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Cryptocurrency: a solution that does not solve a problem

Suppose I went to my local cafe to buy a coffee, and suppose the cafe accepted cryptocurrency. What incentive would I have to use that over fiat currency? None. If I pay with cryptocurrency for that transaction, there are 3 problems: the need to pay gas money, a similar idea to a transaction fee be contributing to global warming with the computationally-intensive nature of cryptocurrency cryptocurrency is not FDIC insured By contrast, if I pay for the coffee with my debit card, I don't need to pay a transaction fee. The transaction would probably be quite a bit faster since nothing computationally intensive has to happen. Also, my money linked to my debit card is FDIC insured, unlike money in a cryptocurrency wallet. So for multiple reasons outlined above, cryptocurrency is an inferior means of exchange compared to fiat currency. Now, if you were to tell me that cryptocurrency's main advantage is not as a means of transaction but rather as an asset that could increase over time...
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The most appropriate use of AI writing tools may be to produce a parody of itself

I was contemplating the idea of writing a parody of AI writing similar to that generated by ChatGPT and other AI writers. But wait! Isn't AI writing already a parody of itself, after all?  It produces information which may or may not be correct.  Instead of carefully making a parody of AI writing, it would save a lot of time to just have the AI produce its normal output. It then occurred to me that perhaps this could and should be the most appropriate usage of AI writing tools.  Maybe the only way to use an AI writer is ironically.  Remember, any AI model is an interpolation system which cannot reliably extrapolate .   Feel free to use and share this image.
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Linux applications I like

This is a list of my favorite Linux GUI applications in alphabetical order. Command-line applications (e.g. dadadodo, sbcl, etc) will not be listed here. Balsa - I use it as a searchable mail archive Brasero - This is my main tool for making live media CD's (i.e. disk ISO) Clam TK Claws mail Dia - diagram editor Emacs GUI GIMP gthumb - my favorite photo viewer and basic editor Kazam - screen recording software to make a video LibreOffice suite Links2 - alternative super low-tech browser (I hardly ever use it but like having it in case) Master PDF Editor 5 - the best way to fill and annotate PDF's nobleNote - for my archived notes; searchable ReText - Markdown editor, dual pane for markdown syntax and WYSIWYG. Useful in NaNoGenMo season for ease of reading the output of my program Zim desktop wiki - planner/organizer
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Why bother using blockchain for metaverse worlds when decentralization is possible without it?

Decentralization is possible without using blockchain. Some examples of this are Diaspora and Mastodon , both of which are federated decentralized networks that do not use a blockchain.  In that case, why is there a need to use blockchain for any metaverse world, especially when the environmental reputational risks are so high? In many areas of the world, the electric grid is not decarbonized yet. The amount of power drawn for blockchain computation is high. In fact, in areas where electricity is cheap enough to draw blockchain miners, this tends to be heavily based on fossil fuels. So you could say that the blockchain is currently largely powered by coal and other fossil fuels. So again, why bother using blockchain?  There are other examples of the buying and selling of digital property without using blockchain technology, for example domain name trading. If we as humans are truly to be future-conscious, blockchain technology cannot be a part of our future due to its emissio...
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Good and bad uses of AI as it currently stands

The good Recently, the Photos app on my Android phone automatically curated some of my photos into a "highlights" album for me. I thought this was a fantastic idea. I love this use of AI - it does something quickly and easily that would otherwise take a lot of human time.  The only downside was that the AI included a close-up pic I'd taken of a spot on the skin behind my husband's ear so he could see it. Now, if this AI had instead been for a self-driving car, then too bad, we likely would've had a terrible wreck at this point - endangering myself, any passengers, and other drivers on the road. But since this application of AI for photo selection did not have any life-threatening consequences, I was all for it. The bad I've said before, and I'll say it again, that AI as it currently stands should not be used for self-driving purposes and I have explained clearly why. Indeed, I believe that AI should not be used for any purpose that may have life-threaten...
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More callable variants of functions in Ruby

 This is a slightly more advanced version of my previous post on creating callable variants of functions in Ruby while avoiding scope problems . In today's instance, I was creating an error reporting system for a program I was writing.  The error reporting, of necessity, had to emit a message to indicate what was going on. While some errors would be unique messages that only occurred once during the program, other errors could be grouped. For example, one group was "incorrect number of parameters supplied". There were several error messages within my program that fell into this category, so I didn't want to type out the exact same wording each time. I wanted to create a function that could report this sort of error indicating where it happened (of course I had to supply parameters to the messages to show the context). So here is a very basic sketch of the sort of thing I was doing. I'm writing this here so that I can go back to it easily later. The item I'm re...
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About Me

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Vera
I'm a wife and mother. I don't have any formal computer science qualifications, or any religious qualifications. I have a PhD in biochemistry. This photo is of me, but is confusing for AI.