos, preservation, preserving old photos, restoring historical photos, Skynet
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Canis fidelis verum vox
After several years of collecting components and a similar number of weekends of woodwork later, last December I finally completed the Hi‑Fi rack I’ve been wanting since what feels like an eternity. Continue reading
Posted in Technology
Tagged audio, dream, gadgetry, hardware, music, obsessions, sound
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Of Duke Nukem and aborted laptop ideas
Another use for an old laptop was to turn a donated Thinkpad into a “play-station” dedicated to preserving and showcasing old DOS games. And so, finally, Duke Nukem 3D was completed, start to finish. Continue reading
Posted in Technology
Tagged DOS Games, gadgetry, hardware, laptop, nostalgia, software preservation, time, upcycling
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Windows Phone is dead
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the introduction of the iPhone. The first commercial Android device was released a year later; today Android has the largest installed base of any operating system. In 2010 Microsoft also heeded the call with the ill-fated Windows Phone 7 (based on Windows CE). “Too little, too late”, one might say, nor was there an upgrade path to 2014’s superior Windows 8/8.1 generation (now based on Windows NT). And they were pretty damn good. Continue reading
Posted in Technology
Tagged consumerism, gadgetry, hardware, mobile, obituary, smartphone
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A look back at 1988
There was no way I could’ve foreseen how the telecommunications industry would change the world as we know it. Yes, 1988 was the year I started working. I started earning a regular salary. I now had to pay taxes. My parents started charging rent. I bought a camera and snapped a few pictures from a platform that few were privileged to step onto. Continue reading
Miniaturisation and consumerism
The other day the DVB-T receiver packed up. After I took a drive to my favourite electronics store to pick up a replacement unit I noticed how small the box it comes in was. But it wasn’t until I got home and started hooking up the new unit that the size difference really became apparent. Continue reading