Evie Day 76

Good morning. Today is 31 May 2023.

The thunderstorms have landed in Douglas County. Wow.

I’ve shared with y’all that we have a few dogs, five to be exact, four females (Lucy, Freya, Rosy, Lily) and the boy (Odin). Odin does not like thunderstorms. I woke up in the middle of the night with Odin snuggled up next to me and licking me as he sought some consolation during the storm last night. It’s still lingering over the house now, but he seems to have reconciled himself to the reality that there’s not a whole lot he nor we can do about Mother Nature.

I think I mentioned yesterday that I mowed over the Memorial Day weekend, and I must’ve kicked something up with the mower that has decided to take up residence in my sinuses. I was teaching all day yesterday and it seemed like I was sneezing or wiping my nose every few moments. I’m going to try and get the right combination of meds in my system this morning so I can crank out my three modules and then just have a big chunk of open lab time in the afternoon.

Two more days to teach, then I can focus on recovery on Friday.

Time to get this in the can, I guess.

I hope the world is treating you better than you deserve.

Peace y’all.

Evelyn Day 75

Good morning! It is Tuesday, 30 May 2023.

In a couple of hours, I will be back in my virtual classroom delivering a cloud networking course for a few dozen folks spread out across multiple time zones. Things are in the green across the board, with all services up and running, with the possible exception of the service in my head that removed excess junk from my sinuses. I did some mowing and kicked up some of the stuff in the grasses that got into my system, and there’s only so much Claritan and Sudafed can do at 6:00 AM in the morning. Maybe that first cup of coffee will give my system a bit of a kickstart.

Watched game seven last evening in the Eastern Conference finals. Boston couldn’t buy a shot, shooting 20% from 3-point range and rebounding like a 6-foot and under team. Looked to me like Boston wasn’t mentally prepared to close the deal. They won three in a row, then dropped off the face of the planet. Jason Tatum rolled and ankle on the first play of the game and played hurt the rest of the game.

That means that Thursday night, Miami will travel to Denver for the first game of the NBA championship. Coming off a full seven-game series, then playing at the altitude of Denver. Denver finished off their opponent a week ago and has had plenty of opportunity to scout and rest up for the finals. Miami has been in dogfight after dogfight, and all of them have been at sea level. During the regular season, the Heat played Denver at home and on the road and lost both games. I’m going to guess Denver will win this series in 6 games.

Time to get focused on the day at hand. I need to call a plumber first thing to have someone find out where we might have a leak in the basement.

I hope the world is treating you better than you deserve.

Peace y’all.

Hi Evie!

Good morning, and I wish you all a safe and relaxing Memorial Day holiday. In the USA, this is a federal holiday to remember our fallen. It is Monday, 28 May 2023.

My family has a little military history, and I can point to relatives that served during Vietnam and in Korea… WWII was an exception, surprisingly, as my grandfather, Seg, was a farmer, and farmers were needed at home to grow food. His brother, Donnie, did serve in Korea. My grandfather enlisted twice to fight in WWI – the first time around he was denied due to a loss of hearing in one ear, but the second time around he was accepted, just as WWI came to a close. I can go back to the War of 1812 and the Revolutionary War, and I have traced back to the French and Indian War as far as North American roots. Even had the British torched the residence of another ancestor of mine, Benjamin Harrison V.

I want to mention one guy, and I’ve probably brought him up before. During the Civil War, a 43-year-old ancestor of mine died in the service of the Union. George Yenne was from Indiana, and had a farm with nine kids. He volunteered. He gave his life. He’s buried in Murfreesboro, TN. He’s my third great-grandfather.

I am thankful for those that came before me. I volunteered to serve myself but was unable to as I had cancer when I was 19. Both my brothers volunteered. I am thankful for all that stepped up.

This last weekend, I went to a birthday party for friends and saw a number of folks from my hometown that I had not seen in a very long time. We all collectively agreed not to let such a long period pass before doing that again. Thanks for the invitation, Robbie. You always brought out the best and most authentic version of me, and for that, I am eternally grateful.

Oh, passed my certification exam – Schrodinger’s Certification Exam survived.

I’ve got a brisket and a whole pork loin on the smoker. I look forward to finally getting a chance to use a deli-style meat slicer I picked up last year. I probably ought to head out and check the heat on my pit.

Hey, thanks for reading this. Every time I get a little comment or feedback from friends like you, it is a gift… don’t worry, I have a good spam filter on this, so I won’t be reaching out to you about the extended warranty on your vehicle.

I hope the world is treating you better than you deserve.

Peace y’all.

Evelyn Day 71

Happy Friday folks, and for those of you living in the USA, I wish you a wonderful beginning to the Memorial Day Weekend. It is 26 May 2023.

