Microsoft Word Find-and-Replace Tip

In my Bible study notes, I prefix comments for each verse with "V1 - " or "V6-7". I don't bother formatting while I'm taking notes because messing with formatting also messes with the flow of my thoughts. Periodically, I go back and run a Find-and-Replace on my notes files to format those prefixes, but the method to do that isn't obvious.

Here's what you do:

• Press Ctrl-H to open the Find/Replace dialog box.
• Check the "Use wildcards" box.
• Enter this text in the "Find what" field: (V[0-9] - ). This tells Word to find the next instance of the letter V followed by 1 number, a space, a dash, and another space. The parenthesis tells Word to treat the found text as a text group.
• Enter this text in the "Replace with" field: \1. This tells Word to replace the found text with the exact same text group.
• With your cursor in the "Replace with" field, click the Format dropdown button. Select Font, then Bold (under "Font style"), and click OK.
• The Find and Replace dialog box should look like this:
  
  
  
  
  
• Click Find Next to find the next instance of the desired text.
• Click Replace to replace only the one instance. This will let you test to make sure you have everything right.
• Repeat that last step until you're certain you have the correct formula in each field, then click Replace All.

If you need to find and replace 2 digits, put "(V[0-9][0-9] - )" in the "Find what" box. To find one "V1-2" use "(V[0-9]-[0-9] - )". You can find any alphabetic character using "[A-Za-z]", any upper case alphabetic character with "[A-Z]", and any lower case alphabetic character with "[a-z]". And so on. I'm sure you get the gist. 

The Godly Man

 I asked Chat GPT to write a poem about the qualities of a man according to Paul's recommendations in 1 Timothy and in the style of Robert Frost. This is actually pretty good.

The Godly Man
by Chat GPT, Robert Frost, and the Paul formerly known as Saul

In quietude, where shadows softly fall,
A godly man stands tall, serene and strong,
His virtues woven in the fabric, throng,
Resplendent in the grace that does enthrall.

Like woods in winter, deep his heart's expanse,
Yet warm as hearth, where kindness softly glows,
His spirit, steadfast as the river flows,
Guides others with a gentle, sure advance.

In speech, his words, like gentle snowflakes, fall,
Each one imbued with wisdom's tender touch,
Forbearance, like the sturdy oak, as such,
Endures, though tempests rise and fierce winds call.

He bears the yoke with meekness, not with pride,
His faith, a beacon in the darkest night,
With steadfast gaze upon the higher light,
He walks the path where love and truth abide.

In service, he extends a willing hand,
To lift the fallen, heal the broken soul,
In him, the sacred Scriptures find their goal,
A living testament to love's command.

So let us strive, like him, to live and be,
A testament to all that's good and true,
In every deed, our faithfulness to view,
As godly men, in spirit, strong and free.

The Godly Elder, generated by IMG2GO

AI is just a tool, and like all other tools, it can be used wisely or terribly abused. It's not demons. It's just software, programmed and manipulated by flawed people. 

Moses on Mars by ChatGPT

The following short story was generated by ChatGPT. There are some gaps and logical problems with the story, and it's really more relating a story than telling one, but it's still pretty impressive for a computer.

Moses on Mars, generated by GabAI

Me: Write me a short story about Moses leading the Hebrews on Mars.

In a distant future, the Hebrews were one of the few remaining human colonies on the planet Mars. They had been living there for generations, struggling to survive in the harsh, barren environment.

Moses, a wise and charismatic leader, had emerged as their guide and mentor. He had a vision of leading his people to a better life, one that was filled with hope and prosperity.

One day, as he was meditating in the rocky hills of Mars, he received a message from a higher power. The voice spoke to him, telling him that he was chosen to lead his people out of the barren desert of Mars and into a new promised land.

Moses immediately called his people to him and spoke to them of his vision. He told them that they would leave Mars and journey to a new planet, one that was filled with abundance and beauty. They would need to be strong and resilient, but with faith and courage, they would succeed.

