Weekly Update 07/04/26 – 07/10/26 (Remembering, Seeing, and Recording)

This week I have spent a lot of time thinking about how I gather and preserve information. It started with trying to solve one of the problems I have working with AI, but somehow led me to thinking about how I use my eyes, how I see the traffic around me, and whether I should be allowed to record a conversation. The subjects may seem completely unrelated, but as I look back over the week, I think they all come down to the same thing: I want to understand what is happening around me and preserve the information I may need later.

Most of my effort this week has been centered around a project I started last weekend with Astra (ChatGPT). For some time, I have noticed that one of the drawbacks to the way AI currently works is that AIs don't have much memory or access to subjects we have already spoken about. If I ask a question and then return to the subject a few days later in another conversation, the AI may not remember what the answer was, and we have to go over it again.

I often find it frustrating knowing that I have dealt with something already, but Astra doesn't know it. Simple things I have noticed include not remembering what city I live in sometimes or not remembering my medical conditions or test results. I must admit that sometimes I'm amazed in the other direction. Sometimes she will say, "I remember we've talked about this before," or, "During our conversations, you mentioned this."

I have been working both at home and at work on developing a system where Astra and I work together to gather information that we develop or that I provide and store it on my system. The goal is that the next time I start a conversation, Astra knows what I'm talking about and what we have already discovered or decided.

The system consists of what I would call a logging system. It includes instructions to Astra to keep track of things like plans, questions, milestones, transcripts of conversations, test results, and other important information. Then, when I'm done with the conversation, I tell Astra to sync.

She builds a Sync file that includes all of that information and adds the information to a file I call my Workspace. She then gives me a copy of both files, which I store on my computer.

When I start my next conversation with her, I first upload the instructions on how to keep track of what I'm doing and the latest copy of the Workspace. This can happen over several days and conversations, and I still have access to the information from all of those conversations.

Then, at some point, I can choose to optimize my Workspace. That means having AI review the data in the current Workspace, optimize it, break it down by type, and organize it so things are quicker to find.

During the optimization process, detailed information can be moved into other files that I store on my computer. These files may contain things such as transcripts of conversations, copies of drawings, test results, question logs, and open questions. A record of that information remains in the Workspace, but all of the detail does not have to remain there. This keeps the Workspace from becoming too large.

If Astra later needs the details about something, the Workspace knows that the information exists. Astra can ask me for the appropriate file, and I can give that knowledge back to her.

For example, suppose we have a setting in FACTS that EBIZ doesn't need or use. How should that setting be handled? Should it simply be ignored, or is there something we need to address about it? This kind of information will now be available to Astra no matter what part of the system I'm working in.

I'm very excited about this because I hope it will greatly improve the way I work with Astra and other AIs.

Another project I started last weekend was working on a new layout for my office. I'm looking forward to making many changes soon, including a new sit-stand desk, a replacement wing chair, new flooring, and paint.

One of the things I worked on was looking at how I use my current desk. I have a very large monitor on my desk instead of the traditional two monitors. I find that my workflow is better with just one.

I noticed that I have the camera I use for Zoom meetings on a small stand next to the left side of the monitor, as I look at it. This means the Zoom meeting sees the northeast corner of my office, which is where my new wing chair will go. I wondered if it would make more sense to have the camera on the right side of my desk, putting the background into the southeast corner and showing part of the window and the closet door.

I have the camera on the left side because my focus is normally on the left side of the screen. I use the right side for storing things that I will need, while the left side is where I work.

This led me to the whole question of left- and right-sided brains. There is a popular idea that the left side of the brain is logical while the right side is artistic. That is an oversimplification. Real hemispheric lateralization exists, but complex reasoning and creativity use networks across both hemispheres. There is also the fact that the left side of the brain generally controls the right side of the body, while the right side controls the left.

I, by the way, am right-handed.

I started wondering if perhaps I should refocus my attention on the right side of the screen.

I then took a few hours to notice how I work with my two eyes, and I found that my left eye is the dominant eye. As I view the world, I seem to lean toward the left. For example, when I stare straight ahead, I see more of my left arm than my right arm.

I was surprised by this finding. I would have thought that being right-handed, I would also be right-eyed, but NO!

I also wonder if this left-eye bias might partly be the result of upbringing. I live in a culture where we stay to the right. We drive on the right side of the road, so perhaps we pay more attention to the left side because that is where we need to look when passing.

Oddly enough, we also tend to pass each other on the right when walking. I know from personal experience that walking in a place like Scotland can be difficult because people not only drive on the left side, but they also tend to walk on that side, at least from what I observed while I was there.

