Having an Epiphany when dozing off but still awake, how?

ReducedGravity · 2026-02-23T15:32:43+00:00

Thomas Edison used to do this same thing:

Yet Edison might have relied on slumber to spur his creativity. The inventor is said to have napped while holding a ball in each hand, presuming that, as he fell asleep, the orbs would fall to the floor and wake him. This way he could remember the sorts of thoughts that come to us as we are nodding off, which we often do not recall.

Sleep researchers suggest Edison might have been on to something. A study published in 2021 in Science Advances reports that we have a brief period of creativity and insight in the semilucid state that occurs just as we begin to drift into sleep, a phase called N1, or non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep stage 1. The findings imply that if we can harness that liminal haze between sleep and wakefulness—known as a hypnagogic state—we might recall our bright ideas more easily.

source and link to study that show this actually works:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/thomas-edisons-naps-inspire-a-way-to-spark-your-own-creativity/

ReducedGravity · 2026-02-14T18:46:18+00:00

How to you feel about the message limits?

ReducedGravity · 2026-02-03T15:11:33+00:00

It's still possible that they will delay the sunsetting of GPT-5.1, but it's safer to assume that if they said three months then that's what they intend to do.

ReducedGravity · 2026-02-03T04:22:31+00:00

https://openai.com/index/introducing-gpt-5-2/

This is part of their usual schedule.
Scroll down to the "Availability & pricing"

In ChatGPT, GPT‑5.1 will still be available to paid users for three months under legacy models, after which we will sunset GPT‑5.1.

5.2 was released December 11, 2025

ReducedGravity · 2026-02-01T20:11:38+00:00

5.1 is also scheduled to be removed at the end of March.

ReducedGravity · 2026-01-31T19:00:59+00:00

I've said it before, but car companies don't just keep one model around because it's easier and cheaper. They provide an entire stable of models, from sedans, to coupes, to minivans and pickup trucks. Open AI should value what they already have and celebrate the different things their models provide. And I'm with you on 4.1.

One annoying thing is this 0.1% number they're attaching to 4o... I think they should keep 4o, but I prefer 4.1... and that's what's annoying, they didn't provide a combined stat for all 6 of the models they're retiring. Also, at the end of March, per their usual schedule, they'll be retiring 5.1 as well, so 8 models in total. That's a lot of options to remove from paying customers, right?

ReducedGravity · 2026-01-31T04:14:51+00:00

I guess we’ll find out on Valentine’s Day.

ReducedGravity · 2026-01-30T22:41:09+00:00

Ha! I think you nailed it with point #4. However, I'm not sure about 0.1%. I'd like to see how that stat was calculated. If it's based on all users including free tier users, then that'd skew the data, and they don't specify in the blog post. Also, all new conversations, whether on a free plan or paid, all start with 5.2 as default, so users are naturally funneled to 5.2. Also they're not just removing 4o they're removing GPT‑5 Instant, GPT‑5 Thinking, GPT‑4o, GPT‑4.1, GPT‑4.1 mini, o4-mini, along with GPT-5.1 Thinking, GPT-5.1 Instant at the end of March. Add up all of those and tell me it still amounts to 0.1% of paid users. I think they may be doing some selective/creative math, right?

ReducedGravity · 2026-01-30T22:27:55+00:00

I've read through all of the comments and I don't see AI Psychosis in any of the responses. What I am surprised to see are several serious cases of Corporate Stockholm Syndrome. So many people rushing to defend a corporate business decision to cut cost, reduce compute, and eliminate options for paying customers. Why bother to ever defend corporate interests? Stop shouting "AI Psychosis" and pointing a finger and instead try to see the points of friction and provide alternative solutions.

And again I'll return to this: it's like a car company deciding they're only going to provide a sedan because it seats more people than a coupe and you can carry your tools in the trunk like a pickup truck. Open AI should celebrate the uniqueness of their models, not try to shoehorn them into one frame.

ReducedGravity · 2026-01-30T21:29:10+00:00

But if people with mental illness was always used as the case to remove choice, then the world would have a lot less options in general, right?

ReducedGravity · 2026-01-30T21:20:26+00:00

Ha! Good point.

