Trip to Key West

 

We spent a few days in Key West, Florida last week (September 24th to the 28th 2024). We were lucky in that Hurricane Helene went to the west of us... we didn't get any rain after the first night, but did get a lot of wind.  We always stay at the Ocean Key Resort.  The resort location is marked with an X in the map below.

 We can see Mallory Square from our Balcony (3rd floor room).  The island that can be seen in the picture below to the left is Sunset Key. 

 

View from our room

View of the palms being whipped by the wind.

Presentation by John Jones on Generative AI and Higher Education

On September 9th, 2024, John Jones, the Executive Director of the Wichita State University Media Resources Center gave a very interesting presentation on Artificial Intelligence and Higher Education. The presentation was part of a Brown Bag Series sponsored by the WSU Retirees Association (I'll write more about this organization later). One of the concerns that faculty have about the increasing influence of AI, is that students will be using it to write papers and therefore not really be gaining the skills needed for writing and research. John indicated that it isn't a sure thing to be able to detect writing that is done through AI. There ARE online resources that purport to be able to detect the use of AI in writing, and it is possible for a writer to use these resources to improve their writing and remove the indications that AI has been used in their writing.  John also highlighted the positive uses of AI to help streamline the generation of written materials. John did some demonstrations that were really amazing.

 

If you want to experiment with AI, you might give ChatGPT a try. 

I have written a previous Blog Post back in 2023, take a look at that if you like.

*Many thanks to Marcia Stevens for the picture!

A New Dog - Meet Gemma!

 

On Saturday March 16th, we had a "Meet and Greet" with Gemma, a Boxer mix under the care of WAAL, the Wichita Animal Action League.  Gemma is 7 plus years old and has been in foster care for over a year.  We decided to adopt her on March 17th.  She is a VERY well behaved dog and enjoys watching TV with us.  She walks very well on a lead.  She seems to be settling in quite well.

 

 

 

 

Here is a Video of Gemma.

 

 

Trip to Top of the Rock near Branson Missouri

 

Last week, February 20th to the 23rd, we took a quick trip to the Big Cedar Lodge near Branson, Missouri. One of the things that we did was to visit the Top of the Rock.  We wanted to see how big the sinkhole was.  The sinkhole began on May 22nd of 2015 and has only gotten bigger.  The picture to the left shows the sinkhole as it exists on the day that we visited.  If you want to read about the initial collapse, read about it HERE.

We've visited this area many times as we used to water ski on Table Rock Lake. See other pictures below.

 

Duke, an English Springer Spaniel

 

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On Wednesday January 24th, 2024, we euthanized Duke.  He had just turned 13 (born January 8, 2011).  We adopted him through the English Spring Spaniel Rescue on March 15, 2014. We have no information about his first three years.  The first year was a bit rocky, but he became a VERY good boy.  In his final months he suffered from severe arthritis in his hips and back legs.  He had difficulty walking.  It was a difficult decision, but I think it was the right one.  The picture to the left is Duke very soon after he came to live with us.  The house feels empty.    RIP Duke!