Author: Dan'l

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Three Presents

We celebrate a secular Christmas. This year, we agreed with our adult friends and relatives not to exchange gifts. We would only give gifts to the children. This seems better than putting each other on the spot to pick something thoughtful, and risking hard feelings, pretending to be thrilled, and...

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Machine Generated Criticism

When I wrote my previous post, WFPB Black Bean Brownies, I noticed that a WordPress plug-in called JetPack has added a feature to provide “AI Assistant” suggestions. Out of curiosity, I tried it. Here is what it generated. My reactions are in red. The content provides a clear and concise...

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WFPB Black Bean Brownies

I brought these brownies to our block’s 2023 Halloween gathering. They all got eaten and the recipe was requested. Note: no eggs, butter, or milk are used, and it’s fun to see who can guess the secret ingredient. Need: 1 15 oz can black beans1 cup water1 1/2 cups whole...

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Color Choices

It is October 2023, and I am eagerly awaiting my new main parachute. In 26 years of skydiving, I have owned just two main canopies, both made by Performance Designs. I love my original Sabre 170 with my custom colors, manufactured in 2000. Given the limited color palette available for...

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This Post Needs No Title

I own lots of books by Raymond Smullyan. Two of them have titles that refer to both themselves and each other. Books titles and article headlines are often chosen not by the author of the book or article, but by an editor or publisher. I mention this also in Headlines...

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Residential Solar, part 5

My previous posts about this project are part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4. After solar system installation, there is a final inspection from the city. Titanium Solar sent a representative to pre-inspect and to tell the city inspector what he was looking at. As with the previous...

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Artificial Intelligence and Psychotherapy

The television show featured an author promoting his new book about artificial intelligence. He had concerns as well as hopes for the promise of technology to further improve our lives, especially when it comes to health care. An example he gave was of an AI radiologist being much more accurate...

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Money Mentor

It is September 2023, and after a six week session tutoring math over the summer, I have started tutoring high school kids remotely on money-related topics. Here is my self-introduction to my students. Let me just introduce myself for a minute, and then I want to hear about each of...

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Residential Solar, part 4

My previous posts about this project are part 1, part 2, and part 3. It is August 2023. The roofers finished reinstalling the concrete tiles over the new underlayment in time for us to safely withstand the heavy rain brought by Tropical Storm Hilary. The city inspector signed off on...

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Residential Solar, Part 3

Despite delays caused by light rain, our roof was rebuilt and ready to withstand the heavy rains brought by Tropical Storm Hilary. Now we wait for the final inspection of the roof. Then we can schedule the installation of the solar panels.