Tidbits from Brian - Issue #18
Is AI the future? 🤖
Honestly, I ignored the whole AI hype for a bit. But once you dive down the rabbit hole and play around with it, you start seeing some of the enormous possibilities. There will be pros and cons to fast AI adoption, but I wanted to share a few ways I’ve been practically using it today, along with some handy tools and recent developments. This topic was inspired by Mike Oliver, who DM’d me on Twitter and asked how I was using ChatGPT. 😄
Using AI right is all about how it can save me time and integrate it into my current workflow. And, of course, it can also be fun to play with.
You have some different choices. The most popular ones are ChatGPT, Bing Chat (powered by GPT-4), and Bard. Check out a comparison of some of their responses.
My favorites right now are ChatGPT and Bing Chat. Bing Chat is nice in that it adds source links for everything it compiles. This is helpful when researching. However, you have to use Microsoft’s Edge browser. I really like being able to create a Chrome web app for ChatGPT; it makes it quickly accessible with an icon on my Mac’s doc.
Here are a few different ways I've been using AI recently:
I was updating some public documentation. I needed to rewrite a description of a feature quickly. I had ChatGPT rewrite it for me. For short rewrites, it works great! I wouldn’t use it for a whole article as the quality still needs improvement, but Amazon sellers are already using ChatGPT to write product descriptions. ✍️
Here is another example with Bing Chat. You can say, “give me a 140-character or less summary of this article: [URL].” It’s handy for creating Tweets.
I was doing some research on a new Chrome performance feature. I asked ChatGPT to briefly summarize the “xyz” feature. I love AI for summaries or TLDR. Depending on what it is, I might use Bing Chat simply because they have handy links/resources.
I don’t pay attention to most news, but there was an event recently I was curious about. So I just asked ChatGPT why it was happening. It spit out a concise bullet point list of all the reasons. Remember, don’t just blindly trust AI. But use it to your advantage to save time. I’d rather ask ChatGPT than visit one-sided mainstream media sites.
I was listening to music and was curious about the song's name. Google and Shaazam both failed me. I threw a few of the lyrics into ChatGPT, and it found the song on the first go. Amazing!
Those are just a few ways I use AI throughout my daily routine. And I’m sure it will only continue. Google will soon offer AI in Gmail and Google Docs. I also see it replacing Siri or at least integrating with it; otherwise, Apple risks falling behind.
With GPT-4 released and it being connected to the internet, it has you wondering, is AI progressing too fast? Some think it might be. Woz and Musk have already called for a pause in AI development. Bill Gates also published his thoughts. We don’t want this turning into an I, Robot/Will Smith situation. 🤖 But it’s all fascinating nonetheless.
This image below was actually created in a few seconds using AI from Bing Image Creator.
Updates ✍️
Excited to announce that we’ve pushed out big UI updates to both our Perfmatters and Novashare WordPress plugins this month.
Completely overhauled the admin header and navigation for a better user experience. 🏗️
Made improvements to elements (icons, buttons, toggles), while maintaining our minimal approach. 🖌️
Many of the changes came directly from user feedback. We appreciate all the suggestions.
We also pushed out some other new features and improvements for Perfmatters:
Added new Minimal v4 script type option in local analytics.
Added support for ::after pseudo element when lazy loading CSS background images.
Added support for AVIF images in a source tag to preload critical images feature.
Added new perfmatters_preload_critical_images filter.
Added new perfmatters_image_dimensions_exclusions filter.
Added async attribute to Instant Page script tag.
Added async attribute to all relevant local analytics script tags.
I also had a blast answering some interesting questions from altsetup.
Do performance scores matter? ⚡
Will WordPress keep growing?
Would I be happy if WordPress was already fast?
Is what I do a job or a passion?
Will AI be able to optimize sites? 🤖
Interesting things 🔎
Misc.
Apple boosts trade-in values for iPhone, Mac, etc. Every penny helps these days!
Fun fact: Vinyl overtook CD sales for the first time since 1987. 💿
Microsoft made Outlook for Mac free to use. I’m sure some will take advantage of this.
WordPress
WordPress 6.2 “Dolphy” has been released. Check out all the new features.
Two big acquisitions this past month. WP101 joined Awesome Motive, and MonetizeMore acquired Advanced Ads.
Real-time collaboration is coming to WordPress. I’m excited about this.
Version 2.10.0 of DevKinsta is out! There is now an editor for site-level Nginx config files, and PHP 8.2 support was added.
The WordPress developer blog looks promising so far. They seem to be tackling practical topics like converting shortcodes to blocks, block deprecation, etc.
According to Kyle’s annual report, Elementor and Divi are on the decline. Bricks and blocked-based builders are growing. Interesting findings!
Performance
Google says page size is not a ranking factor. However, page size does impact page load times and user experience. Always take what Google says with a grain of salt.
Microsoft rebuilt Teams from the ground up, promising 2x faster performance. I’m still a Slack fan, but definitely keeping my eyes on Teams.
Marketing
Heads up, important changes for US businesses using Stripe. They are raising prices on June 1st.
Google has officially rolled out new site names, favicons, and sponsored labels on desktop search.
If you’re a content creator and like AI, you should check out the new Right Blogger tool from Andy and Ryan. Looks pretty cool!
Phosphor Icons can be a good alternative to Font Awesome if you need icons.
Bitcoin (not financial advice)
What is inflation? Amazing explanation from Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman.
What’s happening with all the banks? Robin Williams explained it the best.
On a serious note, why can’t we just have boring banks? Here’s a good viewpoint.
Fun fact: Bitcoin mining is the only major global industry whose major energy source is not a fossil fuel. Hydro is its major power source (23%).
Bitcoin is poised to blow up Africa’s $86 billion banking system.
Terawulf starts nuclear-powered bitcoin mining with nearly 8,000 rigs at the Nautilus facility. Awesome!
Bitcoin is a meme that evolves and survives in a complex environment that involves human behavior, computer code, and economic incentives.
A great read from Marty Bent. It’s important to focus right now. There are many improvements still needed around bitcoin.
Strike brings lightning-fast money transfers from the US to Vietnam, powered by bitcoin.
Why keeping Bitcoin mining in the US helps the economy and national security—and even the environment.
You can now buy bitcoin from Fidelity in 36+ states in the US. Here are my thoughts on this.
See how Africans are using bitcoin without internet access. The innovations happening are incredible.
Nasdaq is eyeing Q2 2023 release for bitcoin and crypto custody platform.
Here is a great visual representation of the bitcoin halving cycle.
A great post from Jesse Myers on jealousy and fairness in bitcoin distribution.
If you're ever in the Scottsdale, AZ area, hit me up, and we can grab lunch! 🥗👋