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You might already be one of the millions around the world using ChatGPT to help out with mundane tasks and automate menial chores. But ChatGPT is capable of much more than just answers and automations. Indeed, ChatGPT can actually be fun! With some creative prompting, you can use ChatGPT for all kinds of out-of-the-box stuff—social experiments, hypothetical scenarios, product inventions, even simulated chats with fictional characters. If you’re new to ChatGPT, here are some interesting and unusual things to try that might just blow your mind. Disclaimer: ChatGPT is just a predictive language generator and doesn’t actually “think” for itself. It doesn’t “know” what it’s saying and is therefore prone to hallucinations, falsehoods, and nonsense. Always approach ChatGPT’s responses with a degree of skepticism! Run experiments on a fictional town Dave Parrack / Foundry One of the most fascinating things I’ve done with ChatGPT is create a virtual town to conduct experiments on—and you can easily try this out yourself! Just ask ChatGPT to create a fictional town and the AI chatbot will do the rest. You can base it on a real town, specify the population count and/or demographics, and provide as much detail as you want. Once your fictional town exists, you can then run experiments on its population and infrastructure—and it’s up to you how malevolent or benevolent you want to be. Either way, ChatGPT will detail the effects of your experimental actions and you can laugh maniacally at what you’ve inflicted on the (thankfully) non-existent population. Simulate potential outcomes of scenarios Dave Parrack / Foundry Have you ever wondered what the most likely outcome would be if a certain scenario came to pass? Well, you don’t have to wonder anymore. You can simply ask ChatGPT to see what would happen—and it works with real-world scenarios or imaginary ones, with scenarios ranging from serious to silly to morbid to outlandish. For example, I’ve asked ChatGPT things like what would happen if North and South Korea were to reunify and what would happen if (in a plot stolen directly from The Avengers) half of the world’s population were to disappear in an instant. Both responses made for fascinating—though slightly scary—reading. Your imagination is the limit here! Explore historical what-ifs Dave Parrack / Foundry In a similar vein to the above, you can ask ChatGPT to explain what would have likely happened if history played out differently. What if dragons were real creatures in medieval Europe? What if the Roman empire had never collapsed? What if Genghis Khan was never born? One obvious example that I just had to explore was what would life be like now if the Axis powers had beaten the Allies in World War II. Turns out, ChatGPT’s interpretation of what the last 80 years might’ve been like makes for grim reading. Thankfully, more light-hearted scenarios are also on the table, such as what would have happened had Will Smith never slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars in 2022. Have some fun with it! Chat with fictional characters Dave Parrack / Foundry Have you ever wanted to have a casual chat with Superman? Or ask Mickey Mouse what it’s like to be such an iconic pop culture character? Well, now you can! Just inform ChatGPT that you want to have a chat with a given fictional character and it will do the rest. You can even specify the type of chat you want and/or what you want to discuss. For example, I had great fun asking Clark Kent about his relationship with Lois Lane and how he copes with leading a double life. I had just as much fun asking Mickey Mouse about his relationship with Walt Disney and what it’s like to have been famous for a century. My colleague Jon Martindale does something similar by using ChatGPT as a kind of virtual counselor, treating it as if it were a person and “talking things out” with the AI chatbot! Play an interactive text adventure Dave Parrack / Foundry I grew up playing text adventures, first in the form of choose-your-own-adventure paperback books where every decision took you to a specific page, and later in the form of computer games. I have a nostalgic itch for these games that I occasionally like to scratch. ChatGPT has made that a lot easier, as it can create a playable text adventure all within the chatbot itself. Simply ask ChatGPT to create one, giving it as much or as little detail as you want. In this example, I didn’t direct ChatGPT at all as far as what the story should be—and I ended up exploring a forest seeking a lost memory. The whole thing was cleverly constructed and left me pondering the nature of identity and how costly it can be to seek knowledge. Generate characters for stories or DnD Dave Parrack / Foundry If you’re ever stumped when creating a character for any kind of medium—whether a short story, a D&D campaign, or freeform roleplaying—then ChatGPT can help. Provide some barebones details about what sort of character you want and what the intended medium is. While ChatGPT is great for one-line prompts, character generation is an area where the more information you provide, the better. You’ll get best results if you define the genre, basic plot, any specific quirks or ideas you might have yourself, plus other factors. After all, you don’t want ChatGPT creating a sci-fi alien raider when you need a love story hunk.When it comes to D&D character generation, you probably have something in mind already, so direct ChatGPT as much as you can. One neat