Yesterday my neurodivergence proved to be a blessing and a curse. I decided to chase a bunny on Tuesday and yesterday it took me right down a rabbit hole. My son describes this as “hyperfixation” – when a person gets laser focused on some interest or pursuit and shuts out the world. That happened to me yesterday as I prepared for a new certification exam that I’m tackling later this morning. The problem was that there were some other things that popped up during the day that I completely spaced out. I get that I can’t always help chasing the new, shiny thing, but sometimes I surprise myself at my ability to shut the world out.

I’ll be happy to have the exam over, regardless of the outcome. I think I can pass it, but it is material that I am not very familiar with. I’m not a developer… the last time I tried to write any code was in 1993 in a C++ class I took at Wichita State for night class. The subject matter, though, is captivating – Artificial Intelligence. This old dog needs to learn some new tricks.

After I get done with the exam, I’ll be able to relax a little bit and focus on some other responsibilities, as well as get a little more focused on the weekend. Lisa and I are planning on going to a party tomorrow evening in Kansas City, and tomorrow or Sunday I’m going to throw a brisket on the smoker. I might finally have an opportunity to break out my deli meat slicer that has been sitting out in the garage for a while, yet to be used.

Coffee is up, time to grab a cup and a couple of pieces of toast to start the day. There’s something comfortable about coffee and toast with creamy peanut butter that is a welcome start to the day.

I hope the world is treating you better than you deserve.

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 70

Hi folks! It is Thursday morning, 25 May 2023.

I’ve got a busy day. I’ve got a meeting with a coworker in a few hours, followed by some follow-up sessions to take a look at from a conference, and then it’s time to study – there might be a certification exam in the offing.

I make some light jokes about the certification process with my coworkers and managers. I’ve told stories about “Schroedinger’s Certification Exam”. If you pass the exam, it happened, and if you don’t pass, it didn’t.

I’ve got some study materials to work through today after my meeting and my sessions.

We took the cover off of the pool, and now it’s time to get it ready for the summer. Our pool guy came over yesterday – his last stop of the day as he lives out this way – and we’ve got the process started. Water doesn’t look fit to swim in quite yet, but give it a day or two, and we’ll get there.

Dane and I were on our own for dinner last night. Lisa had dinner with her old mentor from Iowa, so Dane and I grabbed some barbeque from a local restaurant. We had enough forethought to get a little extra so we can enjoy leftovers for lunch.

One sad note: The Queen of Rock and Roll, Tina Turner passed yesterday at the age of 83. I remember when her comeback hit, “What’s Love Got To Do With It”, hit MTV back in 1984. At first, I saw this 44-year-old woman belting out a tune, and then I closed my eyes and fell into the rip of her voice. Damn… she was a force of nature, and she will be missed.

OK, time to get the coffee brewing and throw a bagel in the toaster.

I hope the world is treating you better than you deserve.

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 69

It is Wednesday, 24 May 2023. I hope this note finds you well.

I’ve got work stuff today. There’s a conference going on for work this week, a two-day event, and I’m trying to get in as many sessions as possible.

There is a growing amount of content appearing online regarding artificial intelligence, and I’m diving in. I am in the “game changer” camp, and I think this technology is going to create the next big wave… the same sort of impact folks witnessed with cell phones and smartphones, radio and television. This will integrate with just about every aspect of society.

The professor that served as Lisa’s mentor at the University of Iowa is coming through Lawrence with his wife. Originally I was going to join Lisa to have dinner with them, but Lisa asked one of her work colleagues to join instead – lots of PhDs sitting around that table for dinner.

The pool team is coming over today to prep our swimming pool for the summer. Time to clean it and shock it, and then we’ll be able to start enjoying our pool for the summer. I look forward to holding a little baby girl in her floating swimsuit in the pool. I think my granddaughter will enjoy the water.

Other than that, not much else to share.

I hope the world is treating you better than you deserve.

Peace y’all.

Evie Day 68

Good morning! It is Tuesday 23 May 2023—lots of twos and threes on today’s date.

Right now there’s a U-Haul dealer in the Washington, DC area that lost a truck. Some idiot grabbed a backpack, a scrawled journal, a black laptop, and a Nazi flag, tossed them into a U-Haul truck, and decided to ram the barricades at the White House.

Idiot.

Anybody with any knowledge of security around military sites (yes, the US White House is a military operations site) knows that the US doesn’t fool around with security around installations with people and other military assets. There are folks on top of the White House that have the tools necessary to stop any vehicle, anything from a U-Haul truck to a drone bomb, from breaching the residence of the president. Yeah, that rhymed… after I started writing it I thought it was cute, so I left it.

I’ve seen some defensive tools in place at the military bases where I have delivered a course or four. The defensive tools are lethal.

But, nope, some idiot thinks he can get to the President of the United States with a U-Haul. Nazis are idiots.

