BARD: “EMPOWERING BOON” for ‘OLDSTERS’, Helps Geezers Reach TRUE Potential!

[GammaGlobulin]

My Dearest Fellow-Aged and Fellow-Aging on The Pub,

 

Several months ago, a period of time that now seems like ages, I was skeptical about AI, just like many of you.

 

What could AI do for me, personally, I wondered, other than maybe just provide me with a few hours of diversion, and maybe put the fear of God into me, anytime I clicked on an AI-related UTUBE video.

 

I did not realize just how amazingly useful Bard could be to me, me a person in the autumn of my life; yet Bard has now become indispensable to me in so many ways.

 

Bard is not like ChatGPT, because ChatGPT is a whole different animal, and just about useless for my day-to-day purposes.  I have no need to create content for my nonexistent UTUBE channel. I would never even contemplate the creation of a UTUBE channel because I have nothing to communicate to the typical UTUBE viewership. I have no cat and dog videos to upload. And, I don’t want to encourage any more nitwit tourists to come to Thailand;Thailand is already Chock full o'Nuts®!

 

This OP is definitely NOT a JOKE, and this OP is about helping the aged and aging to improve their peace of mind by providing hope that using BARD can allow my old geezer friends to finally stop worrying about losing their minds, their knowledge, and their wisdom.

 

I know this all sounds too good to be true but it is not. How can a free tool from Google help old men to stop worrying, and radically improve their general outlook on life, and even help them to more effectively communicate with others about what they TRULY want to say?

 

How can BARD turn a mentally fumbling old geezer back into the fine specimen of mental agility he once was before his seventh decade of life kicked in?

 

My friends, what I have written so far is not really the beginning of the OP that I had envisioned. The above represents just a lead-in to the real meat of this issue. Therefore, if you had thought that you were almost finished reading this OP, by this point, then my deepest apologies to you, and please just keep reading, knowing that what I am about to say will be worth every penny of your time.

 

Let’s begin:  First off, I, just this moment, typed a question into Bard so that Bard could explain how Bard differs from that lousy AI Bot, ChatGPT.  The following two images show my question and Bard’s reply. Basically, I am just confirming with Bard that he is far better for Old Geezers’ use than ChatGPT which, I believe, is of very limited use to septuagenarians:

 

 

And, BARD’s reply:

 

 

 

The above answer and reply is really nothing more than a rehash of what we already know about ChatGPT, that inferior AI tool which I, personally, would never degrade myself by using, not even for amusement.

 

Instead, here is a more concrete example of how BARD can help old men remember what they have forgotten. We old men, during the course of our time on Earth, have amassed a great deal of valuable knowledge and facts.  Some research suggests that all/most of this accumulated information stored in our brains is NOT lost. This means that when we experience a failure to recall information that we wish to recall, it’s more a failure in the recovery mechanism, rather than it being attributable to a “complete loss of information” type of situation.

 

This obviously implies that the knowledge still exists in our brains; And, we just need BARD’s help in order to ...SET OUR KNOWLEDGE FREE, and to Jog Our Memories in the right way so that we can easily access what we thought we had forgotten.  We think that we know, from current “brain science”, that most of what we ever knew is still “there”, and that, for example, just through past research in cortical stimulation during brain surgery, we are sometimes able to vividly relive many of our experiences, almost as if these experiences had happened just yesterday.

 

Please allow me to summarize, in one simple sentence, what we have covered thus far in this OP concerning the “Beauty of Bard as a Boon” to us, we who are now stuck in this modern world of ever-increasing complexity, yet necessarily reliant on our old and aging brains:

 

Bard, due to the fact that Bard is connected to the internet, is able to find the information we need better and faster than Google Search, and far better than ChatGPT can possibly do. Why? Because we can ask Bard questions in a highly nebulous and abstract way; and yet Bard can still see right through our Bouleshiit, and can always help us to tweak out the memories and knowledge that lies dormant within us.

 

The key advantage of Bard, versus the use of Google Search, is that we don’t need to phrase our questions so very concisely. We can use Bard through a series of ever-more pointed questions to find what we are looking for, deep within us. This is impossible with Google Search, or any other search engine.

 

Even if we have only a very vague idea of how to describe what we are looking for, and even if it might take us 500 words to gradually describe what we are looking for, BARD the Supreme Tool among all AI tools available today…will NEVER fail us in our quest to recover what we had been sure we had forgotten.  With Bard’s help, almost all knowledge we had feared was forgotten for good, can be made to, once again, see the light of day.

