Kevin Ryan in Tokyo

Author: tokyokevin

  • Illuminate is better than NotebookLM

    Illuminate is better than NotebookLM

    People are talking about podcasts created by NotebookLM. We are astounded at how the two people discuss any topic we want, in such a natural dialog. The male voice sounds like a mild version of Howard Stern, and the female voice reminds me of…not sure. On the other hand, we complain that the voices are always the same, the speed and delivery also the same.

    Google has another tool that lets you have more control over the output. Marc Watkins explains.

    Right now you can write a prompt or link to a webpage for input, and select voices and dialog register (formality). Still no speed settings.

  • So many AI tools

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    Subscribing to a newsletter by There Is an AI For That has opened my eyes to how many new AI tools are out there. Setting up a digest makes it all the more valuable because I only get tools I am interested in. Today, for example, I see tools for both reading and writing (not shown: speaking or listening). Highly recommended. It may seem like a firehose at first, but you can filter it.

  • From the mouths of babes

    From the mouths of babes

    I’ve never seen a 7-year-old give a TED talk, but Molly does a great job. She even has an assistant Airi, with HIS assistant father, help out. This video has important lessons for child development, presented in a clear way that is easy to understand. So put away those iPads and phones, and PAY ATTENTION.

  • Useless Vocabulary?

    Useless Vocabulary?

    One of the important steps in vocabulary learning is to decide if a word is “worth” learning. Will I use it in conversation? Will I need it to understand an important idea or concept? (How is the word “idea” different from “concept”?)

    The four words in the photo are pretty useless, unless I use a boat. But the ideas that make the differences (is it built on wood or dirt? Does it stick out into the water or not?) are important distinctions that can help in other areas. Just to think about how words are different can help you understand more about a language.

    Here is another example: Smell and Stink. Something can smell good or bad, but Stink means it always smells bad. Now look up other related words like Aroma and Stench. Use a thesaurus (dictionary of synonyms or similar words) to find other smell-related vocabulary.

    The important thing is to spend time with your new words.

  • Clothing for Boys and Girls

    Clothing for Boys and Girls

    Can you guess which President of the United States is in this picture? Go to this article to find the answer.

    Clothing for children in the US has changed a lot in the last 150 years. Pink was thought to be a strong color, and blue a softer color. All children wore dresses until age six or so. It wasn’t until the early 1900s that things changed, and it wasn’t until the 1970s that our current thinking about children’s clothing colors became popular.

    I was a kid in the 1950’s and they still used white for both boys and girls. Here is a picture of my grandmother holding me. I still have those white boots!

    What about Japan or other countries? What colors are “normal” for kids and when did that start?