Using Google's NotebookLM to create Podcasts is EASY and FREE

Over the past year, I've made 20 podcasts with Notebook LM. For example, I created podcasts on pivotal court cases, such as copyright issues with AI, and two of my academic law papers.

Recently, LM generated a 7-min. MP4 from my two-page PDF conference handout on Embracing AI to Flip College Classes. 

LM now allows you to upload various items, not just PDFs. Also, it is not just audio - LM turned my handout into a video (took about 20+ minutes to generate) with PPT-like slides that you can edit.

 

The LM paid version lets users control how long each audio/video should be — an important feature because most of my past podcasts are too wordy.

https://notebooklm.google/plans

GPT Claims: GPT-4 hallucinated ~15–20% of the time on open-domain fact questions. GPT-5 cut that to around 5–10%, depending on the domain.

First Prompt: list all things that make gpt 5 better than 4 in order of most to least importance (Aug.15, 2025)

Results:

Here’s a structured list of the main improvements that make GPT-5 stronger than GPT-4, ordered from most to least important in terms of impact on real-world use:

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🔑 Major Improvements

1. Reasoning & Problem-Solving Ability – Handles complex, multi-step reasoning tasks more reliably and with fewer errors.

2. Context Length & Memory Handling – Can process and maintain much larger amounts of text at once, leading to more coherent long-form outputs.

3. Accuracy & Faithfulness – Reduces hallucinations and produces more factual, grounded answers.

4. Multimodal Strength – Better at interpreting and reasoning over images (and combining image + text inputs seamlessly).

5. Adaptability Across Domains – Stronger performance across coding, math, science, law, writing, and creative tasks.

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⚡ Performance & Efficiency

6. Speed & Latency – Faster responses with more efficient token usage.

7. Instruction Following – More precise adherence to user intent, especially with nuanced or constrained prompts.

8. Error Recovery – Can self-correct reasoning mid-response more effectively.

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🤝 User Experience Improvements

9. Style & Tone Control – Better at adjusting writing style, tone, and persona based on instructions.

10. Reduced Ambiguity – Less likely to misinterpret vague or underspecified prompts.

11. Longer Conversations – Maintains consistency over extended chats more effectively.

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🛠️ Practical Enhancements

12. Tool Use & Integration – Improved ability to work with external tools, APIs, and structured outputs.

13. Programming & Debugging – Generates more correct code, understands larger codebases, and debugs more effectively.

14. Multilingual Fluency – Stronger support for a wider range of languages with more natural fluency.

15. Creativity & Originality – Produces more diverse, less repetitive creative outputs (stories, brainstorming, etc.).

     --------------

    My next Prompt:  be more specific on how there are fewer hallucinations with 5 compared to 4 (Aug. 15, 2025)

    Results:

    How GPT-5 Reduces Hallucinations Compared to GPT-4

16. Training Data Improvements

    • GPT-5 is trained on a larger and more carefully curated dataset.

    • The pipeline includes stronger filtering of low-quality or contradictory sources, which means the model is less likely to “make things up” when encountering uncertainty.

17. Better Alignment & Post-Training

    • Reinforcement Learning with Human Feedback (RLHF) and newer alignment techniques are more fine-tuned in GPT-5.

    • It’s better at distinguishing “I don’t know” cases, whereas GPT-4 often tried to confidently generate an answer even if it was wrong.

18. Improved Internal Verification

    • GPT-5 uses enhanced internal consistency checks during generation.

    • It is more likely to pause and restructure an answer if it recognizes contradictions, something GPT-4 struggled with.

19. Fact-Grounding & Retrieval Hooks

    • GPT-5 is more compatible with retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines and citation mechanisms.

    • It integrates evidence more directly when available, reducing the need to fabricate details.

20. Domain-Specific Accuracy Gains

    • Coding: GPT-5 produces significantly fewer “phantom functions” or nonexistent libraries compared to GPT-4.

    • Medicine/Science: GPT-5 is less likely to invent fake studies or citations.

    • History/Events: More reliable on dates, names, and relationships between entities.

21. User Feedback Loops

    • GPT-5 is better at self-correcting mid-conversation if the user challenges an answer. GPT-4 often doubled down instead of revising.

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📊 Empirical Example (simplified):

• In internal benchmark tests:

  • GPT-4 hallucinated ~15–20% of the time on open-domain fact questions.

  • GPT-5 cut that to around 5–10%, depending on the domain.

     

     

Revised Book Cover: Innovative College Teaching

  

Forthcoming for the new academic year!

5-Star Amazon Review for 99 Motivators for College Success

Very kind review:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wit and wisdom

Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2025

Verified Purchase

 

Wow ... what a great blend of humor, life lessons, and balanced wisdom. It really is a motivational book, without being too bland. It's pretty unique in its witty approach, and that's pretty cool to see. You can put these little pieces of wisdom to use in your daily life, whatever stage of life you're in. Great for students, parents, teachers. Pretty fun, and feels "real" :)

2 people found this helpful

 

 

5-Star Amazon Review from Spain: Innovative College Teaching

 Honored to get this review:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Guide for College Teachers

Reviewed in Spain on July 30, 2025

Verified Purchase

Perry Binder’s “Innovative College Teaching” is exactly what new and experienced college instructors need. This law professor writes in a relaxed, modern style that makes learning about teaching enjoyable.
The book covers everything: first-day strategies, icebreakers, online teaching, interactive activities, group projects, and exam preparation. What sets it apart is the practical advice on using AI tools like ChatGPT and DALL-E for creative projects—very timely! Binder speaks from experience as well as through interviews with other educators for a well-rounded conversation.
Binder’s real classroom examples are incredibly helpful. His humour shines through, like when he tells students: “If you’re sitting in jail accused of homicide, never say ‘Professor Binder said it would be okay if I did this.” This shows how he uses exaggeration and humour to make memorable teaching points.
Whether you’re thinking of a part-time employment as a college teacher or a seasoned professor, this book offers practical tips you can use immediately. It’s written like advice from a helpful colleague rather than a dry academic text. Highly recommended!