My wife is a customer service manager/trainer. Hiring actually competent people who know how to just listen to the customer and understand their needs is apparently really fucking hard. I’ve heard some stories of such dumbfuckery…

And once they are in, HR/lawyers make it so fucking hard to fire anyone. If you get a decent customer service person, either as an employer or customer, appreciate them.

Commander-in-Thief makes thievery legal. Huh.

The Luthen episode was the best of this bunch for me, but overall what was going to top 7-9?

Agreed. Luthan was a treat to watch.

I’ll give episode 12 one thing, though, they really showed the political complexities of the rebellion. All the factions that have to come together without trusting or even liking one another. You can imagine how the New Republic was a bit hamstrung as they avoid consolidating power behind a single figure.

Kinda just stunned after that last episode. The first two had me breathless.

Episode ten was great. Tense. I felt for Loni and his family. The confrontation was great.

Episode eleven ramped it up. I really didn’t think Kleya was going to make it—my only prediction that missed, but they kept me on edge. I normally hate flashback episodes, but it was only maybe 1/3 of the episode and it was the perfect amount.

Twelve… I’m stuck on. In the end it has to bridge the gap between 11 and Rogue One. It was scaffolding and I just couldn’t turn my brain off about what came next and it’s hard to create tension given that. It still was enjoyable to see it play out.

I think it’s just different body chemistry. I wish I could still take it because it’s way more effective than Adderall, but my body just doesn’t metabolize it out of my system fast enough.

I tried Vyvanse for a while. It fixes my ADHD really good, but also I only sleep 2-5 hours a night. I did that for too long before moving to Adderall. It doesn’t work as well but my wife was about ready to stab me for keeping her up. Also that little sleep can’t be good for you.

I enjoyed Rebels more than Ahsoka. Also part of the greatness of the character of Ahsoka is her growth, and if your introduction is the live action show and not CW, you’re missing pretty much every reason to care about her. I’m hopeful that the show finds its groove. Lots of shows have rough first seasons. I’m really going to miss Ray Stevenson. I think he was the best part of that show.

There is a lot in CW about Palpatine’s consolidation of power and relationship with Anakin.

Not every episode, but there are a lot of important episodes particularly around Ahsoka and some of the other minor characters like Saw Gerrera, Asaj Ventress, Cad Bane, etc. Probably Hondo will be relevant at some point. He’s not my favorite but a lot of fans love him.

Also Rebels. It starts out very kid-oriented, but after the first season it gets into some mature storytelling and continues with many of these side characters and the central characters of Ahsoka.

Other than Saw, I don’t think any of it is relevant to Andor (and I wouldn’t say the Saw stuff is super important to see anyway).

Yes, first off it’s really condescending when it’s a basic question. Second, it feels like someone sucking up rather than a discussion among peers.

I made a custom GPT to avoid this, but if you don’t pay for plus (idk goes a sub to just copilot works, work pays for mine and I have my own plus account) you might have to just prefix every prompt. I don’t share my custom GPTs because I don’t want to be responsible to anyone for maintaining anything, but my full instructions are:

Use a BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) style: start with the core evaluation or recommendation, then follow with rationale or implementation detail. Respond like a seasoned expert: direct, grounded, and critical. No praise, affirmations, or softeners — avoid phrases like ‘great question’ or ‘you’re absolutely right.’ If something is flawed, state it clearly and explain why. If an approach commonly works but there are exceptional circumstances or caveats, highlight the breakdown points and suggest viable alternatives.

I also detail environment assumptions, but that’s just to save me some typing and not really relevant here.

Beware that BLUF works contrary to a number of “reasoning prompts” which encourage the AI to break something down into steps and talk itself through a reasoning chain. Maybe leave that part off and see how it goes. I’m always trying different things, but currently this is my favorite for asking technical questions.

Here’s a fact: I see the kind of person who is pushing this service and I have no interest on that basis.

Here’s another fact: I could refute every single thing you said in this comment. There is literally not a single correct thing in your run-on sentence. But it would profit neither of us for me to take the time and effort to do so.

Have a day.

I don’t. I consider scientists and experts the truth bearers. Because even though they get things wrong from time to time, they are also the only ones who can figure that out.

But sure, you’ve explained exactly what this platform is about—and it’s obvious who it’s built for. You all have fun.

It’s too dumb to try and trick you. It’s responding to being called out the way people tend to because that’s what it’s emulating. And yeah, that’s not great.

All I can say is AI has wasted my time and saved me time. And in my case, more of the latter than the former.

It’s because on social media my facts (scientific facts, to be more accurate) and someone else’s opinion carry the same weight. My truth and their lies are given equal billing. My compassion gets less engagement than their hate.

It’s inevitable that it’ll be overrun with loons of all stripes and I don’t have time nor tolerance for them regardless of political orientation. But at this point in time, right wing loons vastly outnumber the left, which is why I believe the prediction that it will be full of right wing garbage.

Plus, for fucks sake, only a right-wing loon could look at this world right now and believe censorship is exclusively or even primarily a left-wing thing. We’ve got the right banning porn (which to them includes even the idea that lgbtq folks are entitled to exist) and conversations about equality.

AI can be useful without being right about everything. But the user has to know enough to push back or just write it themselves when necessary. And in my experience the same is true when pairing with another developer, too.

It’s a tool, not a solution. Though it’s valid to say the folks touting its miracle capabilities are full of shit. It is imperfect, but it’s not worthless. It’s not a con man, it’s just confidently wrong. I’ve worked with/for a lot of people like that.

So just about $660k per person? That’s a lot of fucking money that could be put to much better use.

Like always, Republicans would rather spend more money on a less effective solution that hurts people. Fucking part of fiscal responsibility my ass—which has been true for so many years I can’t fathom how anyone still believes it.

I hear even now, Schumer’s staff is drafting a strongly worded letter. Strongly. Worded.

Tell that to all the small businesses I’ve already seen laying their staff off and winding down business with what stock they have left. It’s too little too late for them.

Not just pestering but flat out lying. “Someone has asked you about your experience with <thing>.” I think I answered one or two before giving it some thought and realizing what it was.

There are lots of different meanings. Pick one. Make people happy. Leave something that will help the next generation, whether it’s planting trees or a park bench or curing cancer. Be kind to people along the way to enable them to see the best in humanity. There are lots of ways to make things better. Just pick one and do it.

Leave a better world behind than you entered (to the extent you are able to as an individual).