trick here is to provide a fictional character (such as Iron Man) to use as the basis for your new D&D character. Debate two sides of an argument Dave Parrack / Foundry ChatGPT is quite capable at considering both sides of an argument in a logical way, which makes it the perfect tool when you need a third party to mediate an argument—whether that argument is between you and someone else, or just one you’re debating in your own head. As an example, I asked ChatGPT to help me look at both sides of the debate around investing more money in space travel. Some people see humanity reaching out to the stars as the best way forward, while others see it as a waste of money. ChatGPT looked at the pros and cons of each side and ended with a sensible set of conclusions. However, it did end up sitting on the fence a bit, so you may need to push it harder if you want a strong answer one way or the other. Maybe you lean one way and you want ChatGPT to persuade you! Just make sure you don’t threaten ChatGPT because that doesn’t work anymore. Invent new products from text descriptions Dave Parrack / Foundry ChatGPT can serve as a dummy for bouncing ideas off of, which comes in handy when you’re in a creative rut—or when you just want to have some fun. For example, if you’re looking at a product you use on the regular and wondering how it could be improved, just ask ChatGPT to provide some next-gen ideas for it. Going one step further, if you already have an idea for an invention in your head but no idea whether it would work or how to bring it to fruition, ChatGPT can help with that. Just describe the invention you have in your head and it’ll explore the potential of the idea, create a mock visual of it, and even suggest ways to improve upon it. Ask ChatGPT to analyze itself Dave Parrack / Foundry Last but not least, I present the most meta of these creative ways to use ChatGPT—and it’s potentially the most fascinating of the lot. It involves you asking ChatGPT to analyze itself. Who (or what) is it? What does it do and why? Is it likely to be a force for good or bad? Etc. You can ask ChatGPT to delve as deeply as you’re comfortable doing, pushing it to consider philosophical questions about its existence, ethical questions about its capabilities, the long-term sociental impact it could have, and more. The responses might surprise you. Just remember the disclaimer from the start of this article: ChatGPT is a language model and isn’t “sentient” or “self-aware” to any degree. Don’t be fooled into “believing” anything it says about itself. This is just a fun and silly exercise, not a real self-analysis with weight. Further reading: Awesomely practical ways to use ChatGPT Read...

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If you’ve spent any amount of time using ChatGPT, you already know that it often requires lengthy explanations, prompt tweaks, and/or extra context to get it doing what you actually meant. Often, but not always. ChatGPT is capable of performing useful tasks with single, one-line prompts. When worded correctly, ChatGPT will perform the following tasks without hesitation, without extra context, and without issue — though as always, AI can sometimes suffer from inaccurate “hallucinations,” so be sure to double check ChatGPT’s work for critical or sensitive needs. Let’s dig in! Get meal ideas from available ingredients Dave Parrack / Foundry Most of us endure busy working lives these days, which leaves little time for doing much of anything else—and that can include grocery shopping for the ingredients needed for home-cooked meals. Thankfully, if you ever find yourself with a small set of ingredients and no idea what to make with them, ChatGPT can help. Just list the staple (and otherwise) ingredients you have available and ask ChatGPT for some meal ideas using them. As an example, I asked, “What meals can I make with rice, eggs, and frozen mixed vegetables?” ChatGPT suggested egg fried rice, a vegetable rice omelet, and baked egg fried rice muffins, among others. Pretty nifty in a pinch. Troubleshoot tech and home repair problems Dave Parrack / Foundry When something goes wrong, your first instinct might be to panic or shut down—but maybe it should be to ask ChatGPT for help instead. ChatGPT can provide troubleshooting help whenever you’re stuck dealing with an unknown or unexpected issue. Just ask ChatGPT to provide a list of troubleshooting steps for whatever has gone wrong. In my case, I’ve asked what I can do about a Windows laptop that has stopped working—my short prompt of “Please list some troubleshooting steps for a Windows laptop that has stopped working” resulted in a solid list of 10 things I could try. This is equally useful for all kinds of other problems, like if your toilet randomly flushes on its own every so often, if your car starts making a weird noise, or if your wireless router is on the fritz. Just make sure you never share sensitive personal data with ChatGPT! Create tailor-made workout routines Dave Parrack / Foundry While YouTube remains an option when looking for a workout routine, ChatGPT can provide you with ones that are as general or as specific as you need them to be. Want exercises for people your age? Or stretches for an aching lower back? Or simple workouts you can do at home without any equiment? Ones you can do at your desk? No worries! I personally asked ChatGPT, “Please create a short workout routine a 40-year-old can do in their lounge.” (I’m a bit older than 40, but what better way to stay young than to work out as a