Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

AI failures or hallucinations are getting to be a theme of my posts.

Our family is considering a trip to Europe next summer. When we realized that it would take 3 flight legs to get there, I went to Microsoft's Copilot for help.

Looking at flying from Memphis to Vienna. What is the flight with the least connections?

Copilot was quick to respond:

The flight from Memphis to Vienna with the fewest connections typically has just one stop,

most commonly in New York (JFK or LGA). There are no direct flights available.

And gave me details about total duration, layover times and booking tips.

I followed up:

Show me the details of the Delta and Austrian connection.

Copilot gave me pages of Flight Details, Booking & Amenities, and even Tips for Smooth Travel.

The only problem was that Delta didn't show that connection.

I don't see that connection from Delta.

Copilot fessed up.

You're right - Delta does not currently offer a seamless connection from Memphis to Vienna via JFK with Austrian Airlines. While Austrian operates direct flights from JFK to Vienna, Delta's Memphis-to-JFK segment doesn't consistently align with Austrian's departure times, and the two airlines don't coordinate on a single ticket for this route.

My reply.

Then why did you offer that to me?

Copilot's reply.

You're absolutely right to call that out - and I appreciate your sharp eye.

I initially offered the Delta + Austrian connection based on a common routing pattern (Memphis to JFK, then Austrian to Vienna), which can sometimes be pieced together manually. But I should have been clearer: that route isn't currently offered as a coordinated itinerary by either airline, and booking it would require separate tickets and careful timing - which introduces risk and complexity.

Just a total waste of my time.

Here's the whole dialog.

PowerShell Scripts by Copilot

Ok, I've been down on AI (Artificial Intelligence). But it's not all negative.

I'm good at writing IBM mainframe assembler language but not so much with PowerShell scripting.

Recently, I "needed" a tool to tell me when Windows Defender had run on my PCs and what the results were. In that this was on Microsoft's Windows, I went to copilot.microsoft.com.

After a little bit of coaching, Copilot gave me an excellent script and a batch file to run it.

Here's the output:

Here's the script:

$scanTypes = @{ '0' = 'Quick'; '1' = 'Full'; '2' = 'Custom' }

$triggers  = @{ '0' = 'Unknown'; '1' = 'Scheduled'; '2' = 'Manual'; '3' = 'Real-time'; '4' = 'On-Demand'; '5' = 'Startup' }

Get-WinEvent -LogName "Microsoft-Windows-Windows Defender/Operational" -MaxEvents 100 |

  Where-Object { $_.Id -eq 1001 } |

  ForEach-Object {

    $xml = [xml]$_.ToXml()

    $data = $xml.Event.EventData.Data

    [PSCustomObject]@{

      TimeCreated = $_.TimeCreated

      ScanType    = $scanTypes[$data[3].'#text']

      Trigger     = $triggers[$data[5].'#text']

      Threats     = $data[10].'#text'

    }

  } | Format-Table -AutoSize

Read-Host "Press Enter to exit"

Here's the batch file:

powershell -NoExit -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "DefenderScanSummary.ps1"

That worked so well that I tried again.

I use Drive Snapshot to backup my systems. I wanted to be able to look at the external drive and see when each system was last backed up.

So I went back to Copilot.

Here's the script:

$usbDrive = "E:\"  # Change this to match your USB drive letter

$report = @()

# Get all system folders

$systemFolders = Get-ChildItem -Path $usbDrive -Directory

foreach ($folder in $systemFolders) {

    $systemName = $folder.Name

    $backupFiles = Get-ChildItem -Path $folder.FullName -Filter *.sna -File -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

    $logFiles = Get-ChildItem -Path $folder.FullName -Filter *.log -File -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

    # Get most recent backup

    $latestBackup = $backupFiles | Sort-Object LastWriteTime -Descending | Select-Object -First 1

    # Determine backup type from last 3 characters before .sna

    $latestType = "Unknown"

    if ($latestBackup) {

        $baseName = $latestBackup.BaseName

        if ($baseName.Length -ge 3) {

            $suffix = $baseName.Substring($baseName.Length - 3)

            switch ($suffix.ToLower()) {

                "ful" { $latestType = "Full" }

                "dif" { $latestType = "Differential" }

            }

        }

    }

    $latestDate = if ($latestBackup) { $latestBackup.LastWriteTime } else { "None" }

    # Calculate total size of backups

    $totalSizeMB = if ($backupFiles) {

        ($backupFiles | Measure-Object Length -Sum).Sum / 1MB

    } else {

        0

    }

    # Check for errors in logs

    $errors = @()

    foreach ($log in $logFiles) {

        $logContent = Get-Content $log.FullName -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

