Marcus Can Blog

Can AI Diagnose Hardware Problems? My Real-Life Experience

One morning my mother asked me to make some toast for her, so off I went to the kitchen. A few minutes later I returned and handed her the toast.

“I wanted it a little more brown,” she remarked.

So I walked back, adjusted the toaster dial, and popped the bread back in. This time it came out a bit more toasted than before, just how she likes it.

“Could you put some peanut butter on it?” my mother asked.

I scooted back to the kitchen and, in a bit, returned with the toast spread with peanut butter.

“One last request. Could you slice some banana on top of the peanut butter?”

“Sure, no problem,” I replied. In a jiffy, I had the peanut butter and banana toast ready.

This is not my story, but one I heard during a training session on an AI tool. It’s a good example of how multiple trips to the kitchen and back could have been avoided had the request been more specific—and had the son clarified what his mother really wanted from the start.

AI responds better when the right questions are asked. It performs best when prompts are clear, specific, and well structured. “Don’t use AI like Google” became common advice when AI first started gaining popularity. When I discovered Microsoft Copilot, I began to realize that this was true. Later, my previous workplace also started using AI-based tools, making many tasks more effective and efficient. Since then, I’ve never looked back. I became a big fan and an advocate of AI.

Just recently, AI proved itself useful once again.

Marcus’ Xbox Elite Series 2 controller broke down for the second time. The diagnostic tool showed that the B button was constantly being pressed. It was the same issue as before. The first time, I fixed it by opening the controller and cleaning the contacts. A week later, the problem returned. The B button was still being detected as pressed. I was quite sure the contacts were already clean, so this time I decided to ask Gemini for help.

I took a picture of the PCB and asked, “This is the board where the B button is connected. Spot anything that may be causing the issue.”

A few seconds later, it responded:

“…there are a few very strong clues pointing to exactly why your B button is registering as constantly pressed… If you look at the right side of the board, specifically around the B button pad (SW6), component D210, and the edge of the PCB, there is a noticeable amount of dark, sticky, or crusty residue…”

Its response went on to enumerate the possible causes and areas of failure.

I encircled the component Gemini identified as faulty

How it came up with such a detailed response just blew me away. Imagine retrieving all that information from data centers around the world and analyzing my image in just a matter of seconds. Wow! Simply unbelievable.

While the component number it identified was slightly incorrect—it was actually DB10—I understood exactly where it was pointing. Sure enough, I found a tiny speck of conductive dirt that was shorting the terminals. After cleaning it, I had the controller working again.

The power of AI.

This wasn’t the first time I had put AI’s troubleshooting abilities to the test.

More than a month ago, I was desperately trying to figure out why our barely used portable generator had stopped producing output voltage even though the engine was running perfectly.

I was thinking that the capacitor was located in the motor but Gemini pointed out that the capacitor was located in the upper-left part of the image

Through Gemini, I was able to locate the culprit: a faulty starter capacitor.

I captured an image of the generator, and Gemini pointed out exactly where the component was housed and explained how to test whether it was still working.

That simple exchange potentially saved me thousands of pesos in repair costs—not to mention the back-breaking effort of hauling the generator to a repair shop.

Sometimes AI isn’t just about writing emails, generating images, or answering questions. Sometimes it’s the mechanic, the technician, and the second pair of eyes that helps you see what you’ve been staring at all along. (I used AI to create my workout plan but that’s another story. )

Use It or Lose It: When You Leave the Office but the Worksheets Follow You Home

I haven’t really stopped using worksheets even after I stopped working. Honestly, I think my brain still believes I’m on payroll (among the few things I miss being employed). Pivot tables, dashboards, formulas, macros—they still run laps in my head like they’re training for the Olympics. Sometimes I wonder if this is a mild form of PTSD or just the natural consequence of spending too many years color‑coding cells for fun. At this point, the urge to track and organize is basically a reflex.

My job hunt tracker is my first official transition from MS Excel to Google Sheets. Yes, I still have a free MS Office license courtesy of my brother‑in‑law, who bundled it with the laptop they gave me last December (bless him). But I’m preparing for the day that license expires—the day Microsoft taps me on the shoulder and says, “Time’s up, buddy.” So I’m easing myself into the online version in case I decide not to pay for the full license. This tracker is my warm‑up exercise, learning the nuances of Google Sheets which aren’t much.

