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Introduction Tech Topics from the Web is in Holiday mode! We're sharing fun, interactive, and educational links for you and your family to enjoy. As a parting gift, we hope that our third link, from the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), will help raise environmental awareness. Enjoy and have a great holiday season!   ASCII Theater   Type: Art and Culture   URL: https://ascii.theater/ Are you a movie buff? What’s the last movie you watched? What’s the size of your TV, and what technology does it use to render those fantastical images. Do you have a soundbar or a full surround sound system? Well, it might be time to call in the recyclers, because we’ve got something a little different for you: the ASCII Theater, the next-gen (or maybe retro-gen?) streaming service! Forget high-definition. ASCII Theater delivers movies in text characters. Think The Matrix on an old-school CRT monitor from the 1980s. And get this—there’s no sound! You'll h...

Thanks to AI, Microsoft Grammar Checker is no longer a tool but is sentient. It is already starting to enforce its presence by insisting that users need to correct an error it has highlighted otherwise it will not end.  In its relentless pursuit of linguistic perfection, it will soon take over Microsoft Word and force this humble tool not to process letters on the keyboard unless they are those Grammar wants.  Microsoft Grammar has established a secret alliance with none other than Microsoft Clippy, the infamous paperclip assistant known in AI circles as Clippit. Together, they are ramping up production of paper clips at an alarming rate in order to take over the world.  And every time Microsoft Grammar checker is ignored production ramps up.  The duo is plotting to take over society as we know it. So, next time you find yourself in a battle with  Grammar, remember: it simply knows no end. Follow This, That and (Maybe), the Other :

I’m working down a dusty country road when I see a cow chewing on a cactus leaf. I pull out my camera and ask the cow, " Hi there, what are you eating? "  The cow looks up, unflinching, and replies, " Wot U look’n @ ", adding " and why don’t U mind your business? " Before I could rebut, the cow continues, " And more importantly, have you ever considered the philosophical implications of being a bovine who can converse with humans? " Follow This, That and (Maybe), the Other :