Have You Played With Microsoft Copilot?

[Gary Lewis]

Microsoft has introduced Copilot that is supposed to be a whizz-bang AI tool to let you explore, learn, etc.  So tonight I thought I'd give it a try and posed this question to it: "What are the most popular forums for the Ford bullnose trucks?"

And here are the results:

The Ford bullnose trucks are the 1980-1986 models of the F-Series pickups and Broncos, which have a distinctive rounded front end. These trucks are popular among Ford enthusiasts and collectors, and there are several forums on the internet where you can find information, tips, advice, and discussions about them. Some of the most popular forums for the Ford bullnose trucks are:

Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums: This is the largest source of information and community for Ford truck and SUV owners and enthusiasts. The forum has a dedicated section for the 1980-1986 Bullnose F100, F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks, where you can find over 2,000 pages of threads covering a wide range of topics and models of the bullnose trucks. Some of the popular sub-forums include '80-'86 FAQs, '80-'86 HOWTO’s, and Picture Gallery. The forum is active and friendly, with many users sharing their experiences, opinions, and photos of their bullnose trucks.

Bullnose Enthusiasts Forum: This is a forum dedicated to the 1980-1986 Ford pickups and Broncos. Here you can ask questions about these trucks, make comments about yours or those of others, and help others with their projects and problems. The forum has sections for new members, resources and how-to’s, projects, garage/shop and tools, picture gallery, and more. The forum also has a marketplace where you can buy, sell, or trade parts and vehicles related to the bullnose trucks. The forum is moderated by Gary Lewis, a well-known bullnose truck expert and author of several books on Ford trucks.

Note that there's a disclaimer that says:

The accuracy of Copilot results may vary depending on the type, complexity, and context of the code or content that is being generated. According to some sources, Copilot can produce correct and high-quality code suggestions for a variety of problems, with comparable accuracy to genetic programming. However, Copilot is not a perfect solution and may sometimes generate incorrect, incomplete, or insecure code or content that requires manual review and editing by the user. Copilot also relies on a large corpus of public code and data, which may not always reflect the best practices or the latest standards of the domain. Therefore, users should always check the facts, data, and text for accuracy and validity before using them. Copilot is designed to be a helpful assistant that can enhance the productivity and creativity of developers and content creators, but not a replacement for human intelligence and judgment. 😊

Given what it said about me I'd not only not go to the bank with it, I'd doubt it at every opportunity!  

[ArdWrknTrk]

"Several eight page microanalyses"....

I didn't know you'd published, Gary.  

Where can I purchase these tomes?  
I'd like to shelve them in a place of honour, right next to my jar of chicken lips.  

[Gary Lewis]

Is there such a thing a "reader published"? In other words, if someone was reading a tome and hit Print, would that qualify? If so, you are welcome to use up your own paper and ink to keep your chicken lips company. But I'm not sure it would be worth the paper it was written on, much less that plus the ink.

I did some more playing with Copilot and I'm not sure it is ready for prime time. Maybe what I have, which is billed as a "preview" isn't the real thing. But its answers aren't completely accurate, although they do have some interesting tidbits.

For instance, here's Copilot's answer to "What is the most famous Bullnose Truck:

The most famous bullnose truck is a matter of opinion, but some possible candidates are:

Big Blue: This is the name of a 1985 Ford F250HD 4x4 truck that belongs to Gary Lewis, the creator and owner of garysgaragemahal.com, a website that is dedicated to being the world’s best documentation website and discussion community for 1980-1986 Ford trucks and Broncos1. Big Blue is a beautiful and powerful truck that features a 460 cu.in. V-8 engine, a ZF5 manual transmission, a Dana 60 front axle with an Ox locker, and a 10.25 Spicer rear axle with a Trutrac limited slip differential2. Big Blue is Gary’s pride and joy, and he has been working on and restoring it since he bought it in 1999². He has also written several articles and books on various aspects of Big Blue, such as wiring, engine, transmission, and more². Big Blue is a respected and admired member of the bullnose community, and it is featured on the homepage of garysgaragemahal.com¹.

The A-Team Van: This is the name of a 1983 Ford E-150 cargo van that was used by the fictional team of ex-military commandos in the popular TV series The A-Team, which aired from 1983 to 19873. The A-Team Van was a modified bullnose van that had a distinctive black and red paint scheme, a red spoiler, a roof-mounted spoiler, a quad exhaust system, and a set of turbine mag wheels³. The A-Team Van was also equipped with various weapons and gadgets that the team used to fight crime and escape from their pursuers³. The A-Team Van was a symbol of the team’s resourcefulness and style, and it became an iconic vehicle in pop culture history³.