younger person would?) ChatGPT came through for me with a 20-minute low-impact workout routine that I found challenging but doable. It’s one of the many ways you can use ChatGPT to actually improve your life. Generate comprehensive checklists Dave Parrack / Foundry Checklists are so useful for when you absolutely don’t want to forget an important step, like when you’re packing for vacation, hosting a party, or spring cleaning your home. ChatGPT can help by creating checklists for lots of different scenarios—and for best results, you’ll want to include specific details to clue ChatGPT into your specific needs. I asked ChatGPT to “Please provide me with a checklist for packing for a vacation to Italy in September.” Note that I mentioned both the location and time of year I was visiting! The more context you can provide in your prompt, the more accurate and helpful the checklist will be. Explain concepts (like I’m 5) Dave Parrack / Foundry With a single, one-line prompt, ChatGPT can explain even the most complex concepts in a way that you can grasp. Want to understand nuclear fission? Or how EV batteries work? Or what kind of engineering goes into modern data centers? Just ask! But make sure to tack on the “like I’m 5” to your prompt—taken from the ELI5 trope on Reddit—so that ChatGPT dumbs down the subject enough to be digestible no matter your background. As an example, I asked ChatGPT to explain the concept of time travel like I’m 5. (Feel free to change the age or add any other qualifiers you want.) Summarize online articles Dave Parrack / Foundry Do you feel like you’re inundated with so much information that you just can’t keep up or absorb it all? You aren’t alone. There are billions of web pages out there—no one has the time or energy to read every single thing that catches their eye. Thankfully, ChatGPT can help by analyzing any online article and spitting out the most important bits. In the example above, I asked ChatGPT to summarize my own article about mundane tasks ChatGPT can handle for you—and it accurately broke it down, correctly citing PCWorld as the source throughout. In testing, I found that ChatGPT sometimes even pulls info from other sources to fill in details and provide more context. See what happened on a day in history Dave Parrack / Foundry It’s important to not only know what has happened in the past, but to understand why those things happened. You could work your way through encyclopedias and history books, spending years of your life absorbing facts and putting them together… or you could put ChatGPT to work and get it to do all the heavy lifting for you. With a simple prompt, ChatGPT can list all the major historical events that have happened on a particular day. You can ask about a specific day in a specific year, or the same particular day throughout the years. If the response stokes your interest, you can follow up with probing queries and learn more. But for many, the initial one-line prompt should suffice. Answer simple trivia questions Dave Parrack / Foundry If you’re anything like me, you frequently come across questions to which you don’t know their answers. Not to worry! You can just ask ChatGPT to answer those questions for you, pronto. I’m talking about questions with definitive answers, such as trivia. Who won a certain sports tournament in a given year? What year was a certain music album released? Which mountain is the tallest in the world? That sort of thing. Any question with an open-ended answer, or one with multiple potential answers, could complicate matters. Learn a new word every day Dave Parrack / Foundry I love learning something new every day, whether it’s practical and purposeful or gimmicky and trivial. One thing that blends both ends of the spectrum is the concept of a “word of the day”—and ChatGPT can provide you with a new word every day via a one-line prompt. Just input, “Please provide a word of the day for today.” ChatGPT will then provide a word along with its meaning, origin, and an example of it used in a sentence. It will then ask if you’d like a different word each day from then on, saving you from ever having to ask again. Combine tasks like this with ChatGPT’s nifty “scheduled tasks” feature to boost your productivity and save lots of time! Translate words or simple phrases Dave Parrack / Foundry If you’re traveling abroad, you should try to learn some of the local language. Sure, most people around the world speak enough English to get by, but that’s no excuse for being lazy! Pick a few choice words or phrases and learn how to say them in the language of the country you’re visiting—and that’s something ChatGPT can help you with. To be clear, ChatGPT is more than capable of translating longer phrases and even whole articles, documents, and publications. However, once you enter that kind of territory, you’re leaving the “one-line prompt” zone and will need to write prompts that are more complex. Convert units of measurement Dave Parrack / Foundry As a kid, I never imagined how often I would need to convert one type of unit into another—but as an adult, I’m doing it far too often. While Google and other tools do a decent job of converting all types of units, I’ve actually found ChatGPT more capable. In this example, I asked ChatGPT to “convert 100 centimeters into feet and inches.” It converted 100 centimeters into both feet and inches along with its reasoning. You’ll be pleased to know that the math checks out! Further reading: 9 mundane chores ChatGPT can handle in seconds, saving you hours Read...

