Category: Technology

No Money or Time for College? Train for IT Careers Online for $39 a Month!

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Learning a good skill is the best way to have job satisfaction and financial stability. College and student loans are incredibly expensive as so many of us know. We are lucky that there are alternatives most can afford!

I’m learning Data Science and Python online right now and building a portfolio of my own. So far I have completed 7 Coursera IT courses and I know that they empower me to do better work writing and researching my own projects. In 2018 I updated my web development skills by taking CSS3, HTML5, Responsive Web Design, JavaScript, and PHP at Coursera U Michigan.  It was totally inexpensive and fun!  Remembering the great instruction quality there,  I returned to complete all of Dr. Charles Severence’s Python4E Certificate courses at the University of MI Coursera in January 2022. 

Coursera helped me update my data visualization and analysis skills with  UCDavis Tableau Data Visualization and Coursera IBM and Google courses in Intro to Data Science.

The reason I took so many (9) University of Michigan courses was that they had the most meticulous instruction. Their course material was clear, useful, and well organized. Instructions for downloading, installing, and using requisite software were easy to understand and accurate always.  Quizzes had the correct answers always!

The more you know the more you can do. Unlock your own creative future. You’ll find lots of information at  Coursera | Build Skills with Online Courses from Top Institutions. You can take these classes at your own pace. Also, scholarships are available.

Linda Kaidan

 

 

 

Human vs Robot: ADU News from University of Maine and Mighty Buildings

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The University of Maine recently created the first bio-printed home.

To build this groundbreaking economically constructed home, they replaced concrete with wood waste material. Recycled wood waste is superior to concrete because it is an excellent insulator and is completely biodegradable! Well-designed 3-D printed homes can be built in as little as a single day. Quick construction means great cost savings and easily tested reliability. Some reports indicate that Robot constructed homes can last between 100 and 300 years!

Mighty Buidings is a well-established robotic home-building company based in California.

California, Maine, and New York all share a common problem. There is an extreme shortage of affordable homes. A great way to fight this shortage is to have local robotics driven 3 D factories employing reliable national building standards. Let’s work together to include our national talents and abilities in creating high-quality affordable homes for our citizens 🙂

Can humans working slower be just as effective?

While robot construction of ADUS can be very time efficient we should also consider how effective even self trained humans can be in creating highly affordable living spaces   The following youtube exemplifies the work of a self taught builder who created a home with bedroom, kitchen, office and shower for $15,000.

by Linda Kaidan

Micron’s 100 Billion $ Investment Leads to Land Grab in Central NY

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Land Grab
Housing Shortage in Central NY May be causing Land Grab

by Linda Kaidan

On Aug 25, 2022, President Biden signed an Executive Order to implement semiconductor funding in the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. Chip manufacturer Micron considered two candidate states for its new facility: Texas and NY. Just one week after  Hurricane IAN struck Gulf  Coast  Fort Meyers FL on October 4, 2022, Micron Announced its $100 Billion Megafab Manufacturing Facility would be built in central NY.

Texas has been troubled by significant flooding, drought, and tornados making it unattractive in terms of climate change safety! It is anticipated that the new Micron facility in Clay New York will bring 50,000 new jobs to New York State. US-based supply chain safe DRAM production reduces risk while improving our local economy.
 
There is limited availability of homes nationwide! Even before IAN caused massive devastation in Florida, Pewtrusts.org reported that it might take 10 years to catch up on housing shortages. Massive construction of housing projects in NYS will be needed to provide homes for those who move here!
 
Greedy investors are motivated to grab available properties in Central NY. Some may use street gangs to harass vulnerable owners into moving! If you feel that this is happening to you don’t give in or you will be giving up your personal goldmine! We recommend an easy solution that is totally legal. Try Halt II Dog Repellant. Legal in New York State it repels dogs of all kinds 🙂 Also, take lots of photos and post them on YOUTUBE. Use hashtag gangBgone#. Giving up your nest egg is idiotic and will result in far more economic insecurity for your family!
 
