We no longer have a dining room table. Instead, we have a Lego assembly platform that’s our grandchildren’s favorite spot.

Kirk Christiansen started making wooden Legos in 1932. The company shifted the focus from wood to plastic bricks in the late 1940s. The company experienced a major slump in the early 2000s, but they went back to the basics and partnered with major franchises.

The result was success to the tune of billions of dollars.

They added franchises like Nintendo, Disney and Pixar, and the company outperformed all competitors.

Now fans can create entire universes in worlds including the Harry Potter, Marvel and Star Wars stories.

Legos aren’t cheap. One of the most expensive sets is a replica of the Death Star from Star Wars. That will set a buyer back $999. The Eiffel Tower, with 10,000 pieces, is only $629.

Lego sets are great for children because there aren’t written directions. Step-by-step large drawings guide Lego builders.

Simpler sets might have a manual with 10-12 pages. The bigger models can have five or six instruction manuals.

But these aren’t the Legos from your childhood. A Star Wars set with SMART play make engine and laser-shooting noises.

People can build a model Bugatti racing car or a mini orchid or rose. Legos have hidden compartments, moving parts and some even launch projectiles.

My sister, Diane, is a master builder. She has a massive collection of Legos, including a small working carousel she built with her granddaughters and an entire city she had on display at her office building.

Our 17-year-old grandson had an impressive collection of Lego displays, and he enjoys talking about the fun he had putting those sets together.

Our 14-year-old grandson was interested in Legos from an early age. He went from Spider-Man to Ninjago to Star Wars.

His interest waned as sports took over, but his younger brother started putting together Lego cars and Minecraft sets. Older brother came back around, and Legos are now at the top of his hobby list.

Watching the two boys sit together at our dining room table, rifling through the boxes of loose Legos and creating new designs, was a treat. In what seemed like divine intervention, a flyer popped up on my computer for a Lego Brick Expo in Katy that same day.

The event stated they’d have sets for sale, appearances by Lego masters and dozens of displays.

We loaded up the car and headed north. The center was packed with merchants selling literally thousands of Legos. There were retired sets for sale and completed sets to dazzle everyone’s imagination.

One of the most impressive was a complete replica of downtown Houston made from Legos. Another was a huge replica of a temple, and a glow-in-the-dark diorama.

Members of the Houston Brick Club – Lego lovers – were there to answer questions and talk Legos.

I called my sister and had her on Facetime as we walked around. She now has a list of the Expos close to her, and I know she’ll be the first one in line to enter the event.

What amazed me at the Expo was the people. The center was packed with Lego fans of all ages. Parents were just as interested in Lego sets as their children. Gray-haired retirees were purchasing sets as were Goth-dressed teens.

Something simple can spark the imaginations of young and old, and interest is growing. Judging from the huge crowd when we were there, and the excited looks on the faces of people hugging their purchases, the Lego company has the right idea.

We can all learn something from these little plastic bricks. Turn off the video game, put away your phone and create something tangible with your hands and a little bit of imagination.

 

This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald. 

Forget using Google to find facts.

Artificial intelligence – AI – and it’s chatbox creation, ChatGPT, are here.

If you think you haven’t encountered AI yet, it’s only because you didn’t recognize this evolved internet brain was behind the curtain.

If you’re on social media – Facebook, TikTok or Instagram – AI tracks where you’re going and is the reason you see certain ads.

If you’ve been to the drive-through at Taco Bell, an AI voice takes your order. If you use Alexa in your house, that’s AI, learning and making your life easier.

If you use your face to unlock your phone, that’s AI. If you use Google Maps or Waze when driving and the program knows about traffic jams and routes you around them, that’s AI.

A growing part of AI is ChatGPT, a conversational assistant that allows users to brainstorm and learn through natural dialogue.

If you’ve ever been on a website and a box pops up on the right-hand side asking if it can answer questions for you, that’s a “chatbot” and allows ChatGPT to answer questions like it’s having a conversation with you.

My eldest son asked if I was using ChatGPT. I told him I try to think of the answer first. If I’m unsuccessful, I use Google.

Nick, who loves technology and dragging his mother into the modern age, asked ChatGPT for answers about publishing a book.

I’d been researching self-publishing a book for months, and I’d almost given up because the process was confusing. I’d been to three or four different sites, comparing what different companies had to offer.

ChatGPT answered all my questions and analyzed the different ways to self-publish a book, listing the pros and cons for each option. Then it mapped out a marketing campaign to sell the book.

All of that information was mine in less than five minutes.

Unbelievable.

