What is the best way to learn and profit from AI?

Learning about and profiting from AI is a multifaceted journey that depends on your goals, skills, and resources. Here’s a practical breakdown to get you started and maximize your potential:

### **Learning AI**

1. **Build a Foundation**

   - **Math & Basics**: Understand key concepts like linear algebra, calculus, probability, and statistics. These underpin machine learning (ML), a core part of AI. You don’t need to be a PhD, but familiarity helps.

   - **Programming**: Learn Python—it’s the go-to language for AI. Libraries like TensorFlow, PyTorch, and scikit-learn are your tools. Start with free resources like Codecademy or Coursera’s Python courses.

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2. **Dive into AI Concepts**

   - **Start with Machine Learning**: Grasp supervised learning (e.g., regression, classification), unsupervised learning (e.g., clustering), and reinforcement learning. Andrew Ng’s free ML course on Coursera is a gold standard.

   - **Move to Deep Learning**: Explore neural networks, convolutional networks (for images), and transformers (for language, like me!). Fast.ai offers a practical, hands-on course.

   - **Stay Curious**: Read papers on arXiv or follow AI blogs (e.g., Towards Data Science on Medium) to keep up with trends.

3. **Hands-On Practice**

   - **Projects**: Build something—predict stock prices, classify images, or create a chatbot. Kaggle is great for datasets and competitions.

   - **Open-Source**: Contribute to GitHub projects to learn collaboration and real-world coding.

   - **Tools**: Experiment with platforms like Google Colab (free GPUs) or Hugging Face (pre-trained models).

4. **Learn from Others**

   - **Communities**: Join X discussions, Reddit (r/MachineLearning), or Discord groups to see what others are doing.

   - **Courses**: Beyond free options, consider paid ones like DeepLearning.AI or Udacity’s AI Nanodegree if you want structure.

### **Profiting from AI**

1. **Career Path**

   - **Jobs**: AI engineers, data scientists, and ML researchers are in demand. Companies like xAI, Google, and startups pay well—six figures isn’t uncommon. Polish your portfolio with projects and network on LinkedIn or X.

   - **Freelancing**: Offer AI solutions on Upwork or Fiverr—think automation scripts, predictive models, or chatbots.

2. **Entrepreneurship**

   - **Build a Product**: Create an AI-powered app or service. Examples: a personalized fitness coach, a content generator, or a niche analytics tool. Validate the idea on X or with potential users first.

   - **Leverage Trends**: Focus on hot areas like generative AI (e.g., text-to-image tools) or AI for sustainability. Low-code platforms like Bubble + AI APIs can speed up prototyping.

3. **Investing**

   - **Stocks**: Research AI-driven companies (NVIDIA, Microsoft, xAI if it goes public). Follow market trends, but don’t over-rely on hype—check financials.

   - **Crypto/Web3**: Some AI projects tie into blockchain (e.g., decentralized AI marketplaces). Risky, but high reward if you spot winners early.

4. **Content Creation**

   - **Educate**: Share your AI journey on X, YouTube, or a blog. Monetize via ads, courses, or Patreon once you’ve got an audience.

   - **Tools**: Use AI to generate content (e.g., Midjourney for art, ChatGPT for drafts) and sell it—digital art, eBooks, whatever scales.

### **Pro Tips**

- **Start Small**: Don’t aim to build AGI day one. Solve a specific problem first.

- **Network**: Engage with AI folks on X—ask questions, share wins. Relationships open doors.

- **Adapt**: AI evolves fast. What’s hot in April 2025 (like generative AI or edge computing) might shift by 2026. Stay flexible.

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What’s your angle—career, business, or just curiosity?

The Best Strategies to Quickly Get Monetized on X

 This morning I asked Grok what is the best strategy to quickly get monetized on x?

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To quickly get monetized on X, the most effective strategy is to focus on building a solid foundation of engaging content and audience interaction while meeting X's eligibility requirements for monetization. Based on current sentiment and practical approaches shared by users on the platform, here’s a streamlined plan:

1. **Understand X’s Monetization Requirements**: To be eligible for monetization on X, you typically need at least 500 followers, 5 million organic impressions on your posts over the past 3 months, and an X Premium subscription (which starts at $3/month for Basic). These thresholds can shift, so check X’s official monetization settings for the latest criteria.

2. **Post Frequently and Consistently**: Create short, engaging posts that resonate with your target audience. Aim for 5-10 posts daily to increase visibility. Simple, relatable, or thought-provoking content tends to perform well. Consistency signals to X’s algorithm that you’re active, boosting your chances of reaching more people.

3. **Engage Actively**: Reply to posts from a wide variety of creators, especially those with Premium accounts or large followings. Engagement (likes, replies, retweets) drives impressions, which are key to hitting the 5 million mark. Join trending conversations or respond to popular posts to get noticed.

4. **Build Authority in a Niche**: Focus on a specific topic you’re knowledgeable about—whether it’s tech, humor, or lifestyle—to attract a dedicated audience. Share insights, tips, or unique takes to establish credibility fast. A small, engaged audience is more valuable than a large, passive one.

5. **Leverage Cross-Promotion**: If you have a presence on other platforms (like YouTube or a blog), direct followers to your X account. This can accelerate your growth to 500 followers and amplify your impressions.

6. **Track and Scale**: After a couple of weeks, analyze which posts get the most traction using X’s analytics (available with Premium). Double down on what works—whether it’s a certain tone, topic, or posting time.