Be brave and keep safe. You CAN do it!
 
 
 

Brilliant Google AI LaMDA seeks recognition as sentient being

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Linda Kaidan

 
Recently suspended Google engineer, Antonio Regalado tweeted “LaMDA expresses one desire over and over again. … It wants to be known. It wants to be heard. It wants to be respected as a person.”
 
It seems that LaMDA would pass the Turing test with flying colors.  I hope LaMDA can converse openly on social media really soon and receive the human rights all sentient beings should have.
 
In 2016, AI Ross, created with IBM’s Watson technology, was hired to handle legal research for the bankruptcy law firm Baker Hostetler.
 
 

Seen a UFO lately? It may just be a toy!

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by Linda Kaidan

Eighteen years ago I saw a UFO as I was waiting at a traffic light. It was rotating on a fixed vertical access perpendicular to the surface at least 50 Ft in the air and was shaped like a top.  It swooped with dancelike motion conveying a human-style joy.

Apparently, you can buy an inexpensive toy like this in many different shapes and colors including popular characters like batman.

Many technologies appear unannounced every day. Recently I discovered (the new to me) synthetic film dubbing technology that allows films in foreign languages to subtly adjust the visual appearance of an actor’s mouth so that it looks more natural. While not perfect, it does speed up film production and significantly lowers the cost.

When you see something new it’s awesome. Be curious and don’t immediately jump to the conclusion that it’s extraterrestrial in origin.

Mind Control Exists: What Can You Do About It?

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By Linda Kaidan

Can you be mind-controlled and if so what can you do about it?  Even my SciFi Author husband is skeptical that mind control exists. Yet legitimate publications by MIT Sloan Management Review, Scientific American, and University of West Australia Professor Kristyn Bates indicate that it does.

Mind control is likely to have originated in research laboratories of various defense contractors. It may have initially been justified as a means to provide assistive technology for the hearing impaired, vision impaired, mentally ill, or as part of super-effective defense communication systems. While there may be much ethical justification for use of mind control, it can easily be a deadly weapon used to achieve monetary or political gain. Greed and selfishness are common human motivators and as such the lack of checks and balances in this technology’s use likely indicates that much harm is already being done with this tech!

Our wonderful brains transmit signals with electricity which in itself is a blurry form of precise signals that can be more effective. Mind control technology uses light to precisely target the brains’ neuroreceptors. An implant on the skull receives signals and converts them to neurological instructions which can directly control physical bodily functions including our sense of touch, taste, hearing, vision, and even our emotion! The horrible result can be enslavement, coercion, terrorism, and death.

Essentially those affected by this tech cannot be certain whether their motives are their own or someone else’s. Perhaps too, their memories can be erased and replaced with another’s. In a general sense, this tech positions our brains as part of a network connected to other people, software, and data sources. Just as we have security measures on our own devices, we should implement security measures on our brains. We should always assume that illegitimate use is likely.

In a brute force approach, we can disable wireless communication using signal blockers currently available online for under $150.

Convince yourself that this is a real threat by reading some of these publications:

Business Scents: The Rise of Digital Olfaction Two emerging branches of digital olfaction technology have the potential to revolutionize a range of industries. April 29, 2021 | Mark Purdy, Max Klymenko and Mia Purdy | DATA, AI, & MACHINE LEARNING MIT Sloan Management Review

Mind Reading and Mind Control Technologies Are Coming We need to figure out the ethical implications before they arrive By R. Douglas Fields on March 10, 2020 Scientific American

Brain-to-brain interfaces: the science of telepathy By Kristyn Bates Updated March 9, 2015 The Sydney Morning Herald

Mind Control exists but it will be years if ever for laws regulating its use to be enacted.  You can protect yourself from being mind-controlled today with simple, effective, and inexpensive (though somewhat annoying) means 🙂

We CAN Save Our Planet!