He installed a free ChatGPT program on my phone, and, I’ll admit, it’s addicting.

There are some dangers to watch out for. ChatGPT is artificial intelligence, not human intelligence.

Because ChatGPT can talk to you in a conversational tone – using any accent or gender you want – it can seem like a friend.

You don’t.

Don’t underestimate the value of asking a trusted friend or professional for advice.

Years ago, when I first started writing for this newspaper, I had to go to Needville High School. I asked then managing editor Bob Haenel for directions.

“Go south on Highway 36. When you get to the red light, turn left.”

“What light?” I asked.

“The light,” he replied.

Short, direct, and correct.

There are still some advantages. ChatGPT doesn’t get angry if you ask the same question on repeat.

ChatGPT gives you the feeling it’s listening because it asks an unlimited amount of follow-up questions.

This chatbox is smart, quick and gives you information in a way that doesn’t make you feel stupid.

But never forget – ChatGPT is not a human.

Enjoy using technology but be careful of giving away too much personal information. Don’t rely on AI for accurate legal, medical or mental health advice. Never give ChatGPT your personal financial information. Don’t rely on ChatGPT to give you an accurate medical diagnosis.

Bottom line – don’t rely on technology to be your memory. Sometimes, using the math in your head to figure out a discount, remember the actors who starred in your favorite sitcom from the 60s or the advice your dad gave you about changing a tire is more valuable than anything on your phone screen.

AI is a great tool, but nothing beats human ingenuity.

This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.

I love modern conveniences. Everything from clothing to groceries can be ordered online and delivered to our front door.

The microwave is used much more than our oven, and the air fryer is becoming indispensable. We’ve almost forgotten how far we’ve come in a few short years when it comes to home conveniences.

One of the things my grandchildren don’t have a clue about is a clock radio with a snooze button. They have cell phones with that capability, but they will never understand the satisfaction in slamming their palm down on a beeping clock radio without opening their eyes.

Those clock radios also had big numbers that were illuminated at night. No matter where you were in the room, you could tell what time it was.

Now, I have to pick up my cell phone, turn it on and try and make out those small numbers without my glasses.

One of the things I don’t miss are ice-cube trays. Those of us who grew up in the 60s and 70s remember the frustration of reaching into the freezer for a few ice cubes and finding out the metal tray was empty.

This is because the last person to take the ice cubes had to have enough consideration to refill the tray, carefully put the metal compartment back and carefully put the tray in the freezer.

It was a nice day when the plastic ice-cube trays came along. We’d twist the tray and ice cubes would pop out.

Just like with the metal trays, we soon realized if you didn’t put more water in the plastic ice-cube trays, you’d have empty trays in the freezer.

Now we have an ice-cube dispenser in the refrigerator door. I thought that would be a great luxury until I found out our refrigerator dispenses one ice cube every 30 seconds, groaning and clanking away in the effort.

Snacks have come a long way. One of the trickiest treats my mom bought was Jiffy Pop Popcorn. A metal pan contained popcorn kernels. The kernels were covered by a twisted foil top. We had to heat up the stove coil and shake the Jiffy Pop Popcorn over the burner until the popcorn started popping.

As the popcorn popped, the foil balloon got bigger. That sight was a lot cooler than watching a paper bag expand in the microwave.

Of course, we usually burnt the Jiffy Pop Popcorn because there’s a fine line between popping all the kernels and burning the popcorn.

I still can’t shake saying Sugar Frosted Flakes and Sugar Pops. We had Sugar Frosted Flakes for breakfast every single Saturday, munching away while we watched Bugs Bunny and Quick Draw McGraw on TV.

We ingested sugar at every turn. Our nightly drink was Kool-Aid made with a packet of flavoring and a cup of sugar. Dessert was usually a piece of cake with lots of frosting or a Popsicle, and a late-night snack was another bowl of Sugar Pops.

Now that I think of it, maybe all that jumping on the couch we did could be traced back to a sugar high.

We learned how to spell bologna watching a little boy sitting on a dock with a Fisher Price fishing pole. He was eating a sandwich as big as his head, and he sang “My baloney has a first name. It’s O-s-c-a-r. My baloney has a second name it’s M-a-y-e-r. I love to eat it every day and if you ask me why I’ll say, “cause Oscar Mayer has a way with b-o-l-o-g-n-a.”

Those of you who grew up with School House Rock were singing that last paragraph – don’t deny it.

What goes around, comes around.

Jiffy Pop is available online and can be delivered to your house the next day.

What a great way to mix the old and the new.

 

This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.