Recent content in Blogs on Jeremy's Programming Blog
If you know me or are a reader of this blog, you know about my love/hate relationship with Apple products. I love how they work, hate the walled garden and the price tag. I bought a Mac laptop in 2003 that I loved, and I still own it. (Though it has Ubuntu on it now). I’ve had tons of Mac Minis through the years and loved them, and was disappointed by the last one . I promptly returned it.
I just returned from POST/CON 25, and I’m left with one big impression: Postman gets it. They get that we’re not just managing APIs. We’re building complex systems, and increasingly, those systems involve AI. And as AI technologies race ahead Postman is right there to help you keep up. I’ve been using Postman for years, and I was thrilled to be invited to POST/CON 2025 in…
DeepSeek R1 shook the Generative AI world, and everyone even remotely interested in AI rushed to try it out. It is a great model, IMO. As you may know, I love to run models locally, and since this is an open-source model, of course, I had to try it out. It works great on my Mac Studio and 4090 machines. But can it run on this? A silly little Raspberry Pi?
DeepSeek R1 is either a “massive revolution” for AI, or an overhyped mess. Which one is it? Here’s a quick rundown. DeepSeek R1, released on January 20, 2025, has created massive turbulence in tech. But the big story isn’t what the model can do, that’s only a small part of it. It’s how the model was built that has people talking. So much so that it has triggered…
There’s been a lot of talk in social media about the new Jetson Orin Nano, and I’ve contributed my fair share. But what’s the performance really like? To find out, I ran Ollama and tested 20 different models, checking their speed. I used a prompt that would produce a long result, and I’ve listed the timings below. Note: I have updated all these tests. They were originally…
Hello, friends! If you’re a reader of this blog you’ve probably heard about NVIDIA’s Jetson. It’s a great platform for prototyping apps and putting AI at the edge. I got lucky and got my hands on the newest, very affordable Jetson, the Jetson Orin Nano. Today, we’ll dive into everything from unboxing this little gem to testing its performance with AI models. Ready to explore what…
Hey there, fellow AI geeks. Ever wanted to create stunning AI-generated images on your local machine without relying on third-party services? You’re in luck! This is something we’ve done many times on this site, setting up Stable Diffusion XL and even generating AI videos with Stable Diffusion . We will do it again today with the latest and greatest image generation software you can…
When I write, I’m always looking for ways to make writing easier while still keeping my own style. I started an experiment not long ago to see if I could teach AI models to write effectively in my style. This piece will explain how I used my own blog posts as training data to make custom AI writing assistants. We’ll talk about the technical side of collecting material, the problems I…
Hello AI enthusiasts! Want to run LLM (large language models) locally on your Mac? Here’s your guide! We’ll explore three powerful tools for running LLMs directly on your Mac without relying on cloud services or expensive subscriptions. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced developer, you’ll be up and running in no time. This is a great way to evaluate different…
Like you, I use Generative AI nearly every single day. One common request I get is when folks have wet their feet with ChatGPT and ask me “What else is out there?” I send them a list of links and a little blurb about the sites. I decided to share that list and insights with you. Bookmark this page because it will be updated frequently. I’ll also do this with some other tools I…
If you’ve read my blog enough lately, you know I’m crazy about Ollama . It’s super easy and powerful. In fact, most people I know who play with Generative AI use it. Equally cool is the Open WebUI . You can attach it to Ollama (and other things) to work with large language models with an excellent, clean user interface. You can set up a nice little service right on your desktop,…
If you want to run your own large language model like ChatGPT, you’re in luck. There are tons of well-rounded, easy software packages for this. Ollama is one of my favorites by far. Video for this tutorial: In this tutorial, we will set up Ollama with a WebUI on your Ubuntu Machine. This is a great way to run your own LLM for learning and experimenting, and it's private—all running on your…
The image generation services out there (Midjourney, DallE, Gemini, etc) are awesome. The quality is unmatched at this time. But what if you want to generate images on your own local computer? The reasons you’d want to do this: No monthly fees No queues or credits Freedom to generate whatever you want You can add them to applications you’re developing For local AI image generation,…
If you’re a blog reader or follow me on social media, you already know I’m a huge fan of Ollama . It is an excellent platform for running Large Language Models locally. It’s easy to use and powerful. There are “easier” programs out there like LMStudio and GPT4All that are simpler to set up. However, Ollama gives you a lot more control and can be customized very…
Introduction Multimodal AI is changing how we interact with large language models. In the beginning we typed in text, and got a response. Now we can upload multiple types of files to an LLM and have it parsed. Blending natural language processing and computer vision, these models can interpret text, analyze images, and make recomendations. Until recently multimodal AI was limited to hosted…
I’ve written about running LLMs (large language models) on your local machine for a while now. I play with this sort of thing nearly every day. So, I’m always looking for cool things to do in this space and easy ways to introduce others (like you) to the world of LLMs. This is my latest installment. Here it is in video form if you want: So, you want to run LLMs on your Mac.