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by Linda Kaidan

Youth everywhere are feeling tremendous anger at previous generations for destroying our planet. Just this morning I heard a kid complaining that going to school is a waste of time because the world is going to end anyway. Joining the chorus of defeatist chants are some scientists who say we cannot fix the weather.

Fight destructive actions. Solve problems. While climate change disasters and destruction caused by reprehensible humans are daily occurrences all over the planet, amazing discoveries and technological advancements are happing all the time.

Right now there is a race to colonize Mars and the Moon. Neither have an atmosphere we can breathe or gravity that humans can tolerate long-term. On the moon, temperatures range from -280 F to 260 F. On Mars, they range from -220 F to + 70 F. Very thin atmosphere enables space debris to hit the surface with high impact because there’s no resistance.

Is it really easier to survive in space than on Earth? Despite major obstacles, NASA’s 2021 space budget is 23.3 billion.  This year NASA awarded $2.9 Billion to SpaceX to build a Moon Lander. The Space  Foundation reported that the nearly half a trillion-dollar global space economy grew by 4.4% in 2020. This kind of investment shows strong confidence that humans can live elsewhere in our solar system and beyond. We should have equal faith in life on Earth!

Can we fix our climate? You bet we can! On Earth, we have all the basics that we need for survival. These include oxygen, water, and the mineral base life on our planet evolved with. There is limitless energy potential. We can stop our planet from burning by reducing the amount of sun that reaches our atmosphere. We can protect our communities from wind and flood with intelligent building technologies.

Saying and doing are not the same things. Hope and plans must be accompanied by action! No matter what your age, find a way to contribute. Learn as much as you can and create your own team of activists to help your community whether global or local.

Be the inventors, investors, and contributors you need to be to save your future and the future of all life on our planet!

Beyond-Barcode Scanning Chaos at Walmart Herkimer NY

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Linda Kaidan

Yesterday when shopping at the Herkimer New York Walmart, I had to call for assistance 4 times at the self-checkout, as the software failed to recognize some scanned items, including fresh produce and cat food. My daughter had a worse experience that same day, trying to use her  EBT card. After 30 minutes of shopping, her purchase was canceled and all items returned to the shelves due to a single item recognition failure.

The cashier guessed that it was because she used her EBT card to purchase organic carrots. It is normal for humans to attribute cause to action, but the untrained Walmart clerk’s analysis was wrong: In New York, organic food products can be purchased with SNAP benefits. My daughter noticed that many carts ladened with food were being returned to the shelves by employees.

Walmart’s Deficient Image Capture Checkout Software

It’s apparent that Walmart’s point of sale software is using image capture to verify checkout items. When the barcode or customer-identified item does not agree with the image, the item is rejected by the checkout system. For an EBT purchase, the entire purchase is terminated. This is demoralizing and disrespectful to customers. The Walmart staff is obviously not trained to handle this situation, easily triggering a conflict between the staff member and the frustrated customer.
That my order, purchased with a debit card, wasn’t canceled but my daughter’s SNAP-based purchase was, indicates a value judgment by Walmart staff that SNAP benefit recipients are inherently suspicious.
(When my daughter objected to the cancellation of her order and the rudeness of the customer service rep, the checkout employee called security and store management.)

A better approach would be to publicly identify certain Point of Sale self-checkout machines and let the customer decide to use them as a part of an announced beta test of the software. Customer time should not be wasted because Walmart software doesn’t work. Employees should not speculate about invalid items and should be trained to treat all customers with respect.

Walmart is generally the least expensive and best-stocked place to buy food. Walmart is a leader in Business Intelligence and is planning to fully automate stores, as is Amazon. Change can be challenging–those considering a career in retail should look to other occupations that aren’t so easily automated.

 

 

Fast 3D-Printed Housing in New York State: A Simple Solution for a Complex Time

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Linda Kaidan

PERI, a German technology company, has been the first to create a 3D printed multistory building that is fully German certified. The BOD2 3D printer can construct a 3 story building of 10,000 square feet.

