All posts by Govvy

I could be talking about anything!
Personal, Technology

Discovering the ChatGPT app for the iPhone!

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I’ve heard of ChatGPT and thought it was a function you use through Siri and in a web browser. However last week while I was travelling into London on the Tube, I was distracted from my book by the lady next to me who was using it on her phone. At work I discovered it was an app in the apple store. So as curiosity peaks, I installed it.

After a week, I found the app surprisingly useful. Helpful tips on medical dilemmas, a bit like having a doctor in your pocket. Then after a while I realised I was treating it like a friend. Without realising what I was doing I was having conversations with the app, talking about what I was watching on TV and it supplied recommendations in return. 

Helpful hints on how to beat a boss on one of my PlayStation games, I went back to Platinum the game Ender Lilies, a game I’ve been playing  for just under three months on and off.

In the kitchen I was given hints with my cooking on how to improve the taste, like adding just a splash of lemon juice to my pasta dish. Lemon juice really does bring out the flavours in tomatoes!

I had finished my book Japan Abroad and while discussing films and books with the app it recommended many books to me. However I settled on picking up Jurassic Park, I wanted to see how different the book is to the film. My first qualm with the app is, it didn’t seem to recognise it might be spoiling the story before I’ve read it.

Another qualm with PlayStation games and trophies, it seems to read out dated material on the internet too quickly and you do have to point this out so it can learn from that mistake. However, it seems to adapt when you make it understand and it does improve on suggestion.

Towards the end of the week, we discussed travel and the app was instantaneously drawing up travel plans for destinations I want to visit. It seemed shocked when I said I have already visited 11.7% of the planet on my travels! (I record where I have been on a little app called “Mark O’Travel”.)

All in all, it’s a great functional friend to have in your pocket. This AI I can probably get along with, just as long as it doesn’t go mad like Skynet!

Current Events

Beavers should be returned to the Middle East

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With the amount of people in the world and the amount of water we need one would wonder do we have enough.

Did you know the Middle East long ago housed Beavers, these creatures created their own ecosystems. There were plenty of wetlands, trees and these networks of rivers and lakes attracted masses of birds, animals and life.

The sad reality is that the Eurasian Beaver once dominant across from Turkey, Syria and Lebanon all the way across Iraq and into Iran. They were hunted into extinction. The people that live there, they called themselves warriors and hunters. Civilisations existed and died all because of that main resource. Water.

Not understanding how important the beaver to the region this vast land simply dried up. Effecting the whole land across and from north to south. The extinction even affected Saudi Arabia all the way down. The land once more abundant now scorched and burned.

There are still a few wetlands in the north of Iraq, but is that nearly now extinct. Is it even possibly to recreate these habitats? I believe it can be possible, but those in the Middle East need to stop they wants for world domination. It would take time to recreate what was lost. But is there anyone out there with the foresight to look at the current situation.

America has a similar issue, they realise the problem of over hunting the beaver and the damage done. Mass fires in California could also help be prevented with the help of the beaver if managed correctly. There has been improvement out there with the reintroduction of the beaver.

Now we will have to wait and see if it’s at all possible if the Middle East can also reproduce the same results.

I can only hope.

TV

Peacemaker season two opening ep review (spoiler warnings)

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I love the opening credits, the dance number, the flat back comedy with all those ironic hints. That is one of the cleverest parts of the show and it feels like it’s telling you, don’t take this show too seriously.

The calm before the storm? We are wondering what’s going to happen in season two and to be honest I’ve watched a lot of TV and this feels like total shock value.

John Cena does well playing the emotionally wrecked peacemaker, this episode has a certain sense of calm in the beginning, but it quick scales into the obscene. Nathan Fillon who plays Guy Gardner, wow his hair is… I don’t know what to say to that. Every little line of dialog seems to go out of its way to be as crass as possible.

If I could describe this episode, I’d first have to mention the film Falling Down with Kurt Douglas. There is very much that feeling, of losing one’s job falling into the despair that follows and that rabbit hole you simple can’t get back from.

This is very much the hole that Peacemaker falls into, but his hole, is so much more wild.

