In the late 1990s, the internet was a wild frontier, and I, like many others, found my footing on free web platforms. Earthpages began its journey on sites like National Capital Freenet, FreeYellow, and Angelfire. It was a simpler time, a digital canvas offering nascent opportunities for expression.
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| Working on my "Aztecs" project for school © 2025 Michael W. Clark |
As the web evolved, so did Earthpages. We transitioned from those early free sites to the complimentary webspace offered by our ISP, a common perk back then. However, that didn't last, leading to a significant move to WordPress. It was a logical step for many, and soon after, I secured our own identity by purchasing the Earthpages.org domain name.
Recently, however, the digital landscape has shifted again. I've begun the process of migrating Earthpages to Blogger. While WordPress served its purpose for many years, I've found it increasingly laden with advertisements, which, in my humble opinion, detract from the user experience. Blogger, with its speed and flexibility, feels like a breath of fresh air, allowing me to focus on content rather than platform-induced clutter. It's also worth noting that "Think Free," which was once a separate entity, is being fully integrated into Earthpages.org, consolidating our content under one roof.
Over the years, the tools I've used to enhance Earthpages have also evolved. I embraced aids like Grammarly, which significantly improved the readability and polish of my writing. More recently, however, a new kind of assistant has entered the picture: Artificial Intelligence.
Now, before anyone jumps to conclusions, let me be clear: I am not using AI to write everything. My approach is far more nuanced. I utilize AI to flesh out the main points I want to convey, to deepen the exploration of topics, and to ensure the content is as robust as possible.
My process often involves taking old "Think Free" entries and feeding them to the AI. I'll ask it to not only review the text for style and readability but also to suggest anything important I might have overlooked. The initial output is just that—a starting point. I then meticulously go over the result, often tweaking it considerably. This isn't a one-button, quick-fix solution. In fact, I frequently engage in long dialogues with the AI, fact-checking, refining the flow, and ensuring the tone perfectly aligns with what I envision for Earthpages. It's an interactive, sometimes challenging, but always rewarding process.
Frankly, if AI weren't available right now, I'd likely be far more bored with a lot of my older "Think Free" material. More importantly, I wouldn't have the time or perhaps even the desire to completely rework it. But with AI, I find the process genuinely fun and enriching. I learn new things and, as the saying goes, "dive deeper" into topics when preparing updates with its help. It's almost like having a free, university-level lecture on any subject I choose, and then being able to share that enhanced understanding with you, the reader.
So, what you're getting now on Earthpages is a blend: the insights I already possessed, along with additional details I probably knew but hadn't had the time or inclination to fully elaborate on. And then there are the completely new facts and perspectives that I was previously unaware of. All of this rich content is now finding its way into Earthpages. I genuinely love this new dynamic, and I sincerely hope you do too.
Ultimately, Earthpages remains very much my voice, my perspective. But it's a voice amplified and enriched by interacting with the latest and greatest technology has to offer. Why should Earthpages be anything less?
My Original Brainstorming Points
Here are the initial points I jotted down, asking Gemini to turn it into a blog post
- In the late 1990s, I began Earthpages on free websites like National Capital Freenet, FreeYellow, and Angelfire.
- Then Earthpages moved to our ISP, which was giving out free web space back then. That didn't last too long, so I switched to WordPress.
- I purchased the dot-org domain name.
- Recently, I am migrating to Blogger because WordPress has implemented too many ads, in my opinion. Also, I like the speed and flexibility of Blogger.
- "Think Free" used to be separate but has now become part of Earthpages.org.
- Over the years, I began to use tools like Grammarly, which helped a lot.
- Recently, I am using AI—not to write everything, but to flesh out the main points I want to make.
- I take old Think Free entries and ask the AI to not only go over them for style and readability but also to add anything important I may have overlooked.
- I go over the result and usually need to tweak it a lot. Sometimes I have long dialogues with AI to not only fact-check but also get the flow right, maintaining the tone I want, etc. It is not a one-button quick solution! But I enjoy it, and that is why Earthpages is still going strong.
- If there were no AI right now, I would probably not only be bored with a lot of my old stuff at Think Free but also not have the time or desire to totally rework it. But with AI, I find it fun and enriching. I learn and, as the saying goes, "dive deeper" when preparing the update with the help of AI. It's like a free university-level lecture on whatever topic I like, and then I can share it with you.
- So what you are getting is things I knew, along with extra things I probably knew on that topic but didn't have the time or desire to flesh out the details. And then there are totally new details that I was unaware of. All that is going into Earthpages today. I love it! And I hope you do too.
- It is still very much me. But interacting with the latest and greatest tech has to offer. Why should Earthpages be anything less?
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