My tryst with Artificial intelligence has just begun ..

It was a great and fortunate opportunity for the author this morning as he took a class on Artificial intelligence (AI) and applications in supply chain management first time in life, to BBA students at Alliance School of Business, Bangalore. 

It was great introducing them to interesting Machine Learning apps  Google AI, Open AI, the very basics of Machine Learning, Neural networks, Supervised, Unsupervised Learning and Deep Learning with practical exposure to ML apps like Google maps, Faceapp, LEIA etc. 

Generative AI was also discussed.  With practical exposure to Faceapp, Voila deep fake apps,  LEIA machine Learning app to make websites, the session went fine. Amazon echo dot and Google 

Towards the end  the students were introduced to Generative AI app Dream AI for text-image conversion and Dalle-2. Amazon Echo dot, Google chatbot, MS Cortana and Apple Siri bots also were part of the discussion..

It was followed by an interesting quiz on AI applications in the supply chain with an average score of 5 out of 10. Also spoke of how over the past one  year the author has been giving quizzes utilising Google AI (and of late Open AI) followed by instant evaluation using an interesting IT application, the Learning Management system MOODLE.

Though the author not done any course on AI, the excellent basics on Computing he had, working on IBM Mainframe at Govt Gollege of Engineering Trivandrum during early 80s (with blessings of late Prof. PVR Menon) and on Mini computers at Govt college of Engineering Goa during late 80s followed by working on Sparc servers at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay during late 90s, combined with reading and teaching of IS and IT related subjects,  have made the author quite confident of the modern day IT, computing and AI revolution developments. 

This is the beginning,  more to follow in the coming days. Thank you my dear friend for being beside me on this IT and AI journey of mine

George Easaw.

My visit to Trissur on 4th Feb ..

For a long time, I was planning to visit my school and college friends for a long time. Aji Issac from Don Bosco had his son's Amit wedding happening in Chalakudy on 5 Feb '23. So I packed off to Trissur by bus on 4 th Feb from ecity by KSRTC bus. Reached Trissur on 5th morning by 7.30 AM, Called my school and college mate Babu Bhaskar who was kind to take me to his home. After freshening up and a sumptuous breakfast, we went to meet Manoj's mother who was celebrating her 87th birthday. Babu's wife is a great host and it was a great time I could spend with Babu and wife reliving memories of Babu's father and mother.

Babu had bought a bouquet for Manoj's mother and also a mundu for me to gift her, so nice of Babu. Manoj's mother was very overjoyed at us greeting her on her 87th birthday. As I had limited time, after almost 30 minutes, I left for Peechanikkadu St. Peter's Jacobite church to attend my school mate from Don Bosco Aji Issac's son's marriage. The Jacobite church was so grand and large, I have not seen such a church in recent times, it is easily twice the size of Puthupally church. Established in 1906, it is an old church recently refurbished.

The marriage went fine and then we went to Chalakudy hall for the lunch. There I was really fortunate to meet at least ten of my school friends, it was a really happy occasion. After taking a snap with school friends, I went to Prof. Poduval's house near Kodagara, en route from Chalakudy to Trissur.. Poduval sir was at the bus stand waiting for me for more than 45 mins. We went to sir's house in his new Baleno car. After a quick tea, we went for a walk around the area to see his relatives. The village atmosphere was very refreshing. Also to see real good, simple, loving people.

After a bath and dinner, it was time to leave Trissur. Reached Trissur bus stand by 8.30 PM. By 11 PM was in the bus to Bangalore. By 7.30 am on Monday, I was in home in Bangalore and reached the college in time for the 8.30 AM class.

A very satisfying journey indeed, though short.

George..

What to do to keep good health ?

In old age, more than anything else, we find it is good health and good relationships that will keep us happy and occupied. I asked chatGPT a simple question,

UN public domain document..

What should I do to keep good health ?

To maintain good health, you can follow these general guidelines:

1. Eat a balanced and nutritious diet, including plenty of fruits and vegetables.

2. Exercise regularly, aiming for at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity each day.

3. Maintain a healthy weight.

4. Get adequate sleep each night, aiming for 7-9 hours.

5. Avoid unhealthy habits, such as smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.

6. Manage stress through activities such as meditation, yoga, or exercise.

7. Practice good hygiene, including washing your hands frequently.

8. Get regular medical check-ups and screenings.

9. Stay informed about your health and take steps to prevent and manage any chronic conditions.

10. Keep close communication with close family members and old friends circle.

11. Expand your mind through expanded reading habit, enjoy the classics

12. As much as possible keep pace with technology and developments

Remember that individual needs may vary and it's important to speak with a doctor or healthcare professional for personalized advice.

As a final message, I feel serving needy and old age people with our time, knowledge and resources also makes our life worth living on this planet.

George.

Teaching till 80 years ..

As a 58-year-old professor teaching operations management in India, I can consider the following steps to continue teaching till 80 years old:

1. Maintaining good health: Taking care of one's physical and mental health is important to ensure one is able to continue teaching for a longer period. This includes regular exercise, eating a balanced diet, getting enough sleep, and managing stress.

2. Staying up to date: Keep oneself updated with the latest developments in the field of operations management. Attend conferences, workshops, and seminars, and engage in ongoing professional development to maintain expertise and relevance.

3. Adapting to changing technology: Embrace technology and incorporate it into one's teaching to keep up with the times and remain relevant to students. This may include using online platforms for teaching, virtual simulations, and other digital tools.