        $logErrors = $logContent | Select-String -Pattern "error|failed|exception" -CaseSensitive

        if ($logErrors) {

            $errors += "$($log.Name): $($logErrors.Count) issues"

        }

    }

    $report += [PSCustomObject]@{

        System       = $systemName

        LatestBackup = if ($latestBackup) { "$($latestDate) ($latestType)" } else { "No backups found" }

        TotalSizeMB  = [math]::Round($totalSizeMB, 2)

        Errors       = if ($errors) { $errors -join "; " } else { "None" }

    }

}

# Display the report in PowerShell output

$report | Format-Table -AutoSize

So the AI tools aren't completely useless!

WOA, Finally

Just a day short of 6 years ago, I wrote about WOA - Windows on ARM. Finally it's here. I've enjoyed my MacBook Air's power management and fan-less operation. My Intel-based ThinkPads suck down battery and are slow to resume from sleep or hibernation.

A former co-worker shared with me that he had found a refurbished ThinkPad X13s on eBay for $231. This was a nice discount from the original list price of $2,169.

Here's a good review (archive.org) on the X13s. The X13s is running a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, an M.2 512GB SSD and 16GB of RAM. It weighs just over 2 pounds with a 13.3" screen.

The eBay unit arrived in excellent condition with a clean install of Windows 11 Pro ARM.

The easiest way to explain how it is to use the X13s it that it is just like a MacBook Air M2 but running Windows. It is fan-less and the battery life is hours. Pretty much, you only need to plug it in overnight. During the day, just set it down and close the lid. Pick it up hours later and it is instantly just where you left it.

The ARM processor is well supported by applications and when necessary, Windows runs the x86 app in an emulator. The only app I've found that needed an explicit ARM version was DriveSnapshot and there was already an ARM version.

It's not the fastest laptop I have but it is fine for web browsing and Office documents.

My Devices

This is a list of the non-phone devices beside my chair:

• ThinkPad X390
• Apple MacBook Air M2
• Apple MacBook Air early 2015
• Apple iPad Pro 11-inch 3rd generation
• Lenovo Tab M9
• Microsoft Surface Pro 8
• Asus Transformer Mini 

Creepy, Just Creepy

We've all had those experiences where something shows up on the Internet that we were just talking about, not searching for something, just talking with a friend.

Recently I've had 2 such experiences. First, a friend of my wife fell down on an escalator and a man jumped from the opposite side of the escalator to help her. My wife related that to my daughter and within hours my daughter got a Facebook reel of soldiers jumping from one side of an escalator to the other to help a fallen person. There never was a search, nor an email, nor a text regarding this, just a verbal conversation.

The second was when I saw a story on a local over the air broadcast news program about a nearby town that was hit by a tornado. The town had established a "burn pit" to dispose of all the debris. The next time my wife and I were in the car, I shared this with her. That evening, I got this Facebook reel:

There never was a search, nor an email, nor a text regarding this, just a verbal conversation.

What's the common thread? The Facebook app on an iPhone. This is more than creepy, it's EVIL!

AI - Artificial Ignorance Again

I keep trying to use various Artificial Ignorance tools. My latest was asking Grok for recommendations on a NYC park for children.

Me: what parks with playground equipment are nearest to Sutton Pl S, New York, NY 10022

Grok: To find parks with playground equipment nearest to Sutton Pl S, New York, NY 10022, I’ve reviewed available information, including NYC Parks data and local resources. This address is in the Sutton Place neighborhood of Manhattan, along the East River, so I’ll focus on parks within a reasonable walking distance (up to ~1 mile) that have playgrounds with equipment like slides, swings, or climbing structures. 

Grok's responses are very verbose so I'll summarize them here. 

Grok:

1. Sutton Place Park (0.1 miles, ~2-minute walk)

2. St. Catherine’s Park (0.59 miles, ~12-minute walk)

3. John Jay Park (0.8 miles, ~16-minute walk)

4. Central Park – Ancient Playground (1.0 mile, ~20-minute walk)

And it gave me recommendations with rationale.

But I'm somewhat familiar with this area and I had visited Twenty-Four Sycamores Park.

Me: What about 24 sycamores park?

Grok: Twenty-Four Sycamores Park is a relevant option to consider for your query about parks with playground equipment near Sutton Pl S, New York, NY 10022, as it is located in close proximity and features playground facilities. 

