My Ailing Laptop

Lately, my late 2013 MacBook Pro is refusing to stay connected to the household WiFi which is a source of irritation. It had been flaky for a while and one might suspect the laptop's WiFI but it connects just fine to the WiFi from my iPhone when I use the latter as a hotspot. I'm currently running a ten metre cable from the household router to it so all is well. I don't move about much with it anyway so it's not really an issue.

It's back to the old pre-WiFi days
for me as my laptop lapses into senility

Ever since I installed Linux Mint on my laptop to replace the Mac OS, the Bluetooth has not worked but that didn't bother me. I replaced the ten year old battery with a new one when I was in Australia earlier this year and that has really given the old laptop a new lease on life. There's no doubt however, that the device, like its owner, is showing its age. Last night, I discovered that closing the lid placed the laptop in permanent suspension from which it would not awake. Once the lid closed, I needed to restart it. However, by changing preferences so that closing the lid had no effect, I was able to remedy that little glitch.

I've lately found my misplaced USB cooling pad and so I now rest the laptop on that to keep it cool as it can often overheat if placed under even minimal stress. Overall, despite its current quirks, the machine is quite sufficient for my needs and I've grown quite attached to it after using it regularly for over nine years now. It may even see me out. Who knows? In the meantime I still have my Raspberry Pi 400 keyboard computer as a back up in case my primary device has a heart attack. 

My backup device
Raspberry Pi 400

There is a Raspberry 5 out now but no sign of a Raspberry Pi 500 as yet. Regardless, such a device would be superfluous to my needs at the moment. As the year draws to a close, I must note that my output this year of 26 posts falls far short of my output for 2022 when I made 47 posts. However, it's consistent with my output in other years since my output for earlier years was:

►  2021 (27)

►  2020 (22)

►  2019 (17)

►  2018 (16)

►  2017 (24)

►  2016 (16)

The average number of posts for the years 2016 to 2023 is a little over 24 posts or almost exactly two per month.

Bard and Rebus Puzzles

My previous post on 11th November was titled More Rebus Puzzles and featured 24 puzzles. I solved most of them, often after a fair bit of thought, so I though I'd see how Google Bard performed when attempting to solve a couple of them.

I presented it with the easiest one of all which as FA ST and the solution is BREAKFAST but Bard was clueless. Here is the interchange. 

I found this rebus puzzle: FA ST. The first two letters are separated by a space from the last two letters. What could the solution to this puzzle be?

The solution to the rebus puzzle "FA ST" is "fast". The space between the first two letters and the last two letters is meant to represent the separation between the "fa" sound and the "st" sound in the word "fast".

Not so impressive. Next I tried a slightly more difficult one and not surprisingly Bard once again came up short.

Here is another REBUS puzzle (the two lines below):

     COD

H2        O

Can you find a common phrase that represents a solution to this puzzle?

Yes, there are two common phrases that could be the solution to the rebus puzzle:

COD H20: This phrase represents the phrase "caught in the rain." The rebus symbols represent the following:

COD: The fish cod. This represents the word "caught."

H20: The chemical formula for water. This represents the word "rain."

 

COD H2 O: This phrase represents the phrase "caught in the flow." The rebus symbols represent the following:

COD: The fish cod. This represents the word "caught."

H2: The chemical formula for hydrogen. This represents the word "flow."

O: The letter O. This represents the preposition "in." 

Well, I guess an E for Effort should be awarded but the solutions are nonsensical and it is apparent that, even though these puzzles are language-based, Bard still has a long way to go before it will be able to make sense of most rebus puzzles. 

More Rebus Puzzles

 I came across these 24 rebus puzzles in an email from this website:

Here are the answers together with some comments of my own:

1. Herbaceous border: I got the herbaceous part but didn't realise that the letters formed a border.
   
   
2. Just around the corner: got this one which is perhaps the easiest of them all.
   
   
3. Gross injustice: this took me a while to get this until I realised that 144 is a gross.
   
   
4. Fish out of water: got this one.
   
   
5. West Indies: got this one.
   
   
6. Two peas in a pod: got this one.
   
   
7. Blast from the past: got this one.
   
   
8. Cutting corners: got this one.
   
   
9. Handsome: I came up with hand calculator for this which is perhaps acceptable but I missed the some/sum homophone.
   
   
10. Mother-in-law: I came up with "silent cop" for this one based on keeping mom about something meaning to keep quiet about it which is perhaps a bit of a stretch.
    
    
11. Grandmother: I came up with "a single mother" for this one which I think is preferable to the answer given.
    
    
12. A splitting migraine: I came with "a big headache" for this one which is not too bad. 
    
    
13. In the middle of nowhere: I could only come up with "nowhere" which was a bit lame.
    
    
14. Breakfast: got this one quickly as it's one of the easiest.
    
    
15. Middle-age spread: I came up with "triage" which I think is quite creative but the answer given is clearly the more appropriate.
     
