Brabec Bulletin Tidbits on Life
October 15, 2025
Microsoft’s “AI CoPilot Vision”
Self-Doubt: A Prayer for Writers
Archaeological Digs in Israel
Confirm Biblical Accounts
Are You a Creature of Habit?
The Joy of Books
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Microsoft’s “AI CoPilot Vision”
Kim Komando alerted me to why I’m being interrupted on the computer by AI, wanting to know if I need any help with my writing. It’s called “Copilot Vision,” and in following the link Kim provided, I learned that Microsoft has empowered Copilot to see one’s entire desktop. “It can see everything you’ve got open,” she says. “Yes, your billion tabs. You can trigger it with your voice. It’s like Clippy evolved and learned surveillance tactics.” (This news is from Kim’s email dated 7/17.)
If you’d like to give yourself a crash course in how to use Microsoft’s Copilot app, see this 7-minute YouTube video, “Copilot in Word Just Made Writing So Easy!”
There seems to be no limit to what one can do with this app. But I see it as one more thing that’s changing people’s lives and something I don’t have the time or desire to mess with. The video explains how writers can utilize Copilot Vision for brainstorming, polishing, or rewriting; however, I believe ChatGPT can accomplish much more. My high school chum, Glen, who writes stories for his grandchildren, loves ChatGPT and is now using it to create amazing, colorful illustrations for the stories he’s writing.
I initially saw the Internet as the world’s greatest time waster, but programs like Copilot Vision and ChatGPT have quickly become major time stealers because they tempt one to experiment or play. Except for Grammarly, I won’t be using any apps to help me write. It’s a matter of pride. I had a successful career as a writer and publisher long before the Internet paved a new road of success for me, so I don’t want anyone messing with my style of writing now.
Self-Doubt: A Prayer for Writers
If you’re a writer who's ever wondered if what you have to say is of interest to others, you may relate to this poetry by Bob Hostetler, a literary agent whose posts regularly appear on the Steve Laube Agency website.
Although I’ve been writing with boldness since 1978, today’s times and all the cultural changes we’ve seen in recent years often make me wonder if I’m giving readers what they want. But I forge on, relating to the reader who wrote an untitled poem in response to the one mentioned above that begins, “I’ve gotta have cheerful resolve . . .”
Either way, here’s the real news: Bob Hostetler published a book in August titled 100 Prayers for Writers: Creative Fuel for Inspired Work that seemed made to order for me. Maybe you, too.
Archaeological Digs in Israel
Confirm Biblical Accounts
I became interested in biblical archaeological discoveries last year while watching Erick Stacklebeck’s podcasts related to Israel. He regularly interviews Danny the Digger and others who are working in different active-dig sites. One that aired recently on TBN was about the discovery of a 2600-year-old seal used by an official of King Josiah. In the TBN program I saw, Stacklebeck understood the name on the seal to be Nathan-Melick, who is mentioned once in the Bible in 2 Kings 23:11. A picture of that verse flashed on the screen:
“He removed from the entrance to the temple of the Lord the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun. They were in the court near the room of an official named Nathan-Melek. Josiah then burned the chariots dedicated to the sun.”
I couldn’t find a link to the exact version of the program that aired on TBN, but this link will take you to the digger Stacklebeck talked to and the seal that was discovered. Unlike the TBN program that aired, however, this one did not specifically say the name on the seal was Nathan-Melek’s, nor did they show the actual Bible verse on the screen that I saw, which prompted this tidbit. In searching further, I found a picture of a different seal, which was actually discovered in 2018, as reported in the article, “Nathan-Melek: Found!”
The article “Archaeological Research Confirms a Biblical Account in 2 Kings” affirms the destruction of the biblical city described in 2 Kings.
Over and over again, new archaeological discoveries confirm the authenticity and accuracy of the Bible’s accounts of events.
Are You a Creature of Habit?
To find out, just move your wastebasket six inches to the left or right and see how much paper you have to pick up off the floor by the end of the day.
How about your organizational skills? A friend once shared this test to determine how well organized we are: “If you endured a total blackout for two days and nights in dark, stormy weather,” she asked, “could you find everything your family needs in the dark? If not, you are not as well organized as you could be.”
The Joy of Books
If you love books and enjoy browsing in bookstores, you’ll find this short video fascinating. It shows a bookstore with many shelves and thousands of books that are constantly changing and moving on the shelves and tables holding stacks of books. (Imagine the secret life of a bookstore when all the people are gone.)
I don’t have words to describe what I saw, but I figure a very imaginative and highly skilled photographer with a lot of time used AI to pull this YouTube video together. (The comments to it are interesting. One person wrote, “I don’t know what I’ve just watched, but it was a masterpiece.”)
I agree! Hope you enjoyed this month’s collection of Tidbits.
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