 

So, yes, my old friends, we do live in exciting times when we can recover almost all of our knowledge that we thought forgotten, thanks to the blessed advent of Google’s Bard. Oh, Happy Day!

 

And now, my friends, please bear with me as I provide you with a practical Concrete Example of how BARD can work for you in Real Life, as you live out however many remaining days the Good Lord has allotted for you:

 

1.  Let us suppose that you wish to write a Topic about: “Correlation between Population Density and Conspicuous Consumption Evaluated through the Lens of Smartphone-Buying Behavior of the Adult Male in Present-Day Western Society”

 

2. And further suppose that you once took a uni course focused on Shaping Opinion, Belief Formation, Propaganda, Marketing Strategy, Brainwashing, and Mind Control, as I once did in 1974.

 

3. However, you realize that you have forgotten two of the key figures that were at the forefront of this research when you first studied these topics you studied, way back in the day.

 

4. What can you do?  Do you use Google Search? NO WAY, NO HOW….Such a waste of the last amount of time still allotted to you on Earth. No! Don’t use Google Search, because what you really need is BARD, a machine that understands old men, and a true Genie, ever willing to help squeeze the last slow-flowing juices out of your aging brain.

 

5. What did my Bard-queries yield? Bard did not come up with the two names I was looking for, initially. However, when I used plain language to refine my question and describe to Bard exactly what I wanted, Bard came through with flying colors. He is really a genius at pleasing me, every time.

 

I could go on to list many more helpful examples which would be very interesting to you. However, I should stop here before this OP becomes overly windy. And besides, later this morning Lazada will deliver my vitamins which are now at the final sorting station in CM, and I will need to catch a few hours of sleep before those smart young delivery boys (young girls would be better) show up on my doorstep. 

 

So, what is this OP even about!?

 

This OP is about my attempt to learn how many people on the Farang Pub have begun using Bard, on a daily basis, to improve their lives in the way I have described above. We are now entering a new age, using Bard, in which we have this extremely helpful tool at our disposal, a tool that seems almost purposely designed to help those with aging brains overcome our decreasing ability to quickly retrieve valuable information that has often become stuck in the mush.

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU:

How are you using Bard to improve your lives?

I cannot be the only one here who has discovered the amazing usefulness of Bard!

Have you asked Bard what he can do for you, lately?

Isn’t it time that you, too, used Bard?

 

So, my fellow aging men,

This OP is my most valuable gift to you,

Thus far,

And, I am sure there will be others for you in the future.

 

Tell me some good news about your surprisingly helpful use of BARD.

 

Thanking you in advance for your attention,

While also knowing that this OP will be most helpful to you,

Regards,

Gamma

 

PS:  I am quite confident that Bard will become increasingly more adept at reading our minds, and this just means that we old guys can look forward to an even Brighter Future than we ever imagined for ourselves, as this amazing AI tool rapidly improves itself, day by day, month by month, and year upon year!  Google is the Greatest Company that ever was created by Man.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Please keep in mind that this OP is NOT about Bard Bashing, or about AI-Fears for the Future, or about Bill Gates’ fear of AI, or about AI’s So-called Impending Destruction of Humanity.

 

Therefore, please SAVE these types of comments for other OPs, other places, or other Mindless and Ignorant Discussions of AI.

 

We, here, are ONLY discussing the very positive ways, and the great potential, for use of Bard to help us cope in this modern world, and to improve our performance, as well as to augment our feelings of wellbeing during the final years ahead of us.  And, may I say, I hope your remaining final years are many, and full of good health and good cheer. (GG)

 

 

 

 

[Fat is a type of crazy]

My hesitation to use stuff like this is the same as my hesitation to get map directions when driving. If I drive I like to work out where I am going and get there without being told step by step. You hear the stories of British tax drivers having a better or different developed brain than others. So long cut short I don't want to use too many helpers rather than my brain as it might limit the powers of the brain. It might take me to step 3 of a thought process i.e. save time but it might be better but slower to get there myself by thinking. 

[GammaGlobulin]

14 minutes ago, Fat is a type of crazy said:

My hesitation to use stuff like this is the same as my hesitation to get map directions when driving. If I drive I like to work out where I am going and get there without being told step by step. You hear the stories of British tax drivers having a better or different developed brain than others. So long cut short I don't want to use too many helpers rather than my brain as it might limit the powers of the brain. It might take me to step 3 of a thought process i.e. save time but it might be better but slower to get there myself by thinking. 

By all means, if you are able to eventually remember facts that you once knew but are not able to immediately recall, then more power to you.

