Ten Things I Learned – December 5, 2023 Update

April Wine

I was sad to hear of Myles Goodwyn‘s death. Myles was the lead singer of April Wine, a Canadian band that had quite an influence on my musical tastes.

WordPress

Want to your open WordPress links in a new tab as the default? “External Links in New Window / New Tab” is your solution.

Speed Test

Google has a speed test webpage. (I’ve added it to my Google A-Z page.)

Continue reading “Ten Things I Learned – December 5, 2023 Update”

Tech Ed AQ and ABQ Courses – Fall 2023

Course: Communications Technology Grades 9/10 (Queen’s)
URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/communications-technology-grades-910-abq-queens-fall-online/

Course: Honour Specialist Technological Education (Queen’s)
URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/honour-specialist-technological-education-aq-queens-fall-online/

Course: Technological Design Grades 9/10 (Queen’s)
URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/technological-design-grades-9-10-abq-queens-fall-online/

Course: ABQ Communications Technology, Grades 11 and 12 (Windsor)
URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/abq-communications-technology-grades-11-and-12-windsor-fall-online/

Course: ABQ Communications Technology, Grades 9 and 10 (Windsor)
URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/abq-communications-technology-grades-9-and-10-windsor-fall-online/

Course: ABQ Green Industries, Grades 11 and 12 (Windsor)
URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/abq-green-industries-grades-11-and-12-windsor-fall-online/

Course: ABQ Green Industries, Grades 9 and 10 (Windsor)
URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/abq-green-industries-grades-9-and-10-windsor-fall-online/

Am I missing any? If so, please let me know in the comments below or at the site formerly know as Twitter at @pbeens or Mastodon at mstdn.ca/@pbeens. Thanks!

Quick Encryption/Decryption Utility

lock on keyboard

Need a quick program to encrypt or decrypt small amounts of text, such as passwords? Here’s a quick utility I wrote in Python using Google Colab, Google’s implementation of Jupyter Notebooks. You can run the program there or copy it to your own Google Drive first. Note that you’ll need a Google account to access it.

https://bit.ly/beens-encrypt

I personally use this utility to encrypt sensitive information in Google Keep, as shown in the screenshot below. I save the URL of the utility with the encrypted text so I can decrypt it quickly.

(For longer notes, I’d honestly recommend a proper password manager that can encrypt notes. I use the Premium version of Bitwarden, which I highly recommend.)

The instructions in the program should be adequate to run it on your own.

Bookmark it in your browser for quick access! (Ctrl-D on your PC or Command-D on your Mac)

Why AI Won’t Be Replacing Teachers Anytime Soon

Read the original article here.

While AI has made significant progress in recent years, it is unlikely to replace teachers anytime soon. One reason for this is that AI lacks the ability to understand human emotions and social cues, which are essential for effective teaching. Additionally, AI is not capable of providing the same level of personalized attention that human teachers can provide.

Continue reading “Why AI Won’t Be Replacing Teachers Anytime Soon”

Tech Ed Courses Offered Summer 2023

Institution: Brock
When: Late Summer 2023
Course: Construction Technology: Grades 9 & 10
Event URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/construction-technology-grades-9-10-abq-brock-late-summer-online/

Institution: ETFO
When: Summer 2023
Course: Science and Technology, Grades 7 and 8
Event URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/science-and-technology-grades-7-and-8-etfo-summer-online/

Institution: ETFO
When: Summer 2023
Course: Science and Technology, Primary and Junior, Part 1
Event URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/science-and-technology-primary-and-junior-part-1-etfo-summer-online/

Institution: OISE
When: Summer 2023
Course: Technological Education Honour Specialist
Event URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/technological-education-honour-specialist-aq-oise-summer-online/

Institution: Queen’s
When: Summer 2023
Course: Communications Technology Grades 11/12
Event URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/communications-technology-grades-1112-abq-queens-summer-online/

Institution: Queen’s
When: Summer 2023
Course: Communications Technology Grades 9/10
Event URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/communications-technology-grades-910-abq-queens-summer-online/

Institution: Queen’s
When: Summer 2023
Course: Computer Technology Grades 9/10
Event URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/computer-technology-grades-910-abq-queens-summer-online/

Institution: Queen’s
When: Summer 2023
Course: Green Industries Grades 9/10
Event URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/green-industries-grades-910-abq-queens-summer-online/

Institution: Queen’s
When: Summer 2023
Course: Green Industries, Grades 11 & 12
Event URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/green-industries-grades-11-and-12-abq-queens-summer-online/

Institution: Queen’s
When: Summer 2023
Course: Honour Specialist Technological Education
Event URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/honour-specialist-technological-education-aq-queens-summer-online/

Institution: Queen’s
When: Summer 2023
Course: Technological Design Grades 11/12
Event URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/technological-design-grades-1112-abq-queens-summer-online/

Institution: Queen’s
When: Summer 2023
Course: Technological Design Grades 9/10
Event URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/technological-design-grades-910-abq-queens-summer-online/

Institution: Windsor
When: Summer 2023
Course: ABQ Technological Design, Grades 11 and 12
Event URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/abq-technological-design-grades-11-and-12-windsor-summer-online/

Institution: Windsor
When: Summer 2023
Course: ABQ Technological Design, Grades 9 and 10
Event URL: https://www.otffeo.on.ca/en/learning/pd-calendar/events/abq-technological-design-grades-9-and-10-windsor-summer-online/

Am I missing any? Please let me know @ peter@beens.ca or comment below.

