I tried installing linux again. Got frustrated, went back to windows.
Dabbling with Linux again. And quickly giving up… again.
My experience training a local LLM (AI chatbot) on local data…
The user encountered challenges while attempting to use various methods to feed information into local Large Language Models (LLMs) via RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation). They explored methods such as Nvidia Chat with RTX, Ollama with Python scripts, and Ollama with Open-webui. Results varied, with some methods providing inaccurate or incomplete outputs. Comparatively, Microsoft Co-pilot, running GPT4-Turbo, significantly outperformed the local methods.
[Academic Tech] JBL Tour One M2 Noise Cancelling Headphones
*Note, I was sent these headphones for review by JBL nearly a year ago, but they've had precisely zero input into this review (obviously, given I haven't written it until now), and it doesn't affect what I'm writing at all. The only benefit I stand to gain is the amazon affiliate link I'll shove at... Continue Reading →
[Academic Tech] Surface Laptop Studio (gen 1) long term review
Back in September last year, I wrote a post about the Surface Laptop Studio I'd just bought. I'd only had it a few days at the time, and so it was very much a first impressions post. I've now had the device over a year, and with the second gen released just last month, now... Continue Reading →
Windows is getting me down
**WARNING - this is a very niche rant** I'm quite a tech nerd. I enjoy gadets, and phones, and even writing software and addons. A big part of this is that I just generally enjoy interacting with my computer's operating system to get stuff done. I've been firmly embedded in Windows most of my life,... Continue Reading →
[Academic Tech] Surface Laptop Studio vs m1 MacBook Pro (and vs 7 year-old desktop): photogrammetry and rendering
Ok, I've outlined in my previous post that the Surface Studio Laptop is a lovely device, and a potential candidate for replacing my aging desktop. So the question is, how well does it cope with the kind of workloads I have? Left, the Surface Laptop Pro. Middle - the monitor for my Desktop. Right, the... Continue Reading →
[Academic Tech] Surface Laptop Studio review/first thoughts (i7, 32GB, A2000)
My home desktop has been having some issues recently – crashes, general slowness here and there. I’ve mentioned the computer many times on my blog, and it’s what I’ve been using consistently for all my photogrammetry testing. I bought it from DinoPC, and I’ve nothing but good words to say about it – it’s been... Continue Reading →
[Academic Tech] Samsung Galaxy Fold 3
A few weeks ago, and with the upcoming Society of Experimental Biology annual meeting coming up, I decided to try out the Samsung Galaxy Fold 3. I was interested in a device I could use for taking notes on during talks, much as I have in the past with my Surface devices (mainly the Go... Continue Reading →
[Academic Tech] The Anycubic Photon Mono X resin-based 3D printer
As part of a teaching push, I was able to secure a new 3D printer for the lab, to produce specimens for practical sessions (on our Zoology and Animal Behaviour programmes). I actually got it at the start of semester, last September, but have been so busy with teaching I didn't get chance to give... Continue Reading →
[Academic Tech] Agisoft Metashape on the M1 Macbook Pro – impressive.
My wife recently upgraded her aging 2014 Macbook to a new 14" M1 Macbook Pro. Let me preface what I'm about to say with "I very much dislike MacOS and don't like using macs." Bear that in mind when I say I've never been more jealous of hardware. The MacBook Pro is beautiful, the screen... Continue Reading →
Prof. Peter L. Falkingham 