 

On the other hand, if after several weeks of struggling to recall something that you have forgotten, then you might consider asking Bard for a helping hand.

 

[Crossy]

At least it can admit when it's wrong (by a factor of 10)

 

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

3 hours ago, Crossy said:

At least it can admit when it's wrong (by a factor of 10)

 

 

 

Both Bard and I seem to be still under development.

We are getting there, though.

 

Also, Bard is one of the most polite machines I have ever talked to.

 

And, most importantly, he is super helpful (and THIS time, I utter a sentence completely free of facetiousness or irony!)

 

How helpful is Bard (to me)?

EXTREMELY helpful, and even more helpful than Google search.

Bard saves time because I do not need to spend several moments trying to formulate the best search query.

Also, these days Google Search is so full of links to ads, like a shopping network.

Ads, you do not get with Bard, ... so far.

And, Bard does not cough up shopping links...(I would punish him if he ever tried that with me.)

 

Overall, a surprisingly helpful robot, is Bard.

I use Bard more and more each day.

And I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

 

He does know just about everything on the internet, and even what might be hidden to you or me, in all probability.

Sometimes he will tell you that something is on the net, but he will be unable to provide a link, just because the link is within a university server, or behind a paywall, or in the basement of some library...  BUT, Bard knows that it is there.  He will just make up an excuse, like, "I am not a search engine; I am an LLM."

 

Bard is simply divine!

 

 

[Lacessit]

I usually work things out for myself, maybe some help from Wikipedia. Both my mother and father died in full possession of their faculties, IMO genes are on my side.

I regard mental exercise as important as physical exercise, perhaps BARD might make me lazy.

Edited August 4, 2023 by Lacessit

[GammaGlobulin]

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

I usually work things out for myself, maybe some help from Wikipedia. Both my mother and father died in full possession of their faculties, IMO genes are on my side.

I regard mental exercise as important as physical exercise, perhaps BARD might make me lazy.

My opinion is that search, and searching, should be made as efficient as possible, so as not to waste valuable time.

 

Anytime I want to go on an Easter-Egg hunt, I will become a Christian and eat that disgusting Easter Bunny cake.

 

I am loving Bard.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 4, 2023 by GammaGlobulin

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, GammaGlobulin said:

My opinion is that search, and searching, should be made as efficient as possible, so as not to waste valuable time.

 

Anytime I want to go on an Easter-Egg hunt, I will become a Christian and eat that disgusting Easter Bunny cake.

 

I am loving Bard.

 

 

 

 

I enjoy searching out information for myself. I don't think i'd enjoy having it spoon-fed to me, as if I am a mewling infant.

[sirineou]

13 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

I enjoy searching out information for myself. I don't think i'd enjoy having it spoon-fed to me, as if I am a mewling infant.

I understand what you say. You enjoy the hunt. 

I do to!

The pleasure and pride  that comes from learning something by yourself,  the aha moment.

Where is the fun in having something told to you? Why  are you even nessacery? 

 

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

3 hours ago, Lacessit said:

I enjoy searching out information for myself. I don't think i'd enjoy having it spoon-fed to me, as if I am a mewling infant.

I don't think we are here speaking of being spoon-fed by Bard.

We are only suggesting that we can use Bard to help us quickly find information that we have already learned, but seemingly forgotten.

 

We are not asking Bard to spoon-feed us concepts or ideas.

Rather, we are just using Bard to quickly provide us with lost terms and dates and simple facts, much in the same way we once used a dictionary, an encyclopedia, or, these days, Wikipedia.

 

For example, what is the fastest way to look up the flavors of quarks?

This is something I often do, in fact.

The best way to quickly find the flavors of quarks is to just ask Bard.

Bard gets right to the point, without having you wade through a bunch of Google Search entries, while also having to deal with the Google search engines useless "ad links"...

 

This is really what this OP is about, IMHO.

However, I know that others may see this OP from a different perspective.

 

Here is Bard's refreshing answer to the flavors of quarks, as well as the other important particles of the Standard Model:

 

 

 

What is the harm in this?

 

And, now that you have been helped to recall the names, it's up to you to pursue this information in a much more descriptive way, which is, really, the hard part of this question.  And, you will not find the good answers for this on Bard, .... of course.

 

 

[KannikaP]

4 hours ago, Lacessit said:

I enjoy searching out information for myself.

How? Books, radio, asking people?

[Lacessit]

57 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

How? Books, radio, asking people?

Books, the internet ( Wikipedia ) and asking people who I know it is worth my while to ask.

