history pragmatic historian technology writing

My Websites Are Being Used to Train AI – Is That a Good Thing?

If you spend any amount of time online these days, you’ll hear about two things ad nauseum: The meltdown of Twitter and the wonders of AI (artificial intelligence), specifically text generated by tools like ChatGPT or Google’s Bard. I haven’t had a chance to use ChatGPT because it’s always overloaded with users when I try and I’m not inclined to pay a subscription for a service that I want to test. Google’s Bard has a…

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family history inspiration museums pragmatic historian

The Game’s Afoot at the Sherlock Holmes Exhibit

When I heard the Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) was launching a special exhibit on Sherlock Holmes last fall, I knew I had to go. I grew up reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes mysteries and have watched a number of the screen versions. For those of us who are Holmes fans, we mentally like to put ourselves in his shoes, thinking we could use our powers of observations to solve crimes. Hubby and I…

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family home pragmatic historian projects work in progress

My Husband Cleaned My Clock

No, he did not punch me in the face, which is one meaning of the phrase, “cleaned my clock.” He literally cleaned my clock. In his effort to repaint the kitchen, Erik had to remove everything hanging on the walls and clean the walls and cupboards with degreaser. I shared the following photo in last week’s blog post, pointing out how the area behind the stove still had to be painted. In the middle foreground…

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family health history pragmatic historian

2022 Alzheimer’s Ride for the Mind

Erik and I went for a benefit motorcycle ride yesterday, before today’s blistering heat (thank goodness!). It was the Alzheimer’s Ride for the Mind and, in my rough estimate, about 100 motorcycles showed up at the Buckman Bank Tavern to take part. Hubby recently purchased a new-to-him Harley Davidson, having gone many years without riding due to a back injury. Prior to that, he had a Honda Shadow Ace 1100 Tourer and we used to…

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history pragmatic historian preservation

In Memory of Denis P. Gardner

Denis P. Gardner was Minnesota’s National Register Historian. It was a role that was perfect for him because he was so passionate and particular about documenting Minnesota’s historic places. I had the honor of getting to know Denis by serving on the State Review Board, which reviews nominations of Minnesota properties to the National Register of Historic Places. The State Review Board and National Register Historian fall under the auspices of the State Historic Preservation…

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