The Hebrews were initially skeptical, but Moses convinced them that it was their destiny to follow him. He led them on a perilous journey through the harsh terrain of Mars, navigating through treacherous valleys and rocky cliffs.

Finally, they reached a massive spaceship, which Moses had secretly built with the help of a few trusted members of the community. The Hebrews were amazed and frightened by the strange vessel, but Moses assured them that it was their ticket to a new life.

They boarded the ship and set a course for a new planet, one that was said to be full of life and beauty. Moses led them through many trials and tribulations, but eventually, they arrived at their new home.

The Hebrews were overjoyed to discover that the new planet was indeed filled with life and beauty. They built a new community there, one that thrived and prospered under Moses' wise leadership.

For generations, the Hebrews remembered Moses as their savior and leader, the one who led them out of the harsh desert of Mars and into a new promised land.

Crystalline Texas Shabbat, generated by GabAI

Me: Add an antagonist who tries to talk the Hebrews into going back to Mars.

As the Hebrews settled into their new home on the lush planet, they encountered an unexpected challenge. A charismatic and persuasive individual, known only as "the Tempter," appeared among them, claiming to be a fellow survivor from Mars.

The Tempter was a smooth talker, and he quickly gained a following among some of the Hebrews. He argued that they should return to Mars, claiming that it was their true home, and that the new planet was a trap set by their enemies.

Moses and his followers were initially dismissive of the Tempter's claims, but his rhetoric began to resonate with some of the more disaffected members of the community. They began to question Moses' leadership and his decision to leave Mars.

As the weeks went by, the Tempter's influence grew stronger. He played on the Hebrews' fears and doubts, convincing them that Moses had led them astray and that they would never find true happiness on the new planet.

Moses knew that he had to act quickly to counter the Tempter's influence. He gathered his followers and spoke to them with conviction, reminding them of the trials they had faced on Mars and the hope they had found in their new home.

He challenged the Tempter's claims, pointing out that the new planet offered them resources and opportunities they could never have found on Mars. He also warned them that the Tempter's real motives were suspect, and that he was leading them down a dangerous path.

In the end, Moses' words prevailed, and most of the Hebrews remained loyal to him. However, a small group did choose to follow the Tempter back to Mars, convinced that it was their true home.

The Hebrews who stayed on the new planet continued to thrive and prosper, and they remembered the Tempter as a cautionary tale of the dangers of doubt and fear. Meanwhile, the small group who returned to Mars found that it was as barren and inhospitable as ever, and they regretted their decision to leave their new home.

Me: The descendants of the colonists didn't believe the stories and rebelled against Moses, believing that Mars was actually a paradise.

Many years had passed since Moses had led the Hebrews to their new home on a lush planet. The community had grown and prospered, but over time, some began to doubt the stories of their ancestors. They began to question whether their forebears had made the right decision in leaving Mars.

A group of dissidents emerged, claiming that Mars was actually a paradise, a place of beauty and abundance. They argued that their ancestors had made a mistake in leaving, and that they should return to their true home.

Moses, now an elderly man, tried to reason with the dissidents, explaining the harsh conditions they had faced on Mars and the opportunities they had found on the new planet. But the dissidents refused to listen, convinced that they knew better than their forebears.

The dissidents organized themselves into a rebellion, and they began to take over the community. They rejected Moses' leadership and established a new order, with themselves as the rulers.

At first, things seemed to go well for the dissidents. They began to dismantle the infrastructure of the community, tearing down buildings and planting gardens. They believed that they were restoring the natural beauty of Mars, and that their way of life was superior to the one established by their ancestors.

But as time went on, it became clear that their vision was flawed. The dissidents had no experience in building or maintaining a community, and their efforts to return to a simpler way of life quickly descended into chaos.

The dissidents began to face shortages of food and water, and the harsh conditions of Mars began to take their toll. They realized too late that their ancestors had made the right decision in leaving, and that their new home was truly the better option.