[GammaGlobulin]

4 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Books, the internet ( Wikipedia ) and asking people who I know it is worth my while to ask.

Would you be willing to ask Bard for It's suggestion of "three books" to read concerning a topic in which you are interested, but about which you don't know much? Or, would you be unwilling to do so because either you fear being mislead by a machine, or you prefer to spend more time accomplishing the same thing by using other less efficient search methods?

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

1 hour ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Would you be willing to ask Bard for It's suggestion of "three books" to read concerning a topic in which you are interested, but about which you don't know much? Or, would you be unwilling to do so because either you fear being mislead by a machine, or you prefer to spend more time accomplishing the same thing by using other less efficient search methods?

 

 

My answer to this question is that it cannot hurt to ask Bard this type of question even though you can be sure that Bard will fail to provide the best answer.

 

For example, if I ask this question of Bard about the problem with particles and the Standard Theory of physics, and what three books to read:

 

He suggested three books:

 

Item 3 is not a book. The title of Greene's book is "The fabric of the Cosmos".

 

Concerning item 2, I then asked:

Bard's reply:

Actually, there IS a book titled: "Supersymmetry and String Theory: Beyond the Standard Model 2nd Edition", but it's not written by Sean Carroll.

 

Bard's confusion, it seems, stems from this PODCAST, two years ago, by Sean Carroll:

 

So, it is probably safe to say that one should use extreme caution when asking Bard to recommend good books about particle physics, or the Standard Model of physics.  For suggestions of good books to read, then it might be best to use resources such as Wikipedia, Google Scholar, etc.

 

In addition:  If you are interested in this particular topic, it would be better to just send an email to Sean Carroll, instead of asking Bard. You can contact Sean Carroll using his email address listed here:

 

 

Bard is good for some queries, and not so good for others, obviously.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 4, 2023 by GammaGlobulin

[Lacessit]

9 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Would you be willing to ask Bard for It's suggestion of "three books" to read concerning a topic in which you are interested, but about which you don't know much? Or, would you be unwilling to do so because either you fear being mislead by a machine, or you prefer to spend more time accomplishing the same thing by using other less efficient search methods?

 

 

I designed my successful diet based on reading, and YouTube videos. Maybe BARD could have helped with that, or confused me.

I am a firm believer in the KISS principle ( Keep It Simple, Stupid ), BARD adds complexity.

[GammaGlobulin]

5 hours ago, Lacessit said:

I designed my successful diet based on reading, and YouTube videos. Maybe BARD could have helped with that, or confused me.

I am a firm believer in the KISS principle ( Keep It Simple, Stupid ), BARD adds complexity.

For some strange reason, it seems that people here cannot read.

For example:

a. I never implied that BARD should be used for learning.

b. I stated that BARD can be used by OLD GEEZERS to REFRESH their AGING memories about facts that they had FORGOTTEN.

c. I NEVER implied that BARD was useful for LEARNING something NEW.

d. I would NEVER advise a young student to LEARN something NEW from BARD.

d2. Why?  Because a young person learning something new, CANNOT TELL WHEN BARD IS HALLUCINATING. A young person who had never studied the material, and then forgotten the material, would be UNABLE to distinguish FACT from FICTION.

e. I don't know why everybody is suddenly talking about their fear of laziness from using BARD to learn something new, or design a DIET BOOK?  I Never implied that BARD could be helpful in this way.

 

f. Bard is EXTREMELY useful for OLD GEEZERS to quickly refresh their memories about various topics, and many facts, which they studied and then, 50 years later, FORGOT.

 

I don't know why people cannot read.

But, they cannot.

THAT...is...a....FACT.

Just ask Bard.

 

 

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, GammaGlobulin said:

For some strange reason, it seems that people here cannot read.

For example:

a. I never implied that BARD should be used for learning.

b. I stated that BARD can be used by OLD GEEZERS to REFRESH their AGING memories about facts that they had FORGOTTEN.

c. I NEVER implied that BARD was useful for LEARNING something NEW.

d. I would NEVER advise a young student to LEARN something NEW from BARD.

d2. Why?  Because a young person learning something new, CANNOT TELL WHEN BARD IS HALLUCINATING. A young person who had never studied the material, and then forgotten the material, would be UNABLE to distinguish FACT from FICTION.

e. I don't know why everybody is suddenly talking about their fear of laziness from using BARD to learn something new, or design a DIET BOOK?  I Never implied that BARD could be helpful in this way.