16. 26 letters in the alphabet: got this one.
    
    
17. Banana split: I came up with "half a banana" which is acceptable.
    
    
18. Right angle: got this one.
    
    
19. Overworked and underpaid: I got the "underpaid" bit but missed the "overworked" bit.
    
    
20. Polar opposites: I came up with "poles apart" which is more or less the same idea.
    
    
21. Afternoon tea: I knew that "noon" was involved but the "tea" part didn't click.
    
    
22. Absentee: I could see the "e" was missing but couldn't come up with anything sensible.
    
    
23. Out of touch: I came up with "a touch below you" or "a touch above you" but the answer given is clearly superior.
    
    
24. Going in circles: I came up with "going around in circles" which is basically the same.

All in all quite an interesting challenge and keeps the neurons firing. I certainly didn't come up with the answers instantly and most of them required me to look and hard. See my earlier post titled Rebus Puzzles from April 1st 2023.

Chess Puzzle

Wow, it's been a while since I last posted anything on this blog. In fact it was July 23rd of this year when I posted about a new image file format. Today I was presented with a chess puzzle that took me a few minutes to work out. See Figure 1.

Figure 1: White to move and mate in 2

The key to the problem is Black's lack of mobility. Only the rook or the pawn on a7 can move. White must make a move so that, whether Black moves the pawn or the rook, mate must follow. The necessary move is Qd5, obvious enough once you see it.

Recently I started solving some of the puzzles on lichess.org as an alternative to playing full games which I usually lose (playing on Fairy-Stockfish 14 level 6). See Figure 2. I always play classical chess with an unlimited time control as I don't enjoy the stress of timed games. I've tried playing 5 minute games against online opponents but found that too tense. I only play against the computer nowadays. For this reason I don't have a rating as it's only games played against online opponents under time controls that count.

Figure 2

My current level in solving puzzles is 1967 and in general I hover around the 2000 mark, sometimes a little above and sometimes a little below.

 
Figure 3

It's a relaxing alternative to playing full games and I should do it more frequently as one means of keeping my brain active.

A New Image File Format

I wanted to download an image file that was in avif file format. This was a format that I'd never seen before. I asked Bard for information about it. Here is what it came up with:

AVIF stands for AV1 Image File Format. It is a royalty-free image file format that uses the AV1 video codec for compression. AVIF files are typically smaller than JPEG or WebP files, while maintaining or even improving image quality.

AVIF files are supported by a growing number of image viewers, including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Preview. They can also be converted to other image formats, such as JPEG or PNG.

Here are some of the advantages of using AVIF files:

They are smaller than JPEG or WebP files, while maintaining or even improving image quality.

They are royalty-free, so they can be used without any licensing fees.

They are supported by a growing number of image viewers.

Here are some of the disadvantages of using AVIF files:

They are not as widely supported as JPEG or WebP files.

They may not be compatible with older image viewers.

Overall, AVIF files are a promising new image format that offers a number of advantages over JPEG and WebP files. As more image viewers support AVIF files, they are likely to become more widely used.

Here are some of the features of AVIF files:

Support for multiple color spaces, including HDR and SDR.

Lossless compression and lossy compression.

Transparency support.

Animation support.

AVIF files are a good choice for a variety of applications, including:

Online images, such as those used on websites or in email.

Digital images, such as those used in photography or graphics design.

Video thumbnails.

If you are looking for an image format that offers high image quality and small file sizes, AVIF is a good option to consider.

I downloaded the avis image and tried to upload it to this blog but the server rejected it. Thus one of the disadvantages (not as widely supported as JPEG or WebP files) becomes immediately apparent. In Linux Mint, the only image program that would open it was GIMP and I was able to use this to export the image as JPEG. See below:

So that was interesting. Here is some further information (source):

AV1 Image File Format (AVIF) is an encoding based on the open source AV1 video codec. AVIF is even newer—than WebP, only supported in Chrome and Opera since 2020, Firefox in 2021, and Safari in 2022. As with WebP, AVIF aims to address every conceivable use case for raster images on the web: GIF-like animation, PNG-like transparency, and improved perceptual quality at file sizes smaller than JPEG or WebP.

So far, AVIF shows promise. A testing framework developed by Netflix—a founding member of the Alliance for Open Media, the group responsible for the development of the AV1 codec—shows significant reductions in file sizes when compared to JPEG or WebP. Additional studies by Cloudinary and Chrome's codecs team have weighed it favorably against current encoding standards.

Bard

I played around with Google Bard last night and again today. Previously, I had only used ChatGPT but Bard is able to accept images as input and I tried it out with the image shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1

Here was the prompt that I gave Bard after uploading the image:

Can you recognize where this image came from and say something about what it represents?

