Serendipity35

Microsoft is using the latest ChatGPT version 5 in its CoPilot suite. The new version has had mixed reviews, with some very positive ones, some very bad reviews, and a lot of mixed reviews. It seems to still be a work in progress. But then, isn't that the case with everything AI right now?

One aspect of this release that has gotten some specific plus/minus reviews is making the bot seem more human by giving you options on a "personality" for the tone of the responses. This is something a lot of AI producers are doing - making chatbots have more human-like qualities. With this new release, ChatGPT now has four preset personality options: Cynic, Robot, Listener, and Nerd. There is also a customizable Default personality in the Customize ChatGPT section.

Of course, "multiple personalities" suggests schizophrenia. 

People have been posting about their experiments with these personalities. For example, turn on the "Cynic" personality and ask ChatGPT if climate change is real, and it replies first, "It’s not a conspiracy, a vibe, or some 'just weather' thing." Then it goes into details. 

They self-describe these personalities (getting "person" in there is important marketing) like this:
Cynic: Sarcastic and witty, offering direct advice with a dry humor.
Robot: Precise, emotionless, concise—ideal for technical or fact-focused queries.
Listener: Warm, empathetic, calm—great for personal conversations or support.
Nerd: Playful, curious, enthusiastic—great for deep dives and detail-rich explanations.

The company also says that "These aren’t just 'mood buttons'—they let you tailor how ChatGPT responds in a way that fits your style or the context you’re dealing with. Need straightforward, no-fluff answers? Robot mode is your friend. Want an earnest sounding board? [board? sic] Go with Listener. Craving tech-heavy details? Nerd mode will dig into the minutiae."

GPT-5 also now includes modes like “Auto,” “Fast,” and “Thinking,” offering different trade-offs between speed and depth.

There are over 75 options of electric vehicles that were introduced in the past four years. But it is not moving the needle for buyers. According to AAA, only 16% of U.S. adults report being “very likely” or “likely” to purchase a fully electric vehicle as their next car. That is the lowest percentage of EV interest recorded since 2019. The percentage of consumers indicating they would be “unlikely” or “very unlikely” to purchase an EV rose from 51% to 63%, the highest since 2022.

What does this have to do with education? I contend that the general public needs to be educated about electric vehicles, but much of the "content" for that education seems negative. It "seems" negative, but is it accurate?  Let's look at the barriers and motivating factors around EV purchasing.

Adoption of new technologies - cable TV, VCRs, CDs for music, DVDs, and smartphones all had a ramp-up to adoption, but they all found acceptance quickly compared to EVs. Then again, none of those technologies had the same cost as an EV. According to Cox Automotive and and Kelley Blue Book, the average price of an EV is about $55,000, compared to an average of $45,000 for gas powered vehicles. That can buy a lot of iPhones.

Barriers to buying an EV in surveys:

• high battery repair costs (62%)
• purchase price (59%)
• perceived unsuitability of EVs for long-distance travel (57%)
• lack of convenient public charging stations (56%)
• fear of running out of power while driving (55%) 
• safety concerns, including the risk of lithium battery fires (30%) 
• challenges installing home charging stations (27%)
• reduction or elimination of tax credits and rebates (12%)
• EVs had the second highest total ownership costs due to depreciation, purchase prices and finance charges

What are the factors that motivate people to buy EVs?

• gas savings
• environmental concerns
• lower EV maintenance costs as their top motivations to purchase

Are those pluses and minuses accurate or just public perception? Well, AAA's driving cost analysis found that EVs had the lowest fuel cost and lowest maintenance cost of any vehicle type. Studies have shown that EV batteries are safer, longer-lasting and more dependable than people assume. The newest EV models also have better range than ever.

Despite that analysis and advancements in the EV industry and the growing number of models, the percentage of U.S. drivers who believe that most cars will be electric within the next 10 years has significantly declined from 40% in 2022 to 23% this year.

 

For more than 18 years, the social network X (which many of us still call Twitter) has dominated short message social media for almost 20 years. Many people still go there for real-time updates, breaking news, and conversations. But - and it is a big BUT - changes due to Elon Musk's management of the platform the past few years have had many users leave. 

People are concerned about the lack of content moderation, reduced privacy protections, and subscription-based features (like paid verification). The general gripe is that it is an ugly space full of hate and misinformation. Users have sought out alternatives to X, and that meant there was a new user demand to be filled by other entrepreneurs. 

Alternatives range from decentralized options like Mastodon to community-driven spaces like Bluesky. I have several clients who wanted to move off X to "something else" and asked me for advice over the past year. Friends have said to me, "You're still on Twitter? Why?" 

The alternative most often mentioned is Bluesky. Interestingly, it was founded by Twitter co-creator Jack Dorsey. Bluesky initially began in 2019 as a project within Twitter to develop an open social protocol that would allow multiple apps to operate seamlessly. It was spun off as an independent entity in 2021. Its claim and appeal is that it offers algorithmic transparency and user control, enabling individuals to tailor their social media experience.

Is Bluesky a return to a gentler, saner social-media experience? It does feel like the Twitter of a decade ago. It's not the 2017 Twitter that was full of political Trump and anti-Trump pollution.