My workout plan is the next file. This one is a bigger leap because I’ve already started using formulas—thankfully almost identical to Excel—and with the help of MS Copilot, I even built a timed‑reset App Script (Google’s version of a macro). But here’s the thing: even with AI, you still need clear instructions. “Create a script for this output” is basically the equivalent of telling a contractor, “Build me a house,” and then walking away. Maybe in five years AI can read my mind, but for now, I still have to spell things out, challenge the responses, and test the script like a responsible adult.

My fuel tracker is my third work in progress. Now that I’m working part‑time as a delivery guy for both Transportify and Lalamove, I need visuals—fuel costs, efficiency, earnings, the whole shebang. At first, I wanted to jump straight into building a mobile app using Glide. I was ready to go full tech‑bro mode. But after a few days of back‑and‑forth with MS Copilot, I realized I should probably start with a basic worksheet, test it in the wild, and then build the app once I actually understand what metrics matter. Baby steps. Use it or you lose it.

Becoming the Driver I Used to Wonder About

For years, I’ve told people—sometimes casually, sometimes with real curiosity—how fascinated I am by taxi drivers, Grab, Lyft, Uber, and anyone who seems to genuinely enjoy shuttling people around. There’s something about the rhythm of their work, the stories they collect, the lives they intersect with. When I visited Malaysia again, that fascination resurfaced. Grab made everything easier compared to our first trip in 2007, when getting around meant flagging taxis and hoping for the best.

But it was our last Grab driver who left an impression I didn’t fully understand until days after returning to the Philippines. He was chatty, open, and eager to answer our questions. A few minutes before reaching Central Market, he shared that he once ran an IT business. A sibling rivalry ended with his brother taking over the company. He used to travel abroad almost every year—until everything collapsed. Now he was driving again, rebuilding quietly by being on the road serving passengers.

I didn’t know it then, but that conversation was a preview of my own shift.

The Tuesday after my Holy Week vacation in Malaysia, I found myself suddenly jobless. No warning. No preparation. Just a sudden break from the life I thought I was returning to.

The weeks that followed were filled with job applications—more than 15 if I recall it right. Almost half replied with the familiar line: “We will not be moving forward with your application.” Others stayed pending and only one gave a definite yes: Transportify.

“Be careful what you wish for,” they say. But why not? Pride tugged at me, but curiosity nudged harder. Maybe it was time to finally see what kind of driver I would be.

Beyond needing income, I was drawn to something else: driving is a high‑touch job. It’s future‑proof, at least for the next several years. In simple terms, it’s AI‑safe. And in a country still struggling to modernize jeepneys (and educate its drivers) or build enough charging stations to match the rise of EVs, it’s clear that logistics and transport will remain essential work for a long time.

It’s been two weeks since I dipped my feet into this new world. So far, it’s been an adventure—learning the Transportify app, understanding bookings, trusting Waze, and navigating Manila’s unfamiliar roads. It hasn’t been the most profitable start, but that’s not the point. This is what starting fresh looks like. There’s always a learning curve, and I’m giving myself the space to grow, adjust, and get better.

Maybe this is what I’ve been preparing for without realizing it. Maybe this is the beginning of a story I used to only observe from the outside.

Now, I’m living it. (FYI, I just got my professional driver’s license last Monday.)

The Strange Coincidence I Noticed While Watching The Minimalists: Less Is Now

Don’t I look good in my minimalist workspace?

There’s always been a minimalist in me. I like keeping my stuff simple and clutter‑free. But like anyone else, there’s always room for improvement. Case in point: our cabinet is almost full of clothes—especially since I stopped working.

After getting tired of thriller and crime series, I decided to break the pattern (and the algorithm) by checking out some documentaries. One Netflix suggestion led me back to The Minimalists: Less Is Now. I realized I had already started it long ago because it was tagged “Resume Playing.” So I restarted it from the beginning.

Everything soon looked familiar. I remembered scenes up to about halfway through, but this time I paid more attention to what the hosts and the featured minimalists were saying.

Things got more interesting when one of The Minimalists’ cofounder, Ryan Nicodemus, shared his story. He talked about being called into a meeting by his boss, only to find HR there too. Long story short: he was fired on the spot. That hit close to home. Been there.

It made me wonder—did Netflix somehow sense what happened to me a month ago and push this documentary back into my recommendations? Hard to dodge the algorithm nowadays.

And here’s another funny coincidence: I actually resemble Ryan a wee bit—shoulder‑length hair, facial hair, similar build. Isn’t that interesting.

