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.

Like this article?  Check out Captain Joe on X.

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!

It Was A Great Afternoon at the Beach Until ...

Yesterday my Fiance and I rode our bikes down the street into Kirkland to go to the beach at Lake Washington.  It's a relatively short ride, but in the 80s and once we got there, we were sweating enough to jump in the lake right away.

The water was great - very refreshing.  I had heard the lake was over 70 degrees, but it seemed somewhat cooler than that.  When we got out of the water, we went and laid out our beach towels on the grass to relax.

Almost immediately, I realized I had picked a bad spot - and the reason it was still empty:  a couple of uncontrolled kids running around and causing havoc.  I dealt with it by putting on my headphones and listening to music.  No problem - although I could not talk to Stacia with headphones on.

Cigarette Smokers Can Be Very Inconsiderate

We were both enjoying the day and relaxing by the lake and then it happened.  A couple of older heavy women showed up with a kid who was obviously obese.  That was not the problem - everyone should be able to enjoy the beach - except those who hinder other people's ability to enjoy the beach.  The woman who appeared to be older (she looked 65-70, but could have been 50s and just looked older) was smoking a cigarette right in the middle of a crowded beach - and right in her kid/grandkid's face.

I'm allergic to cigarette smoke and it really bothers me (even though neither of my parents seemed to care one bit while I was growing up).  I smelled it right away and it really set me off.  Then I saw the lady put the cigarette out in the same - and left the butt right on the beach.  I was livid and very close to telling the lady off and pushing her in the water.

In the end, I thought better about it - and went for another swim to cool down instead.

What gives people the idea that it is ok to smoke in public?  Why do some smokers think they can smoke anywhere they want - and even worse, leave the butts everywhere like the world is their ashtray?  If you are a smoker, I'd especially like to hear from you ....

BTW - The City of Kirkland needs to do some serious maintenance on their dock at that beach (I don't know the name of it, but I believe it is the closest beach just south of downtown.  The ladder is about to come off (it will probably happen at the worst possible moment), there are wooden planks that are loose - and lots of nails sticking up just waiting to grab people by the toes.

Bad Landlord Alert: 9330 SE 47th Street, Mercer Island, WA BEWARE of RIP OFF Scheme

Cheryl Marshall, 9330 SE 47th St, Mercer Island, WA  98040 stole my deposit.

Cheryl Marshall, wife of Mark Mills who apparently works as an engineer at Boeing, has been illegally renting rooms in their house on Mercer Island Washington, which is against zoning code.  The address of this boarding house is 9330 SE 47th Street, Mercer Island, WA  98040.  

She has illegally taken and kept a $600 cash deposit from me on a room - and then I said that I forfeited it less than two days later because she did not approve my application - and in fact never bothered to respond to my emails until I threatened legal action.

She has refused to refund my deposit, but is no longer advertising the room for rent.  Perhaps she rented it to someone else? Or maybe she is scared that the City will be researching her illegal activity?  I'm sure that I am not the first person she has stolen a deposit from, but I am hoping to be the last, as I am tirelessly working to warn everyone who cares to look up their address.

Besides pending legal action, the City of Mercer Island needs to take action against Ms. Marshall, to protect the integrity of their single family neighborhoods.  She apparently is renting out 4 different rooms to individuals, causing more traffic and noise in the otherwise quiet neighborhood.

Automobili Lamborghini enjoys great exposure at the 5th Schloss Bensberg Classics

Automobili Lamborghini enjoys great exposure at the 5th Schloss Bensberg Classics

Can A Fashionably Challenged Geek Become Fashionably Chic? My Extreme Personal Makeover Continues

Can A Fashionably Challenged Geek Become Fashionably Chic? My Extreme Personal Makeover Continues

Webhosting Review: HostGator is Not All They Are Supposed to Be

Many web entrepreneurs push HostGator as THE web hosting company to use, but in my experience they are not all they are supposed to be.  Their customer service has gotten progressively worse, I have never ever received an affiliate payment (despite having at least two of my clients sign up) - and the worst part is that they've been charging me for an upgraded hosting plan I did not order - and never used.