Recently, I created an account just to see what it's all about. It looks like Twitter. It even has a winged blue logo (a butterfly instead of a bird) and a character limit on posts. I am cautiously proceeding, following only a few. I have already read complaints that it has "MAGA trolls" and complaints by those accounts that they have been blocked. Is it liberal-left? The most followed account belongs to Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC). 

Cory Doctorow coined the term “enshittification” to describe how social-media companies make changes that benefit them, but gradually, and almost inevitably, the user experience degrades. I suspect that more than just the user experience degrades.The content degrades. 

Facebook and X have both been criticized of late for burying some news by deprioritizing links to articles. Instagram and Pinterest have been filling my feeds with some crazy, irrelevant AI-generated content. Sometimes my Instagram feed is 75% ads and people I don't follow. Where are the things and people I selected to follow?

What are the other alternatives in the microblogging world of social media?

Threads is Meta’s entry into the space. It's their "Twitter-killer," but Twitter survives. It allows users to post text updates, images, and videos, engage with hashtags, and interact through likes, comments, and reposts. While Threads functions as a standalone app, it is seamlessly integrated with Instagram, allowing users to sign up easily and access it through a tab within the Instagram app. It also encourages you to share your Instagram posts to Threads with a click. I use both, and I do sometimes share, but that seems repetitive. Still, my "audience" in Threads may be different from Instagram, though there is some overlap. Meta integration led to a staggering 100 million sign-ups within its first week, as Instagram users checked out this new social network. Threads' ad-free interface, clean design, and connection to Instagram’s ecosystem make it appealing, and so far, it is not as polluted as X. It is the text option paired with Instagram's visual option. A good idea for Meta.

I also added the Substack platform this year. It offers writers, journalists, and creators a space for short-form updates and community engagement. It is more blogging than microblogging, and some people write quite long pieces. It offers the option of having free or paid subscribers. Like Medium, that leads to the frustration of clicking on an interesting title and hitting the paywall. Substack Notes is their complement to the subscription-based model. Notes allows users to post microblogs, share snippets of their work, restack content they enjoy, and tag others to spark conversations.

On the plus side, Substack Notes focuses on more meaningful content rather than algorithm-driven visibility. As of now, it seems to be prioritizing quality over reach. Public by default, Notes appear in the feeds of followers and subscribers, allowing creators to build relationships while promoting their work. Though it lacks advanced interactivity or paywall options for full posts, Substack Notes is ideal for content-focused users seeking an integrated platform for sharing ideas and monetizing their audience.

I am feeling old because I am still using LinkedIn and Tumblr. 

For professionals seeking a viable Twitter replacement, LinkedIn stands out as the one social media platform that seems "professional" and is tailored for networking, career growth, and industry engagement. Unlike microblogging platforms like X, LinkedIn emphasizes professional connections, enabling users to share updates, articles, and career insights in a format similar to tweets but with a focus on meaningful business discussions. As a social network, LinkedIn excels at fostering connections through its intuitive "connect" feature, where users can expand their network by engaging with mutual contacts and industry leaders. With its robust job postings, company pages, and professional tools, LinkedIn offers a structured alternative to platforms like Mastodon, Reddit, or Threads for those prioritizing career-focused interactions over casual content. 

Though Tumblr is quite a different platform from X, it offers far more creative ways to share ideas and connect with others online. It combines blogging with an emphasis on visual storytelling (like Instagram) and allows users to post quite long text updates, images, GIFs, videos, and links. This separates it from most of the others. It really is a micro- or mini-blog platform. 

Unlike the fast-paced, real-time interactions of X, you won't get the "news" here. Tumblr focuses on creativity and individuality, with customizable themes. What you may get is a lot of celebrity photos and nudity, even though they tried (unsuccessfully) to purge that content a few years ago. 

I was able to visit Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West home-studio complex a few years ago. It was started back in the early 1940s, but evolved over many decades.

The version you see in the Architectural Digest video below probably won't change very much now. It is quite different from the original design Wright and his apprentices initially built over their first six years of life and work in the Arizona desert. It went through a good number of changes after Wright himself stopped visiting in his final year, 1959.

Tour guides point out that Wright may not have "approved" of all the expansions, modifications, and renovations made by Wright's "disciples," though they say they were made in keeping with his vision.

Taliesin West may be "purer Wright" than some other more famous Wright buildings because it was not created for a client. No one was telling Wright what they wanted or creating deadlines. It was built with apprentice labor.

It's not the first Taliesin. The original was in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Taliesin West was a home, a studio, and most importantly, an educational institution. Wright and his students spent the winters there every year from 1935 on, though it was a completely undeveloped site at first.

The Wrights stayed at an inn, but the apprentices camped out on-site. They were building straight from plans that their teacher could have drawn up the day before. Eventually, it had plumbing and electricity, but it was still a communal architecture school.

There is also a 360 Virtual Visit online that lets you walk through and hear what you might hear on an official tour. Schools sometimes use this as a virtual field trip. There is even a bit more in this virtual visit than the tour I took in person. For example, visitors aren't allowed in the Blue Loggia because foot traffic would damage the irreplaceable Chinese rug, so they never see the balcony above or the rug up close.