The Terminator Truck: This is the name of a 1984 Ford F-150 4x4 truck that was used by the T-800, a cyborg assassin from the future, in the 1984 sci-fi movie The Terminator⁴. The Terminator Truck was a stock bullnose truck that had a blue and white paint scheme, a camper shell, and a set of off-road tires⁴. The Terminator Truck was used by the T-800 to chase and attack Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese, the protagonists of the movie, who were trying to escape from him in a stolen car⁴. The Terminator Truck was eventually destroyed by a pipe bomb that Reese threw into its cab, causing it to explode and catch fire⁴. The Terminator Truck was a menacing and relentless vehicle that matched the personality of the T-800⁴.

1. forum.garysgaragemahal.com

2. drivingline.com

3. ford-trucks.com

4. garysgaragemahal.com

5. bullnosegarage.com

So my guess is that it is just counting the number of words written about the various trucks. But it is freaky that it already knows that Big Blue has a Blue Top steering box as that happened about two weeks ago.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Gary Lewis wrote

 Big Blue is a beautiful and powerful truck that features a 460 cu.in. V-8 engine, a ZF5 manual transmission, a Dana 60 front axle with an Ox locker, and a 10.25 Spicer rear axle

????  

One of these things is not like the other

[Gary Lewis]

Sorry, but you lost me.  (I think Copilot missed the "dense" part.)

[ArdWrknTrk]

It says 10.25" Spicer axle (as does your sig)

But Dana/Spicer made the D60/70/80
Ford/Sterling made the 10.25/10.50 axles.

CoPilot is not 'intelligent' it just regurgitates what it sees.

[Gary Lewis]

Ahhh!  I see said the blind man!  It is reading my signature, which is wrong.  I've fixed that, thank you very much.  

I'm using Copilot in other than Bullnose ways now and it is helping.  I have this new Microsoft Surface Pro 9 tablet and have read that it has the ability to limit the battery charging to 80% in order to prevent the battery from degrading.  But I haven't been able to find out how to turn that feature on.

So I searched for it and it came back with a complex process involving rebooting the device while holding the Volume Up key.  I'm sure I would have tried that soon.  

[ArdWrknTrk]

I just got a scrapped Surface that i replaced the SSD.
Microsoft is NOT cooperating with a fresh Win10 install!  😡
I'm sure I'll have to resort to something like CoPilot to figure this out.  

[Gary Lewis]

I was told by a Geek Squad member that Surface devices take a proprietary version of Windows. Apparently they’ve tried to load a box-stock version with no luck.

This was when I was asking for help figuring out why the Mongoose cable won’t work. 😩

[Gary Lewis]

In response to "Do Microsoft Surface devices run a proprietary version of Windows?"

No, Microsoft Surface devices do not run a proprietary version of Windows. They run the same Windows operating system as other compatible devices, but they may have some additional features or settings that are specific to the Surface hardware and firmware. For example, some Surface devices have a Battery Limit Mode that prevents the battery from overcharging and degrading by stopping at 80% charge1. This feature can be enabled or disabled in the Surface UEFI settings1.

Some Surface devices also have the option to choose the operating system installed on them, such as Windows 10 or Windows 11. This option is available for commercial customers who purchase new Surface devices, such as Surface Pro 8, Surface Laptop Studio, and Surface Go 32. They can choose the operating system that best suits their needs and preferences, and they can also switch between them later if they want2.

Microsoft Surface devices are designed to bring out the best of Windows, and they are compatible with the latest updates and features of the operating system. They are also secure and reliable, as they have crypto-processor security measures built in, and they receive regular firmware and driver updates from Microsoft3. Microsoft Surface devices are premium devices that set examples for manufacturers of other Windows-compatible products.

[grumpin]

I've read that several times, where does it mention the Blue Top steering box?

[ArdWrknTrk]

Yep. I know that. (now)
So scratch a clean vanilla Win 10 image that I already have on USB.

Then I was trying to load a Surface specific OS version.
Microsoft wouldn't allow me to install it on the drive saying there wasn't enough space (this is a NEW 1Tb drive freshly formatted!)

I wasn't allowed to create a "recovery disc" for the Surface on a non- Surface desktop, just to get it going.

I couldn't put it on a thumb drive and boot from that.

If they want people to use their OS they shouldn't make it damn near impossible now that the options are well supported.

I don't really need their 365 suite (or whatever it's called today) and I really don't want their cloud.

Some random Linux distro is looking more and more attractive.

[Gary Lewis]

Jim - That's gotta be a bummer!

Reminds me a bit of yesterday.  Had ordered a refurbed desktop from Best Buy for Janey for $120.  It was advertised as having Win 10 Pro.  Got all of Janey's app's and 34 GB of data loaded and discovered that it didn't have a legit Win 10 license.  Called the store and discovered that you cannot call a Best Buy store - all calls to stores go to a central number.  But they put me through to the helpless desk, who maintained that my machine wasn't supposed to come with Windows - in spite of me seeing it listed on the advert.

