artificial intelligence

Inference at the Edge: Running a Large Language Model Chatbot on Consumer Hardware

Mike ConnellyArtificial Intelligence, Technology

Large language models can now run entirely on consumer laptops, with no cloud connection required. We explore how hobbyists and open-source developers are deploying instruction-tuned, locally optimized LLMs on standard hardware and what that means for privacy, cost, and accessibility. The practical tradeoffs between model size and response quality are what make this shift more consequential than it first appears.
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A Primer on Conversational Artificial Intelligence Agents & Large Language Models

Mike ConnellyArtificial Intelligence, Technology

Conversational agents and the large language models (LLMs) have become increasingly proficient at mimicking human language and behavior so that they can respond to a wide variety of instructions. At their mathematical core, they are statistical distributions of token adjacency probabilities. This article covers how LLMs work, how they evolved from first-generation transformers to instruction-tuned systems, and what the temperature parameter actually controls.
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How To: Home Network 4.0 with Ubiquiti Unifi Dream Machine Pro, Switch Pro, Flex Mini, Smart Power Plug & UPS Review & Calibration

Mike ConnellyConnected Home

We are now on our fourth-generation home network build-out, including Ubiquiti’s UniFi Dream Machine Pro, a 48-port PoE switch, managed Flex Mini switches, and Protect camera system. Ubiquiti’s UDM Pro consolidates a network firewall, IDS/IPS, controller, and security camera NVR into a single rack-mounted appliance. Also covered are two smaller additions: the Flex Mini and Smart Power Plug, which handle edge cases like last-drop switching and WAN recovery. Continue reading How To: Home Network 4.0 with Ubiquiti Unifi Dream Machine Pro, Switch Pro, Flex Mini, Smart Power Plug & UPS Review & Calibration

Sonos One & Sonos Beam (Part 2): Review of Voice Services Including Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant & Apple Airplay 2

Mike ConnellyConnected Home, Music

Sonos speakers support Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple Siri simultaneously, letting users mix and match voice assistants independent of their music source or smart home platform. Here, we explain how that flexibility works in practice and what it means for households split across competing ecosystems. A Sonos owner can run an iTunes library, a YouTube Music subscription, and Apple HomeKit controls from a single speaker while still asking Google a question. Continue reading Sonos One & Sonos Beam (Part 2): Review of Voice Services Including Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant & Apple Airplay 2

Sonos One & Sonos Beam (Part 1): The State of Smart Speakers

Mike ConnellyConnected Home, Music

Amazon Echo and Google Home are designed primarily to deepen their makers’ advertising and data businesses, while Apple’s HomePod functions as a local iPhone extension. This article examines what each major smart speaker is actually optimized for, and why that distinction matters when choosing one. The Sonos One costs nearly twice as much as an Echo but delivers meaningfully better sound for listeners who prioritize audio quality. Continue reading Sonos One & Sonos Beam (Part 1): The State of Smart Speakers

Nvidia Shield Android TV: 2017 Hardware & Shield Experience 5.1 Review

Mike ConnellyConnected Home

The Shield TV continues to be an anomaly: in 2017, it is by far the most powerful media streamer and a capable gaming platform though not as advanced as the Xbox One or Playstation 4, but costing nearly as much. While Google focuses on stripped down Chromecast devices and Chromecast-enabled TVs, Nvidia singularly showcases the advanced functionality of Android TV including DVR, media serving, gaming, and now smart home capabilities. Continue reading Nvidia Shield Android TV: 2017 Hardware & Shield Experience 5.1 Review

Nvidia Shield Android TV Review

Mike ConnellyConnected Home

The Nvidia Shield Android TV, released in May 2015, holds the title of the best Android TV set-top box and outperforms the Apple TV Gen 4, Amazon Fire TV 2, and the latest Roku in raw processing power. This article examines how the Shield stacks up against its main competitors across ecosystems, content libraries, and gaming performance. The Shield’s hardware advantage does not translate into a clear win for every buyer, and the case of who should actually purchase it hinges on a single practical distinction.
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