Curious_Canid

I think the key to this is how you really feel about it. If you are genuinely happy with the arrangement, and aware you will eventually need to move on, that can be okay. If you start to feel any self-esteem issue, like you’re being taken advantage of, it’s time to get out and find something better. Always respect yourself.

I write software for a living and I have worked directly with LLM backend code. You aren’t wrong about the exceptions, but I think they actually reinforce my main point. If you play with the parameters you can make all kinds of things happen, but all of those things are still driven by the existing information it already has or can find. It can mash things together in random new ways, but it will always work with components that already exist. There is no awareness of context or meaning that would allow it to make intelligent choices about what it mashes together. That will always be driven by the patterns it already knows, positively or negatively.

It’s like doing chemistry by picking random bottles from the shelf and dumping them into a beaker to see what happens. You could make an amazing discovery that way, but the chances of it happening are very, very low. And even if it does happen, there’s an excellent chance that you won’t recognize it.

I’m in favor of using LLMs for tasks that involve large-scale data analysis. They can be quite helpful, as long as the user understands their limitations and performs due diligence to validate the results.

Unfortunately what we are mostly seeing are cases where LLMs are used to generate boilerplate text or code that is assembled from a vast collection of material that someone who actually knew what they were doing had previously created. That kind of reuse is not inherently bad, but it should not be confused with what competent writers or coders do. And if LLMs really do take over a lot of routine daily tasks from people, the pool of approaches to those tasks will stagnate, and eventually degenerate, as LLMs become the primary sources of each others’ solutions.

LLMs may very well change the world, but not it in the ways most people expect. Companies that have invested heavily in them are pushing them as the solutions to the wrong problems.

LLMs are not capable of creating anything, including code. They are enormous word-matching search engines that try to find and piece together the closest existing examples of what is being requested. If what you’re looking for is reasonably common, that may be useful. If what you’re looking for is obscure, you may get things that don’t apply. And the LLM cannot tell the difference. They can be useful but, unlike an LLM, you need to understand the context to use them safely.

I think the most interesting thing about LLMs is actually what they tell us about the repetitive nature of most of what we do.

Fall is probably my favorite season, followed closely by winter. I do use full-spectrum lights to compensate for the shorter days, but overall I think my mood is better during that time. Winter in a forest is one of the most beautiful things in the world.

A small marlin spike. It’s surprising how often I want to untie knots in all kinds of things. A marlin spike makes that easy.

Earplugs. They can obviously be used for protection from overly loud environments. They’re also great for shutting out voices, music, or other noise when you’re trying to read or focus on a task. I like the Loop Switch 2 plugs because they’re small, versatile, and effective.

Ultralight folding bag. I carry a 19 liter bag (Nanobag Sling) with shoulder-length handles that folds down to about the size of my thumb. Any time I need to carry more things than will easily fit in my hands, I pull out the bag. It also lets me support awkward or heavy items using my shoulders and back instead of my hands and arms.

DRM is always a moving target. For a long time I used the free DeDRM tools in combination with Calibre to remove it from Kindle books, but that software is no longer supported. There are several commercial options. The only one I’ve found that has really kept up with the changes is EPubor Ultimate.

When the big change hit, almost nothing worked for a while. EPubor got their DRM-removal working again in a month or so. Since then, I don’t think they’ve ever been more than a week behind in updating their software to deal with the changes.

I hate DRM. I pay for everything I use and feel that I should be treated as a valued customer and not as a probable thief.

I do almost all of my reading on my phone and have for more than a decade. There are many excellent book reading apps, but your source for material will probably limit those options. I prefer books in the ePub format when possible. PDF files also work fairly well, although they are not as convenient to read because they have built-in page breaks that don’t correspond match up with phone screens. Standard ePub and PDF files do not include any DRM (copy protection), although there are variants which do.

If you buy books from Amazon you have to use their Kindle app (unless you use tools to strip the DRM). Borrowing books from your library is a great option, but that will also limit your reader options. Many use OverDrive, which has its own reader. Fortunately Kindle and OverDrive both work pretty well.

Personally, I use various tools to remove the DRM from the eBooks that I buy, then I convert them to ePub. I do believe in authors getting paid for their work, so I don’t share them.

We are screwed.

I came here hoping to see this comment. Thank you for reinforcing my faith.

Bear in mind that it doesn’t actually say “AI” girlfriend. It says “IA” girlfriend. I grew up in Iowa and this all seems perfectly normal to me.

That approach makes up a large part of the world in which we now live. It is also one reason why things are as messed up as they are. On the other hand, whether or not to read the news has become a major mental health issue, so I’m not going to blame anyone who avoids it.

I realize this is an odd suggestion, but think about getting yourself a nice fountain pen and try writing with that. Using a pen that is different from what you’re used to can help you focus on the actual process of writing.

For me, the Free series was a significant innovation, but it all depends on what aspect matter to you.

That has frustrated me too. The Style PS was my idea of a perfect keychain tool, but they killed it in favor of the older, and less capable, Micra.

I did specify that I was talking about plier-based tools in my original response.

I grew up with Swiss Army knives, back before Leatherman was in business. (Yes, I am that old.) I still carry a Rambler with me everywhere I go.

Gerber has made some very good multitools. They have also introduced some significant design improvements over the years. Among other things, they were the first to build one (Legend) where the tools opened outward instead of inward, which seemed like an obvious improvement to me.

My only complaint is that Gerber’s quality has been inconsistent. During some periods they’ve put out cheaply made tools. During others they’ve produced tools that were the equal of anything else on the market.

Yes, I have both a SwissTool and a Spirit. They are excellent tools. I’ve carried them both at, at one time or another, but I keep going back to Leatherman after a while. I don’t think they are better or worse, it’s just a matter of what particular uses you have.

No offense taken. They are an odd instrument that no one would know about if they weren’t forced on every elementary school music student. I seem to have missed that somehow, probably by changing schools at just the right point.

I like the sound, but I particularly like the sound of the lower-voiced recorders. I am mostly playing tenor and bass, which have lovely rich tones. My wife and a friend are both humoring me, so they’re playing soprano and alto with me. I’m not any good at it yet, but I am having a good time learning.

Nearly all of us are currently experiencing the worst possible compromise of that premise.

That is one of the more profound statements I’ve seen in a long time. Thank you!