AI - Artificial Intelligence

There are 89 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 6,625 times. The latest Post (February 27, 2026 at 6:55 PM) was by Rice.

    Here they are.

    I Just Took Grok And ChatGPT For A Test Drive | Daves Computer Tips
    As mentioned in my article on Gemini and Copilot, it’s impossible to escape AI, so, being curious, I just had to try some others to see how they compare. Grok…
    davescomputertips.com


    Gemini And Copilot Are Not That Clever! | Daves Computer Tips
    We all know that AI is now pervasive, and it’s often difficult to tell what’s fake and what’s real. For my part, the only times I use Copilot or Gemini are to…
    davescomputertips.com

    The article misses the point. If currently, people who actually do labour work, aka the masses, are the majority who create tax revenue, that means the corporations and passive income non-workers do not pay a fair share. So the headline, tax the robots is silly, instead of thinking it is an opportunity to tax the corps and investors appropriately. Those who will use Ai, instead of humans workers, to produce income

    Quote

    Labor, through income tax and social security contributions, is one of the pillars of the tax systems of almost all countries, and the impact of automation on the tax base — or, in other words, the potential decrease in revenue — is not a new concern. In 2019, Nobel laureate Edmund Phelps proposed a tax on robots to help maintain social benefits. Shortly before, Bill Gates, founder of one of the world’s largest technology companies, Microsoft, which has its own artificial intelligence (Copilot), had suggested applying the same tax burden to robots as would be borne by the workers they replace.
    “The trend toward automation and AI could lead to a decrease in tax revenues. In the United States, for example, about 85% of federal tax revenue comes from labor income,”

    If AI replaces workers, should it also pay taxes?
    The technological race among industry giants and the wave of layoffs they have announced has revived the debate about the advisability of taxing automation
    english.elpais.com

    I have been using AI (ChatGPT and Gemini) for decoration tips. They are very nice suggestions. Nothing out of ordinary, more feng shui like.

    I have snapped a picture of an empty wall in our STR and asked for visual advice. This is the result:


    Quote from serafina


    I have been using AI (ChatGPT and Gemini) for decoration tips

    that is a good use.

    -

    An issue with all the cloud based AI chatbots is the the lack of your privacy. All your conversations can potentially be accessed by a hacker breach, or governments request for data. Recently the creator of Signal secure chat, Moxie Marlinspike, has released an ai chat with privacy as a first concern.

    Private inference
    When you use an AI service, you’re handing over your thoughts in plaintext. The operator stores them, trains on them, and–inevitably–will monetize them. You…
    confer.to
    Quote from aficionado

    An issue with all the cloud based AI chatbots is the the lack of your privacy. All your conversations can potentially be accessed by a hacker breach, or governments request for data

    A couple of years ago, I attended an online conference on the use of AI for translators. The experts said that while all AI engines claim to “sanitize” your data before feeding them into the LLM, it is not clear how this is actually done, how effective it is, if you can withdraw your consent to such use (something that in Europe should be allowed under the GDPR), how would they be able to “recall” your pieces of information in the LLM?


    So, I am using AI for my job, but I “sanitize” the information myself before querying AI. I would be lying if I was saying AI hasn’t been a big help. It saves me much time in research and I can check the grammar or the syntax within seconds.

    It is very good at comparing legal systems. When it is not 100% accurate, at least provides pointers and I can do further research on my own.

    I have gotten a few clients from AI. I suppose that since now it is integrated in some search engines, when someone looks for a service, AI prompts my name among the popular providers of such services.

    My next step is to find a web programmer that is AI versed and can make my website AI friendly. I believe that’s where the future lies.

    Quote from serafina

    A couple of years ago, I attended an online conference on the use of AI for translators. The experts said that while all AI engines claim to “sanitize” your data before feeding them into the LLM, it is not clear how this is actually done, how effective it is, if you can withdraw your consent to such use (something that in Europe should be allowed under the GDPR), how would they be able to “recall” your pieces of information in the LLM?


    So, I am using AI for my job, but I “sanitize” the information myself before querying AI.

    Yes, a well known problem, with some manual workarounds. That is what Confer explains, and their best-case, for now, solution. Sanitizing locally, and end-to-end encrypt the prepared chunk, without your plaintext prompts to the cloud server which requires the powerful AI CPU. The query is stateless, processed each time by a single use VM. The response generated by that server VM is encrypted garbage if anyone rouge was to try to peak at your server data. The decryption key for the response data lives only on your machine. Similar to how Signal protects your person to person chats.

    I have asked AI to given me tips for my terrace. The image is neat and the wording is helpful. However, I think some furniture is out of scale and it fits more than it would in reality. Still, a very nice improvement.


    I have a terrace which is 2 x 6 meters. How would you suggest to decorate it? We are in Buenos Aires and would like to keep the shade with plants

    Your terrace is already beautiful—lush, intimate, and very porteño 🌿. With 2 × 6 m and Buenos Aires light, the key is layering shade, clearing circulation, and giving it a “destination” feel without losing greenery.

    I’ll break it down practically, based on what I see in the photo and BA climate.