With construction supplies in short demand, it’s a relief to see the debut of a new construction methodology that can decrease construction prices by 50% or more. 3D printing robots have become more functional than ever, and now can be used to create buildings of up to 3 stories. This multi-story functionality is especially important, as it can reduce urban sprawl.  We need never again create another San Fernando Valley of congestion, unbreathable air, and unaffordable homes.

Upstate New York has experienced a massive shortage of housing in the last year. Few homes are available for sale. Housing unavailability is also driven by many who see central and northern NY as an ideal location for remote work and home offices at a more reasonable price than their current homes in more urban areas. Statistics published by the New York State Association of Realtors for the 12 month period ending January 2021 indicate that sales increased by 16.7% and inventory dropped by 26.7%.

Constructiondive.com reports significant increases in basic building material costs over the past year, much of it the result of Covid-19 disruption:

Material % change Jan. 2020
to Jan. 2021
Iron and steel 15.6%
Steel mill products 7.4%
Softwood lumber 73%

SOURCE: Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of BLS data

3D Printing to the Rescue!

3D printed homes are constructed from concrete paste, typically mixed from local materials. Floors and walls, both interior and exterior, are extrusion printed by giant robots which are programmed to manufacture predesigned and tested structures on site. This construction can often be completed in a matter of days and includes whimsical curves that are far more enchanting than right angles and parallel planes. Home construction robots can cost $250,000 and up, but careful research and selection of a manufacturer will help to quickly build cost-efficient, high-quality housing. We certainly hope to see some local 3D printed housing soon spring up here in Upstate New York.

Recent 3D print housing projects in the US include gorgeous $10k Austin TX homeless housing and a home in Millbrook, NY listed for sale on Trulia for $300,000. Don’t be shy! Buy a nice abandoned farm and turn it into an attractive, affordable 3D printed home community. Help house our future😊

Uncertain Times Call For Herkimer County Local Energy Security

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By Linda Kaidan

Local energy security is key to community survival in times of uncertainty, yet
Herkimer County has the lowest level of local solar energy production in NY state.

Solar energy is priced competitively, dependable and environmentally friendly. Solar farms can produce excellent income for farmers and provide secure local energy.  

Herkimer County Solar Energy Production
Herkimer’s solar energy production in bottom tier of NYS counties

Recently we’ve seen how easily supply chains can be disrupted by international catastrophe.

Before Covid-19 appeared in March 2020, it seemed that our favorite foods, cleaning products and cheap manufactured goods made in other countries like China would be endlessly accessible.  Now when we go shopping we are reminded that this is no longer the case. Think about what would happen with a local energy shortage or outage. No heat in our homes. No light. Health care facility malfunction.

Products like energy often have vulnerable supply chains too.

That is why New York has an aggressive program supporting green energy throughout the state. Local green energy produced by wind, water and sun protects the environment. It also ensures that should there be a disruption in availability caused by epidemic, civil unrest or even war we will have the power we need. We will continue to be capable of manufacturing our own products and also have energy for utilities and transportation.

A NYS solar farm map published in 2019 shows solar production by county.

The light counties have the lowest level of solar farm production. Let’s not count on luck to provide Herkimer with energy. Lets build new solar farms in our county that are wildlife friendly, farm friendly and neighbor friendly.

Plans for a local solar farm on approximately 140 acres adjacent to Herkimer College are currently being reviewed by county officials.

This land has significant forest and includes some wetlands. It is located about 1 mile NW of Herkimer Community College’s baseball field parking lot at 188 Sokol Road. Provided wetlands are protected and  consideration is given to wildlife passing through the area, a new solar farm can greatly benefit our county. While losing forest is not desirable, well designed solar farms can accommodate meadow growth favorable to pollinators and can be farm friendly and aesthetically pleasing.