A man joyfully adjusts settings on a futuristic interface labeled “Analyzing,” exploring the possibilities of Stardock's Clairvoyance technology in a cozy, modern workspace.

I have been trying out a new app from Stardock called Clairvoyance. It is a nice AI interface that is very powerful and lets you use API keys to interact with large language models and do all kinds of things. It also takes a privacy-first approach and is a bit more user friendly than some other tools I have tried. I will say this has been very compelling and interesting to use. I honestly cannot believe it is free, and I hope it stays free. That said, there are still some bugs and rough edges. For example, it does not always make it clear whether it is actively working or if something has hung. When subagents get stuck there does not seem to be an obvious way to stop or cancel the task, at least that I have found so far. I have also seen cases where the interface says it is finished but still reports that it is working. On occasion I have asked it what it is doing or what is going on, and the response mentions something running in the background but does not really answer the question directly. It almost feels like it is ignoring the question and returning a vague or nonsense response instead of explaining what is happening. So there are definitely some areas that still need to be fleshed out. To be fair, the software is clearly marked as being in alpha. When it is on target and working, especially when it is helping with coding, it actually works quite well.

What makes it interesting is that it is not just another chatbot interface. The goal is giving people a way to orchestrate multiple AI models and agents from one place. From what I can tell, Clairvoyance makes working with AI tools easier by putting everything into a single desktop interface.

Some of the things Clairvoyance focuses on include:

• Connecting to multiple AI providers using your own API keys
• Supporting different large language models instead of locking you into one system
• Creating agents and subagents that can perform tasks and report results
• Allowing tasks to be broken down and delegated between agents
• Providing a desktop interface instead of relying on multiple browser tabs
• Taking a privacy-first approach so users can control which models and services they connect to

I find it funny that the best way for LLMs, and for people working with them, mirrors a corporate structure. AI tools have really embraced the organizational chart. Think about it. I have seen several people I follow who build or use coding tools do this, including projects around Nostr such as work shared by William Casarin, also known as jb55 (jb55.com). The Nostr community is embracing and experimenting with tools like this. The idea is that you recreate a functioning workplace. You are the boss. Then you have supervisors or agents. Those agents can have their own subagents or employees. They assign tasks, check the work, and then present the results back to you. It is basically the corporate structure recreated in software. Isn't it hilarious that even AI ends up with a corporate structure.

I do wonder how long it will be before we see the slacker AI agent or the eager beaver employee agent. Say what you will, but in my lifetime I have often felt like machines sometimes have a life of their own. Even when they are manufactured the same way, certain machines develop little quirks. If you treat them right, or simply let them do what they were designed to do, they tend to work the way they should.

This whole AI scene is exploding. I am reading more and more posts from people who are using them, people who refuse to use them, people who hate them for what they represent, and people who say they are making the climate crisis worse. My view is that the situation is more complicated than that. Unprovoked war dwarfs AI's perceived climate effects more than datacenters. Why worry about climate effects from datacenters when we have real, visible climate disasters that are more human-purposefully destructive? But I digress.

I recently read a compelling blog post by Tom Casavant called Musings on AI. If you do not follow him in your RSS reader or on social media, you probably should. He has views on AI that are similar to mine, which is neutral. He recently dove into Meshtastic with “Mastastic,” a cool offline Mastodon client over mesh networks (1-mile range in tests). I have been eyeing Meshtastic and Meshcore myself for a hobby project. He also appears to be doing the internet a service by responsibly reporting issues he discovers on websites so they can be fixed in an ethical way.

I like different views and takes about AI. I read and listen to people who fawn over AI like Leo Laporte, William Casarin, and Vitor Pamplona, more neutral views like Tom Casavant and Paul Thurrott and Robert Campbell, to the “AI is not a great business and an implosion is coming” Ed Zitron. This gives me a full round view of AI and shapes what I do and how I use it. AI is not human; it is a tool, a very useful and democratizing one with real limitations. While this post seems to have chased rabbits and probably did. I just wanted to let you know about Clairvoyance, my thoughts on it and AI in general using this tool and how other people's thoughts on AI in general shape my views and usage. AI is history in the making. We are getting closer to my vision of how we can get a Star Trek Style computer. With tools like Clairvoyance paving the way with the front end and taking the technicality out of AI we will be there in the not too distant future. Then who knows what, replicators or a holodeck or maybe both.

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#technology #ai #innovation

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Compact and mysterious, this sleek black box hints at high-tech secrets within, standing ready for its next mission.

