Pixel Watch 4

The only watch I've owned since I was in my twenties, I used exclusively while running.  But after Gourmet Chef Elaine bought an Apple Watch a few years ago and loves it, I reconsidered, over many, many months, if I should take the plunge.  I knew I would wear it while taking our frequent walks, but would I really wear it for its other features?  When the price dropped by $50, I decided I would never know until I tried it.  

I opted for the Pixel Watch 4 (since I have a Pixel 7 phone) with the larger (45mm) face.  I paid extra for the LTE (cellular) model since I could add it for free (I love free) on my Google Fi cell phone plan, and it has Internet connectivity without having to carry my phone.  I choose the watch face you see below that has the date, time, temperature, heart rate, steps, battery level, miles, and calories burned.  

I'm still exploring its many features, but it has exceeded my expectations, and I wear it most of the time.  I really like its familiar "Hey, Google" voice commands, which allow me to scan my emails, listen to my calendar, take notes, and open apps.  Answering phone calls and listening to music (via earbuds) are my next features to explore.

https://store.google.com/us/product/pixel_watch_4

The Bald Advantage

I received an email from Grok promoting their image creation abilities, and the one that said it could create comic strips looked intriguing.  I clicked on the link that sent me to Grok.  The following script was waiting for me.

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Create a comic strip using the subject from the uploaded image. Style the comic strip in a bold Sunday funnies style with thick outlines, halftone textures, and bright 1980s colors. Pick one clear, exaggerated visual element from the photo and build the story around it, leading to a funny or unexpected payoff. Keep the dialogue short, natural, and easy to read, and make sure the joke lands clearly at a glance with no randomness or confusion.

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I was surprised at how detailed the script was, and that's a good lesson about using AI: the more detail, the better.

I uploaded a picture of myself and, after crunching for a minute or so, here's what it conjured up.

Quick-Pickled Jalapeños

I had a combination of leftover jalapeños, a few end-of-season ones in a patio pot, and even more that our friends gave us.  Gourmet Chef Elaine found the quick pickled recipe you'll find at the link below, and it was the perfect solution (pun intended) to use them up.  You just bring water, vinegar, sugar, and salt to a boil over high heat until the salt and sugar are dissolved, and pour that over sliced jalapeños in a jar.  Since they don't use the more time-consuming canning process, these need to stay refrigerated.  I wrote "HOT" on the lid to distinguish them from the Candied Jalapeños I make.  The simple recipe is at the link below.

https://www.southernliving.com/quick-pickled-jalapenos-8643492

Primer

I don't believe I blogged here about the twelve words I used to describe how a night of partying in Pittsburgh always played out.  You can read, if you like, about the Capper, Splitter, Slammer, and the others at the link below.  But recently, a friend who had read "Then The Party Really Starts" asked if I had a word that describes a drink you have before you go out drinking.  I said I did not, but I would noodle on that.

With a little research and an online thesaurus, I made a list of words:

• Beginner
• Foreword
• Intro
• Opening
• Overture
• Preamble
• Preface
• Prelude
• Primer
• Preview
• Prologue

I sent out a whittled-down list, and we all agreed that the most appropriate word was Primer, just like the guy pictured below who is priming a pump.  Now I have thirteen words...

https://lifeexperiences.paulishing.com/2017/11/then-party-really-starts.html

Alexa Voices And Speed

We noticed that Alexa had changed its voice recently when we bought a new Amazon Echo Dot Max, and not to our liking.  I found that the cause was the default Alexa+ Voice, called "Feminine 1, upbeat".  That was just too cheery for our liking, and we found seven other options, some of which you can see in the image on the right below.  I changed that to "Feminine 2, relaxed," and it is much nicer.  You can listen to all eight options at the YouTube link below, and per his suggestion, I'm trying "Feminine 4, grounded" to see if that's a better option.  You can also change how fast Alexa speaks, and I made mine a notch faster, another nice change.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsTop0BaN7w

Corner Counter Hanging

This is not a picture of me praying in the kitchen, nor did Gourmet Chef Elaine put me in timeout.  I use this hanging position to let my lower body relax and stretch out.  I use gravity to pull down my spine and hips by using my arms to support my whole body weight.  This simple maneuver readjusts me just enough that it can immediately alleviate my discomfort.  

Where Will AI Take Us

Mankind has evolved through a number of "ages," and each one began with terrifying screams about how people would be out of jobs and the world would surely end.  Well, the world has certainly changed dramatically in my lifetime.  I pay for services that my parents never had, such as streaming TV, streaming music (satellite and internet), internet connectivity, cell phones, cloud storage, and the domain name service for this blog.  All those industries employ people in jobs that didn't exist when I was a kid.  Old industries died as the new industries took off.  

Whether or not Artificial Intelligence is the next "age" that will eventually rearrange the world like the three pictured below is debatable, but whether it is or it will be something else is not important.  What is important to understand is why the previous changes did not result in the predicted doom and gloom.  It was the entrepreneurs who created the new industries in a free-market economy.  In my mind, there is no scenario where big government and onerous regulations can lead to future prosperity.  Certainly, the government has its role to play, but the more they stay out of the way, the faster and better the transition will be.  

Just the opinion of one guy, but we can all watch as it plays out in the real world.

Tuna Arepas

At a special Sunday noon fundraising event at Jorrge's in Kettering, Ohio, the menu included a selection of arepas, and Janet makes great arepas.  On her recommendation, I ordered the tuna with pico de gallo and queso fresco option shown below, and maybe tuna sounds like an odd choice, but it was absolutely delicious. It paired really well with a tall glass of George's Bloody Mary, perfect for a lunchtime treat.

https://www.facebook.com/jorrgescantina

Don Julio VIP Margarita

The Mad Mex North Hills is my favorite place for a margarita in Pittsburgh, and my go-to variety is the Don Julio VIP.  It comes with a floater served in an inside-out, used lime shell.  The margarita is made with Don Julio Blanco (Silver) Tequila, Cointreau, a premium orange liqueur, and Mad Mex’s signature sour mix/citrus blend.  I asked for the Tajín rim (a Mexican spice mix consisting predominantly of lime, chili peppers, and salt) for an extra kick.  A full menu and a list of their nine locations are at the link below.

https://www.madmex.com

Proxy Wedding

A neighbor of ours told us that her niece was wed to her husband in a "proxy wedding", a term I had never heard of before.  I looked it up and found, "A proxy wedding is a marriage ceremony where one or both individuals are not physically present and are represented by stand-ins, known as proxies."  The husband is in the military, and proxy weddings are often the quickest way to get married and afford the other spouse financial benefits like legal, financial, and healthcare protections.  

Proxy weddings are only legal in Montana, California, Colorado, New Jersey (active military only), and Texas, so one party must be physically in one of those states, and the other party is represented by a stand-in.  Montana allows a double-proxy wedding with neither party being physically present, but it is available only to military members and residents.

More information can be found at the following link.

https://www.boydlawlosangeles.com/what-is-a-proxy-marriage