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Category: Tech in the News

October 12, 2025

Using AI to Bend Reality in My Vacation Photography

Here’s my photo from an alternate version of a past vacation. Yes, the image is fiction, but the photo is convincingly real. The fundamental reality of any photo album you choose to curate can now be ‘enhanced’ thanks to generative AI. If you are intrigued by the idea of bending (breaking) reality in your photos, here’s how it works…

I enjoy taking lots of photos of my life. Why exactly? Well, why does anybody?

  • To remember. To reflect. To share. To prove that it happened.
  • Family. Vacation. Adventure. Misadventure. Home. Passion. Life.

But now with a little help from generative AI, you can whip up your own life’s photos without having to actually experience… your life. Now, you can document your imagined life and share this alternate version if you want.

Sure, I know this all sounds rather absurd. But the fact that it’s possible now… easy in fact, should give us all pause. What is real anymore? 

This is, of course, a big topic of discussion on any number of fronts. For the moment, I’m simply directing the focus inward from societal to individual impact.

Google Whisk’s ‘Precise Reference’ Mode
Okay. So, with that set up, here’s how to have some ‘fun’ reinventing your life in pictures.

I’ve been experimenting with Google Whisk (one of several players in this disruptive and quickly evolving digital sandbox). Here’s the game-changing trick I’ve recently learned that turned this AI image generator into a reality-blending tool.

  • Activate ‘Precise Reference’ mode in Settings.

From there you simply need to upload at least one pictures of yourself for Whisk to see. That’s the critical reference point that puts ‘you’ in the new scene.

You can also upload photo backgrounds to help art-direct your shot or create them via text prompts.

Then, everything is ready for you to prompt your new photo into existence…starring you.

And then just click to generate.

Photos from My Vacations Not Taken
I followed the above steps, and within seconds, I received back each of these vacation photos from my alternate universe.

Swimming with a Humpback Whale

Skydiving Adventure

At Mount Everest Base Camp

Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip

Sailboat Racing Fun

Dog Sledding in Alaska

Riding in a Hot Air Balloon 

In Space Port Terminal before My Trip to the Future

Seeing is Believing?
Whoa. This other guy sure is having fun. Maybe he should dial it back a bit. No, these AI-generated shots aren’t perfect. But they’re close enough to prove my point.

Creating a fake photo isn’t exactly new. Other tools have been available to do that for years. But it used to take a certain amount of skill and effort. Now, with a couple reference photos, a few clicks and a basic understanding of the process, everyone can access this great power. 

And we all know the line from “Spider-Man.”

Time to Meet Your Doppelgänger
I am fascinated. I am concerned. I am confused. My creative center feels in flux. My very existence can be morphed (as can yours).

But I’m determined to figure out how to properly integrate this AI-led creative revolution into my own reality (as we all should).

To truly understand it, you have to know how to operate within it. This is no time to ignore what’s already happened.

That’s why I’m spending time creating a vacation album from my alternate universe. Yes, it’s been a fun exercise. 

But I couldn’t be more serious.

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July 20, 2025

How to Magically Turn your Photo into a Video Using Generative AI

Is this a real photo I took or one generated by AI? It’s both and neither. And then I miraculously converted it into a short video clip. Welcome to bending the rules of reality with just a couple of clicks.

The creative realm is no longer inhabited exclusively by human minds. Generative AI tools have revolutionized how you and I can develop our own creativity. Yes, AI may still require our inspiration, but then it magically does most of the work.

One way to quickly immerse yourself in this new creative workflow is through a simple shortcut. Just start with a real photograph/image that you’ve already created as a reference point. Then, it’s much easier for an AI app to develop it further as opposed to having to start the process from scratch through extensive prompts.

For me, that’s been the key to easily unlock AI’s visual powers.

AI Follows the Creative Direction from your Photography
After uploading your own photo, you can create an AI-generated clone in one click that looks remarkably similar. The AI takes certain creative liberties, but it nails the framing and essential visual elements.

And then, with just a few more prompts and a click, you can generate short video clips that bring your photos to life.

So yes, we can now create videos out of thin air based on our photography. 

Here are a few examples I generated after feeding my photos through Google’s Whisk and Veo generative AI models. (Other companies offer similar fast-developing technologies.)

Maine Sunrise
I snapped this sunrise photo during our Maine vacation:

Here’s the Google Whisk version:

And here’s the Google Veo video:


Alaska Sunrise
Here’s my sunrise shot from Homer, Alaska during our 2023 trip.

Whisk photo:

Veo video:


Baltimore Sunrise
Here’s my photo of people walking by the water in Baltimore, Maryland.

Whisk photo:

Veo video:


Two Paddleboarders on the Ocean
I photographed these two paddleboarders in Maine last year.