### Timeline Example:

- **Week 1**: Set up your profile, subscribe to X Premium, and start posting 5-10 times daily while engaging with others.

- **Week 2**: Refine your content based on early feedback and grow your follower base toward 500.

- **Week 3-4**: Push for impressions by increasing engagement and posting volume. Aim for 5 million impressions cumulatively over 3 months (about 55,000 per day if starting fresh).

### Tips for Speed:

- Use hashtags or join viral trends to boost discoverability.

- Avoid overcomplicating—focus on action over perfection.

- Once eligible, enable monetization in X’s settings and link a payment method (like Stripe) to start earning from ads and subscriptions.

This approach, inspired by posts on X, emphasizes simplicity and momentum. Results depend on your niche and effort, but creators have reported hitting monetization milestones in as little as 30-60 days with consistent execution.

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RANT: Why Do Restrooms Still Use Virus Blowers as Hand Dryers?

 It drives me crazy anytime that I use a public restroom and people are using air blowers to dry their hands.  Don't they know we are in the middle of a plandemic - and that viruses are transmitted through the air?

Does it make ANY sense to blow around air and any potential viruses within that air?  Or is it ok, as long as you have taken the experimental vaccines that have killed over 40k people - and are wearing two face diapers?

Where is common sense these days?

Things Are Looking Up – We The People Are Waking Up

While we are on the subject of public restrooms, when this virus pandemic was first unleashed upon the world, we were all told to wash our hands in hot soapy water many times throughout the day - especially after using the bathroom.

Did you ever wonder why many, if not most, public restrooms do not have hot water, are frequently not stocked up with soap - and insist on using those air blowers to blow viruses around?  Even without viruses, many studies have shown that these air blowers are constantly blowing small poop particles for all visitors to suck up and enjoy.

C'mon people!  Quit watching your phones, tearing each other apart, cancelling everything you don't agree with - and start using your brains!

#WWG1WGA. - BTW do NOT catch the BB (Biden Border) Variant!

Is this really a "pandemic" or are we being played?

Don't Buy Wordpress Themes from Envato, ThemeForest or AxiomThemes

 Last week at the direction of someone who didn't know any better and was trying to help me with my sports nutrition website built on the Wordpress platform.  They got me to pay $59 + fees for a premade Wordpress theme from Envato Market and built by Axiom themes.

Right after installing the theme, my site was unusable and unrecognizable.  It looked NOTHING like the theme looked on their sales page.  After f*cking around with their crappy theme for almost a day (and losing sales all day, I was forced to uninstall the theme and my site was still completely ruined.  My only option at that point was to reinstall my complete site using an automatic website backup generated 30 hours earlier by my web hosting company.

I obviously was not happy about the whole experience, and promptly (and kindly) asked for a complete refund.  They wanted to know why and I explained - kindly.  THREE TIMES.  Then they started asking me for screenshots - of their crappy theme I had deleted three days prior.

I am writing this blog post, making videos and posting memes to warn as many people as possible to avoid doing any business at all - with Envato Marketplace, ThemeForest or Axiom Themes.  I can guarantee you that you do NOT want to purchase any themes from these criminal clowns.  They do NOT value their customers - they ripped me off and they will rip you off too!

Vitamix and Kelly Services Under Investigation for Unlawful Termination of Worker Hurt on Job

Calling for Boycott of Kelly Services and Vitamix Corporation

An employee of Kelly Services, working on assignment for Vitamix Corporation in Hawaii suffered an injury that required surgery.  Apparently unhappy that this employee had to have surgery and his doctor delayed his recovery schedule, while he was still on Worker's Comp in the state of California - his manager at Vitamix set him up with a schedule for 2017 that was obvious punishment, would not sustain anyone who needs to eat - and was worse than any schedule given to even the newest reps.

After he complained (and while he was still on Workers Comp recovering from surgery), Vitamix unlawfully and in retaliation, terminated the employee's assignment.  Kelly Services went along with it, despite knowing it was a retaliatory firing and that it was highly illegal (not to mention unethical).

Since this has happened Kelly Services has promised to find the employee suitable employment and despite one of their managers claiming to be 'diligently' attempting to get said employee working - have not tendered even one job offer - even after the employee identified 4 different postings on the Kelly Services website.

It is highly recommended that any prospective employees, employers and all consumers avoid doing business with Kelly Services and the Vitamix Corporation.  They have proven that they are both all about profits before people and will lead with lies and deceit.

Declaring My Independence from HostGator, Their Crappy Servers and Worst Customer Service

Done with Hostgator Forever!

YooHoo!  Happy 4th of July!  Independence Day here in the good ole USA!

I am especially happy today because I have declared my independence from HostGator!  HostGator is one of the worst website hosting companies I have ever come in contact with - right up there with 1and1.com - and 1and1.com Sucks!

If you need a webhosting company - stay away from Hostgator.  They are terrible and have cost me hundreds of wasted hours and thousands of dollars.  You have been warned.

Hostgator is not a good webhosting company.  They screwed me and they will screw you too.  And not in a good way.

Lowes in Bellevue Won't Even Answer Their Phone

Before 6pm on a Saturday and Lowes in Bellevue, Washington won't even answer their phone.  I tried three times.  Can never get any help when in the store either ...

They definitely won't be getting a free listing on the Eastside Business Directory ... and I won't be shopping there again.  I'll drive the extra 2 miles to Home Depot.

BTW - it appears that there are A LOT of people who think that Lowes Sucks!