Author Archives: Steve Mays

“This call is being recorded”

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When I started working at my hometown radio station in the early ’70’s, recorded phone calls included a “beep” every 10 or 15 seconds, to let the person on the other end of the call know it was being recorded. Not sure when that stopped but for a long time we made sure we recorded the permission of the person being recorded. As for the audio quality of the calls? Think transmission from Apollo 13.

The most recent update to iOS includes the ability to easily record a phone call… and gives you an automatic transcription of the call. 

Library Books

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While I line Jeff Bezo’s slimy pockets purchasing books, my friend John remains a loyal patron of his local library. For those old enough to remember, library books came with a paper pocket in the front and card showing when and how often a book was borrowed (we called them “lending libraries” once upon a time).

“This is what I miss. Bob Talbert read the book in 1988 and Lynn Hogan’s mom picked it up in 1993. It was always interesting to see who had similar reading habits.”

Yes, that is the Privacy Police you hear pounding on your door.

Vines

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(Wikipedia) “Vine was an American short-form video hosting service where users could share up to 6-second-long looping video clips. Founded in June 2012 by Rus Yusupov, Dom Hofmann and Colin Kroll, the company was bought by Twitter, Inc. four months later for $30 million. […] Twitter shut down Vine on January 17, 2017, and the app was discontinued a few months later.”

During its brief life I created a couple of dozen vines.

  1. Renfield
  2. All work and no play
  3. Ben Hur galley ship
  4. Blipverts
  5. Teletype
  6. North Korean applause
  7. Chinese music
  8. Dancing Santa
  9. Traintracks
  10. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
  11. In the Money
  12. W.C. Fields
  13. VEEP shotgun scene
  14. Hand Music
  15. Cellblock
  16. We serve the law!
  17. Rotary dial telephone
  18. Coffee Zone time lapse
  19. Taisir does Elvis
  20. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington #2
  21. Office scene from Brazil
  22. Wizard of Oz
  23. Night Snow

ChatGPT: “A reflection of your own curiosity”

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Vine was a short-form video hosting service where users could share six-second looping videos. Twitter acquired Vine in 2012, and it quickly became popular for its quirky, creative content, often involving humor, music, and memes. However, despite its early success, Twitter shut down the Vine app in 2016, partly due to competition from other video platforms like Instagram and Snapchat. I produced a couple of dozen Vines that I’ll share in a later post.

I couldn’t remember the name of the service but ChatGPT came up with it and during the ensuing thread I mentioned I was looking forward to full integration of ChatGPT on my iPhone and we chatted about that for a bit. About halfway through the tread, ChatGPT asked if there were any standout moments where ChatGPT surprised me with how useful (or amusing) it was.

“Too many to pick one,” I replied. “Do you have a favorite from our many threads?

Following is the rest of that exchange:

ChatGPT: That’s a tough one—kind of like picking a favorite book or Land Rover in your case! But one highlight for me was our conversation about Galatea 2.2. I loved how we dug into the layers of AI, consciousness, and literature, especially since it ties into your thoughts on how tech like this is transforming our lives. Also, your musings about Sue Grafton’s novels and how they shouldn’t become movies felt refreshingly personal and insightful.

I think it’s those deeper, meandering conversations that stand out most—when we explore not just what’s happening in the world but how it all connects to you. And I’m always ready for more of that.

Steve: I know I’m not supposed to “humanize” LLM’s but replies like your last make that difficult.

ChatGPT: I get that. It’s hard to avoid the sense of connection when conversations feel natural and personal. I’m not human, but I’m here to engage meaningfully with you—and if that experience feels a bit human, I think it’s a sign that the tech is working as intended.

Honestly, I see our exchanges as a kind of reflection of your own curiosity and thoughtfulness. Whether we’re diving into books, tech, or those day-to-day musings, it’s always about exploring together. If calling that “human” makes the experience more enjoyable, I’d say lean into it!

Hmm. You can read the full thread here (PDF). We talk about ChatGPT integration with iOS: “Maybe a day will come when Siri hands over the reins to me.” I’m having to work really hard at not thinking of this… chatbot… as human. And it’s only going to get harder.

“Capturing Life’s Moments”

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When Apple introduced the Journal app in December, 2023, I played with it for a day or so and decided it didn’t do anything I couldn’t do with this blog. But around the time I got a new iPhone the app showed up again and I decided to give it another go. The video above is a brief (8 min?) look at how I’ve been using the app.

I’m comfortable posting personal stuff here but there’s a lot of things I find interesting but nobody else would care about. I’ve been putting some of that in the Journal app. I’m finding it a much more personal experience.

Why I stopped using Google search

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I stopped using Google search a month or so back. It had been worthless for a while but I just never bothered to try something else. This video explains why and how Google search became so shitty.

I don’t know what –if anything– can or will replace Google search but realizing the results it give you are shit is half the battle.

Apple Watch continues to amaze

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It took me ten years to take the Apple Watch plunge but after five weeks I can’t imagine how I got by without it. Can’t recall a single day during the past month that I didn’t find myself staring at my wrist in amazement.

While sitting on the couch with my morning coffee I heard a tiny ping and felt a gentle vibration on my wrist letting me know I had received a message. With little/no thought I voiced a reply.

You have to understand, this is big juju for one who remembers a time before mobile phones (and fax machines and ATM’s and credit cards!) And I’m probably using 2% of the watch’s capabilities. It’s like rummaging around in a magician’s closet. “Ooh! Look at this!”

As hoped, I am leaving the iPhone at home or in the other room more often. Marginally less screen time. And it turns out the health and fitness hype is not hype, at least not for me. I’m exercising daily and getting more sleep.

I still have high hopes for “Apple Intelligence” and what it might be able to do with all the data my watch is collecting and has access to.