How can I use Bing Chat AI in Chrome?

Bing Chat AI is a new feature that allows you to interact with Bing in a conversational way, using natural language and ChatGPT technology. You can ask Bing anything, from factual questions to creative requests, and get personalized and engaging responses. However, Bing Chat AI is currently only available on Microsoft Edge, which means you have to switch browsers if you want to try it out. But what if you prefer to use Google Chrome as your default browser? Is there a way to access Bing Chat AI in Chrome without having to install Edge? The answer is yes, using some simple hacks and extensions.

One way is to use the Bing Chat for All Browsers extension³, which lets you access Bing Chat AI from any website. Another way is to use the Bing AI for Chrome extension⁴, which shows you Bing Chat answers alongside Google results. A third way is to change the browser’s user agent to trick Bing into thinking you are using Edge². You can find detailed instructions on how to do that in the article by How-To Geek².

Source: Conversation with Bing, 2023-06-03

1. Bing AI for Chrome – Chrome Web Store. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/bing-ai-for-chrome/oofdkcckpabclngcdjnkhlldcfadlfmh

2. Bing Chat (GPT-4) in Google – Chrome Web Store. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/bing-chat-gpt-4-in-google/pcnhobmoglanpljipbomknafhdlcgcng

3. How to Use Bing AI Chat in Google Chrome – How-To Geek. https://www.howtogeek.com/876422/how-to-use-bing-ai-chat-in-google-chrome/

4. How to use Microsoft Bing AI Chat in Google Chrome – TECH POINT MAGAZINE. https://techpointmag.com/use-microsoft-bing-ai-chat-in-google-chrome/

5. How to access Bing Chat AI on Chrome or Firefox – Pureinfotech. https://pureinfotech.com/access-bing-chat-ai-chrome-firefox/

Python f-strings: Use of “=” (very cool!)

In Python f-strings, the equal sign (=) is used to print both the variable name and its value in a string. It is used to facilitate print-debugging by expanding to the text of the expression, an equal sign, then the representation of the evaluated expression. For example, if you have a variable named x with a value of 5, you can use an f-string like this: f'{x=}' which will expand to 'x=5'⁷.

Try it out here!

Source: Conversation with Bing, 3/30/2023

(1) python – What does = (equal) do in f-strings inside the expression …. https://stackoverflow.com/questions/59661904/what-does-equal-do-in-f-strings-inside-the-expression-curly-brackets Accessed 3/30/2023.

(2) Python f-String Tutorial – String Formatting in Python Explained with …. https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/python-f-strings-tutorial-how-to-use-f-strings-for-string-formatting/ Accessed 3/30/2023.

(3) Python f-strings: Everything you need to know! • datagy. https://datagy.io/python-f-strings/ Accessed 3/30/2023.

(4) Python 3’s f-Strings: An Improved String Formatting Syntax (Guide). https://realpython.com/python-f-strings/ Accessed 3/30/2023.

(5) PEP 498 – Literal String Interpolation | peps.python.org. https://peps.python.org/pep-0498/ Accessed 3/30/2023.

(6) Modulo String Formatting in Python – Real Python. https://realpython.com/python-modulo-string-formatting/ Accessed 3/30/2023.

(7) f-strings in Python – GeeksforGeeks. https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/formatted-string-literals-f-strings-python/ Accessed 3/30/2023.

(8) What does ‘f’ mean before a string in Python? – Stack Overflow. https://stackoverflow.com/questions/58233423/what-does-f-mean-before-a-string-in-python Accessed 3/30/2023.

This post was inspired by this tweet:

Hey Bing Chat: How can I compile a Python program into an executable file?

Bing Chat is an AI alternative to Chat-GPT. I’ve been testing it quite a bit since, at least for now, it is completely free and in most cases does an excellent job.

Here is a test case that worked perfectly for me…

Prompt: How can I compile a Python program into an executable file?

There are several ways to compile Python code into an executable file. One of the most popular ways is to use PyInstaller² which can be installed using pip package manager². Once installed, you can use it to create an executable file by running the following command in your terminal:

Continue reading “Hey Bing Chat: How can I compile a Python program into an executable file?”

Hey ChatGPT, When Should I Take CPP?

Stacks of coins, growing from small to large, with plants growing out of each of them.

I’ve seen all sorts of test cases for ChatGPT, with some responses being good and some bad. Just for the heck of it, I thought I would ask it for some serious financial advice:

With $xx in an RRSP and a current pension of $yy per month, when is the best time to take CPP? I am zz years old.

The answer was amazingly insightful, and pretty much matched up with my own thoughts.

Screenshot of ChatGPT output.
Click image to enlarge

If you’re in a similar situation, why not give ChatGPT a shot and see what it recommends. Remember though that it’s free advice, and shouldn’t be acted upon without a good knowledge of your financial situation and perhaps corroborating advice from your personal banker.

Your thoughts? Would you trust this advice?

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is an artificial-intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI and launched in November 2022. It is built on top of OpenAI’s GPT-3 family of large language models and has been fine-tuned using both supervised and reinforcement learning techniques.

ChatGPT is available at https://chat.openai.com.