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Category: travel

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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August 17, 2025

Keep Summer’s Glow Alive with this Memory Hack

Miss summer already? You don’t have to let it totally slip away. Here’s a little photo exercise that can help you keep all those good summertime vibes going. 

Labor Day isn’t quite here yet, marking the official end of summer. But realistically, it’s already over. Do you feel the energy shift too? It’s unavoidable. 

When I wake up, it’s dark out now. I chat with work colleagues in other states whose kids are already back to school. Everyone I run into asks me if I had a good summer.

Well, did I? Did you?

Sure, it’s easy to call out the fun vacation, weekend at the beach or summer BBQ. But what happened across all those other days and weekends? Can you remember the highlights? Or is it already starting to slip into a cloudy past as the fall season approaches.

Let Your Photos Jog Your Summer Memories
When faced with this moment, I find it useful to take a little stroll down memory lane via my summer photo collection.

It’s not just the big moments I’ve documented. It’s the little ones that matter too.

Only then can you take it all in and authentically say, “Yeah, I had a good summer.”

I just performed that photo review for myself, and here are a few images that reflect some of my own summer’s story.

Taking in Norwalk’s Memorial Day Parade from My Lawn Chair

That’s my city’s mayor leading the parade (Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling). On this bright, young summer day, I felt part of a timeless tradition. The moment could easily have been from a 1925 parade (wardrobe evolution aside).

Flying My Drone in Cape Porpoise, Maine

I barely knew how to get my new drone in the air, but I knew enough to drag myself out of bed at the crack of dawn and hoof it to the empty beach. Nature’s stunning beauty did the rest of the work for me.

Eating Dinner by The Last Taco Stand During Sunset

My wife and I enjoyed a few tacos from this special food trailer by the water as the sun set over the Norwalk Cove Marina. It was perfection in a parking lot.

Watching The Boston Symphony Orchestra Perform at Tanglewood

It’s Tanglewood. Enough said.

Experiencing the Music of AJR at Jones Beach Theater

Our 15-year-old son’s musical tastes led us to this amazing experience, As the full moon rose behind the outdoor stage, I knew this concert would be locked into our memories forever.

Walking to Work from Grand Central Terminal on a Hot August Morning

Even the most boring of summer moments like a commute can be turned into a photo exploration. And that’s never hard to find in New York City.

Doing Nothing but Watching the Flames from Our Solo Stove

For someone who’s always on the go, I find that slowing down to stare at a fire’s glow is essential for any summer.

Your Photos are Your Secret Portal Back to Summertime
Though I’ve shared some of my own pictures here, creating this type of photo collection is more for the creator than anyone else. This little portfolio reflects a larger set of stories, because of what’s behind each photo. Only the photographer can know them.

And each image doesn’t have to be stunning. It should simply bring back the experience of your happy memory. 

I highly recommend trying this photo exercise as you wrap up your own summer.

Best Summer Ever?
So, did I have a good summer?

Absolutely.

How about you?

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July 27, 2025

How to Check the Ocean Temperature on your Phone Before You Hit the Beach

Is there an easy way to check how cold the surf is without putting a giant thermostat in the water? Yes! Here’s how to help avoid a shivery surprise when you take that first step in.

My wife and I decided to take a quick dip at our town beach last week after work. It’s not something we typically do, even though we live just a short drive from the Connecticut shore. We enjoyed our 90-minute vacation so much, we repeated this refreshing early-evening experience over the next two days (and hoped to do it more in the upcoming weeks).

As much as we enjoyed our pre-dinner excursion, we were surprised that the ocean temperature varied from day to day. The water felt warm on day one. The second afternoon’s ocean temperature was colder. And day three’s surf seemed downright icy.

I suspected the differing air temperature and humidity between the days affected our experience, but I didn’t think the ocean could get noticeably colder that quickly.

I decided to fact check my opinion and find a way to confirm the actual water temperature by my beach on those particular days.

NOAA Data Buoys
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration maintains numerous data buoys off the coastline. These NOAA buoys track the weather including ocean conditions.

So, I went to the NOAA’s National Data Buoy Center website and identified the closest ocean data buoy to our beach. I found a nearby buoy in Bridgeport, CT and took a look at its historical data.

And in fact, there was a variance of five degrees in the sea water temperature across those three days. (between 70-75.5° Fahrenheit).

Wind Direction Affects Ocean Temperature
This was a surprise, as I’ve always thought the water by our Connecticut beach remained a steady temperature that simply inched up over the summer. And as such, it was a non-factor on which days were the better beach days.

So, I did a little Googling on this topic and realized that the wind plays a huge role in determining how your beach’s water feels from day to day. 

I discovered that wind blowing towards a beach will keep the ocean warmer. That’s because the surface water that’s been warmed by the sun gets pushed towards the beach. The opposite is true for offshore winds which will suck the top ocean layer away and make your beach’s waves colder.

Wow. 

So, in fact, if you want to go for a swim at the beach and hope for warmer water, some days are actually better for that than others.

I immediately started to think about my iPhone and how nice it would be to easily check out the ocean temperature on my phone before I jump in next time.

Is there an app for that? Well, of course there is…

Mobile Apps that Display NOAA Data Buoy Info
There are a variety of mobile apps that collect and present the data from the NOAA’s data buoys. You just tap in your buoy’s number, and the water temperature pops up along with the weather conditions. (Some apps automatically use your location to find the nearest buoy.) Either way, it’s easy.

Here are the apps that I tested on my iPhone:

  • Buoycast: NOAA Marine Weather
  • Marine Weather Forecast Pro 
  • NOAA Buoy Reports

I’m more partial to the design interface of Buoycast, but they all provide the same data.

All three apps are free, though they offer premium features (such as historical data) for a price. But if you just need to know the real-time water temperature, the free versions are all you need.

Don’t Forget to Check your Data Buoy Before Grabbing your Swimsuit and Towel
I used to think a warm, sunny day is all that determined a good beach day. But if you’re looking to swim, warmer water is always nice. And the right wind conditions can heat it up for you.

With an app on your phone that tracks the nearest NOAA data buoy, you can now quickly check the water temperature before deciding to head out to the beach.

Real-time data means no more chilly surprises!

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