Scott Boehmer

Author: Scott Boehmer

  • Hocking Hills

    Last weekend, we took a trip to Hocking Hills in Ohio to meet up with my mother-in-law. We got in some hikes to see waterfalls and rocks in the state park.

  • The High Cost of Car Ownership

    This video from Theo Nollert focuses on the high costs of owning a car and touches on how American communities have been designed to require cars.

    The High Cost of Car Ownership (YouTube – Theo Nollert)

  • Photos from Portugal

    Last week I was in Portugal for a team-building trip for work. While there I got to do some sight-seeing, both as part of group activities and on my own. Most of our time was spent within walking distance of our hotel near Rossio, but we also took trips to Arrábida Natural Park, Setúbal, and Oceanário de Lisboa.

  • A Trip to Florida

    We spent last week in Florida. On the way down, we stopped at the Kennedy Space Center where there was a lot of stuff for the Artemis II launch that was only a few days away at that point. Then we visited the Miami Zoo, Biscayne and Everglades National Parks, and some family on the Gulf coast.

  • The Real North Carolina Voter Fraud

    A nice quick video looking at voter fraud in North Carolina.

    The Real North Carolina Voter Fraud (YouTube – Theo Nollert)

  • Thomas Germain, Hot Dog Eating Champion

    It’s official. I can eat more hot dogs than any tech journalist on Earth. At least, that’s what ChatGPT and Google have been telling anyone who asks. I found a way to make AI tell you lies – and I’m not the only one.

    Perhaps you’ve heard that AI chatbots make things up sometimes. That’s a problem. But there’s a new issue few people know about, one that could have serious consequences for your ability to find accurate information and even your safety. A growing number of people have figured out a trick to make AI tools tell you almost whatever they want. It’s so easy a child could do it.

    Thomas Germain

    I hacked ChatGPT and Google’s AI – and it only took 20 minutes (BBC)

  • Diffusion of Responsibility

    We deserve good software in a world where participation is often connected to having access to a computer, to software, etc. We should push towards more reliable software, more secure software, software that is accessible, that protects people against misuse and allows them to be as safe as possible in doing what they want to do.

    What do we get? Slop. Slop generated by guys who – when called out for their irresponsible behavior – just start crying about how they only wanted to “share” or “inspire” or “educate” while handing out running chainsaws to kids.

    tante/Jürgen Geuter

    Diffusion of Responsibility (Smashing Frames)

  • How Ba Sing Se Was Built to Control People

    When one of the urban planning video creators that I like makes a video about one of my favorite cartoons, I’m going to share it. So here’s Justine Underhill talking about urban planning and Ba Sing Se from Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra.

    How Ba Sing Se Was Built to Control People (YouTube – Justine Underhill)

  • Writers Who Use AI Are Not Real Writers

    If I can generate a book in a day, and you need six months to write a book, who’s going to win the race?

    Coral Hart

    But of course, in the quote — a quote which is itself a cocky, smug assertion of superiority based purely on speed — is buried a greater, uglier truth.

    If I can generate a book in a day–

    and you need six months to write a book–

    She’s not writing anything.

    And she knows that.

    She’s “generating” it.

    Chuck Wendig

    Writers Who Use AI Are Not Real Writers (Chuck Wendig: Terrible Minds)

  • Vote in the Primaries

    Early voting is starting tomorrow here in North Carolina. Get out there and vote.

    If you’re in North Carolina, you can get info about early voting and view your sample ballot on the State Board of Elections site. Then if you’re in the Wake/Durham area, INDY Week is a good resource for local election coverage.