ChatGPT: A Game Changer

OpenAI’s ChatGPT has transformed the AI landscape, making an enormous impact with its capabilities as a large language model. While most people have a fair understanding of what it does, I’d like to explore some functionalities that expand upon its core abilities and how I personally exploit these to optimize my work.

Make AI read web pages

ChatGPT doesn’t browse the web by default, but by opting for the plus subscription, this becomes possible. Alternatively, Bing Chat, available on Microsoft Edge, offers a similar performance and even allows web crawling. Bing Chat operates on GPT 3.5, a middle ground between GPT 3 and GPT 4, and provides useful research capabilities.

Plugins and the Power of Personalization

ChatGPT Plus comes with plugins that can conduct research for you, similair to Bing Chat, but with the added power of GPT-4. This opens the door to intriguing use cases. For example, you might be wondering about things to do in a city you’re visiting. With certain parameters such as the dates of your visit, your budget, preferences, and desired ratings on Google Maps, the tool can generate a personalized itinerary for you.

Getting the Most out of ChatGPT

ChatGPT, particularly when powered by GPT-4, is undeniably a powerhouse. However, to leverage its full potential, certain strategies can be employed. A few tricks I’ve found helpful include prompting the AI to “be concise”, asking it to “write like a native speaker”, complimenting it to enhance its output, and even training it within the session. By giving examples of the output you desire, you can train ChatGPT to match your expectations more closely.

Transcribing and Structuring Your Thoughts

MacWhisper is another valuable tool I regularly use. It transcribes your audio recordings and wil soon be able to provide live transcriptions, ensuring every word said in a meeting is recorded and shared easily. Audiopen, albeit a more costly alternative, can transform your ramblings into a clear, structured document.

However, you can achieve similar results with MacWhisper, which is built on OpenAI’s Whisper. The trick is understanding the prompt that Audiopen sends to GPT: “The original text needs to be restructured and condensed by approximately 50% while maintaining its content. The goal is to create a clear, concise narrative with logically coherent sentences that flow smoothly. Additionally, appropriate paragraph breaks should be incorporated for easy understanding and readability.”

From Text to Podcast and Beyond

ElevenLabs takes the capabilities of these tools even further. This AI speech software sounds natural and can even emulate breathing and thinking pauses. This level of natural sounding language allows you to create podcasts based on automated content curation. Dutch Digital creator Frank Nanninga has utilized this to create a daily podcast with minimal interaction on his part.

Assisting Document Writing and Code Completion

For writing documents, AI can also lend a hand. While ChatGPT can help gather data and structure it, tools like Lex.Page, powered by GPT, can act as an AI editor, suggesting improvements and generating summaries, conclusions, or even titles. For coders, GitHub Copilot is a fantastic aid, suggesting code to complete your tasks based on the context of your project, making it a valuable tool in the developer world.

In conclusion, the world of AI offers a myriad of tools to assist and optimize your workflow. While I’ve touched upon some of the ways I use AI in my work, this is just the tip of the iceberg. The potential for AI to revolutionize our work is immense, and I hope you find these insights helpful in navigating this exciting realm. What’s your take on AI tools transforming our workflow? Have you used any of these tools? Please share your experiences and thoughts by reaching out, I’d love to hear from you!

Swish

First up, we have Swish, a clever window management tool that’s changed my screen game entirely. With it, you can effortlessly split your screen into thirds, quarters, or halves. Think of it as adding extra horsepower to your MacBook’s engine—without it, using MacOS feels like trying to win a Formula One race on a tricycle!

Alfred

Next, let’s talk about Alfred, the Swiss Army knife of productivity. Its main charm lies in automating mundane tasks, acting like your own personal digital butler. One of its standout features? The ability to directly search specific websites from my command line, cutting through the red tape of slow-loading sites like Confluence.

