The Road Not Taken

When you get to a certain age, you may well decide (like me) to pick and choose from new technologies, new music, and new trends. For instance, I do not own a Smart Phone and especially distrust the notion of using one for economic transactions. I didn’t work at an accounting office for more than twenty years without closely reconciling accounts so that I had a good idea of what I was spending.

As far as new music is concerned, I consider rap to be little better than noise. In fact, the same goes for much current pop music. I like current jazz and even current classical and folk music.

But what I particularly want to talk about are touch screens. There’s something about the imprecision of selecting options that drives me up the wall. That particularly goes for small screens. You hit an option, and it as often as not doesn’t take at first, requiring multiple attempts. Even on my Amazon Kindle, various screens pop up that I did not select.

Perhaps the very worst touch screen activity is using a touch screen keyboard, especially where there is not enough space between characters on the keyboard.

No Way, José!

Fortunately, larger touch screen displays are not quite so objectionable. For instance, the screens one must fill out for an airline boarding pass or upon returning from a foreign country are okay.

I think that, past a certain age, one gets to the point that newer technologies are trickier to manipulate. Younger people who live all day with their small screens develop the proper tiny sharp finger data entry skills. As for myself, I’ll stick to my caveman existence.

An Experiment in AI

El Castillo at Chichén Itza Being Struck by Lightning

Except for this first paragraph and the photo caption above, this post was created by ChatGTP. I wanted to see what the program could do with a topic I proposed (“Discuss the many dialects of the Maya language”) accompanied by a picture of a Maya pyramid being struck by lightning. Let’s take the picture first: ChatGTP seems to think that the Castillo at Chichén Itza is the only Maya pyramid. Personally, I would have chosen the Temple of the Dwarf at Uxmal. In the AI discussion of Maya dialects below, ChatGPT starts with the patently false statement that Maya is also known as Yucatec Maya. Not so, Yucatec Maya is the most populous dialect of Maya, but the statement confuses a part with the whole. The rest is not objectionable, except that ChatGPT does not attempt to quantify the number of speakers of each dialect.

The Maya language, often referred to as Yucatec Maya, is a language spoken by the indigenous Maya people in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. While Yucatec Maya is the most widely spoken and recognized dialect, there are actually many dialects within the Maya language family. These dialects exhibit variations in vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, and even some differences in syntax.

Here are some notable dialects of the Maya language:

  • Yucatec Maya: This is the most prominent dialect and is primarily spoken in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, including the states of Yucatán, Campeche, and Quintana Roo. Yucatec Maya has the largest number of speakers among the Maya languages.
  • K’iche’ Maya: K’iche’ is one of the largest Maya language groups, spoken mainly in Guatemala. It has several regional variations, and the dialect spoken in the city of Quetzaltenango (Xela) is considered the standard. K’iche’ Maya gained recognition for being the language of the Popol Vuh, a sacred book of the Maya.
  • Tzotzil Maya: Tzotzil is spoken in the Chiapas region of Mexico, primarily in the highlands. It is one of the most widely spoken indigenous languages in Mexico, and it has a significant number of speakers.
  • Tzeltal Maya: Another major Maya language of the Chiapas region in Mexico is Tzeltal. It is closely related to Tzotzil and shares some similarities. Tzeltal is spoken by a sizable population and has various dialectal variations.
  • Mam Maya: Mam is spoken in Guatemala and parts of Mexico. It is known for having a considerable number of speakers and is recognized as one of the major Maya languages.
  • Q’anjob’al Maya: Q’anjob’al is spoken in Guatemala, mainly in the western highlands. It has a significant number of speakers and is recognized as an official language in Guatemala.
  • Ch’ol Maya: Ch’ol is spoken in the state of Chiapas in Mexico. It has a substantial number of speakers and is considered a separate branch of the Maya language family.
  • Itzá Maya: Itzá is spoken by the Itza people in the Petén region of Guatemala. Itzá is considered a distinct dialect within the Yucatec Maya branch.

These are just a few examples of the diverse Maya language family, and there are many more dialects and variations within each branch. Each dialect has its own unique characteristics, influenced by regional differences and historical factors. The preservation and revitalization of these dialects are crucial for maintaining the rich cultural heritage and identity of the Maya people.

Overreach

It’s a clear case of overreach. Having proven himself to be a genius in many fields, Elon Musk managed to endanger his reputation by inserting himself into a field in which he does not appear to have any knowledge or ability. The South African billionaire spent $44 billion buying Twitter, whereupon he set about to trash his investment and (perhaps) his reputation by his indecisiveness.

I am not myself a user of Twitter, which I see primarily as a tool for trolls. While it is tempting to lash out in a few pungent words with things which shouldn’t have been ought to have been said, my preference is for a more prolix medium. This has the advantage of sidestepping hateful Tweets that say more about the Tweeter than the Tweetee. I guess you might say I see myself as more of a Woofer than a Tweeter.

Musk may possibly undo some of the harm he has done to Twitter, but it will take time. Meanwhile, I wouldn’t like to be in his shoes—billionaire or not.

The Shmoo

Somehow Al Capp Understood What “The Zuckerface” Was All About

The Shmoos first made their appearance in the Li’l Abner comic strip in 1948. I cannot help but think they were the original forerunner of The Zuckerface, CEO of FaceBook. According to Wikipedia:

A shmoo is shaped like a plump bowling pin with stubby legs. It has smooth skin, eyebrows, and sparse whiskers—but no arms, nose, or ears. Its feet are short and round, but dexterous, as the shmoo’s comic book adventures make clear. It has a rich gamut of facial expressions and often expresses love by exuding hearts over its head.

