Photography and smiling: a theory
Why do you think people didn’t smile for photographs until fairly recently? Why was that? I heard they thought people in the 1800’s, who smiled for photos were crazy.
I have a theory, not very well researched. My theory is that before photography and film, people had their self-portraits painted. And they had to sit still for hours while the painter made a masterpiece. Who wants to hold a smile for hours? So I figure the norm was to hold a straight face while getting a portrait made and that trend carried over as photography became more prevalent. At least until one day some brave guy risked looking crazy with a smile and made a pretty lady giggle.
I have a web-based AI on my laptop
Following this guide from David Waring of Digital Brain Base, I set up Open WebUI on my laptop and accessed it through my web browser. A couple extra steps and I’m able to access it from my phone, with the action happening on my laptop.
It’s nearly identical to the ChatGPT browser interface, with a couple other features. First off, you can tag your chats, for useful organization (I’m a big fan of tags). Also, some of the more discrete options that OpenAI offers, like storing training documents and functions, are available directly in the Open WebUI settings. One of the nicest features in my opinion is the ability to run two different models side-by-side, to see how they respond differently to the same prompt.
All the while, you can still load in your OpenAI account and use the latest GPT models, so switching over to WebUI doesn’t sacrifice anything.
Join in on the journey and take ownership of your digital brain.
It’s easy to forget being a beginner
As you develop a skill, or learn to comprehend something complex, you naturally forget the confusion and uncertainty that occurred when you first began. Once you “get” something, you’ve got it. How could you possibly feel uncertain about it? And that’s what distinguishes a great coach.
As I develop skills, or comprehend complex processes, I realize I’ve naturally forgotten the confusion and uncertainty that once occurred when I first began. Once I ‘got’ something, I had it. How could I possibly feel uncertain about it?
That’s the thing that distinguishes a great coach. A great coach is competent, perhaps expert at a particular skill set. And they can also recall what it was like to be beginner at that skill, to associate with the way the beginner thinks, the questions a beginner asks themselves. By enlisting in this perspective, a coach can provide the right information, said the right way, at the right time, at the right pace. I have a lot of appreciation for the coaches and mentors who have been and are in my life.
Bonus video: Oktoberfest opening
On this day, twelve years ago, I was there. Watch as the Wies’n comes alive and the tents fill up with people from around the world and right down the street, to celebrate – what was it they are celebrating? It’s probably forgotten by now, something about a prince getting married. But we all know it as OKTOBERFEST.
There are many celebrations like this (and I can recommend the Cannstatter Volksfest in Stuttgart as well!) but there is only one Oktoberfest. Here’s a video of the gates opening to let people in early in the morning on the first day, September 21. Later that day, at noon, the mayor of Munich arrived to tap the first keg.
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