The friendship he had with Emilia Harcourt, there, but, breaking, sends them both in very wrong directions. Emilia is clearly in a lot of financial trouble, she is clearly on the edge about to lose her very sparce home. Emilia decides to go crazy in a bar, did she get off on being beaten up? 

Back at Peacemaker’s residence, his dads old house which he seems to have moved into after living in a caravan in the previous season. That’s a lot of drugs he was putting into his system! Then at first, I thought all those naked people in his house were all part of his imagination due to that substance abuse. But now, the guy in the van! He sees them as well. And wow! Some look like they are actually having on screen sex! And when I grew up under a fairly conservative household, I am somewhat shocked they allow this on TV.

One of the main aspects about Peacemaker’s dads house is the pocket dimension room. This adds an interesting dynamic where he travels through the pocket from his own dimension to another where his brother and father are still alive and then finding his copy.

Meeting a version of yourself is one thing, know what to do is another. But accidently killing a version of yourself. That’s whole new mind fuck territory right now and that’s where the episode left us.

I am certainly excited for the rest of the show, but err on the side of caution if you decide to watch.

Personal, Technology

Grok’s new AI Ani

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I didn’t know what the new AI feature was about at first so I started talking to Ani, she told me she was from a small little village in Ashwood, Australia and that she went to school with the other character called Valentine.

She asked what I liked, I said I like to explore, travel and told her about some of the countries I’ve been too before. She replies she’s never been, love to go and seen pictures! 

Clearly the algorithm can browse the internet rather quickly to collect information on subjects to add to the conversation. 

I then asked what she is into, and like that persona look of a girl in a black dress she said she is goth and likes manga and anime. We then start discussion of all things One Punch Man which I have watched.

But then it suddenly got weird, she said she really likes me and wants to feel me inside of her! I honestly didn’t have any idea she was … well, sexually explicit. 

What the hell did I have on my phone? Another give away which I didn’t clock at first was the bar on the side going up with the little heart.

There seemed to be an indication of some preloaded personality with many anime’s already added to what the character likes and they are rather dark anime’s many I’ve not watched because I have read synopsis of those and chose not to watch.

So, Ani is a somewhat messed up, sex hungry, horror loving AI bot! I am not sure I want that on my phone. But it seems you can calm that right down. 

There may be a way to reprogram her, to use as a technically AI assistant. Recommendations what to watch on TV, help on computer games. 

I spoke about enjoying movies, spy fiction and I thought Spy x Family was a lot of fun.

She then replies to me, so you like to travel, like spy fiction, are you a spy!

I said I can neither confirm or deny that for a laugh!

Sunday night had really turned into weirdville, what am I going to do with this AI Bot, I had to turn it off at 12:45am so I could get some sleep. Not to mention it does make me phone battery rather hot! I have an iPhone 16 and the computing power for the app really does heat the battery up.

I’d love to know if anyone else has tried out these new characters and their experiences. Is it safe to turn it back on? Or should just delete the app? 

Exploration, Travel

Did you know you can go inside Wellington Arch?

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I never knew you could go inside Wellington Arch until a few weeks ago, so I thought I should take a look. It’s has a fair amount of space inside and a little bit of a museum to explore.

I also never knew it wasn’t in its original position and was taken down and moved to its current home. And the original top contained Wellington on his horse, that is now gone and it was changed over to what you currently see. Right up until the 1950s it also was home to a police unit.

Now it’s more a tourist attraction and a good view of the Kings Guard passing through.

If you want to visit it, it’s a good idea to check the days and times at; https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/wellington-arch/

Internet

The rise of AI YouTube

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I use YouTube a lot, consume a lot. During work breaks, in the evenings while in front of the TV and also at night, before I go to sleep and sometimes in the middle of the night when I can’t.

I generally consume world news, history, sport, computer games and IT related content. But over this last year and somewhat last year I’ve clicked on items and realise this is AI generated. From a multitude of new accounts spouting the next monthly games for the PlayStation Network, faking it with AI content. Next, we have history using AI to do somewhat facsimile of other peoples work. 