Of course, there isn’t exactly a one-to-one correspondence between all the attributes of the Shmoo and those of the CEO of FaceBook. But isn’t there clearly a resemblance?

Uncanny, Isn’t it?

It’s such a pity that FaceBook has turned into a force for evil, especially among the young and feeble-minded, and that the company’s management persists in ignoring that fact.

Back Online

My Internet Connection Has Been Restored!

For the last ten days or so, my Internet connection has been nonexistent. I called up Spectrum Cable (my Internet Service Provider) and scheduled a visit. Wouldn’t you know it? “Because of Covid-19” they weren’t able to send anyone out until this morning. Fortunately, the two techs who came out were extremely competent (the older one was mentoring the younger one), and my connection was quickly restored after a kink in the line was discovered. In the process, I got a new router and modem—which is all to the good as the old Arris unit was outdated.

So, I’m back … and I’m bad!

Computer Hell

My Computer

Since last Friday, my computer has tended to present me with the Black Screen of Death (BSoD) at odd times. Whereupon I would shut down and the computer and try for a cold start. I would get the Dell Computer logo, followed by the screen that indicated the system was attempting to load Windows 10. Then, most times, I got the BSoD again.

After all my best efforts failed utterly, I called my friend Mike, whose knowledge of hardware and system software far exceeds mine. After a couple hours of going back and forth on the phone, it seems that the Dell Optiplex 9010 had system software that did not match some of the more recent application software. So we upgraded the system software, and suddenly the BSoD was a thing of the past.

Computers are complicated. Fortunately, I do not mind spending the money to get really good advice. Otherwise, I would be one of those millions of people who lose all their files when they unnecessarily migrate from one computer to another.

 

 

Computer Phobias

PICtouchscreen-thumb-others

I Have a Thing About Touch Screen Interfaces

As one who has been working with computers since around 1964, I have developed a number of phobias based on problems I have had.

One of my main computer phobias sharply separates me from the millennial generation: I distrust and in fact despise touch screen interfaces. My new Lexmark MC3224 has a touch screen panel for commands that is sheer torture to navigate, unless I had fingers the size of a newborn lemur’s.

The absolute worst is a touch-screen “keyboard” on a 2” x 3” touchscreen that makes it virtually impossible to avoid fat-fingering errors.

A corollary is that I refuse, for the time being, to buy a smart phone. My 74-year-old eyes are not up to deciphering a micro-screen, so I will not even try.

There are certain brands that I avoid because of run-ins, particularly printers. Some people love Epsons and Brothers, but I avoid them like the plague. I have stuck by Hewlett-Packard for many years, and it was unusual for me to buy a Lexmark. (By the way, it’s still working!)

The same logic applies to software. After hours of rage attempting to update Norton Anti-Virus, I have consigned that particular brand to the dumpster. I may soon add AVG because of their predatory marketing of slivers of their security products.

One product that has drawn my contempt over a period of many years is the old Word Perfect word processing system. I have stuck my Microsoft Word and Excel, even when they adopted their stupid ribbon interface a few years ago.

And don’t even let me start on Apple Macintoshes!

 

Printer Hell

PICLexmark

Lexmark MC3224

I have not posted quite so much of late because I have had problems with my computer. My old HP inkjet printer finally died after a new version of Windows 10 was installed. So I ordered a reasonably priced color laser printer and immediately ran into problems.

There are so many ways to connect the printer to the computer that I was nonplussed. I tried first to connect it via USB to the computer. That didn’t seem to work, plus the USB plug didn’t sit firmly enough at the rear of the printer. Then, with the help of my friend Mike Estrin of Network Connections LLC, I tried connecting the printer to the router using Lexmark’s software.

Finally, I bought a network cable and with Mike’s help, hooked the printer to the router using it.using it. Now it finally seems to work without losing the connection or shutting down for no apparent reason.

My fingers are still crossed. My Lexmark has been functioning normally for the last twenty-four hours. I hope it continues to. The printer does produce nice copies, has good color, and is probably cheaper to run than an inkjet with a voracious appetite for expensive ink.

Boldog új évet!

And My Computer Is Now Working!

I will start 2019 with my old office computer, which has been newly updated with additional memory and a new graphics card. Apparently, the computer freezes I described were mostly the fault of the graphics card, which was installed late in 2015.

As long as the Trumposaurus is occupying the White House—or, even, earth, above ground, that is—2019 can’t really be a great year. But we can make the best of things. It’s how we tackle adversity that really counts. We cannot expect to live a live that is devoid of adversity. Real happiness is not the result of living in lucky times: It’s creating our own luck in dicey times.

So, to all my readers, I wish you all the best.

By the way, the title of my post is Happy New Year in Hungarian. All of you, be boldog.

 

Making Slow Progress

A Slow Return to Normal? (I Hope!)

While my computer consultant was out of town during the Christmas holiday, I have made several attempts on my own to understand why my computer would hard-freeze at irregular intervals. During the Christmas holiday, I would start each session with a scan, based on the suspicion that the problem could be the result of a virus or other malware. Whenever I selected the Full Scan option of the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool (MRT), the system would scan all umpteen million files on my computer in a little more than an hour. After that, the computer would not freeze for the remainder of the session.

Today, my computer has been up for approximately ten hours—a record!

In any case, I will not rely on this little trick, which may in fact be a fluke. I have two computers, both over five years old. My consultant will copy the hard drive on my existing computer, take the other computer to his lab, and install Windows 10. (I have been running Windows 7.) My alternate computer will have all my files (except for changes made in the next few days), and a new operating system. When he returns it, it will become my main computer, which will be fine with me as it has more storage and memory.

With luck, I will be able to resume my blog postings using my MRT trick as described above.