Posts

Visiting the topology for running containerized workloads and AI Workbench

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Data science and AI projects are typically run on rented CPU/GPU resources or in self-managed data centers. By using containerization, we can separate our code and configuration from the underlying hardware, making it easier to switch between different systems for cost or performance reasons. However, containerization and remote execution introduce new networking and connectivity challenges. In this talk, we will explore how to manage connectivity for both the control plane and the user experience plane, including requirements like web access. AI transcription of the talk This section contains Gemini's rewrite of the YouTube Video's transcript. The raw text is down below.  The Role of Containerization in Local and Remote Data Science When designing a GPU-bound data exploration or analytics environment , the key to maintaining consistency—whether you're working locally or remotely —is a containerized workflow . For quick prototyping, we often leverage a few local GPUs witho...

The case against generative AI as a business and the questionable revenue hype machine.

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Measuring the success and potential of "Generative AI" is complicated. Are we measuring usage, output quality, mindshare hype, the number of layoffs attributed to it, revenue, income, or something else? This article, which I wish I had written, describes the tangled web of hype, power, and corporate deals driving today's Generative AI. The case against generative AI Short Take There is no way to build the capacity required for the models and the desired demand.  There is no way for LLMs to deliver trusted no-humans-in-the-loop results. The reported financial results and forward-looking claims by the companies are nonsense. The layoffs were misattributed.  Claimed staff reductions tied to AI productivity changes don't exist Revision History Created 2025/10

Removing all the downloads from your kindle while leaving it attached to your account.

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Have you ever wanted to remove all downloads from your Kindle without disassociating and then re-associating it to your account? You can do this on the device.  It does not affect the books and other digital content that is owned by your Amazon Account.  Everything can be re-downloaded. 2025 October - Kindle PaperWhite and Kindle Scribe Pull down to see Configuration All Settings --> Device Options  Storage Management Manual Remove At this point, you can  see the total storage used and can remove content by category Books Audible Periodicals Docs (PDF) Samples Other Select the category of your choice You should see a list of documents/books/recordings for that category. Select all the downloads you wish to remove A Remove  button will become enabled in the bottom right corner Press remove once you have highlighted the targeted downloads I found it easier to remove a page of docs at a time, but I only had 20 items of digital content downloaded. Marginally...

Create Flutter icons for all target types with single png and flutter_launcher_icons

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Creating a cross-platform app icon for Flutter can be easy.  Easy enough that it is embarrassing how long I looked away from adding app icons to my apps. Creating an app icon across platforms is especially true if you avoid implementing many platform-specific customizations. You can convert a single PNG image into all the formats needed for Flutter Android, iOS, MacOS, Windows, and Web launcher icons using just one 1000x1000 pixel icon and  flutter_launcher_icons. Caveat This walkthrough does not take into account different icons for light and dark This does not have any Apple Glass handling Create an app icon Create a 1000x1000 pixel icon using the tool of your choice.  The icon at the top of the blog was created for f s-game-score using appicons.ai. I used  https://appicons.ai , which I found via Reddit Mac users may be able to use something like Apple Icon Composer Download the icon created in the step above. It should be a 1000x1000 PNG file. Copy the icon t...

Upgrading the memory on an asustor AS5402T Hard Drive and Flash NAS

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The  asustor AS5402T  is a NAS  appliance  that supports two (2) 3.5" drives and four (4) NVMe drives.  I wanted to run some Docker and Home Automation  on my AS5402T NAS so that I didn't have to maintain additional machines.  The AS5402T has two SODIMM slots that are accessible without any tools. It comes standard with a single upgradable 4GB SODIMM.  Upgrading from 4GB to 32GB was a simple, toolless operation. Getting Access Getting access to the memory slots Power off the unit. Unplug the unit from the wall outlet. Remove the 3.5" disks. Remember which slot each drive was in. You should be able to see the SODIMM slot by looking in through the disk drive opening.  The memory modules are visible at the bottom.  See the following images I swapped the RAM and reinserted the drives before powering up. Original Configuration The unit accepts DDR3 3200MHz SODIMM.  Two CRUCIAL 16GB DDR3 1600 SODIMM The RAM modules cost me about $45 each ...

Using "No Off Ramp" Decisions as Forcing Functions for Driving Change

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Sometimes we need to have a forcing function to make change inevitable.  Implement a no-off-ramp change that aligns teams and partners with the vision.  This assumes you have enough clout or leverage to make that happen.  Drivers can include asset sales, contract changes, and regulatory issues. Holding the line can be challenging when people raise issues and either actively or passively resist.  Make a type of change that cannot be reasonably undone, and then create gatekeepers for the new desired behavior when people are onboarded A Mind Map Thinking through the aspects related to making changes. See the video down below for a better explanation of the diagram than I do here in writing. Click to expand Maybe I can get an AI to convert the transcript into the body of this article. Problem You have a problem that can't be resolved as a normal part of the business. The Organization refuses to respond to the need.  There is some current behavior that is driving up ...

The short/medium forecast for LLM based coding agents and aids July 2025 edition

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Here are three short videos I did after reading a bunch “AI is blah blah to programming” posts on LinkedIn. Maybe not yet to binary Never another general purpos programming language The future is domain specific languages (DSLs) Revision History Created 2025 07

Creating order out of chaos in a world of AI Everywhere

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The hot ticket right now is "Put AI Everywhere". This usually results in a race to come up with ideas about how AI can be used in new products or existing systems.  I suggest creating a system to analyze existing processes, software, and programs with a structured approach, identifying opportunities and assessing risks and rewards. LLM agents, chat bots and instructors models that turn human speech and writing patterns into content or actions is in scope here.  TTS, STT, translators and other non integrated LLM uses are out of scope. The talk below iteratively breaks down our process until we reach the point where we identify AI opportunities. We start with PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Adjust) as a notion for the lifecycle of products, software, and processes. We can map that into the following in the software space. Item 4 could be anything specific to your domain.  Design Time: All of the processes that happen before actual code execution. This is before transactions, customer ...

Quit hiding the scrollbars on a Mac! Make Mac scrollbars always visible

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macOS on Mac and MacBook machines automatically hides the scrollbars when you aren't scrolling. It is a great space saver, but it can make things difficult. This behavior violates the "what you see is what you can do" implicit contract between users and the system. It makes it impossible to scroll applications or browser windows that contain a scrolling drawing area.  An example is the DASH  plotting and dashboard system. The graph view grabs all scale and drag operations to the full width of the screen. The trackpad just affects the content area and not the page-level scrolling. We have a fix for that! Make scrollbars on macOS always visible You can do this via the macOS Settings application Settings --> Appearance --> Show scrollbars Created 2025/07

2025 OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications - Creating a common understanding of security risks

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LLM-supported AI is being stuffed into every computer-based and computer-assisted process. A lot is being said about the benefits of LLM, with some secondary discussions about security and behavioral risks. Many of the risk discussions have been unstructured bullet points or anecdotal stories of hacked systems. The OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications 2025 provides a framework for understanding the top risks of an LLM-integrated system. The OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications deserves the same attention the OWASP Top 10 for Web applications has held for over a decade. The Developer's Playbook for Large Language Model Security  by Steve Wilson provides a solid foundation for understanding risks existing in an LLM ecosystem. It also led me to the  OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications 2025 .  This is a great resource for anyone looking to integrate LLMS into business processes or existing systems. I got this book as part of a set of O'Reilly books in a Humble Bundle. OWASP Top 10 fo...