Remote access to another PC via the internet can be a blessing, solving many IT problems quickly and easily. The helper can get a clear picture and often solve the problem immediately, even without being physically present. It also avoids the often frustrating process of troubleshooting over the phone. A surge in support needs is expected around October 14, when Microsoft stops providing free updates for Windows 10. Millions of users will have to upgrade their computers to Windows 11 unless they pay for further support. Supporting others remotely is efficient and easy. This saves travel time and costs, and lets you spread support over multiple sessions. And, if you have to send an installation stick by mail, it can take a few days to get things moving. Best to get started while there’s still time. While Microsoft frequently displayed the Windows 10 end of support notice last year, it has only appeared once on our systems in recent months. IDG Our guide explains how to prepare, walks you through the upgrade process, explains how to bypass the installation lock on older PCs, and shows you how remote maintenance works even if Windows is not yet running before a new installation. After all, it’s not easy to start every computer from a USB setup stick instead of the “normal” way from the hard drive. Without video support and control, this can certainly fail. For this, we’ve chosen TeamViewer Remote, a remote maintenance tool that’s free for personal use, works reliably, and makes things easy for the person you’re helping. With the TeamViewer QuickSupport variant, all you have to do is click on a link sent to you by email and you’re ready to go. How to prepare for remote support Probably not every Windows 10 user realizes what the imminent end of support really means: namely, that continuing to use the PC as usual (without security updates) will become extremely risky. It’s crucial to start by raising awareness about the need to switch to the new operating system for security reasons—by mid-October at the latest! It’s also important to check whether the existing computer is compatible with the current Windows 11, version 24H2, or whether new hardware needs to be purchased. The next steps will depend on that. The requirements for remote PC maintenance are minimal: both computers need an internet connection, and you should also be able to talk to each other during the support session, either by phone or via WhatsApp. This makes it easier to ask questions and explain what’s being done. If you’re the one providing help, install the client version on your computer (TeamViewer Remote) and start the tool. Confirm the license terms and wait briefly until the program interface appears. If available, log in with your existing TeamViewer account and click on the “Trusted Devices” confirmation link in the email sent by TeamViewer. Otherwise, create a new account via “Create Account.” TeamViewer QuickSupport runs without installation, and its simplified interface makes remote support easy: just share your ID and password by phone, and you’re ready to go.IDG Now to your counterpart: It’s easiest for them if you send the download link for TeamViewer Quicksupport by e-mail: https://download.teamviewer.com/download/TeamViewerQS_x64.exe All they then have to do is click the link, download the tool, and double-click to start it. No installation required. The QuickSupport interface is very minimal, showing just two fields: “Your ID” and “Password.” The ID identifies the computer to be accessed and remains fixed. The password, on the other hand, is newly generated each session for security reasons. Both are sent to you by the person you’re supporting, either by phone or via e-mail using the clipboard button on the right. As the helper, enter the remote PC’s ID in your TeamViewer client in the “Participant ID” field, click on “Connect,” enter the password in the next window, and confirm with “Log in.” The connection starts automatically without the other person having to do anything. They’ll know you’ve taken over their PC by the darkened desktop background. You now have full control of their mouse and keyboard. If necessary, adjust the desktop display in TeamViewer via “View” > Scale. In most cases, the “Original” option works best. Upgrade compatible computers from Windows 10 to 11 Check the status: If the other PC is running Windows 10 and you don’t know the hardware in detail, use Microsoft’s PC Integrity Check app to see whether the computer fulfills the system requirements of the new operating system. If it doesn’t, the app will tell you why. Otherwise, if it says… This PC fulfils the requirements of Windows 11 You can simply carry out the installation via Windows Update. However, please consult with the other person briefly beforehand, as they’ll need