 

f. Bard is EXTREMELY useful for OLD GEEZERS to quickly refresh their memories about various topics, and many facts, which they studied and then, 50 years later, FORGOT.

 

I don't know why people cannot read.

But, they cannot.

THAT...is...a....FACT.

Just ask Bard.

 

 

I remember things that are important to me. I forget things that are not.

Why should I want to remember how many flavors quarks possess?

 

[GammaGlobulin]

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

I remember things that are important to me. I forget things that are not.

Why should I want to remember how many flavors quarks possess?

 

You SAY that you forget.

But, can you PROVE that you forget?

For example, I am quite SURE that you will, now, never forget the flavors of quarks, 

No matter how hard you try.

 

 

[Lacessit]

6 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

You SAY that you forget.

But, can you PROVE that you forget?

For example, I am quite SURE that you will, now, never forget the flavors of quarks, 

No matter how hard you try.

 

 

It is apodeictic we all forget.

Allow me to turn the proposition on its head.

If you said you remembered everything, how would you know?

[GammaGlobulin]

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

I remember things that are important to me. I forget things that are not.

Why should I want to remember how many flavors quarks possess?

 

Also, it seems to me that you have inadvertently validated the BASIC POINT of this OP.

 

The point is that we do not need, or wish, to be able to retrieve all of the information in our brains, such as facts and dates in history, as well as many other factoids.

 

The BEAUTY of BARD is that this kind of tool can help us to keep our minds less cluttered.

Anytime we need some random fact, number, or date, we can just ask Bard.

Someday, BARD will be directly connected to your brain, and then you will have easy access to all the information known to Man, in the blink of an eye.

 

Such a scenario will NOT make us lazy.

instead, we will have more time for introspection and contemplation concerning thoughts of more value.

 

You and I are so lucky to now be living in the Age of Bard.

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

2 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

It is apodeictic we all forget.

Allow me to turn the proposition on its head.

If you said you remembered everything, how would you know?

We cannot recall or remember ALL of our experiences.

We know by now, just through modern-day brain science, that it is impossible for anyone to recall passing through the birth canal.

 

PS:  Did you not mean "apodictic"?

 

 

[Lacessit]

2 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

We cannot recall or remember ALL of our experiences.

We know by now, just through modern-day brain science, that it is impossible for anyone to recall passing through the birth canal.

 

PS:  Did you not mean "apodictic"?

 

 

I am using the classical English spelling, not the American version which tries to condense vowels.

Just as well you guys left the elements alone after aluminium. Sodium pronounced the way you pronounce Al is quite impolite.

[GammaGlobulin]

Just now, Lacessit said:

I am using the classical English spelling, not the American version which tries to condense vowels.

Just as well you guys left the elements alone after aluminium. Sodium pronounced the way you pronounce Al is quite impolite.

GREAT!

Thank you!

I always LOVE learning new words, and this is a fact that Bard knows well.

 

Also, I readily admit that my writing is windy, but I try to draw the line at intentional pedanticism.

 

[GammaGlobulin]

On 8/4/2023 at 5:35 PM, GammaGlobulin said:

Here is Bard's refreshing answer to the flavors of quarks, as well as the other important particles of the Standard Model

Having mentioned (in the OP) the Standard Model  of particle physics and the controversy, these days, concerning the fact that the Standard Model is inherently an incomplete theory, we are told that there are fundamental physical phenomena in nature that the Standard Model does not adequately explain, namely Gravity, neutrino masses, and the cosmological constant.

 

Some physicists are seeking a "new physics", but what does that mean?  And, is it a good idea?

 

I have yet to meet anyone from North America or Europe who is not interested in Cosmology. And, I just wish that the people I meet in Thailand, or from China, would take more interest in Cosmology...

 

Today, I noticed that this German girl is talking about this very topic on her UTUBE channel.

 

This HOT German Physics Babe is a real Smart Physics Cookie.

Her audience is totally lay persons who love Physics and Cosmology, and much more.

She uses a very dry and sardonic wit to clearly explain Physics and Science, while often poking fun at physicists, Elon Musk (lovingly), and other scientists.

Quite humorous, but she is a great communicator of science.

 

I am 100 percent positive that there are many on this forum who might enjoy this UTUBE channel, and,...

Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

 

This UTUBE channel is worth a watch, if you haven't watched so far...

I love Smart German women.

Maybe it's their German accent...

She has One Million subscribers.

And, she has 318 informative videos; and, yes, she is a real physics researcher with a PhD, and all that.

 

 

She's so HOT,

I could listen to her talk,

All day, and all night, too.