AI is everywhere you look, and LLMs are exploding in popularity. There’s a new AI based tool everywhere you look. If you want to get good at leveraging these tools, prompt engineering is a crucial skill. Imagine having a conversation with a robot. The way you frame your questions or inputs matters. If you don’t analyze exactly what you’re saying, the robot won’t understand you clearly. This is the…
So, you want to run a ChatGPT like LLM in Ubuntu? Last week I covered running Ollama in Windows 11 . But I also have a dedicated Ubuntu machine at home and decided to set it up here. This way, I have a constantly running instance of Ollama I can play around with or use anytime. I decided to document my process here if you are running Ubuntu and want to try this out.
There’s no ignoring the constant buzz around the cool generative AI tools this last year. ChatGPT, Bard, Claude, the list goes on and on. These tools all use LLMs, or Large Language Models. If you’re curious about LLMs, you may have done some reading about them, and found people installing them on their own machine. Here are some reasons to run your own LLM locally: There are no rate…
Whether you like it or not, Midjourney is the biggest wave to hit the art world that we’ve seen in our lifetimes. I love building art with Midjourney. It allows me to be creative without spending hours building it or having the natural talent to make it. I don’t claim to be an artist or try to pawn these works off as my own. I’m just having fun creating cool stuff and sharing it.…
If you’re interested in Generative AI, you’ve likely seen tools like runway that generate video from an image. They’re cool tools. Some of you, like me, want to run these tools for ourselves and have them on our personal machines. If that’s you, you’ve come to the right place. We’re going to install a tool to generate AI videos today. Stable Video Diffusion was…
Like so many others I’m completely addicted to Midjourney. I love playing with prompts and tweaking things and making awesome stuff. Here are several art styles you can use on Midjourney, along with the prompts that created them. If you love Generative AI art, join my new community 1. Surreal Dreamscape Create an ethereal landscape where the laws of physics are defied, with floating islands,…
Large Language Models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s GPT series have exploded in popularity. They’re used for everything from writing to resume building and, of course, programming help. While these models are typically accessed via cloud-based services, some crazy folks (like me) are running smaller instances locally on their personal computers. The reason I do it is to learn more about LLMs…
So, you want to run a ChatGPT-like chatbot on your own computer? Want to learn more LLMs or just be free to chat away without others seeing what you’re saying? This is an excellent option for doing just that. I’ve been running several LLMs and other generative AI tools on my computer lately. I’ve discovered this web UI from oobabooga for running models, and it’s incredible.…
OpenAI recently released the third version of DALL-E. Of course, the biggest news from this is the integration with ChatGPT. This could be a huge step forward in prompt creation. But we’re not going to focus on that part today. We will examine the output of Dall-E 3 and see if it’s better than Midjourney . Recently, I’ve been using Midjourney more for image generation. Dall-E 2…
Note: This article was originally written in September of 2021. It has since been updated to match the newest installer. I’ve been using Arch regularly on my “main machine” for about 12 years. The first time I installed it, I struggled. I messed things up. I had to start over a few times. I finally got it dialed in. It was tough, but worth it. Since then, every time I get a new…
So you want to run your own GPT on your own machine? Yeah me too. So some LLaMA models are available (if you have a 24G video card) and other ways to do it, but GPT4All promises to be a different kind of solution. I saw this tweet and had to check it out. So who runs a binary on their machine from some rando on the Internet? Usually, not me. However, Brian Roemmele appears to be a legit guy, and…