Whisk photo:

Veo video:


A Man and his Dog
During our vacation in Alaska, I took a photo of a man with his beautiful golden retriever. I processed it through Google Whisk and Veo and generated this:

Whisk photo:

Veo video:


Generative AI Provides the Paint and Canvas
I find these examples remarkable and clearly disruptive. I’m still adjusting to the massive implications to all this. 

Generative AI tools have quickly become our new paint and canvas to bring our creative ideas to life. And the results will only get better.

So, it’s time for all of us to relearn how to paint, even as photographers.

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October 20, 2024

Why I Said No to an EV and Chose the Honda CR-V Hybrid Instead

My Honda CR-V Hybrid purchase tells me that I just wasn’t ready for the EV revolution. Here’s what else I learned.

I’m pleased to report that I’ve bought a new Honda CR-V Hybrid for me and my family. I chose it over four other strong hybrid options:

  • Hyundai Tuscan
  • Kia Sportage
  • Mazda CX-50
  • Toyota RAV4

I test drove the runner ups, and they’ve all got great selling points. But I liked my CR-V Hybrid best. Last week, I got into the details as I compared the vehicles.

When I was done, I realized I had experienced a surprisingly complex shopping journey to find the right eco-friendly vehicle for Barrett. Here’s why.

SUV Hybrids aren’t as Common as You’d Think
I only considered five small SUV models that offer greener tech. That’s not a lot of choices for an industry that’s supposed to be actively on the path towards retiring gas engines.

Yes, there are other eco-friendly SUV choices on the market, but according to reviews, those SUVs aren’t quite as good. Right or wrong, I crossed them off my list. Plus, you can only test drive so many cars… meaning you can only endure so many dealership experiences. (I’m sorry to say that, but it’s still true.)

Ultimately, here in the U.S. there just aren’t a lot of hybrid or PHEV SUVs to choose from.

Of course, there are more options in the luxury car segment. But folks, if we’re really moving to greener cars to save the planet, we’ve got to market more to the masses.

I didn’t Buy a Starship Console Interface
The advanced touch panel designs in both the Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tuscan satisfied my search for cutting-edge tech. But the reality is all those slick screens would sometimes be harder to navigate. (My CR-V also has a touchscreen, but the tactile interface design elsewhere with knobs is surprisingly more user friendly.)

Plus, my fingerprints would show up everywhere on the touch consoles and reflective blacks of the Sportage and Tuscan. I know I would always feel the overwhelming need to wipe down the surface with a micro-fiber cloth. (Not sure if that’s more of a problem with the car or with me.)

And no, my CR-V also doesn’t sport a head-up display on the windshield (like the Mazda CX-50 Hybrid). Though I began my car search eager to find ‘HUD’ tech and realize my inner Tom Cruise, I discovered HUD isn’t mainstream, and the data displayed isn’t a game changer. Head-up displays are still more trendy than useful.

No PHEV for Me
I ended up walking away from three good PHEV options (Sportage, Tuscan and RAV4). That surprised me, but clearly that feature wasn’t as important as I originally thought. That said, had the CR-V also come as a PHEV, I would have likely bought that one.

But not having that option didn’t sway me away from my CR-V Hybrid. I’m sure Honda has done plenty of research to know that. (They’ve clearly skipped over PHEV tech.)

I am Hybrid Barrett
I was committed to fully jumping onto the greener-car bandwagon with our purchase, but a simple hybrid was as far as we got.

I wasn’t ready for an EV, and I couldn’t find a PHEV that met my other priorities.

My new Honda CR-V isn’t exactly a cutting-edge green technology choice (though it’s got all the new safety-tech you’d expect). But it’s a solid step in a greener direction.

  • Our CR-V gives us great gas mileage.
  • It’s better for the planet.
  • And my wife and I love the car.

Well done, Barrett. (I think.)

No EV for Barrett
I long ago resigned myself that I’m never going to own a flying car. That ‘hybrid’ vehicle is stranded in science-fiction land.

But EVs have certainly crossed over into today’s mulitversal-616-reality. When I had the chance to own one, I ultimately flaked out, because I felt it was too disruptive a decision. I didn’t see it as ‘easy.’

  • Range anxiety
  • More expensive
  • Higher depreciation rates.
  • Some middling reviews

Bringing my Honda Hybrid home was entirely easy.

Going hybrid felt like such a natural evolution. I just couldn’t sign up for the EV revolution. Not yet…

The Winding Road to a Greener Future
Do I have buyer’s remorse? Absolutely not. I am who I am.

But when I take a step back and look at my story and my own limitations, I can also see how much more work I and many of us need to do to better support our planet’s health.

I know I could do better, but I think I still did okay. (I know others may disagree.)

Good luck to you in your own evolving journey towards a greener and healthier future for all of us.

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