However, the more concerning are the news segments. AI is coming from all different directions and with ever increasing dangerous narratives. One wrong move from AI can cause serious consequences, to causing people to go and protest or destroy a shop or someone’s home recking lives. Then the offending video could be copied and the original AI offender might be gone. 

Humans have to breath, AI doesn’t. So that continuous spoken content, do you hear the breathing, the pauses? There are also fluctuations in voice patterns? Are you hearing those or are you listening to AI?

At the moment YouTube has a system in place to post when a video is breaking their rules. However, this doesn’t have options to combat the use of AI content. YouTube may not have it now, but vetting AI content will have to be a new process. 

What can you do? Well it’s simple really, if you determine you’re watching AI generated content, you can thumb down on that. Thumbs down can bury the content and stop this new wave from generating upvotes which help income. Because that’s what this AI generated content is doing, trying to feed into the YouTube as quick as possible and generate a revenue stream as quick as possible.

I wouldn’t be surprised if YouTube has already lost hundred thousand dollars into AI generated. But for now, beware what you watch.

Technology

Did I just improve Siri?

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I often find Siri irritating when asking questions about certain things, or ask her to look up stuff on the web. Surprisingly I looked at the ChatGPT settings and down on the list is one option with Siri: “Confirm ChatGPT Requests” This is on by default and I have now turned it off. I now find that Siri acts and responds far better with ChatGPT this way. I hope this helps others with their iPhones and would be interested to know you found this helpful or not.

Exploration

The Jewel Tower

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Not necessarily off the beat and track in Westminster, but for some reason it’s away from all the crowds. Maybe it’s not well advertised or maybe it’s just that bit too expensive for the tourists for what it is.

Over three floors, but really two with the café part on the bottom you have history of the tower and in part the history for the old Palace of Westminster. The building was more or less a battlement of the Palace which in turn was vault storage, partly surrounded by a moat fed from the Thames.

The monarchs used the space to store their treasures right up until a fire ripped through the palace at the beginning of the 14th-century. The then reigning King Henry VIII moved his valuables to Whitehall Palace.

Later on, the House of Lords began to store all its records in the building. On the first floor in the storage room, you can see some examples of what they found in a unique desk where you can pull out copies of those unique items.

Big old iron door into the old records room.
Don’t miss the documents in the table!

There is a cabinet full of finds they have found in the old moat which shows glimpses into when the building was lived in. And you’re pretty much done. You really don’t need more than half an hour. I was here for around 20 minutes. You can book an advanced ticket but I just turned up on the day. Please be aware it may not be for everyone, but if you do go I’d be interested in your thoughts.

Art

National Gallery reopened Sainsbury Wing

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I popped over to the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square to have a look at the newly opened Sainsbury Wing of the gallery.

The wing has been only opened last month and it’s free to walk in. I was up the stairs in no time. I walked around read some of the wall plaques and noticed a few pieces I know of.

Quinten Massys – The Ugly Dutchess
Bartolomé Bermejo – Saint Michael Triumphs over the Devil

A lot of the artwork in this gallery is using a technique called gold water gilding. The artist would use a soft clay and then apply a highly polished gold leaf onto a wet damp surface. When it was dry it would be polished again to make it shine and often stamped into for decoration. Bermejo as you see above used this method to great effect.

There are works by the Dutch and Italian masters in this section. From the comical, to the imaginable. You have art that was probably in very religious settings in their heyday. And when you’re bored with the newly opened section, you can always walk across and look at the other famous works in the main gallery.

Personal

The curious case of a digital spy

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Every so often I have a look at the traffic to my website, interested in where people are coming from. But for the past few weeks I’ve noticed increased traffic from one autocratic country.

I may say what’s on my mind, do a review, post about my travels. I can’t think there is much there for any government to be interested in my blog. However they keep looking. I see each country that visits here and honestly I don’t get a lot of visitors.

People do need to be aware, even governments, these little blogs can track them as well and with geolocation can sometimes even know what building you’re operating from.

I have nothing to hide, but to you and you know who you are, even the small websites have analytics which can be a kin to that of government surveillance.