I was super excited when my M2 Mac Mini arrived. So excited I wanted to take the rest of the day off work just to set it up. That excitement didn’t last very long. I returned my Mac Mini M2 Pro, and this is why. I’m not trying to bash here. This isn’t a hit piece. I generated a lot of talk and tons of instant messages on Twitter and other platforms. I thought it would be easier…
This an article comparing the Mac Mini M1 to the Mac Mini M2 Pro. I am dumping the numbers here, and will write the article soon. I am still evaluating this machine for a full review. This is a raw stats comparison between the two, and compared to other machines I’m using. CPU Test (Geekbench 6) Machine Single Core Multi- Core M1 2105 7796 M2 2650 14217 Compute Test (Geekbench 6)
This is a little different from my standard content on this blog, but I need to share it. I fly drones for fun, and I’ve become mildly obsessed with them. I recently passed my certification for the 14 CFR Part 107 license. I have received a TON of questions about it. Since it’s still fresh in my mind, I thought I’d lay down how I studied for the test and what you can do to get…
I’m a dedicated Pop!_OS user these days. I’ve used it off and on for a few years now, and put it on my laptop as a daily driver about a year ago and haven’t looked back. It’s an excellent operating system, and lately it’s my favorite Linux. System76 has released Pop!_OS 21.10 and I’ve installed it and put it to use. I have given it nearly a week to shake out and…
Want fast loading web pages? You probably aren’t optimizing your images enough. Image optimization is frequently overlooked because it’s only a small difference and takes some time to do. But a series of small changes will lead to a screaming fast website. It’s worth it. Your pages will load faster. Why does this matter? It’s better for your user It makes your page more…
This week Microsoft announced a ton of stuff . .NET 6. Visual Studio 2022. Maui. All kinds of great geek goodness. I have a couple of new projects coming up that will involve .NET 6 and Visual Studio 2022. I’m going to be doing some of this work on my laptop. I decided I should upgrade to Windows 11 at the same time. The only problem: My laptop isn’t having that. It’s a Lenovo…
On Twitter, a friend of mine shared a Twitter thread about interviews . While it wasn’t explicitly related to tech interviews, my ears perked up because I’ve seen it. So many times. Here’s what he said in its entirety: My favorite thing about LinkedIn and Twitter posts where people ask “What’s your favorite question to ask in a job interview, and why?” is seeing…
Pop!_OS has become one of my favorite Linux distributions over the last couple of years. It’s a fantastic distro for many reasons, most of which is the way it “just works.” Sorry Apple, that’s not exclusive to you. System76 released version Pop!_OS 21.04 and I upgraded immediately. Here are my first impressions. I’m basing this review on a native install on my Lenovo…
I love FreeBSD. I always have. I first started using it in the late 90s and quickly gained employment using it. I ran a web hosting service with FreeBSD for years. It was a daily driver for me for a long time (1999 to 2004 or so). I became one of the “FreeBSD people” at a developer job I had later. I have a deep history with it, but at some point, I abandoned the thought of using it as…
Update (December 1, 2020): When I wrote this article, there was no installer for Arch Linux. However, there is now an Arch Linux Guided Installer , and it works great! Windows or Mac users who want to try out Linux should start out with Arch Linux . Forget Ubuntu, Mint, or even Zorin. Get Arch. If you’re reading this and curious about using Linux, try Arch Linux . Really. Now I know the…
So one of my favorite Linux distributions, Pop!_OS, has released a new version, 20.10 , and I’ve been using it since release day. Here are my thoughts. It’s based on Ubuntu 20.10 and comes with some cool new features. It’s a Linux Distribution from a hardware vendor, but don’t let that stop you. This is high-quality stuff, whether you own a System76 machine or not. Why…
Want your Go programs to run faster? Optimizing string comparisons in Go can improve your application’s response time and help scalability. Comparing two strings to see if they’re equal takes processing power, but not all comparisons are the same. In a previous article, we looked at How to compare strings in Go and did some benchmarking. We’re going to expand on that here. It may…