In the end, the community was reunited under Moses' leadership, and the dissidents learned a valuable lesson about the importance of listening to the wisdom of those who came before them. They remembered the rebellion as a cautionary tale, and they vowed to never forget the sacrifices of their ancestors in establishing a new home on a new planet.

Google Is the CIA

Yes, Tik Tok is a propaganda and intel collection tool of the CCP. If you were paying attention to tech news, you've known this for years now.

Now you also know that Twitter has been a propaganda and intel collection tool of the FBI. The evidence is pretty solid. Hopefully they continue to root out the fascist moles over there.

Last week, NameRedacted247 revealed that Google is a propaganda and intel collection tool of the CIA. The evidence on this is also very solid. See the link to the thread consisting of 35 tweets.

https://twitter.com/NameRedacted247/status/1607539875712217089

Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates, who is an open proponent of killing off most of the world's population--in the kindest ways, of course--and has always freely cooperated with the intelligence community through "undocumented features" of Microsoft products. I'm willing to bet that the same is true of Apple.

These aren't conspiracy theories (except for the Apple speculation). They are very well documented facts. I'm just waiting to hear which intelligence agency is really running Facebook.

The question now is, what can be done about it? I honestly don't know. These tech companies--the Technomafia--dominate communications and access to information across the entire world. Use alternatives where you can, but most of those alternatives behave like cheap knockoffs with barely half the functionality and no guarantee that they aren't similarly infiltrated.

Yep. I get the irony of posting this on a blogging platform owned by Google, but they're already suppressing access to my sites. Years ago, an anti-freedom change to their search algorithms dropped one of my websites from over 800 visits per day to about 20 visits, over night. If this blog ever gets too popular via backlinks and non-Google search engines, I'm sure they'll just delete it.

Communications channel picker for decade 2020-29

In 2021 we have so many different ways to communicate, I thought it might be helpful to rank them in order of importance and practical usage...

1. In person: Life or death. Someone's going to die if we don't do something now.

2. Voice call: Needs immediate attention. Like...right now. But nobody's going to die. Probably not. Or it's just too complicated for text or chat.

3. Video call: Like a voice call, except I got dressed.

4. Text or chat: Time sensitive. Need information or need something done ASAP.

5. Open a ticket: Need to get this done soon-ish and needs some explaining and maybe CYA tracking. Don't forget it.

6. Email: Heads up, reminder, or more detailed information about an issue raised in a prior call or chat. Especially useful for including a group of people who might want to know but don't need to do anything.

7. Open a ticket: Above my paygrade and I don't care if anything happens with it or not. Fire and forget.

8. Text or chat: Gossip and friendly chatter not directly related to business.

9. Video call: Hey, look! I'm a real person and not a chat bot.

10. Voice call: Umm...why are you calling me? Can you just send me an email or something? The Help Desk phone number is on their website.

11. In person: Wanna grab a beer?

Wait.... Is that a chiasm?

Nanny-Future

From J Storrs Hall’s Nanofuture:

Molecular synthesis will be able to make foods that are considerably closer to natural ones than current processed products. You can eat meats no animals were killed to obtain and crops no wildlife habitat was displaced to grow. No release of genetically modified organisms into the environment will be necessary to include as much of whatever vitamins and nutrients you need into whatever you like to eat. And the foods will be synthesized fresh just before being cooked or eaten, with no need even for a refrigerator. Indeed they could simply be synthesized cooked, with no need for a stove.

The dishes could be synthesized along with the food, and then simply dropped dirty into the recycler. Of course, with nanotechnology, you could mkae solid diamond plates that would come clean with the merest wave under the faucet, but the long-term trends are clear: manufactured items get cheaper, and space gets more exppensive (on Earth, anyway). So the typical domestic arrangements will tend toward making things when and where they are needed, and recycling rather than storage.