Last night, I started reevaluating my stuff. The plan is to start small—cables, old chargers, broken electronics. Among other things, I even reset my Garmin and my Apple Watch Series 4 to prepare them for disposal. They’ve served their purpose, and hopefully someone else can still find them useful.

It’s a small step, but it feels like the right direction to being minimalist. More in the next days.

My Father‑and‑Son Victory Over Totenreich’s Final Boss in Call of Duty Zombies

The final boss has finally fallen. Three days ago, I began my showdown with Call of Duty’s Dravakar with Marcus leading the charge. The creature was colossal, vicious, and freezing to the core. Its health bar barely moved no matter how many rounds I pumped into it. The Voyak and every upgrade I slapped onto it felt useless. The unstable Xbox connection ever since we switched to PLDT’s WiFi 6 router didn’t help either. On this first fight, I was crushed.

The next afternoon, we tried again. Fingers crossed, we loaded into Zombies mode. I was tense, determined to finish the fight, and hoping Marcus wouldn’t end the session annoyed that his old man played like a noob again. I prepared my GobbleGum kit, including Perkaholic—the one that instantly grants every available perk. No more scrambling for essence, hunting down Perk Machines, or buying each perk while dodging stray undead. With this, I felt unstoppable. All I had to do was focus on clearing each wave and wait for Marcus to call the shots.

“We will now proceed with the boss fight,” he announced several waves later. We were teleported straight into the arena. Dravakar loomed ahead, and next to it was the Iron Sentinel—an equally massive ally—marched forward to engage. My controller vibrated almost nonstop, my palms were sweating, and zombies began pouring in from every direction. A long battle was coming. My plan was simple: follow Marcus’ commands like a clueless private trying to impress his sergeant.

Then the Gjallarfrost appeared. A floating, icy skull drifting around the battlefield like the boss’s personal enforcer. Marcus explained that it takes heavy damage when you toss lethal equipment—grenades, molotovs, semtex—straight into its open mouth. I threw whatever I had, unsure where each of it landed, but at least I followed orders.

The fight felt endless. Dravakar was relentless, hurling massive ice chunks at us, forcing us to hide behind rock pillars while trying to shoot its glowing weak points (which reminded me of those body pain commercials). It summoned icy spikes from the ground, and the chaos just kept building. I was overwhelmed but determined to push through.

Eventually, I found my rhythm. Marcus’ quick instructions started making sense. I focused on staying alive even as my eyes strained from the nonstop action. I kept firing the Voyak, tossing grenades, and triggering Frenzied Guard whenever things got too intense. After several minutes of pure mayhem, the Harbinger’s health finally hit zero. Whew!

It was over. We won.

***

Free from final boss. True story: exactly today I am no longer reporting to a boss. Today marks the end of my employment. More COD games ahead.

Marcus is now 18!

Claude vs ChatGPT: Which AI Gives Better Answers for New Call of Duty Weekly Challenges?

Last week, I tested whether AI could actually help me out in games. The obvious answer is yes — but this time, I wasn’t just looking for the usual Google‑style tips and tricks. I wanted to see how well AI could handle something new, something that had just dropped.

Specifically: a Call of Duty Weekly Challenge that was released less than 24 hours before I played it with Marcus.

We got stuck on one of the Week 3 objectives:
“Reach Round 10 in Cursed with no Perks or Pack‑a‑Punch.”

I took a photo of the challenge straight from the TV and uploaded it to both Claude and ChatGPT. The results were surprisingly different.

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What stood out was how each AI handled the freshness of the update. Even though the challenge had been out for hours already, Claude still hadn’t caught up — its knowledge was clearly stuck on older COD content. ChatGPT, on the other hand, recognized the new challenge and responded with an on-point answer.

Streamline Your Job Transition with Online Clearances

While the clock is ticking toward my official last day at work in a couple of weeks, I’ve started preparing for the transition to a new job. That means reaching out to old friends who might be able to help, checking JobStreet.com (Lina has become a familiar face in my inbox lately), and gathering the documents I’ll need along the way.

One thing I’m grateful for: the days of standing in long, sweaty government-office queues are mostly behind us. Applying for NBI and police clearances can now be done online, and even the payment of fees can be completed through e-wallets and other online banking options. It’s one of those small but meaningful changes that makes a stressful transition feel a little lighter.

For my NBI clearance, I applied through the online portal and was pleasantly surprised by how smooth the process was. A couple of small things helped: logging in through my phone so my details were easy to access when I needed the reference number, and updating my address online even after setting the appointment. When I finally went to the nearest NBI office, the entire visit took less than 10 minutes. Impressed.