So you’re a front end developer, and you want to learn some backend stuff. You want to become a full stack developer someday, so where do you start? Google’s Go language is an excellent place. For instance, let’s say you want to build a RESTful API to test the calls from your React Application. You could use JSONPlaceholder , Reqres , or even SoapUI . All excellent options. Or…
Are you wondering what all this new hype is over JAMstack? What is a JAMstack site? How do I build one? Where do I deploy it? If you’ve asked any of these questions over the last couple of months, this article is for you. We’re going to learn what JAMstack is, and how to build our first JAMstack blog. If you already have an idea what a JAMstack site is, you can skip this section and go…
Deno is a hot new runtime that may replace Node.js. Everyone’s talking about it like it’s the next big thing. It likely is. Here’s why. What Is Deno? From the manual: Deno is a JavaScript/TypeScript runtime with secure defaults and a great developer experience. It’s built on V8, Rust, and Tokio. Deno is designed to be a replacement for our beloved Node.js, and it’s…
If you’ve heard all the chatter lately about Pop!_OS and have been wanting to try it out, here’s a good guide to setting up a front end development machine. If you’re relatively new to Linux and are just trying it out, I suggest building this in a Virtual Machine. I have the full instructions for installing Pop!_OS in a virtual machine here . This is the best way to dip your toes…
It’s that time of year again, Ubuntu 20.04 is now available . Will this be the release that steals away more Windows users? No, 2020 won’t be the year of the Linux Desktop. However, as Jason Evangelho pointed out a couple of days ago Windows 10 usage suffered a rare drop in usage while Ubuntu usage went up 599 percent . It’s tough to make a call with such little information. But…
So earlier this year I reviewed the PineBook Pro . I was pretty impressed with it at the time, but am I still enamored with this $200 laptop? I’ve now been using it for at least 90 days. I know that because I haven’t rebooted it in 90 days. Really. Here is my review of it after using it for three months. What is the PineBook Pro? The PineBook Pro has some pretty lofty goals. I like…
There are tons of front end frameworks to choose from, and getting good with them is no small task. But sharpening your core JavaScript skills can make you better at all front-end frameworks . By thoroughly understanding JavaScript at its core, you will write better programs, faster, with less struggle. If you aren’t sure where you stand, you can take a JavaScript Skills Test to find out!…
Curious about Linux and want to try it out? This article is for you. Here are some easy step by step instructions to get started poking around with my favorite operating system. Linux is a hot topic in tech, and people are flocking to it like crazy. But it can be scary, especially if you’ve never partitioned a hard drive before, and don’t want to wipe Windows or OSX off your computer…
COBOL is in the news again. Millions of people are filing unemployment claims nearly all at once, and the systems to process them are failing. Why? They need to scale to unprecedented levels, they’re written in COBOL, and… we don’t have enough COBOL programmers . Here’s a look at the increase in searches for “COBOL programmers”: Most COBOL programmers are…
The global shift to home isolation has unique implications for public education. The era of slow and steady plans to virtualize education was given a donkey kick by this virus and the quarantine, and here’s what I’ve observed. I’m one of the directors on my local school board, and part of a group of technologists called in to discuss and help with “distance learning”…
The front page of JeremyMorgan.com loads less than a second, most of the time, from various parts of the world. The website was fast before when it loaded in 3 seconds with the old design. Now it’s even better, and I’ll show you how I have it set up. I chose to build this site with Hugo and host it on Netlify . In this article, I’ll describe how I arrived at this decision.