In all seriousness, AI is the way of the future for software engineering. There's no doubt about it.

Anyway, now that I have my Claude Max account, I started brainstorming on some ideas I've had for years, but didn't have the energy to work on. In 2 days, I've gotten a lot out of it, from overall planning and documentation. I'm having a crazy brainstorming session with it, going into great tangents, and then it documents everything with me and I have it organizing a plan. That was the one thign holding me back, I didn't want to have to document everything. This leaves a lot of cognitive space available for other things.

There's a lot to like and dislike about AI. The data centers and resource hogging is atrocious. But there's ways to use AI on a local computer and not send your data to a datacenter. I think as this shapes out you'll start to see the trend of local LLMs. There's already applications that do this, the only thing really holding it back is processing power. But processing power is kinda cheap. You could do real damage with a MacBook Pro with 128gb of RAM, which isn't really that crazy or that far out of reach, if you think about it. What's been holding back computer sales has been the fact that having more power doesn't mean shit, because it's just too much. Local LLMs kind of change the game there. Unfortunately, the stupid war with Iran is going to fuck all this up, so we'll see how that affects this. But there's already a ton of models to download that are open source, along with those apps that can load them with ease. Today, on your machine you could start doing this, for normal shit. You want a recipe? Learn some music theory? Write a crappy book? It's all there, ready to use, available right now for you and you alone.

This AI shit is like the internet. It's here, most people don't understand it, but eventually they will and it will be everywhere. It already is, you just don't know it yet. You can be a curmudgeon and a luddite, that's fine, that's your choice. I'm OK with embracing it. With the internet, there's some ethics that need to be established. If you have AI do everything for you, you stop thinking. If you're young, you have AI do all your work, you're not going to learn shit. You have to still engage. Think of it as a partner, or an assistant. Same thing professionally. It can't be the driver.

Now, if AI could actually think for itself, that's different. We're all fucked. Maybe that day will come? I dunno. We're all just players in this game. Whatever happens is out of our control. Best to understand it, use it wisely.

From the NY Times:

At an otherwise congenial meeting with Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, in the Oval Office on Thursday, Mr. Trump invoked the Japanese attack on Dec. 7, 1941, which led the United States into World War II. He was responding to a question about why Japan and other allies had received no advance notice of the U.S.-Israeli assault on Iran.

“We didn’t tell anybody about it because we wanted surprise,” he said. “Who knows better about surprise than Japan, OK? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor, OK? Right?”

There was some laughter from the officials and journalists gathered in the room. “You believe in surprise, I think, much more so than us,” he added.

As Mr. Trump spoke, Ms. Takaichi widened her eyes and appeared to take a deep breath. She kept her arms crossed in her lap and did not speak.

^ Jesus christ, that man is one very blunt instrument.

losthighway wrote: Thu Mar 19, 2026 6:31 pm ^ Jesus christ, that man is one very blunt instrument.

Too damn right - he’s a human truncheon

cakes wrote: Thu Mar 19, 2026 3:58 pm

Lu Zwei wrote: Thu Mar 19, 2026 3:32 pm Soooooo, about that socialized healthcare, right!?

For Israel?

Isreal has a fantastic public health system. Universal coverage with a progressive top up tax almost everyone pays.

Great unemployment benefits as well. It’s basically Denmark when is comes to the welfare system.

I doubt that’s ever mentioned on Fox.

Sorry for the two in a row but WTAF was that Pearl Harbor joke? The look on the Japanese PM’s face… holy fuck.

Don is so demented that he thinks he was FDR.

Gramsci wrote: Fri Mar 20, 2026 5:58 am Sorry for the two in a row but WTAF was that Pearl Harbor joke? The look on the Japanese PM’s face… holy fuck.

It should be noted that she responded "I firmly believe that it is only you, Donald, that can achieve peace across the world.” If that was mistranslated in any way please let me know.
I know that Americans take a beating for being dumbasses, but our friends in the land of the rising sun (and the world round) need to lead by example. You don't have to be supplicants to our worst impulses, especially when you are direct victims of our past cruelty. This is not statecraft, it is dishonesty and cowardice.

Do you think he’s so petty he’s just doing this because of the Nobel prize snub?

zorg wrote: Fri Mar 20, 2026 10:22 am

Gramsci wrote: Fri Mar 20, 2026 5:58 am Sorry for the two in a row but WTAF was that Pearl Harbor joke? The look on the Japanese PM’s face… holy fuck.

It should be noted that she responded "I firmly believe that it is only you, Donald, that can achieve peace across the world.” If that was mistranslated in any way please let me know.
I know that Americans take a beating for being dumbasses, but our friends in the land of the rising sun (and the world round) need to lead by example. You don't have to be supplicants to our worst impulses, especially when you are direct victims of our past cruelty. This is not statecraft, it is dishonesty and cowardice.

It's a funny thing. I can't remember who was last to do this, but there's definitely a Trump training playbook with a certain approach. Show up to the White House. Lie about how amazing you think he is. Walk away free of tariffs or economic reprisals solely because you stroked the idiot's ego.

I don't think I could do it, even if my beloved countrymen were depending on me.