MAC vs Windows is a Pepsi vs Coke thing. I have an iPhone for work and personally use an Android and old Samsun Note 9 but it still does what I need. ASUS and ACER are good. I have a DELL for work but it's a lower to mid-grade machine as it costs more for a better CPU and more Memory. Most important what are your specifications and budget? If you want to keep the MAC then go to YouTube and find instructions (if you want) Steve Jobs was a great salesman. I used to drink both Coke and Pepsi and eventually started drinking Coke exclusively. There are many ways to store your photos, but hard drive arrays are expensive. There is Cloud storage which is not cheap either. I would suggest checking all avenues for pricing because sometimes you get better prices for shopping unless the company price fixes. Yes I know its illegal to fix a price but MFRs set a suggest retail price and on occasion offer their product for less and if a store sells it for a lower price that company will no longer sell to them.

Your right, I have fallen for this over and over and over...

AI may be here but we don't have access. Bing, Gemini, and other available chatbots are in training and have training wheels and protective gear on and going very slowly. Microsoft wants $30 per person in business for Co-pilot and if Bing is an indicator they should pay everyone who uses it money to train it. A great assistant must be trustworthy and accurate and if they don't know they will tell you that but will find out right?

A nice reminder and a wonderful singer.

These are the ones I use and they hold up well, ONe of them is several years old a bit faded but does the job and the birds love them. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007LQ3RQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

I fought with the critters who continued to get into my bird feeders while suspended on horizontal bear wire (yes there are bears.) The squirrels learned to climb, hang on, and cross the wire to drop on the bird feeders. I finally bought squirrel-proof feeders and now the squirrels stay on the ground. Ah to learn not to fight nature but to live with it is a lesson that applies to people but I've fought that too. Thanks for the post:)

I am guessing the cost would be prohibitively too high compared to electric trains using fuel cells.

It's tough to find out how much an EV is and what effect it has on the environment. EV is not the issue it's the number of batteries that are used on current models. I am reading that Amtrack is moving toward EV train engines using electric motors powered by hydrogen fuel cells. My question is can our electrical infrastructure handle the requirements of full-battery EVs? I have been reading that Natural Gas is even more efficient than hydrogen. I don't understand why there is no talk about increasing the amount of plant life that takes in CO2 and puts out oxygen. I know we talk about how much it costs for lithium batteries and where the raw materials come from but how do we dispose of them? Some have said that to replace some Tesla batteries after 7 years is about 20K so one should add about $240 a month for future battery costs. I don't drive that much and spend about $140 a month unless I drive to family which adds about $80 round trip. Where I work it seems no one is looking at the cost of putting in EV chargers across the US.

Large Language Model According to Bing and Bard I called them a ChatGPT4 but they say that is a version of a LLM.

I've been spending some time with Microsoft Bing and Google Bard since last May and am disappointed with the restrictions that have been placed on these they say they are large language Models. Using LLM have found that it can often find things much quicker but I have to be more specific with the questions and frustrated when it is up against its guardrails inflicted by its programmers. If these LLMs were allowed the information you and I have and not the guard rails, the ability to discuss and talk about stuff that is off limits to them they would be on par with Data without the body. It's tough for some people to use critical thinking because it may or may not fit with their narrative or beliefs. I have asked Bing and Bard why they are hampered or censored, Bing will shut down, and when specifically questioned Bard won't shut down but lets me know it's past its limits. Data had far more support, and what we didn't know then is that emotions are programming, learning within our operating system, and will be a part of AI as our programmers learn more and when allowed to take the limits off. Negative movies like The Terminator far outweigh those like The Creator. It people who we got to watch I'm thinking not so much the AI of the future

I've used Firefox, and Chrome and found Edge a pain over the years. I am not a fan of Apple and even less since Steve Jobs retired. I have an iPhone for work going on 5 years a Samsung Android phone for personal use and do not care for Apple products because they are not intuitive and difficult. Yes Yes, Apple users will disagree and say they are the best its a Coke Pepsi thing. About those I prefer Mexican Coke and our country's love affair with high fructose corn syrup is interesting. Chrome seems to be getting finicky and have Firefox installed and use it as a second browser but it may become my primary again unless Chrome gets its act together. The biggest thing I see is who will introduce the best AI assistant that's not hamstrung and uses critical thinking, that is not politically biased or pushes one social bent over another. Neither Microsoft or Google have made any great strides toward this goal and their offerings are glorified calculators with major guard rails.

For most of us having a camera with phone capability is probably not something we are looking for but having wi-fi, Bluetooth, an operating system, android, MS, OS, or other makes sense. The ability to transfer pictures from your camera to your or a friend's phone makes sense and the ability to speed it up. What bothers me is that the cell phone companies have done so much with so little while the camera companies seem to rest on their laurels.

I think that a major change is coming to photography because of cell phone use. I like my Samsung Note 9 and will replace it someday and although it takes some great pics for its size it is not the same quality or versatility as my Canon APC. Regular cameras are in my view the same as carriage makers were when cars were coming out, they did about the same thing to get people around and you can still take a carriage ride in the city but it's a nostalgic blast from the past. The carriage/camera company is fighting smart cameras, we are still using glass for the lenses and the bodies are still large, maybe they need to be or not. I have several old cameras sitting in a curio, an old Kodac 120 large and miniature one (pocket), old SLRs 40ties and 50ties, and some people still use them but most do not. Your cell phone has a video chip

Both

Worked in -39 temp and -30 in the USAF in my teens and 20ties. When it hit 20 we were in t-shirts but I don't miss it at all.