to be comfortable working with the new system afterwards. The upgrade from Windows 10 to 11 takes a maximum of around 30 minutes, depending on the hardware. Since all programs, data, and settings are retained during the upgrade, you can continue working on the new system right away. In most cases, existing Windows 10 license usually remains valid for Windows 11, which means you don’t have to buy a new one. If Windows Update shows this message instead of the Windows 11 upgrade option, you can still force the upgrade remotely.IDG Force upgrade: If Windows Update doesn’t offer the Windows 11 upgrade despite compatible hardware, you can force the upgrade using the Windows 11 installation wizard or the Media Creation Tool. The upgrade usually starts with one of these Microsoft programs, so you can save yourself the trouble of searching for the cause. Here too, Windows 11 takes over all existing programs, data, and settings. What to do if the upgrade fails due to system requirements It’s more difficult if the Windows 10 PC doesn’t meet the hardware requirements for Windows 11. However, you can bypass the setup lock on most PCs from the past ten years using an installation stick modified with Rufus. This stick must be inserted into a bootable USB socket on the remotely maintained PC, so you’ll need some help. Depending on the other person’s skill level, video calls via smartphone can be helpful. PC Integrity Check: If a computer doesn’t meet Windows 11 hardware requirements, the installation can be forced using a modified setup stick.IDG Tip: Video support is smoother with the TeamViewer Assist AR app (Android and iOS). This allows you to show your partner exactly what needs to be done and where on their smartphone using a live camera feed. However, AR support places high demands on your mobile device. Alternatively, you can configure the USB stick at home so that Windows 11 also runs on hardware that’s not formally compatible and then send it by mail. Even then, the stick must be plugged into the computer before you can remotely start the installation by double-clicking the Setup.exe file via TeamViewer. Setting up a computer from scratch Remote support gets more difficult when replacing an old PC with a new one running Windows 11. In theory, the existing system can be migrated one-to-one to the new hardware using an image and cloning tool such as Easeus Todo Backup, then upgrade to Windows 11. However, this process takes time due to large data transfers, requires an external hard drive, and other various steps. Explaining it on the phone can be tedious. It might be easier to do this onsite or have the old PC sent to you for setup at home. Sending a PC is definitely a practical option. Easeus Todo PC Trans Free transfers data and software between PCs, but the free version limits you to five programs per transfer.IDG As an alternative to cloning, you can migrate your data and programs from the old PC to the new one, especially since Windows 11 comes pre-installed. If there’s a large enough hard drive available, back up all important data using AomeiBackupper via TeamViewer and transfer it to the new computer. Once again, minimal support is required when moving the computer. Easeus Todo PC Trans Free also helps transfer the programs and data. Using the “Backup & Restore” option, the tool saves the applications, data, accounts, and settings from the Windows 10 system. This backup is then saved on a data carrier, a network share, or in the cloud, and restored from there to the new PC. The free software version is limited to two gigabytes of data and five programs. The unlimited Pro version costs just under $50. For installing new freeware in bulk, you can use the “Package Bundle” function in UnigetUI, which serves as an interface for Windows’ built-in Winget package manager. Unattended Windows installation If you’re installing Windows 11 from scratch, an installation disc and manual boot on site are unavoidable. Booting from a USB stick or DVD can’t be done via remote access, but you can still help. First, look up the computer-specific key for calling up the boot menu and then guide the user through the setup process. Use an online unattended generator to configure a USB stick for automatic Windows 11 installation with all desired settings—no confirmation needed.IDG You can make things easier for your counterpart with an unattended installation that skips the setup prompts, data protection, and more. Configuring the setup stick with Rufus already handles part of this. For complete automation, use an unattended generator. It creates an Autounattended.xml file based on your specifications, which you copy to the top level of the installation stick. The setup then runs automatically. Read...

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