We’ve got a conference starting at work today, all virtual. There will be a load of interesting announcements that will keep some folks pretty busy all week.

OK, that’s enough for now.

I hope the world is treating you better than you deserve.

Peace y’all.

Evelyn Day 67

Good morning! It is Monday, 22 May 2023.

I don’t have to worry about the virtual classroom this week, with the exception of cleaning up a little bit. I’m not the best at organizing and staying organized, and when you live out in the country, there is a constant battle against dust buildup on surfaces and inside computer chassis.

Had to pause there to make sure that the plural of chassis was still chassis. Accuracy matters.

I’ve got some errands to take care of this week as we prepare for the beginning of the summer break. Dane will get back into school in another week, and Lisa is teaching a summer class. The pool opens on Wednesday and we hope to have the water chemistry handled by Friday so we can enjoy the pool for Memorial Day weekend.

I’m going in to get my left shoulder checked today. I hope it is a simple issue that can be resolved with some simple joint manipulation. It’s been bugging me for about a week now, and yesterday the inflammation in the joint reached a head, and I decided I had had enough. I can feel the crunch in my should when I move it around, and sometimes the pain is significant.

I’ve got some work projects I want to work on this week as well. The topic of artificial intelligence is a hot property around the office, and there are some opportunities for me to learn more, so all things considered, it’s time to strap on the ol’ thinking cap and dive in. Focus, Bob!

Time to make a pot of coffee and think about breakfast.

I hope the world is treating you better than you deserve.

Peace y’all.

Evelyn Day 64

Happy Friday, folks! It is 19 March 2023.

It was on the quiet side last evening. Dane went to Kansas City to keep an eye on Bonnie’s dog, as Bonnie left KC to travel north to see a friend this weekend. Lisa went south to visit Gracie and Evelyn, and I camped here, wrapped up my solutions architecture class, and reheated some mango habanero chicken wings… and they were very, very good.

Today I have meetings starting in a few hours. Between now and then, I’m going to clean up my annual review stuff for my manager – my manager is cool ( I have no idea whether he knows this blog exists or if he has ever read it, but if you’re reading this, you’re alright). There are aspects of the annual review process that has always been a bit of a grind. I’ve shared with you all that I’m not a fan of unnecessary embellishments, but there are times that I am asked to puff things up a little bit. I just grit my teeth a little…

Here’s a little experiment that I did. I asked the chatbot to write a succinct review of a book and outline the key points. It wasn’t too bad. I liked the clear, right-to-the-point summary, and that kind of thing can serve as a guide for when I write my own outlines – don’t plagiarize the AI, but I think using it as a suggestion is a good starting place. I then asked for a slightly embellished review and a significantly embellished review. Somewhere along the line, the chatbot sold me a ’77 Caprice Classic with lifetime oil changes and new floor mats. When you ask a chatbot to embellish, they demonstrate an aptitude for puffery seldom seen outside Trump begging a Saudi prince for financing.

I have used AI and I will continue to use AI, but I will likely make significant changes to any suggested content coming from the chatbot. It seems a bit like cheating to just ask the chatbot to fill in the blank, and the chatbot responses often lack the organic nature that many folks prefer.

OK, time to make a pot of coffee and get started with the day.

I hope the world is treating you better than you deserve.

Peace y’all.

Evelyn Day 63

It is Thursday, the last delivery day for me this week, and 18 May 2023.

Sometimes I’ll take a few minutes and read the front page on my web browser or take a quick look at social media, and this morning I noticed a friend had posted an interesting meme. If I can get it here, I’ll post it at the end.

We’re developing AI and robots now. The question posed by my friend is this – we’re training our AI services to create artwork, and write content. In science fiction, we dreamed that robots would be doing mundane work, dangerous jobs, the manual labor positions. The whole goal of using machines was to have them do the hard work so that we, the humans, could create art and poetry while the robots took care of the day-to-day maintenance and service.

I’ll admit – I like the AI-created pictures. I am working on my prompt-writing skills, and more people should. Heck, I’m looking for a class on it. I want to learn how to write a sophisticated prompt so an AI can best render my vision.

There’s an old expression – “A picture is worth a thousand words”. Well, in the world of DALL-E and Midjourney, a thousand words can paint a pretty interesting picture when those words are processed by artificial intelligence.

I’ve been fooling around with different AI prompts, having the AI create topographical maps (needs work), small snippets of Python code (exceptional!), and chord progressions. The AI engine will not win any awards for originality, and the Grammy Awards won’t have a category for best Country Song written by an AI service… for now.

It will be interesting to observe the evolution of this new phase. I argue that in a few years, there will be folks who have full-time jobs writing good AI prompts.

Maybe we need an AI to help us write AI prompts?

I hope the world is treating you better than you deserve.

Peace y’all.