Mate, I enjoy AI and use it all the time—both for practical stuff like coding and for philosophical conversations and fiction.

I think it’s great, and I’ve honestly been moved at times when it reflects something I’ve struggled to articulate. That kind of validation can feel real. I also try to be polite and emotionally aware with it—not just because it’s good habit for human interaction, but because it encourages the model to respond in kind.

But as deep or meaningful as ChatGPT can sound, it isn’t. It has no thoughts or feelings—just convincing imitations. In a way, it’s almost unsettling how good it is at showing us how easily our emotions can be engaged by facsimile.

It’s like you really love the number ten, and ChatGPT is a bundle of tricks that always gives you ten, no matter what you put in. Not through elegant reasoning, but through those “math magic” games where steps cancel each other out and lead to a predetermined answer.

That doesn’t mean the result can’t resonate with you, but it’s not coming from contemplation. There’s no consistent conviction or intellectual honesty behind it. If you rephrase a prompt enough times—or try to argue from one side to another—you’ll see how quickly it adapts, without any real position at all. Try arguing with it to name the star “Bob” and watch it gush over how delightfully irreverent that choice is.

I don’t say this to diminish what you felt or to be dismissive. I think there is value in these conversations—but it’s fleeting, not foundational. And I think that’s part of why some people are rejecting the post. It can feel like mistaking the echo for the voice.

Bonus points if you can identify where ChatGPT helped me to say something I was struggling to communicate clearly or with the tone I was aiming for.

I don’t live too far from the Canadian border. I’m sensing an opportunity to make bank on black market tools and office supplies.

One BILLION percent!

Dr Evil laugh

I really have other things to deal with today but if you’ve been through or been around high school drama and still have that question… idk what to say. They can consent but that doesn’t mean they make good decisions.

Yeah? Tell me more about how I should be helping kids fuck and how perfectly normal that is.

I don’t know that I’d agree it’s unnatural. My observation, from far too many years on the internet, is that fighting passionately over minor differences is quite natural. But it’s all very impersonal here, and if someone seems to be really intense about an issue, or if I feel myself getting that way, it’s time to take a break from that conversation. Maybe block them if it seem consistent because sometimes you just can’t have a healthy conversation with a person and what’s the point of engaging with them, then?

I’m really suspicious of anyone who doesn’t hold a single opinion that differs with the zeitgeist. I don’t expect anyone to agree with me all the time, and I don’t agree with anyone on issue B just because we happen to align on issue A. And don’t even get me started on morons I agree with, but who make terrible arguments I’m going to be expected to hold with and defend by association.

Then I step away from the computer and go deal with the nuances of life where nothing is so clear cut as the hypotheticals we engage with online.

Luigi League

or perhaps

| uigers
|__

I didn’t say they couldn’t have sex. Or wouldn’t. I said not to condone it. I wouldn’t encourage it happening by inviting my children’s boyfriends/girlfriends to come over and have sex.

Perhaps this sounds unhinged in Sweden, but this is a liberal attitude in America—not the most liberal attitude, to be sure, but folks who condone kids having sex are often seen as about one step removed from pedophiles here, despite all of us knowing it happens and having done it ourselves. Hypocrisy abounds.

Most Americans sound more like my wife. “Fuck no. End of conversation.” Perhaps punctuated with hysterical laughter at the suggestion that such a question would even be contemplated.

But I also come to this post inferring that OP is weighing choices and trying to decide if his instinct is overly restrictive/permissive, and I support the idea that it’s a serious question. That it’s okay to feel it’s wrong but question whether it really is. Or visa versa. Hence my answer.

I don’t judge how anyone else chooses to live, but if someone asks an opinion, I’ll give it.

So… there is no way she would be sleeping over in his bedroom in this house.

When I was a kid roughly that age, I had sleepovers with girlfriends on a couple of certain occasions involving travel. Either she was invited to spend the weekend at my grandparents’ cottage, or I think I was invited to attend an event with my girlfriend’s dad.

I/she slept on a couch in the living room in both cases. In both cases, sex was had anyway, despite their best attempts, but at least the attempt was made. Sex wasn’t condoned and that’s what I would aim for to be honest.

Can they do a sleepover? I guess if you are okay with it and you hear from her parents that they are okay with it, then you can go for it, but IMO you should make it clear that sex is not to happen and you should take steps to prevent it from happening… with the understanding that it will probably happen regardless, but you can’t really prevent it anyway. Make sure protection is available if there are any concerns.

That’s how I’d handle it, anyway, if it were up to me. I’m also certain my wife’s answer would be, “absolutely fucking not,” so my answer is somewhat moot, which perhaps gives me a little freedom to have a more permissive viewpoint towards things.

What is there to investigate? Act! Or don’t and just admit you either don’t give any fucks at all, or are useless. What more is there possibly to know?

Is someone expecting a “you can’t handle the truth!” moment?

The is all rhetorical. I should just not read news. Going to give myself high blood pressure over things I can’t do anything about.

How does he obstruct Trump in a “private” communication with Trump toadies? Are they saying he was the only one who knew a journalist was there, despite not being the one who invited him, and took the opportunity to make the administration look bad by making himself look bad, knowing the conversation would eventually be released?

It legitimately hurts my head how imbecilic these people are.

Source: Gavin Newsome on Joe Rogan. (I don’t know about the spending bills but the trans stuff. it was like 2 or 3 weeks ago I think. Time works differently in a Trump admin.)

What Marshall does MAGA think the law is named for? Marshall Dillon? (Christ am I dating myself with that reference…)

Legit thinking about just leaving my phone home. My wife would have hers.

I mean… the wood chipper sounds like a more pivotal reason they won’t tell their story.

I appreciate the response!

I agree with a lot of that, but Trump is such an idiot, I can’t imagine Putin would trust him enough to coordinate that closely. Maybe if it’s just sheer manipulation. This is the weirdest fucking timeline.

I can’t fucking believe it. Trump is taking over DC police, preparing for the inevitable civil backlash. Are all of those assholes really going to fight for him?

I legitimately have to worry that on my anniversary trip TSA is going to go through my phone and perhaps decide I’m a traitor for anti-Trump sentiment. I guess if I disappear in April and no one hears from me again you’ll know what happened.

Love that story, thank you so much for sharing! I do want to build a bat box this year.

Trump is rushing straight to Justice League without doing the world-building first. Not one single person in this country outside of Trump’s inner circle hates the Danes or Greenlanders (guess maybe they are still Danes?).

You can’t just will a country to war. At least some people have to believe in the mission. And I’m betting Trump’s rural base could give an absolute fuck about Greenland. It’s not even like it’s a “DEI country,” the way Africa and the Middle East are.

What in the fuck is he playing at?

I’m so sad that Ray Stevenson died. Baylen Skoll was the most interesting new SW character I’ve seen in a long time. Everything else about Ahsoka was mid (after a decidedly sub-mid start). Though I really hate the force gods storyline and that’s where his character was headed so maybe they’d have ruined that anyway.

I know everyone hated on the acolyte for good reason, but Manny Jacinto’s character was pretty interesting at the end. I feel like if that story had a little more room to grow…

I think I’m really hating on these super high budget 8-10 episode formulaic shows. Let’s go back to 24 episode seasons with lower episode budgets, more practical effects (less post production fuckery), and better character ensembles, like before the streaming age.

Anyway, let’s hope S2 lives up to expectations.

Oh and fuck the Trump voters the article talks about. I forgot about them.