4. Networking: Maintaining strong connections with colleagues, alumni, and other professionals in one's field can help to stay informed about the latest developments, as well as provide opportunities for professional growth.

5. Taking breaks: It's important to take breaks and recharge to prevent burnout and maintain one's energy levels. Consider taking regular vacations, engaging in hobbies, and spending time with loved ones to refresh and rejuvenate.

Note: It's important to consult with one's doctor regularly to monitor  health and ensure one is capable of continuing to teach. It's also good to have a contingency plan in case of any health issues or unexpected events

With generous contributions from ChatGPT ..

Dad and mom, 54th wedding anniversary..

Getting the new Lenovo Chromebook

I was on the lookout for a good high value laptop to help me in my daily chores. All my work is on Google cloud using Google apps like blogger, google doc, google sheet etc. So naturally I was looking for a good machine that had zero local processing capabilities and more cloud computing facilities.

The new Lenovo Chromebook laptop I purchased from Amazon at a rate of INR 13,500 exchanging my 10 year old HP 430 was no doubt a fantastic purchase. It was a clear bargain buy one can get the day before Christmas. 

Since all my work is on the Internet accessing the different tech and development websites, besides Economist, HBR, Forbes and other sites and working on the Google cloud, this was definitely a great buy considering the fact all investment on local hardware would be a sheer waste. I wanted only minimal local hardware investment. These days there is nothing one can't get off the net.

It was just two years back that I spent a fortune buying the latest Lenovo for my daughter who needed it for carrying out her PG studies and research at IIPR Bangalore doing her PG in pyschology and counseling from Bangalore university. 

The only difference with that machine is it had besides good online access, good local hardware and gaming capabilities, working on Intel 7i chipset. This is a simple Celeron N4020 chipset single core at app 2 GHz speed. 

In the wildest of dreams I never expected Amazon to offer me about INR 6500 on exchanging my 10 year old HP laptop HP360 with Intel 3i chipset. This is why I say Amazon continues to marvel and surprise me with offers and rates that are excellent for the customer, with extreme cuxtomer focus that makes it a pleasure and gainful, doing ecommerce with Amazon.

The only drawback I found after working on it for almost 4 hours it has a limited functionality keyboard with missing page up and page down, end of line and beginning of line buttons. With all the regular data intensive apps, for me mostly word processing and AI, moving to the cloud, what is the purpose of having local heavy duty processors for just doing text processing work ? I do not waste time on gaming and is not a fan at all. Using the Chrome book, it becomes very easy to work in the Google Metaverse, and porting between Google apps becomes so easy. Weighing just 1.1 kg, just about 1.9 cm thick, it is a real good value. 

Once I start downloading Android apps from Google Playstore onto this laptop and start working on it, clearly removing the demarcation line between the mobile phone and laptop, I can do serious Internet app work on the laptop instead of the palmsized mobile phones. With a great 10 hour battery life, charging through 230 V AC, the new battery has long life and along with easy wifi connectivity, going online is no problem at all. This is also an added asset for the laptop.

The 4 GB RAM and 64 GB internal memory, moderatly strong processor at 2.4 GHz, not so good gaming capabilities, with capability to add another 256 GB external memory, this machine is definitely a bargain buy,

While I am still unable to find how I can work on the latest Ubuntu Unity 22.1 Linux OS using USB in this Chrome OS laptop, I could work on the native Debain 10 Buster distribution. I do not see the initial BIOS screen while booting to change the booting sequence. Figuring it out. Help will be appreciated.

George

Filling my car tyres with Nitrogen ..

 Our new Honda City VX MT had shown low air pressure for the past three four days. Since I could not get it refilled I kept it pending, but yesterday took it to the Ecity phase 1 petrol pump near HCL and D mart for filling. I had checked up with Raju uncle on Nitrogen filling and got a very positive response. 

I got all my tires Nitrogen filled yesterday. 

After checking up with friends, I found the advantages were manifold.

1. Longer period of correct tyre inflation - as Nitrogen molecules are said to be larger than the normal air molecules, Nitrogen leakage happens at a slower rate than air from the tyres. While normal air tyre, air drops by 1.5 psi every week, in a Nitrogen filed tyre, this drop happens over a period of 1-2 months. Hence the tyre remains inflated for a longer period of time.  (refer Ceat website click here)

2. Because normal tyre deflation happens at a slower pace, the tyres are properly inflated almost all the time and hence the fuel economy achieved is also high, by about 10-20 % on an average.

3. Because the tires are properly inflated for a longer period of time, the tyre surface is not subjected to unnatural loads with less pressure and this ensures longer tyre life. Less wear and tear of the tyre, giving it a longer life.

4. The ride is comfortable all the time as tyres are properly inflated.

5. Less visits to the petrol pump gives the public additional high quality time. 

6. Less deflation possibility reduces skidding chances and hence improves the tyre grip on the road and hence passenger safety.

7. Air has water vapour molecules that result in corrosion of the inside steel surface of the wheel rim. With Nitrogen, there is less chance of corrosion happening and hence savings in wheel replacement.

8. Normal air has water vapour that gets heated after long distance running, leading to heating of tyre and degradation of the tyre performance, this phenomenon is quite rare in Nitrogen filled tyres.

My 8 year old Tata Nano still has normal nylon tyres and is air inflated, while the new one has Nitrogen filled radial tyres.

I am awaiting my friends' comments to add a couple more points here.

George. (pic courtesy carblogindia.com)