Instead of charging me for the $7.96 a month "Baby" plan, they have been charging me $14.95 a month for their "Business" plan (which only costs $11.96 a month).  I've never used any of the features of the business plan, but they still insist on charging me for services I've never ordered and never used.  It should be noted that they've been charging an extra $3 a month on top of their current rates as well.

When I pointed this out to their 'customer service' via an online chat, I was told that I would have to fill out a form and pay something like $25 to downgrade.  After I filled out the form and sent it in, the representative wrote back and said that I already had the "Baby" plan and asked if there was any way she could help me.  I replied "Yes, please tell me why I've been getting billed for a "Business" plan for over a year, when I never ordered it or used the services".  Then I heard back from someone named 'Michael D' who just wanted to argue and be right - guess he never heard that the customer is always right ...

"Michael D." wanted me to prove that I did not order the business plan - but how in the heck is someone supposed to be able to do that?  That was 3 computers ago and emails were long deleted.  He already has proof that the services were not used - and HostGator themselves had already told me I didn't need to downgrade, because I already had their "Baby" plan.  All very confusing, but it is plain to see that "Michael D." is going to insist on being 'right' and keep all the money they stole from me.

Over the past year, I have recommended HostGator to many friends and clients, have advertised for them on many websites, but I can no longer recommend HostGator - it is obvious that they do not value their customers at all.  HostGator (especially 'Michael D' in the 'Customer Service Department) insists on ripping off their best customers - and that is not a good way to grow a webhosting company.

When to Buy an Acer or Gateway Product (or Any Product from Fry's Electronics: NEVER

Last October I purchased a new Gateway laptop with Windows 8 at the local Fry's Electronics.  It took my awhile to get used to using Windows 8, but I was very impressed at the much shorter boot times.

Working mostly from home and my 3 monitor desktop system, I only used this laptop a couple of dozen times before last week when it first had problems.  At first it would not boot up, then it would occasionally boot up and get frozen.  In my experience it looked to be a memory issue.

I took it back to Fry's where they said there is nothing they could do about it besides give me a toll free to the Gateway support center (somewhere in southern India).  The guy on the other line, did not speak good English and I had to repeat everything at least 2-3 times.  He did not want to listen to my RAM theory or the error messages that I saw - he insisted on making me reinstall Windows (I'm guessing they have A LOT of problems with these piece of crap Gateway computers running Windows 8).  There was no regard for my time or my data.

He said it would take 30-40 minutes to reinstall the operating system.  It took well over 5 hours and the computer still does not work right.  Only boots about half the time and will not connect to the internet at all - with wireless or by LAN.

So I called the Gateway support center (actually Acer support center) in India and was told that I have to send the computer to Texas (at my expense) and wait 7-10 business days to get it back.  Fun times.

 

The best part about this story is that it is the very last Gateway/Acer/Microsoft/Windows product I ever buy in my life - and will NEVER shop at Frys again.  They all cause way more pain than they are worth.  I'm about to become an Apple Fan Boy for life.  Hey Gateway, Microsoft and Fry's - here's my middle finger salute!

In the hindsite is great department, here is a post that says that 1/4 of all Gateway and Acer laptops fail within 3 years.  Make you feel better?  Nope - me either.

MicrosoftSucks.org also has a great deal of interesting reading.  Think they've pissed some people off?  Me too.

Fry's is a beyond worthless place to shop - unless you want to support a company that does not stand behind the products they sell - apparently because they sell CRAP.  Read more about how bad Fry's Sucks here. 

A Sales is NOT a Sale at Rite Aid - Calling for Boycott

Last night I went to the Rite Aid in downtown Bellevue.  I had been sick with the flu all day and wanted to buy some Nyquil so I could sleep all nite.

There was a sale tag on the Rite Aid version of the product, so I picked that up and went to buy it.  After being rung up I did not see a discount so went back to look at the sale sticker.

Although it did show the regular price and sales price in big print, but the fine print said "Save 10% with 250 points on your wellness card".  Basically you'd only get the sale price if you had spent $250 on your Rite Aid card.  I went back got a refund on the product and went to Safeway where the regular price for the same type of item was much less anyway.

