
ChatGPT helps US woman pay off her $23,000 credit card debt
"Not because I don't make enough, but because I was never taught financial literacy. I avoided budgeting, and I figured if I just kept working harder, I could overcome the problem. That worked... until it didn't," the US-based weekly news magazine quoted her as saying.Things began to fall apart after her daughter's birth. "I shut down emotionally, and I used credit cards to keep our life afloat. We weren't living lavishly. We were just surviving. But the debt piled up while I wasn't looking," she told Newsweek.WHEN JENNIFER ALLAN FINALLY TURNED TO CHATGPT TO CLEAR DEBTAfter being inspired by online 30-day challenges, she decided to challenge herself to use ChatGPT every day for a month to pay off the debt — whether that was brainstorming side hustles or just giving her expenses a little structure, according to the report.advertisementEvery day, the AI bot gave Allan a single money-saving or earning task — like cancelling a subscription, selling things on Facebook Marketplace, checking for unclaimed funds, or digging for spare change in bags and couches — which ended up making her over $100, the report stated.One of the biggest breakthroughs during the challenge was uncovering more than $10,000 in unclaimed or forgotten funds.In June, Allan shared a clip to her TikTok account, revealing she had hit day 30 of her challenge — and over the past month, had paid off $12,078.93 (Approximately Rs 10.08 lakh).ChatGPT also reportedly helped her save $600 monthly.CHATGPT AND TIKTOK'S CONSISTENT SUPPORT HELPED ALLAN STAY MOTIVATEDAllan attributed her motivation to ChatGPT's steady support."It wasn't some big financial hack," Allan told Newsweek. "It was the act of facing it every day — of tracking it, talking about it, looking at it every day. I stopped being afraid of my numbers. I built a debt tracker. I started sharing my journey publicly. And for the first time in my life, I didn't feel ashamed. I felt empowered, like I could conquer anything," she added.For those facing debt and thinking about a similar step, Allan recommended: "Don't wait until you feel ready or 'smart enough' to start. You don't have to know all the answers — you just have to stop pretending it's not happening."advertisementShe advised making the process enjoyable, saying: "For me, using AI gave me a sense of structure without judgment, and TikTok allowed me to hold myself accountable because (the) community I had built was showing up every day waiting for the next task."- Ends
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The Hindu
40 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Indian designer A. Balasubraman wins U.K.'s Hills Millennium Award
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His 2015 blog post pushing for a Ministry of Design went viral with 4,000 hits the first day. Cited as an educator to watch out for in the Higher Education Digest 2023, this win for Bala is a timely acknowledgement of India's contribution to design and design education. The designer-educator talks to us about the award and the product design scene in India. Can you tell us about getting the Hills Millennium Award? It was a surprise. I got a message from one Harrison Stocker at IED on LinkedIn saying, 'You have won an award'. I had worked with Hills, an engineering designer, years back when he came to India as an external consultant to NSIC (National Small Industries Corporation Ltd.), which is now MSME. I was a bit miffed that they needed a foreigner for expert advice, but later, we hit it off. We put together the design initiative at NSIC called PRIDE (Prototype Initiative for Design Excellence). While Hills was heading IED, I wrote an article on the state of Indian design. Over casual conversations, we found out that we both shared a birthday. I'd drop him a greeting card every year, along with a letter venting my joys and frustrations about design in India. This correspondence went on over 20 years. This year when I sent him a letter, his wife Jane wrote back saying he'd passed away in September last year. He would have been 90 this year. What does the award mean for you personally, and what does it mean for designers in India? For one, it is acknowledging an individual's contribution to the profession. This is important. At JKLU, I began the Design Guru award in honor of MP Ranjan. We celebrate one senior designer every year. In 2020 we picked Don Norman as he has been evangelizing design for a while. I'm very happy Don accepted it. Industrial designer and educator Shuchi Mathur said to me once, 'You start from nothing and you build it into something.' I was invited in an advisory role to JKLU, as founder Pramath Raj Sinha wanted to start a school of design. They already had engineering and management. Sinha was excited with my vision document, which began with a quote from Don Norman — 'Design education has to move away from schools of art and architecture and move into the schools of science and engineering.' I was the first employee at JKLU's Institute of Design and I put a team together. We decided on 4 disciplines: Interdisciplinary Design, Product Design, Interaction Design and Integrated Communication. You have practiced since the 1980s when design was not well understood in India. How did you address its perception? We would identify industries that manufactured products — like Usha – and make a design presentation. Basically, we would educate the client about design to get a project. My interest in teaching began right here. It was a 3-stage pitch-to-project process that worked. One of my earliest products was a flashlight for Eveready, with a reach to rural areas. The brief was — inexpensive to make but cannot look cheap. My product cost was just 7 rupees, including the graphics. It sold for 35 rupees a piece. They went on to manufacture 30,000 pieces on 3 shifts a day. If only I had asked for royalty! What are some issues young designers face in the field today? Are there still communication hurdles in addressing clients and industries, or funding a prototype? It is relatively easy to do product design today. There are plenty of opportunities. This generation also understands users much better, and software — they pick up many aspects on their own from YouTube. It becomes far more challenging for faculty to contribute. Projects are well-funded, and the Indian Government is getting into design. The MSME scheme was such a game changer, as it acknowledged designers' contribution to small industries. There's a charm in working for this sector as you can make a greater impact. I worked with grassroots innovators, commissioned by the National Innovation Foundation, one of Government of India's launchpads for design. I designed a multipurpose processor for a client in Haryana to process tomatoes. He thought we were going to steal his idea! We developed a safe, ergonomic and stylish prototype and told him, 'Go ahead, make it.' How has your approach facilitated your evolution as an educator and designer? Educating clients was a starting point. I like converting people, building a constituency for design. My first blog post was 'Demand good design.' Else design won't flourish and we won't have good products. It was all about — 'By now, you would have had your bath and started your day. Did the cistern save water? Did the water splash in the washbasin? Could you hold your newspaper? If all this worked, it was done by a designer.' Name some culture-specific Indian products that stand out for you. How can India become a global contender? In the 1980s, designers from Tesseract made a desktop Idli Wet Grinder — Elgi is still the best. In terms of artisanal work, I like Mukul Goyal's work, using the lost wax process. But it seems we still need a Prada to come and tell us that we have world-class design! The problem starts with the consumer. We need to be ruthless about good stuff. Living with mediocrity irritates me. My latest post is 'Demand Good Designers' with a push to advocate for aspiring graduates. Design still needs evangelizing and I am happy to continue promoting design in all forums. The writer is a brand strategist with a background in design from SAIC and NID.


Mint
41 minutes ago
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‘Notice the difference': Elon Musk claims major upgrade to Grok chatbot's question-answering abilities
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Time of India
41 minutes ago
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Cartel probe: CCI seeks 9 years of financial records from UltraTech, Dalmia Bharat, others; flags ONGC tender cartelisation
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