Introduction An article in Inside Higher Ed (Quinn, 2024) offers insight into the annual Provost Survey, discussing the necessity for artificial intelligence (AI) policies and concerns surrounding academic integrity. Notably, this is the first instance of a survey that posed questions regarding AI usage within higher education institutions, yielding intriguing results. Survey Findings The first significant finding in Figure 1 reveals that only 20% of institutions have published a policy on AI usage for teaching and research. Conversely, 92% of the faculty members responded affirmatively to req ..read more

Introduction The landscape of artificial intelligence in data retrieval and analysis is evolving constantly. Apart from the speed and power of the models, there have also been innovations that directly address user privacy and data security concerns. One innovative solution is the GPT4ALL platform. This local AI processing tool bridges the significant gap in the privacy-conscious analysis of private documents on personal devices. In addition, GPT4All provides users with the ability to query specific local repositories such that responses are limited to the information contained in those docume ..read more

This morning, I listened to a podcast discussing the issue of copyright in relation to generative AI. The point was made that anything produced by generative AI cannot be copyrighted, and it is not effectively owned by anyone. Interestingly, the podcast also mentioned lawyers and legal firms arguing that organisations should be responsible for any content generated by AI within their organisation.  As someone without legal qualifications, I question how an organisation can be held responsible for something they do not own. It seems that it must come down to the user rather than copyright ..read more

Introduction In the ocean of information to which we are exposed in today’s world, the ability to effectively manage and leverage your personal knowledge has become a crucial skill for knowledge management and information retrieval or recall. Drowning in a sea of digital files, notes, and resources can hinder your productivity, creativity, and intellectual growth. The solution lies in establishing a robust personal knowledge management (PKM) system tailored to your unique needs. The Johnny Decimal System A previous article explored the Johnny Decimal approach and resulted in several questions ..read more

Introduction In the vast digital ocean of productivity tools and software enhancements, it’s easy for the smaller, yet incredibly impactful plugins to slip under the radar. Today, I want to shine a light on one such plugin that has significantly improved my writing experience in Obsidian: the Typewriter Scroll. Before diving into the wonders of Typewriter Scroll, let’s briefly touch on another plugin that caught my eye – BeautyTab from Andrew McGivery. It allows users to customise new tabs with beautiful backgrounds, including seasonal themes. Although a quick mention, it’s a testament to the ..read more

In the ever-evolving world of digital note-taking and knowledge management, the introduction of powerful AI tools has been a game-changer. Among these innovations, the Augmented Canvas plugin for Obsidian stands out, blending the intuitive visual mapping of Obsidian Canvas with the cutting-edge capabilities of GPT-4. This is the first Obsidian community plugin for AI that works within the Canvas that I have seen. This article, an explainer for the accompanying detailed video demonstration, takes you through the journey of installing, exploring, and maximizing the potential of Augmented ..read more

Background/TL;DR In a recent Artificial Intelligence podcast, Paul Roetzer[^1] discussed the development of AI models, specifically OpenAI’s intention to personalise them to accommodate users’ political, religious, cultural, and social values. The AI would interact with the user and recall previous discussions. Roetzer also mentioned ongoing efforts to improve the accuracy and reliability of these AI models. This raises an important question for further exploration: How can AI systems effectively balance the goals of personalisation based on individual values while also maintaining high levels ..read more

Introduction This is the fourth article and videoon using Kanban boards in Obsidian. It all started out by just seeking a simple way of keeping track of my tasks and To-Do lists with a Kanban board. Then it grew to putting coloured backgrounds on them to improve the focus when they were appearing in a matrix on the screen. Now, this last video is essentially seeking the best way to manage that on screen situation, particularly where you might have more than four Kanban boards.  Working with Kanbans It is quite conceivable that you could have six, ten or twenty Kanbans, whatever your heart’s de ..read more

Introduction If you’ve been struggling to manage the various facets of your life using a single to-do list or Kanban board, you’re not alone. As we discussed previously in two separate articles and video on Kanbans, attempting to cram everything into one board can quickly become overwhelming and counterproductive. The first article addressed using Kanban boards as a easy visual solution to task management. The second took that concept further and discussed using multiple Kanban boards to break things down even further. It could be overwhelming though. So, the solution? Divide and conquer with ..read more

Introduction It is easy to become overwhelmed by your ever-growing to-do list? It can often be a struggle to keep track of tasks across different projects and priorities? If this is you, then it’s time to take control of your workflow with Obsidian’s Kanban plugin. This powerful tool can transform the way you approach task management, helping you stay organized, focused, and productive. It also has considerably more power than what may be obvious to the naked eye initially. In this article and accompanying video, we will explore these additional features and how, combined with a couple of othe ..read more