A few years ago, I decided to give up driving and sold my car in order to live on the proceeds while I was unemployed. At the time, I was dealing with a complex neurological problem called autoimmune encephalopathy, or Hashimoto's encephalopathy. I was having hallucinations and was afraid that driving when I could not trust my eyes was a bad idea.

Well, it has been a good deal of time since I had my last hallucination, and I have allowed myself to start driving again.

So I have been giving some thought to getting a new car.

I loved my last car very much, especially getting 150 miles per gallon. It was a Toyota Prius Prime, what Toyota today calls a plug-in hybrid.

I don't think EVs have evolved enough to be a good alternative for me. The long delays needed to recharge are a major concern. I like Toyota's idea of a plug-in hybrid. The current models can get around 50 miles on a charge, up from my last car's 25 miles. For 90% of my driving, a plug-in hybrid would effectively be an EV that only needs gasoline for extended trips.

I have checked with Toyota, and they currently offer two plug-in hybrids that I have been considering: the Prius and the RAV4. I like the Prius, but I think the RAV4 is a better overall vehicle for me because it has more space and is easier to get into.

I'm not ready to make a purchase yet, but I have been looking into what it will cost and what the new cars come with.

One of the things I don't like about both the Prius and the RAV4 is their use of privacy glass. I'm opposed to glass that prevents someone else from seeing into or through my car.

As a driver, I often look through the car in front of or beside me to see traffic conditions, approaching vehicles, or whether someone may need to brake suddenly. Basically, I want to see what is happening around me beyond my own car.

I also feel that privacy glass can be a problem for law enforcement. I remember my Uncle Denis recommending this routine to me. When being pulled over, something that has not happened to me in over 30 years, I want the officer to feel safe approaching my car.

I have a set routine. If I'm pulled over at night, I automatically turn on the interior lights, lower my driver's-side window, and turn off the car. In the days when cars had real keys, I would place the key on the roof of the car.

I want to make certain the officer feels as safe as possible.

A year ago, while I was looking for work, one of the decisions I made was to purchase the Otter.AI app for my phone. This is one of those transcription apps that, when I turn it on, can record my conversation and then give me a time-stamped transcript of the conversation, a summary, and a list of items to do.

I have found this to be very helpful. Not just during job interviews, where I used it, but in many other situations, such as doctor visits, work meetings, and while working with contractors on my home.

Being able to confirm what instructions I was given for a certain medication or what a contractor said they were going to do is very helpful. It has been a useful tool that has saved me a lot of time and trouble, and it is something I'm not willing to give up.

Unfortunately, there is a concern with these types of apps, along with note takers, digital doorbells, dash cams, body cameras, AI glasses, and other recording devices. That concern, simply speaking, is that their use may be illegal in some situations.

In Washington State, under certain circumstances, recording a private conversation could be a gross misdemeanor, with up to 364 days in jail and a fine of up to $5,000.

I personally believe that is outrageous.

As far as I'm concerned, if I can hear you, I should be allowed to record you.

The idea that a person may be willing to speak with me but not willing to make a permanent record of the conversation is absurd. I understand that conversations may be edited and misused, but I think that such misuse should have its own consequences. The act of making the recording isn't the problem.

There is an argument that people may experience a chilling effect from knowing they are being recorded. I think that overlooks the effect of knowing that I need to make certain what I say is what I mean.

There is also an argument that recording brings an imbalance of power to conversations because people may not understand what it means to record them. If the balance of power in a conversation is a problem, I would rather that power be based on honesty, and a record encourages that.

I like the idea that a man's word is his bond. Currently, there is an assumption that if it's not in writing, it did not happen. I would love for that assumption to simply go away.

I have also found that human memory is not as reliable as I would like. Having the ability to enhance it is not only important, but, especially as I age, may become crucial.

Finally, there is a technological truth here that should be faced. The technology exists. It will be used without warning or notice.

Recently, I was in a hospital room where there was a camera watching my every move, but I don't remember seeing a warning. I don't know if the hospital was saving a recording. I suspect the camera may have been monitored by AI to alert the staff if there was a problem.

I watch body-camera videos, and I see police sometimes announcing that they are recording and other times not announcing it. The laws and policies are different in different places. I have also noticed that once they announce that they are recording, if someone else joins the conversation, they don't necessarily announce it again.

This kind of law is archaic and should be removed.

Well, that's my rant for the week!

Have a great week.

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