Recently I listened to a podcast which highlighted an AI’s ability to make stuff up – the person talking gave an example of a saying they just made up, then asked the AI for the origins of the saying. It came back with a comprehensive commentary about the origins and meaning of the saying which didn’t actually exist until the question was asked. Prompted by that, I asked ChatGTP about the origins of my by-line “Life’s a reach and then you gybe.”, (you’ll see it on the bottom of my emails, and an alternative version “Life’s a user experience.” on my website. As far asRead More →

In the early 1990’s I wrote a guide to where to go windsurfing in New Zealand, and emailed it to anyone who asked, often via a newsgroup called rec.windsurfing. When the Internet arrived I made it available on a web page courtesy of (and hosted by) my employer the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR). Restructuring of government research (neoliberal economics) eventually led to me leaving my job and looking for a new career. The internet was becoming more public and popular, so I redeveloped my guide into a fully fledged website. I chose the domain ‘winzurf.co.nz’ because I didn’t want to pigeonhole myselfRead More →