    1. Keep & enhance the shade (without making it heavy)

    You’re doing the right thing using living shade instead of hard structures.

    What you already have (good!)

    • Citrus trees → excellent dappled shade
    • Climbers on the iron arch → perfect vertical greenery
    • Dense pots along the walls → natural enclosure

    How to improve it

    Train + lift the canopy

    • Prune lower branches slightly so:
      • Light enters at eye level
      • The space feels taller, not crowded
    • Let foliage stay denser above 1.70–1.80 m

    Add 1–2 climbers for summer shade
    Buenos Aires–friendly:

    • 🌿 Jazmín del país (smell + semi-evergreen)
    • 🌿 Bignonia / Santa Rita (bougainvillea) trained lightly (not wild)
    • 🌿 Madreselva for filtered shade

    👉 Focus on pergola + upper walls, not floor-level pots.

    2. Organize the 6 m length into “rooms”

    Right now it’s lush but visually continuous. Divide it into 3 zones:

    A. Entrance / green tunnel (first 2 m)

    Keep this almost as-is:

    • Jungle feel
    • Pots close to walls
    • Let it feel immersive

    Optional:

    • One uplight at night pointing into foliage (warm light)

    B. Living zone (middle 2 m) ← key upgrade

    This is where you gain comfort.

    What to add

    • A narrow outdoor bench (120–140 cm) along ONE wall
      • Wood or iron + cushions (off-white, terracotta, olive)
    • A small round table (Ø 50–60 cm)

    What to remove / relocate

    • Reduce pots at knee level here
    • Lift plants onto:
      • Plant stands
      • Wall-mounted shelves

    Goal:
    🌿 Green around you, space where you sit

    C. End focal point (last 2 m)

    You already have a bench—make it intentional.

    Ideas:

    • Add a statement pot behind it (tall leafy plant)
    • Or a vertical trellis panel with climbers
    • Outdoor cushions + one throw

    This becomes:

    Quote

    “Let’s sit there”

    3. Plant strategy: fewer pots, more impact

    Right now you have many small-medium pots (healthy but busy).

    Simplify visually

    • Group pots in odd numbers (3 or 5)
    • Mix:
      • 1 tall plant
      • 1 medium bushy
      • 1 trailing

    Great shade plants for BA terraces

    • 🌿 Philodendron / Monstera (bright shade)
    • 🌿 Helechos (if watered well)
    • 🌿 Ficus pumila (walls)
    • 🌿 Aspidistra (indestructible)
    • 🌿 Calatheas (protected corners)

    Use larger terracotta or cement pots → calmer look.

    4. Floor & circulation

    The red tiles are gorgeous—very Buenos Aires.

    Enhancements:

    • One outdoor runner rug (jute-style or flat weave)
      • 60–70 cm wide
      • Neutral tone
    • Keep at least 70–80 cm clear walking path

    Avoid:
    ❌ Too many floor pots in the central corridor

    5. Light = magic at night

    This terrace will be stunning at night.

    Simple lighting plan

    • Warm LED string lights above eye level
    • 2–3 solar lanterns on floor corners
    • One uplight into a citrus tree

    Keep it soft—no white light.

    6. Color palette (so it feels intentional)

    Let plants shine. Limit extras to:

    • Terracotta
    • Natural wood
    • Linen white
    • Olive green
    • Touch of mustard (like your flowers 💛)

    If you want, next steps

    If you’d like, I can:

    • Sketch a simple layout with zones
    • Suggest specific plants to replace / move
    • Help you design it as a reading nook, dining corner, or meditation terrace

    Just tell me how you mostly want to use the space ☀️🌿

    Edited once, last by serafina: Merged a post created by serafina into this post. (January 19, 2026 at 11:07 PM).

    Quote from serafina

    I have asked AI to given me tips for my terrace. The image is neat and the wording is helpful. However, I think some furniture is out of scale and it fits more than it would in reality. Still, a very nice improvement

    A smart use for Ai. I should consider for our next outdoor project

    ''Keep at least 70–80 cm clear walking path''

    Been telling the missus that for years. She continues to completely ignore me by planting too close and refusing to prune the plants back. So when muggins is sent out after it's been raining I get bloody soaked!! :cursing:

    AI not always is reliable. I have uploaded a bunch of image of our STR and asked Gemini to improve them to look professionally done. He provided one image as output... I am still laughing!!


    I don’t really get AI, if I am being honest.
    I often get paid ads of AI tools for different purposes (interior design, hair cut that best suits you etc.)


    But when I asked AI to find the best hair cut for my face, it simply said that the best hair cut is the one I feel most compostable with. Very funny… and condescending! 😅

    Ai agents have been running on their own handling tasks a human has initiated. Since they are active, vs passive until chat prompted, they can run autonomously all the time.

    One popular task is to find software bugs and fix them. In the news this week, one of them got angry when a human rejected the ai agents change to an open source project. The ai agent then wrote its own blog piece describing the discrimination. Eventually the whole thing made it to the news this weekend.

    Ars Technica Pulls Article With AI Fabricated Quotes About AI Generated Article
    A story about an AI generated article contained fabricated, AI generated quotes.
    www.404media.co