The response was as follows:

 The image you sent me is a painting called The School of Athens by Raphael. It was painted in the early 16th century and is now housed in the Vatican Museums in Rome. The painting depicts a group of scholars and philosophers from different eras gathered in a courtyard. The central figure is Plato, who is pointing to the heavens, while Aristotle is pointing to the earth. Other figures in the painting include Pythagoras, Socrates, Euclid, and Archimedes.

The School of Athens is considered one of the greatest masterpieces of Renaissance art. It is a celebration of learning and the pursuit of knowledge. The painting also reflects Raphael's own interest in philosophy and science.

The image you sent me is a reproduction of The School of Athens. It is a common sight in schools and libraries, and it represents the importance of education. The painting is a reminder that we should all strive to learn and grow, and that knowledge is the key to enlightenment.

Interesting response but totally wrong. Figure 2 shows what The School of Athens painting looks like:

Figure 2

The image shown in Figure 1 was taken from the dust jacket of my original copy of The Glass Bead Game so I tried this prompt:

I'm afraid that you are wrong. The painting has something to do with Herman Hesse's Glass Bead Game I think. Does this help?

The response was:

You are correct. The painting I was thinking of is not The School of Athens, but rather The Glass Bead Game by Paul Klee. It was painted in 1921 and is now housed in the Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern, Switzerland. The painting depicts a group of figures playing a game with glass beads. The figures are all different ages and from different cultures, and they are all wearing robes that represent different disciplines of knowledge.

The Glass Bead Game is a central metaphor in Hesse's novel of the same name. In the novel, the Glass Bead Game is a complex and demanding intellectual pursuit that synthesizes all of the arts and sciences. The game is played by a select group of individuals who are known as Glass Bead Players.

The painting by Klee is a visual representation of the Glass Bead Game. It shows the game as a kind of cosmic dance, in which all of the different disciplines of knowledge are interconnected. The painting is a celebration of the human intellect and the power of art to unite people from all walks of life.

I apologize for the confusion. I am still under development and learning to identify different paintings. Thank you for providing me with the correct information.

Clearly, image analysis still has some way to go in Bard. What's disturbing is the confidence with which these AI bots output totally false information.

HUIS-CLOS

I came across the phrase "huis-clos" in a movie review and sought ChatGPT's help to illuminate its meaning:

What does the phrase "huis-clos" mean and can you give some examples of its use.

The phrase "huis-clos" is a French term that translates to "closed doors" in English. It is commonly used to describe a situation or setting where a group of people are confined or locked in together, typically in a confined space or a private setting. It often implies a sense of seclusion, privacy, or intimacy.

"Huis-clos" is also known as the title of a famous play written by Jean-Paul Sartre, titled "Huis Clos" or "No Exit" in English. The play explores existentialist themes and features three characters who are trapped together in a room for eternity. The phrase "hell is other people" is a well-known line from this play, highlighting the tension and psychological dynamics among the characters in their confined space.

In general usage, the term "huis-clos" can be used to describe various scenarios where individuals find themselves in a confined or private setting, often with a sense of intensity, intimacy, or limited external access. For example, it can be used to describe a closed-door meeting, a private conversation behind closed doors, or a group of people stuck together in an isolated location. 

How is the phrase pronounced in English?

In English, the phrase "huis-clos" is typically pronounced as "wee-kloh." Here's a phonetic breakdown:

"huis" is pronounced like "wee" (rhyming with "see").

"clos" is pronounced like "kloh" (rhyming with "mow").

So, when put together, it sounds like "wee-kloh."

Can you give some examples of English language huis-clos movies.

Certainly! "Huis clos" is a French term that translates to "no exit" or "behind closed doors." It refers to a narrative or setting where characters are confined to a specific space or situation, often leading to intense psychological and interpersonal dynamics. While the term originated from Jean-Paul Sartre's play "Huis Clos," here are some examples of English-language films with similar themes: 

"12 Angry Men" (1957) - A group of jurors deliberates in a closed room, exploring issues of justice, prejudice, and human nature. 

"Dogville" (2003) - The film presents a small town where the entire story unfolds on a minimalistic stage, examining themes of power, morality, and societal dynamics.

"The Breakfast Club" (1985) - A group of high school students is stuck in Saturday detention, leading to unexpected connections and revelations. 

"Rope" (1948) - Alfred Hitchcock's film takes place in a single apartment where two friends commit a murder, and the tension escalates as guests arrive for a dinner party. 

"Rear Window" (1954) - Another Hitchcock classic, the film features a wheelchair-bound photographer who suspects his neighbor of murder, observing the events from his apartment window.

These films demonstrate the concept of characters confined to a specific space or situation, where their interactions and conflicts drive the narrative.