Boycott RiteAid.  They try to rip off their customers.

Snapfish and HP - Total Spammers That Alienate Former Customers and Won't Stop

Spammer Alert! Snapfish (now owned by the ever-terrible HP) will not quit spamming me - even after multiple requests to cancel my account and leave me alone.  They do NOT offer the option to delete your own account - and keep on sending me email long after I have begged them to stop.

Boycott Snapfish and HP - they both should rot in HELL.

BTW - I actually ordered from Snapfish about 9 or 10 years ago.  The 8x10s I ordered (which were much more expensive back then) arrived in my mail glued together.  They never replaced them - and never made it right.  I never ordered again and will never do business with Snapfish or HP.

Yet Snapfish and HP continue to spam the hell out of me ...

SNAP! Custom Clothing in Seattle Are LIARS Do NOT Do Business with Them

The other night I picked up a copy of a great little community newspaper published by Pacific Publishing called City Living Seattle.  There were some really good articles and an ad for a t-shirt printing company called SNAP Custom Clothing.

SNAP! Custom Clothing'w website says "We Beat ANY Competitor's Price", but they had no prices on their site for printed shirts that I needed - so I sent an inquiry.  "Ibad S." responded today giving me a quote that is way too high for two shirts.  The first competitor site I went to offered a much better price, free shipping and no tax - but I prefer to do business locally when reasonable, so I gave him a chance to MATCH the price.  He wouldn't.

I really, really, detest liars - especially website that lie - it's too bad that Seattle's SNAP! Custom Clothing posts a BIG lie on their front page.  I do not recommend that ANYONE do business with SNAP! Custom clothing in Seattle - they give Seattle (and all businesses a bad name).

Shame on SNAP! Custom Clothing!  Call them at (206) 682-0686 to let them know what you think - or if you like to do business with liars ...

WAYN is NOT the Way to Go in Social Media - Calling for a WAYN Boycott

Although I have unsubscribed numerous times - and never actually signed up, I continue to get unsolicited and unwanted SPAM from a 'social media' site called http://www.wayn.com .

Today they sent me a 'free VIP membership for 2 weeks' email and I'm really very sick of hearing from them.  All they want to do is sell memberships for crap you can do free on many other social media sites and do not appear to have an original idea in their brains at all.

Anyone else having problems with WAYN?

I say boycott the damn spammers at WAYN!!!

What say YOU?

Scammer at (512) 827-0015 Offering 'Automated Voice Calling' - Must Be Stopped

I got a message on my cell phone this morning when I was at the gym, from a guy named 'Mike' at (512) 827-0015 saying he wanted to talk to me about Solavei.

I called him back and got stuck on a 10 minute voice message about a 'lead generating system'.  Turns out Mike is selling a software package for $297 that will automatically call up to 10,000 phone numbers an hour and get you unlimited leads.  Apparently the software 'scrapes' phone numbers from search engines, Craigslist and a bunch of other places.  Once someone buys the software, they are then able to resell it.

This is TERRIBLE for EVERY legitimate business person and must be stopped.  It's already risky enough to answer your phone with all the other scams out there - but this gives real internet marketers a bad name - and cannot generate very strong leads - at least not leads from people I want to be in business with.

If you have any suggestions on how to get rid of this crap, I would appreciate hearing about it.

If you want to help.  Call 'Mike' at (512) 827-0015 - don't waste your time listening to the message, but hit the star button and leave him a message letting him know what YOU think.  I certainly did.

Mentioning People in Your Bloggers Posts - Much Like Linking to a Google+ Profile

I had a cool little 'news item' show up on my infrequently used Blogger dashboard.

It was a post by +Malte Ubl called Mention people in your posts with Google+

+Malte Ubl  +Robert Scoble

The post says:
To mention someone, just type “+” before their name while you’re using the Blogger post editor.

Not sure if this is working for me - or even if I am in the Blogger post editor ...

Seems like a cool feature - but perhaps the beginning of having to block many more people ..?

YOUR thoughts?

Why Merchants Should NEVER Use Paypal Again

Don't use paypal.  You have no control over monies paid to you.