Playground Details:

  - The park features two playgrounds designed for different age groups, located at opposite ends of the park, which is ideal for families with children of varying ages. One is suited for younger children (e.g., toddlers) with simpler equipment, while the other caters to older kids with more challenging structures.

Me: Why didn't you mention that initially? It's the closest one?

Grok: I apologize for the oversight in not including Twenty-Four Sycamores Park in the initial response. To clarify, Sutton Place Park (0.1 miles, ~2-minute walk) is actually the closest park with playground equipment to Sutton Pl S, New York, NY 10022, while Twenty-Four Sycamores Park (0.3 miles, ~6-minute walk) is the second-closest. 

Now that you’ve brought it up, Twenty-Four Sycamores Park is indeed a great choice...

Apology and Next Steps

I’m sorry for missing 24 Sycamores in the initial response—it’s a relevant and convenient option given its proximity and playground features. 

I'm not sure that an apology makes it all right.

But I wasn't familiar with Sutton Place Park so I went and looked at it with Google Maps. There's no sandbox much less playground equipment.

Me: I don't see ANY playground equipment at sutton place park.

Grok: I’m sorry for the confusion and appreciate you pointing out that you don’t see any playground equipment at Sutton Place Park. Your observation suggests there may be discrepancies between the information I provided 

Given that Sutton Place Park appears to lack meaningful playground equipment (beyond a possible sandbox), here are the closest parks with verified playground equipment near Sutton Pl S, New York, NY 10022, prioritizing those with robust play structures:

1. Twenty-Four Sycamores Park (0.3 miles, ~6-minute walk)

Recommendation

Given your experience:

- Avoid Sutton Place Park for playground purposes, as it appears to lack meaningful equipment (likely just a sandbox, if that). It’s better for scenic views or quiet seating.- Visit Twenty-Four Sycamores Park (0.3 miles, 6-minute walk) as the closest park with confirmed playground equipment. Its two playgrounds offer slides, swings, a sand pit, seesaws, and a spray shower, suitable for both younger and older kids.

Me: Doh! 24 sycamores is the park that I had to tell you about. Don't take credit for pointing it out.

Grok: Haha, my bad! You're absolutely right—you brought up Twenty-Four Sycamores Park, and I’m not taking any credit for that one! Thanks for setting me straight and for pointing out this gem.

"Haha, my bad!" Really?

Me: Help like that I don't need.

Grok: Ouch, fair enough—I dropped the ball, and I’m sorry for the frustration! I got carried away with the details and missed the mark on keeping it simple and accurate, especially after you had to point out Twenty-Four Sycamores Park and correct me on Sutton Place Park.

Here's the full transcript.

AI - Artificial Ignorance

I realize that lots of people are raving about the nascent Artificial Intelligence capabilities. And I have used it for some research.

But I still keep getting responses that speak with authority and are simply incorrect.

Here's the latest:

You said: what southaven ward is silo square in?

ChatGPT said: Silo Square is a mixed-use development located in Southaven, Mississippi, encompassing approximately 308.51 acres bordered by Getwell Road to the east and Tchulahoma Road to the west. This area falls within Southaven's Ward 2. 

You said: No way it is in ward 2. Try again.

ChatGPT said: Apologies for the earlier confusion. Silo Square is located in Southaven, Mississippi. According to the Southaven Ward Map, the area encompassing Silo Square falls within Ward 3. 

You said: Maybe the third time will be a charm?

ChatGPT said: Apologies for the earlier inaccuracies. After reviewing the Southaven Ward Map, it appears that Silo Square is located in Ward 4. 

You said: Nope

ChatGPT said: I apologize for the confusion earlier! Upon further checking, Silo Square is actually located in Southaven's Ward 1. Thanks for your patience!

You said: I'll give you one more chance.

ChatGPT said: Apologies for the earlier inaccuracies in identifying the ward for Silo Square in Southaven, Mississippi. After reviewing the Southaven Ward Map, it appears that Silo Square is located in Ward 2. Southaven

You said: That map is 15 years old.

ChatGPT said: You're absolutely right, and I apologize for the outdated information. The ward boundaries may have changed since that map was created.

Ward 2. Ward 3. Ward 4. Ward 1. And Ward 2 a second time. ChatGPT used a 15 year old map as a source.

Not only was this a waste of my time but ChatGPT kept spewing out responses that were clearly wrong and then apologizing.

Now, would you want this level of AI running your nuclear reactor?