Level 1

2 to 1 2 cups of water, bring it to a boil 1 cup of rice, add after water is boiling Reduce heat to simmer (simmer is less than medium but higher than just warm, on my stove it goes up to 10, I turn it down to 2.4). Put on lid Wait 20 minutes Eat

If it starts to boil over with the lid on just lift the lid so it will go back down. I add either some oil and salt or some (1 or 2 tblsp) salted butter to the water. People will tell you to rinse the rice first, but that’s level 2, get to level 1.

OpenAI just released their reasoning model today. OpenAI-o1for Pres. 2028!

Go to where you first learned how to make friends. Go back to school, take a night class. Found a wife there once.

Within a Deep Forest

The first game I ever completed and the first time I left a review for a game. The music, the atmosphere, the design, everything blew away. It was freeware from back in 2006. Made by a guy called Nifflas. It’s a sidescrolling platformer where you are an intelligent bouncing ball. I still think about it to this day.

Sadness is just as temporary as happiness

Beauty is born from tragedy

Community college. Took a few classes I never would have normally chosen like art or acting. I was a stay at home introvert who was way past college days, so I couldn’t figure out how to put myself into social situations. But I do like to learn, so signed myself up for some night classes. Ended up dating a few people, made new friends, and married one of them. Night classes bring in the adults who have to work during the day, a few kids too, but I met just about every age group from young to very old. Study groups, group projects, anything that will involve working with or helping classmates, or anything that you think is interesting really. Have life long friends now because of that decision.

Go back to where you first learned how to make friends, go back to school.

When first I learned of the tower at Bok Tower gardens I thought, how ostentatious of a man to build himself a tower. But then I was given the rare privilege of standing at it’s precipice. I get it now. I felt like a wise wizard, like Saruman, looking down at the world. If ever I am able I must have a tower, if only to drink my morning coffee and wonder from above at the majesty of the world beneath me.

I also played a short melody on the bells, from house of the rising sun, before being asked to stop touching everything.

It was a long time ago, so my memory may not be exact, so I’ll try my best to describe what I saw, also I was not allowed into every room, but I did sneak away and take a peek behind a door, it was a broom closet.

The inside had very intrically carved antique furniture, dark brown, maybe mahogany. I was not allowed to open the cupboards, I did, it was empty. Blue or teal mosaic tiling on the floor, a white marble bathroom tucked away in the corner with I believe golden fixtures. The metal staircase wound up along the sides into the reaches of a Gothic vaulted ceiling. It didn’t feel like a church, it felt more like being in a Freemason temple. Oh the front door is golden or brass and I believe there is a grave at the front as well.

The next floor contained the Gardens archives. I was not allowed in and only saw a dim and lonely room with desk and lots of papers or books. I wish I could have spent several days in there rifling around.

Next up was the old cisterns that used to be used to collect rain water from the roof and water the gardens. They look like giant steampunk iron containers. Not much in there but assorted boxes and such. I wanted to bang on the containers, but tempered myself.

I do not remember the next floor very well, I think there was a mildly modern office, with a windowed door? I think remember seeing the American flag, but the memory is hazy.

Next up was the library. I was excited when I heard the word library, and disappointed to learn it was the largest library of Bell ringing music (I don’t know the proper term for ‘Bell ringing music’). There were also some books and such, but wasn’t as interesting looking as I had hoped, and we didn’t spend time there.

I do not remember the next floor at all, perhaps because it was unremarkable or because the next floor was where I really wanted to be, the very top.

Standing at the balcony was breathtaking. The bells were to there and of course they were a sight to themselves, but the view from the edge was…inspiring. I wanted to be able to stand up there every day, every sunrise and sunset. The sun was near to setting by that time, as we were touring after hours, so the lighting was perfect. I could see the houses and trees and fields stretched far into the distance. I didn’t want it to end. I needed a staff! I needed a throng to command or a people to assure, or even better, a quiet life locked in my tower studying the mysteries.

The world needs more towers. I do not understand why today’s rich have not built themselves great and beautiful towers for study and art instead of ugly sprawling resorts for decadence and indulgences. Every city and town should have one for the people as well. We could use some perspective, and inspiration.

Bring back beautiful towers!

And wizards!

I showed chatgpt the picture and it was close to what others on here said.

“The image shows a fused spur or a fused connection unit (FCU). This type of electrical outlet is used to protect appliances that are permanently connected to the electrical supply without a standard plug, such as heaters, ovens, or lighting circuits.”

Then I asked what country this is most likely to have this in a home

“The fused spur or fused connection unit (FCU) in the image is most commonly found in homes in the United Kingdom and Ireland. This type of electrical fitting is a standard feature in these countries, where it is used for appliances that need to be hardwired into the electrical system, such as water heaters, ovens, or extractors. It may also be found in other countries that follow British electrical standards, but the UK and Ireland are the most likely.”

I thought that was interesting and wanted to share.