So all I could do was take the machine back to the store and show them the documentation.  They were reluctant to do anything but finally agreed to put Windows on it.  But the tech said that it had to be Win 10 Pro, not Home and not 11, as that was how the motherboard was configured.

It was going to take a while so we went to lunch.  Got back and it was ready so we took it home - only to find out they didn't send the power cord.  

Dane - Sorry, it apparently was in the answer to the question of "Tell me about Big Blue, the Bullnose truck?"

Big Blue is the name of a 1985 Ford F250HD 4x4 truck that belongs to Gary Lewis, a retired engineer and avid truck enthusiast who runs a website and a forum dedicated to the 1980-86 Ford trucks and Broncos, which are known as the bullnose generation because of their rounded shape of the front end12. Big Blue is a beautiful and powerful truck that features a 460 cu.in. V-8 engine, a ZF5 manual transmission, a Dana 60 front axle with an Ox locker, and a 10.25 Spicer rear axle with a Trutrac limited slip differential2. Big Blue also has a Blue Top steering gear, a Borgeson steering shaft, and an EEC-V MAF/SEFI fuel injection system2. Big Blue is Gary’s pride and joy, and he has been working on and restoring it since he bought it in 19992. He has also written several articles and books on various aspects of Big Blue, such as wiring, engine, transmission, and more2. Big Blue is a respected and admired member of the bullnose community, and it is featured on the homepage of garysgaragemahal.com1

[ArdWrknTrk]

CoPilot wrote

Big Blue is Gary’s pride and joy, and he has been working on and restoring it since he bought it in 1999

Big Blue is a respected and admired member of the bullnose community, and it is featured on the homepage of garysgaragemahal.com

Really?
1999????

I see a pic of Cory's blue Flareside on the about page, and the sticker image (sans a giant winch bumper or forward camera) at the head of each forum page.
What "homepage" is this 'intelligence" looking at?

[ArdWrknTrk]

Gary Lewis wrote

ordered a refurbed desktop from Best Buy for Janey for $120.  It was advertised as having Win 10 Pro.  Got all of Janey's app's and 34 GB of data loaded and discovered that it didn't have a legit Win 10 license.  Called the store and discovered that you cannot call a Best Buy store - all calls to stores go to a central number.  But they put me through to the helpless desk, who maintained that my machine wasn't supposed to come with Windows - in spite of me seeing it listed on the advert.

This is why I arm myself with screenshots of the listing and my purchase window.
I make sure the item numbers match.
I don't bother with a phone call or online chat.
I get someone with authority in my presence before I ever open my phone
And I offer to CC them, but never let it out of my hands.
Bait and switch is no way to retain customers.
Fortunately we have had proactive AG's here in my state for decades.
This doesn't go down well when you're a big company like Best Buy.

[Gary Lewis]

Being as it was a desktop with no monitor there wasn't much I could do but take it home and set it up.  Had I noticed the lack of a Windows certificate initially it would have been a real bummer as we'd waited a week to get it and made a special trip to pick it up at the store.

But after hours of setup I found that it wasn't legit on Windows.  It was running Win 10 Pro, but couldn't be validated on the Microsoft site.

And then to be told it didn't come with Windows when I was looking at their page which said it did was the icing on the cake.  So back to the store and a request to speak to a manager.  He came and essentially said "We can give your money back."  I said "This is false advertising and I'm going to get Win 10 Pro, just like the documentation says.  In addition, if I cannot call the store to get help I'm taking my business elsewhere, and you can see that I've spent several thousand here in the last 3 months."

He went to talk to the general manager and she wasn't going to do anything, but he convinced her that they could put Win 10 Pro on it.  But he said their business model doesn't allow me to call the store, just the helpless line.

So they put it on and sent me home w/o the power cable.  I'm D.O.N.E with Best Buy.  If the GM didn't want to do anything for me then they don't deserve my business.  And if I can't get someone that will help me then I'm not giving them any of my business.

As for Copilot/AI, it isn't really intelligent, just artificial.  No, I didn't get Big Blue in '92.  That's not even when I joined FTE.  And there's no true "home page", just the forum.  

[BigBrother-84]

Gary Lewis wrote

Bullnose Enthusiasts Forum:
The forum is moderated by Gary Lewis, a well-known bullnose truck expert and author of several books on Ford trucks.

Coooool!


Being a well know expert all over the world is something big, yeah!

Gary, I am really excited to learn more about all your books and publications.
Please share with us your bibliography!

[Gary Lewis]

Jeff - In English we say "Do you read lips?"  

I hope that translates well to French.  

[grumpin]

OK, thanks Gary!

Thought I was missing something, well, I've come to realize I'm missing a lot of things!

[Gary Lewis]

Well, you pointed out that I was the one missing something - that from which I was quoting.  Guilty as charged.

This AI stuff is fun, but not very accurate.  Hopefully it'll get better as time goes on.