I'm planning to repurpose the old 8GB Pironman5 for testing various operating systems. While I enjoy the Pironman5 series from Sunfounder, I'm not thrilled with their LCD and the software that comes with it.

I've also been busy loading more Blu-rays and DVDs onto my home Plex server, a task that is quite labor-intensive.

#hardware #tech-gadgets #technology

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A visionary stands at the crossroads of innovation, contemplating the expansive network that may redefine the future of technology.

I have been a loyal Microsoft Windows customer since I've owned a PC and MS-DOS was a thing. I went to the events they had for major OS releases with my Dad. We both went to see the exciting things that happened when they used to stream them at movie theaters. I was there for the launch of Windows 95.

But it is my opinion that Microsoft has totally lost its way with regards to the consumer and Windows.

Yes, this is a rant, and I believe it may be too late for Microsoft and Windows with consumers. I know I am not a very techie person, but I believe that Windows is getting too messy in a lot of areas like advertisements everywhere, sloppy code, updates that seem like beta versions, telemetry, privacy concerns, and just all around not caring.

I follow Paul Thurrott[1] and Dave Plummer from Dave's Garage YouTube channel[2], and they both have different takes on what should happen to get Windows back on top. I can see both points and agree with both points. But I also agree with Paul Thurrott that Microsoft will not bend unless there is a clear reason to.

So what is keeping me on Windows? If it weren't for the games I have, and I do mean lots of games, I would probably be on a different platform. Other than that, I do use it for work and I like the easy installation of programs and it looks good.

This is where it gets interesting. I am getting more and more into Linux and have been thinking about MacOS lately (yikes, I know. I have an iPad and don't really care for the OS on that or for Apple). Thanks to Windows' missteps and bad practices and taking advantage of the consumer (though Apple excels in this area), Linux is catching up and there may be a solution for my gaming.

Google could step in here, but they are making a lot of bone-headed moves too and are getting where they only want to chase Enterprise/Business. Everyone always underestimates the consumer, and the consumer is already leery of Google because they kill off most of their products just as consumers are right in the middle of falling in love with them and have major privacy concerns. Google is the Hoover vacuum cleaner of the internet. Their old motto of “Don't be evil” is being replaced. They are like the opposite of the character from the Despicable Me movies, going from good to evil instead of evil to good.

This brings us back to Microsoft. Microsoft kills off a lot too, not to the frequency of Google, but still a lot. I'll give Apple some credit: they generally support their products longer, even if they're not massive successes.

Microsoft may derive most of their revenue from the Enterprise/business side, but consumers will always keep you in the black if you have a good product. You just might not be a trillion dollar company in the process, but you'll be profitable.

So I'm learning Linux and waiting for it to become even more consumer friendly through distributions like ZorinOS and CasaOS, or maybe going the direction like Omarchy. I'm continuing to self-host and use AI to build custom applications via Python. I'm hoping SteamOS gets that missing piece so developers support it and we consumers can finally break free from these trillion dollar companies. My goal is to be down to one cloud service provider in five years. The only reason I have multiple now is family obligations, since my parents are in their 70s and I manage everything for them digitally. But whenever I can, I'm moving off these platforms.

That's where I'm heading. I don't know if Microsoft will ever earn my loyalty back. Google won't either. Apple has never had my trust and I still distrust their whole ecosystem, though I'm a realist and do use some of their services.

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuH0BiWeG3U&t=2176s ↩
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTpA5jt1g60 ↩

#technology #opinion #personal

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An engineer lost in thought, surrounded by a maze of circuits and the glow of futuristic interfaces.

Lately, I’ve been swamped with projects and short on energy to tackle them, partly because of my worsening eyesight. I have glaucoma, but thankfully no loss of vision. My treatment includes twice-yearly eye pressure checks and nightly latanoprost. Even so, my glasses prescription seems to need constant updates, and I’ve always had a lot of floaters. My ophthalmologist reassures me that the floaters and eye pressure are fine, but my vision keeps changing, which is frustrating. After a recent visit to an optometrist for new glasses (an immediate improvement at first), I quickly found myself struggling again. It’s baffling how fast my eyesight shifts.

This ongoing vision issue is a big reason I’m putting off other projects. Other medical concerns, like my heart health, are actually improving. I have two SunFounder Pis to build, a few minor tasks, and I’m refining my blog and social-event posting software. I expect these projects to be fully functional soon, and I’ll update my blog as they progress.

Despite having plenty to work on, my motivation is flagging.

#technology #personal #productivity

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