Police clearance is also available online now. Just like with the NBI process, I used GCash to complete the payment. There’s a small additional fee for paying online, but honestly, it’s a reasonable trade-off compared to going to the bank, waiting for your number to be called, and spending half the day in line wondering if the teller is more tired than you are.

I also checked on my mandatory contributions—PAG-IBIG and SSS—which are thankfully accessible through their mobile apps. It’s reassuring to see how many of these steps can now be done from home. Transitions are never easy, but having simpler systems in place makes preparing for what’s next feel a bit more manageable.

Little by little, things are falling into place. And somehow, that makes the approaching last day feel less like an ending—and more like a beginning

Been AI-while Crocodile (I’m Back)

Saltwater crocodile lying in shallow mangrove creek water with greenery around — AI-generated image

So what did I miss? After four years of WordPress dormancy, I’m back—and a lot has changed on the social media platforms I used to know. Twitter is now X. There’s TikTok, which until now I haven’t wanted to use—not even look at. Facebook is no longer just for keeping up with friends (you now even have ex-friends who choose to stay just to see you fail). Then there’s AI.

2026 is definitely an AI year, and I don’t even need to define what AI is unless you’ve been living under a rock. I first became aware of AI’s growing presence last year through the news, and then more personally through someone abroad who mentioned that her son had started working with an AI company—with a very significant paycheck. Stress on very significant.

This means businesses are now starting to invest more heavily in AI. Good news if you’re a stockholder or part of the teams developing it. Bad news if you’re just an end user. It reminds me of the anxiety we felt when we first learned about increasing and improving manufacturing automation somewhere around the year 2000.

AI is meant to change our lives, like it or not. It is meant to take over, like it or not. Like the print on my favorite Uniqlo shirt says, “Neither friend nor enemy.” It’s all in how you perceive it. The faster you accept its existence and adapt to its use, the better off you’ll be.

So I choose to adapt. In fact, I’ve been using it much more frequently lately. I choose to befriend AI—even if it’s probably one of the reasons I now find myself with a lot of free time.

Jobless in a few weeks.

IKEA, for real

“Meatballs to die for”, “best meatballs I ever had”, and “I’d line up for hours for IKEA’s meatballs” are just a few of so many testimonials I have read since the biggest IKEA opened here in the Philippines. So off we go for the second time to IKEA. Take note, second time.

If there’s something the three of us could be proud of is the very fact that we are probably the first customers to set foot at IKEA Philippines . Yes, July 2018 we were there, absentmindedly, immediately after I read in the papers about the Swedish brand opening in our country just to later realize I missed the part where it’s building was just being constructed. That booboo felt like sitting on an IKEA stool with one leg completed. Proud but embarrassed about the experience.

Yesterday we finally made it for real. We made it inside IKEA’s famous restaurant and eagerly lined up for the meatballs—actually skipped a long one because we got ushered to the priority lane for kids, seniors, and PWD. Wifey also got us spring rolls, baked salmon, carrot cake, and chocolate cake. On my count most customers did have Swedish meatballs on their trays.

So was the meatballs worth the two-hour trip? Hate to disappoint but personally it wasn’t. I have tasted better meatballs and wifey can even do a much tastier version. And take my word, skip the baked salmon too—its sauce was bland. I liked the spring rolls and the cakes a lot better. Coffee was strong and it’s free refill so it made up for the meatballs.

***

IKEA was crowded on a Saturday. It’s like Baclaran with overwhelming pricey stuff. I feel like everyone was there just because everyone was there. If ain’t for the masks, it was as if COVID-19 never ever happened.

***

Last time I drove up the Skyway going to the airport was January 2020 before the pandemic and I was on my trip to Kansas. I was back a week after and by then was driving back late at night with me anxiously wanting to reach home because Taal erupted. And yesterday by coincidence, just before we left home for IKEA we received an alert from NDRRMC about Taal erupting and being on level 3 again. As of this writing we haven’t gotten any SMS alerts except one at 4 AM. Since then it’s been calm at least from where we are at.

***

In the midst of the pandemic this current administration continues its Build Build Build initiatives and among of which is the Skyway extension that starts just before Alabang. Yesterday we passed there on our way to IKEA and it did cut travel time by almost 30 minutes to an hour. Going back was likewise a breeze because this time we skipped the congested SLEX and exited past Alabang. Isn’t it good to see where our taxes go—well, at least some of it.

***

Mood: 2/10 Honks! (Long weekend)