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Artificial Intelligence, Technology

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

Generative artificial intelligence and conversational chatbots like ChatGPT have made headlines in recent months. These virtual assistants sound nearly human because they are based on extremely large datasets that contain real human conversations or other sources of data that contain the desired output for a given input.  Hobbyists and open source enthusiasts are experimenting with ways to run size optimized versions of large language models that have been tuned for instruction based interaction with humans and run locally on consumer-grade hardware. Continue reading Inference at the Edge: Running a Large Language Model Chatbot on Consumer Hardware Updated

Mike Connelly
Connected Home, Technology

How To: Synology DS1821+ Network Attached Storage (NAS) & DSM 7.0

We just upgraded our Synology NAS units from Synology’s prior model, DS1817+ to their latest model, DS1819+. In my previous article, I reviewed not just the DS1817+ chassis but also the M2D17 M.2 SATA SSD expansion card. I also covered software features including downloadable Synology and third-party applications, the file system, file sharing, synchronization & backup, and security. Continue reading How To: Synology DS1821+ Network Attached Storage (NAS) & DSM 7.0

Mike Connelly
Connected Home

How To: Synology DS1819+ Network Attached Storage (NAS) Review & Migration

We just upgraded our Synology NAS units from Synology’s prior model, DS1817+ to their latest model, DS1819+. In my previous article, I reviewed not just the DS1817+ chassis but also the M2D17 M.2 SATA SSD expansion card. I also covered software features including downloadable Synology and third-party applications, the file system, file sharing, synchronization & backup, and security. Continue reading How To: Synology DS1819+ Network Attached Storage (NAS) Review & Migration

Mike Connelly
Connected Home

How To: Configuring MPV for Best Video Quality Including 4K Upscaling Updated

As of Fall 2023, the the best graphics subsystem for the MPV media player is a combination of vo_gpu_next, libplacebo and Vulkan. This includes recent Windows-based PCs, Linux-based devices, and Android-based devices. Although Apple devices running macOS, iOS, and tvOS prefer Metal 3, currently, there is not a Metal backend for MPV. Previously, that meant that MPV had to use Apple’s deprecated OpenGL subsystem. Now, it is possible to use MoltenVK for significant performance gains over OpenGL. Continue reading How To: Configuring MPV for Best Video Quality Including 4K Upscaling Updated

Mike Connelly
Connected Home

Synology DS1817+ Network Attached Storage (NAS) Review & Configuration Updated

It is amazing how much data our family generates. We record our home videos in 4K resolution. We have scanned over 100 years of our family photo albums and slides in TIFF format for permanent archival. I shoot high-resolution images on my Nikon D500 and Fuji X100F cameras in RAW format. I ripped hundreds of CDs that I bought over the decades in lossless audio format. We have constructed a multi-room DVR solution for our home, time-shifting cable and local OTA content. I run my application development environments in virtual machines. And, we back up all of our Macs using our NAS’ Time Capsule service. Continue reading Synology DS1817+ Network Attached Storage (NAS) Review & Configuration Updated

Mike Connelly