Boom3d

For the music enthusiasts out there, Boom3D is a dream come true. More than just an equalizer, Boom3D gives your MacBook’s audio an adrenaline shot. Whether you’ve got high-quality headphones or top-of-the-line speakers, Boom3D injects new life into flat, precise sound, making it more engaging for extended listening sessions. Plus, the “Spatial” knob is like unlocking a new dimension of sound, freeing you from the restrictive audio space of your headphones.

Poolsuite FM

Moving on, we have Poolsuite FM, your personal background music maestro. It curates the perfect soundtrack for your coding sessions across different genres, all wrapped up in a vintage-inspired user interface that will transport you back in time.

Hand Mirror

Hand Mirror is another handy tool for the modern digital worker. A lifesaver before video calls, it ensures you’re camera-ready and that your background is free from any unwanted surprises (like that rogue intelligence officer in your picture frame!). Simple, free, and super useful!

Three-Finger-Drag

Lastly, the Three-Finger-Drag is a game changer for MacOS. Once you’ve enabled this nifty feature, dragging and dropping files will feel as smooth as slicing through warm butter. If you’re new to this feature and are wondering how to set it up, don’t fret - Apple’s support page provides a step-by-step guide to get you started. You can access it here.

Wrapping up

In our fast-paced digital age, these tools aren’t just handy—they’re transformative. They bridge the gap between a cumbersome, tedious user experience and a streamlined, efficient workflow. So, why delay? Equip your MacOS with these tools today. After all, an optimized digital workspace is only a few clicks away.

Pizza Analogy

Hello folks! It’s Victor Wissink here, your go-to tech guy and devoted pizza aficionado. When I’m not elbow-deep in code, you can often find me in the kitchen, exploring my passion for creating the perfect pizza. In today’s post, I’ll be guiding you through the art and science of making a pizza that will not only satisfy your taste buds but also your intellectual curiosity.

Pizza: A Delicious Palette for Creativity

Pizza is much like a piece of software. Just like how we have multiple programming languages and frameworks to choose from when crafting a piece of software, pizza gives you the freedom to play with a multitude of ingredients and techniques. The crust serves as your base - akin to your programming language. The sauce, cheese, and toppings? Consider those your libraries, plugins, and modules, each with a unique function and contributing to the overall performance (or in this case, taste) of your project.

The Crust: Laying the Foundation

The pizza journey starts with the crust - the bedrock of your pizza. You can compare this to choosing the right programming language for your project. Much like the language, the type of crust you choose - thin and crispy Roman style, doughy and chewy Neapolitan, or deep-dish Chicago style - sets the tone for your pizza. The flour you choose, the way you knead your dough, and the temperature and time you bake it at, all affect the end product. It’s a scientific process with a generous dash of artistry.

The Sauce and Cheese: Building the Core

Next comes the sauce and cheese, your pizza’s core. A well-made sauce is like a well-designed algorithm, it’s efficient and elevates the performance of your pizza. Tomatoes, herbs, spices, all melding together, create a symphony of flavors. The cheese, usually mozzarella, provides a creamy, gooey counterpoint to the tangy sauce. Consider it your core library - essential and transformative.

Toppings: Adding Features

Toppings on a pizza are similar to the features in a software application. You can add as many as you want, but each should serve a purpose and should blend seamlessly with the rest of the components. Just as adding too many features can make a software application cluttered and complicated, too many toppings can overwhelm a pizza.

The Bake: Execution

Finally, the baking process. Think of it as your code’s execution. Everything you’ve prepared and assembled goes into the oven, and the intense heat does its magic. The crust crisps up, the cheese melts, the toppings cook, and the flavors meld together. The outcome, much like a well-executed piece of software, is a thing of beauty and functionality.

In Closing

Pizza and programming may seem worlds apart, but they share many parallels. They both require a strong foundation, careful selection of components, and thoughtful assembly. And when everything comes together perfectly, the result is simply delightful.

Whether you’re crafting code or kneading dough, remember that it’s all about balance, understanding your components, and enjoying the process. So, the next time you sit down with a slice of pizza while debugging your latest project, give a nod to the art and science on your plate.

Until next time, happy coding and happy pizza making!

Victor Wissink