Some of my own predictions (not prophecies):

• Some people will still insist on eating naturally grown food. Real meat will probably be outlawed in California first. New York second.
• “Naturalism” will either become something of a popular religion or else people will become even more lazy and sedate than they are already. Why bother planning or saving when anything can be had at the moment you need it? The latter seems much more likely, but what use will the machines have for their eloi? Almost certainly not battery power.
• The distinguishing characteristic of the wealthy will no longer be the possession of more, bigger, or better-made stuff, (at least not so much as today) but more beautifully or more naturally made stuff. Food as an art form will no longer be the near-exclusive domain of expensive restaurants, but of digital artists and their patrons.
• Can you imagine the insanity of a fashion industry driven by the imagination and whim of the minute-to-minute consumer? You would be able to wear virtually anything that you could describe in sufficient detail.

What else can we look forward to as true nanotechnology becomes a reality over the next century?

Snopes on Styrofoam and Plastic in the Microwave

In researching rumors about plastic and styrofoam used in the microwave, I found conflicting information, and very little that anyone knew for certain:

Is there really something to the central claim of this e-mail, that heating plastic in microwaves releases a cancer-causing agent into the food? It’s within the realm of possibility, but it must be stressed the FDA does impose stringent regulations on plastics meant for microwaving. Also, if there are dioxins lurking in the plastic containers we heat food in and the process of warming those receptacles looses those nasties into our ingestibles, we’ve yet to locate the studies that prove this.

…the results of the experiment described tended to indicate that diethylhexyl adipate (DEHA) and xenoestrogens could migrate from plastic wraps into microwaved food (specifically olive oil, the "food" used in the experiment), but only with some brands of plastic wrap (primarily ones not sold as "microwave-safe") and only when the plastic wrap was in direct contact with the food being heated; moreover, no research has yet demonstrated that DEHA poses a significant cancer risk to humans at the levels noted here (even though they exceed FDA standards) or that xenoestrogens are a direct cause of breast cancer in women or reduced sperm counts in men.

Most plastic used in the kitchen melts at relatively low temperatures. You can see the evidence of that melting in the pitted sides or warped lid of any supposedly microwavable plastic container that has been used for a long time. (You might not be aware that microwaves are much more effective at heating oils than at heating water, so anything with a high fat content will get much hotter than other foods.( If you’ve eaten at a cafeteria or lunch counter that serves food on styrofoam plates, I’m sure you’ve seen your food melt right into them. The chemicals used in plastics are universally regarded as being unhealthy to ingest, so it is self evident that putting hot food (or microwaving food) in plastic or styrofoam containers is going to be bad for you. The only questions are how bad for you and in what ways.

The Snopes article is misleading in at least three ways:

1) As far as I can tell, the FDA does not impose "stringent regulations on plastics meant for microwaving." It made some regulations, but doesn’t enforce them. A manufacturer can stamp "microwave safe" on his plastic containers without actually having to prove the claim to anyone. The FDA is notorious for allowing these kinds of claims. If you have enough money, jump through the right paperwork hoops or if you know the right people, then you can get your products approved for just about anything. The FDA is probably responsible for as many lost lives through misplaced trust as it is for saved lives through safer products.
2) Cancer is the only malady addressed, with only a passing mention of one small aspect of fertility. Admittedly that’s what the original question was about, but they really should have mentioned the fact that the chemicals potentially released by hot plastic could cause many more problems than just cancer. Some things that ought to be looked into: impotence, infertility, birth defects, developmental disorders, immune system disorders, and probably a thousand other things.
3) Snopes uncritically accepts the word of plastic industry proponents over that of its detractors. The very serious findings of Miss Nelson’s two years of research are dismissed with a "no research has yet demonstrated…a significant cancer risk to humans…" BS. Use your brains.

I refer to Snopes to verify or refute a lot of the rumors that people send through email. They do a decent job with most things. They really did a sloppy job with this one, though. Considering the massive volume of plastic in every aspect of our lives, I think that avoiding ingesting them might be a good idea.

More info:

–Noble Nutrition (Soon to be a lot more info about what people should and should not be putting into their bodies!)
–The Straight Dope