It happened when I was kid growing up in another country, as a US citizen, and then coming to the US to see for myself why I had heard so much trash talk about Americans.

We are arrogant, spoiled, dumb and racist. The world expects us to be better. We are privileged like a spoiled rich brat and are waisting our fortune. We have what other countries do not and yet still ignore our own poor. We openly shit on our own minorities and immigrants that want to come here and build with us.

Even dirt poor countries have free healthcare and education. Our education system has been ignored and allowed to fall farther and farther behind the entire world.I came here in when I was in the 6th grade and immediately was shocked that kids my age could barely read. This is richest country on the entire planet, ever! Multiple choice? You mean they give you the answer and just mix it in with wrong answers!?

Our celebrated values that we put forward in our popular media (how the world learns about us by the way) do not include humility or compassion, it’s all direct or veiled celebrations of military might. Every hero is fighting. Guns guns guns, fight fight fight. Our military power allows us to do nearly whatever we want and we do.

Every disparaging comment I heard or that was aimed at me for being American I learned to be true. They are tired of our bullshit. The world doesn’t hate us, they are deeply disappointed in us. Several generations of disappointment.

I want a site for what I thought I read when I clicked the link, Decentralized Socialist Icons

Poor leadership. A good leader can set the tone for better or worse. Unfortunately leadership is very rarely taught, so bosses tend fall back on their upbringing. A leader is at the front working harder than everyone else and suffering with their team, a boss is at the back telling everyone to work harder while suffering nothing. A boss who is also a leader is far to rare.

Thank you.

Dead, burnt, and blown up kids in Afghanistan. I’m an atheist now. I wish people didn’t need first hand experience to change their minds, myself included.

Don’t underestimate the US military, as an ally. They are primarily younger, and the upper echelons are educated and all take their oath very seriously, to defend the Constitution, from enemies foreign and domestic. Of course there will be factions that will stick to Trump, like certain national guards, but that will fracture command and weaken our ability to react internationally. The military understand those implications, the potential literal end of the world. In the end, they push the button, not the president. The lower ranks have no desire to fight American civilians either, it’s antithetical to everything they are taught, and the age range is generally people in their 20’s and 30’s.I trust a Marine, a soldier, an airman, a seaman heheh, coast guard too, oh and the spacemen, way more than a cop, to do the right thing.

A vet.

Now we’re talking!

I use it as a way to rewrite emails to sound more professional, especially when I’m too lazy to word good, or I’m mad at the person I’m emailing. I can say what I really want and have AI tone it down, or smarten it up.

I use it a lot for helping structure written reports. I can’t use exactly what it spits out, of course, but it helps me get an idea of what reads well and what doesn’t. It’s made me a better writer, I’m still bad, but getting better.

Helps with trouble shooting common or obscure IT issues in a pinch, not always right, but tends to point me the right direction. It’s great at reminding me about steps I skipped over. Also helps explain underlying technical causes.

I use it to explain certain industries, sciences, and technical reasons behind specific technologies I don’t have enough experience with, medical, biotech, IT, industrial, chemistry etc. Why would they use this vs that, what are reasons why they would or world not.

Jargon translator! If you want to learn a subject but you’re eyes glaze over at all of the jargon, ask an AI. I feel like there isn’t a topic I can’t learn now. If I don’t understand something I just copy and paste it in and say Explain. Anything I still don’t get I can ask for more details or a comprehensive breakdown. There isn’t a level of abstraction it can’t get to. Works just as well in reverse like when I want to quickly turn my explanation into something someone else will understand. Cross department communication is much easier, same for explaining something up the chain. My favorite is to have it explain things to the execs in layman terms.

Using AI feels like having my own smart…thing .alien .gnome by my side, or an extra lobe in my brain. I feel like I’m making new connections and learning faster than I would have without it. I think a big part of that has been my initial double checking ALL of it’s answers. That gave me a good feel for it’s weaknesses and strengths, when to doubt it, double check, or know when it’s just saying what sounds correct. I started using it day one every day, it’s definitely improved but still has a ways to go.

Finally, simple scripts. Anything more than that and I end up wasting too much time debugging.

Bedtime stories. Kids list anything they want in the story, as silly as they can come up with, and in seconds we have a short story to giggle to.

There are probably more, but those are the ones that came to mind. I want to list the things it’s absolutely terrible at too but another time.

Edit: typos

Corn syrup!

Not a movie but a limited series, Devs. You won’t know what’s going on for a while, but damn, I still think about it. Same guy who made Ex Machina and Annihilation. Great sound track.

Financial advisors for the Uber rich. I remember hearing an interview of one on…radio lab or this American life or… Something…I can’t remember it was years ago, but anyway she described what it was like. They don’t use passports, they would call her to find bracelets they lost in taxis, it didn’t sound like they were working at all. I don’t remember if she went into their work schedule, but financial advisors are treated like baby sitters, or at least she was.

I thought that might be a good place to start, I’m sure some of them have written books about it, or done more interviews.