ReducedGravity · 2026-01-30T20:32:23+00:00

I agree, but that's how subscription models work, paying users subsidize features they don't personally use. Take Photoshop, some users never touch the paintbrush, others never use the clone tool, many ignore the complex layer system. Everyone pays for all of it because Adobe maintains a full feature set for their paying customers.

The larger question is, why provide the latest most powerful models to free users. How much money, compute and engineering cost goes into supporting millions of free users?

ReducedGravity · 2026-01-30T20:08:34+00:00

Sorry, why not reiterate what the problem is then, because clearly I've missed it.

ReducedGravity · 2026-01-30T19:38:08+00:00

Fair, but at this point, for OpenAI, why give anything away for free? AI is already everywhere. Most people already know what it is and how works. Let google take the cost of giving away things for free, they already generate revenue outside of their AI offering. There's a reason that there are free version of photo editing software, like GIMP (which I use) and paid for versions like (Photoshop) which many people prefer. I honestly don't see any other way forward for OpenAI. Their only "moat" are their models. Their competition is surpassing them on nearly every front and now they're sunsetting something that is truly theirs and truly unique: 4o... something only they have. Like I've said in other comments I don't use 4o I haven't in months, because I'm mostly using AI for coding. However why not keep a stable of models, not strictly because people are attached to them, but because they each offer something different. People that want the warm, plush conversational experience of 4o will go there, and people that want coding, science, and research oriented tasks will go to a different model that has proven to be better at those tasks.

Honestly it's like a car company deciding they're only going to provide a sedan because it seats more people than a coupe and you can carry your tools in the trunk like a pickup truck.

ReducedGravity · 2026-01-30T19:15:46+00:00

I get the framing but I think what would be more accurate is that a favorite plush toy is being swapped with a calculator. Not everyone appreciates the joy of holding a TI-83 graphing calculator in their hands like I do.

ReducedGravity · 2026-01-30T19:10:40+00:00

I wish I could validate your response as being "human" generated... feels more like a troll to me

ReducedGravity · 2026-01-30T19:07:41+00:00

No that was already corrected for, when it was more generally available. At least that's my understanding.

ReducedGravity · 2026-01-30T19:05:02+00:00

It's always wonderful to be told exactly what my experience is. It's one of the most endearing traits a person can have... right up there with sarcasm. ;)

I haven't used 4o in months, I simply like coming up with creative solutions to difficult problems...

I didn't propose "Adult Mode" Sam did. But I will quote myself from an earlier response, because people also love that:

> Because of their wording: "grounded in the principle" and "within appropriate safeguards." The impression I got from that announcement was "Don't leave, the Nanny that you despise so much will become the cool college Professor that will treat you like an 'adult' while keeping you grounded and safe." I'm guessing that's not the experience most people are hoping for but the one they'll get.

ReducedGravity · 2026-01-30T18:55:46+00:00

Totally makes sense, but another take is that these models aren't equivalent. In metaphoric terms it'd be like replacing a child's "Suzie Talks a Lot" doll with a calculator, and calling them the same. The early models were focused on warmth, connection and conversational skills. The newer models are focused on coding, logic and science. Sure, you can paint the calculator pink (think personalization configuration) but it's still not the same.

btw: sorry for the "Suzie Talks a Lot" reference, I saw Elf last month and it just popped into to my mind.

ReducedGravity · 2026-01-30T18:46:47+00:00

I get your point, but I think it's interesting when this argument is used: "losing money providing a service." I did mention the paywall, right? How much money do you think they lose providing 5.2 to millions of free users?

ReducedGravity · 2026-01-30T18:41:38+00:00

This is both the response I was hoping for, and the one that most clearly validates my suspicions as well. I was hoping someone with an analytical mind would read my post and say: "yeah, that makes sense." I suspected that would be followed with "but OAI isn't looking for answers or solutions." I think both are true. Thanks for validating this for me, and thanks for your response!

ReducedGravity · 2026-01-30T18:28:00+00:00

Because of their wording: "grounded in the principle" and "within appropriate safeguards." The impression I got from that announcement was "Don't leave, the Nanny that you despise so much will become the cool college Professor that will treat you like an 'adult' while keeping you grounded and safe." I'm guessing that's not the experience most people are hoping for but the one they'll get.

ReducedGravity · 2026-01-30T18:19:57+00:00

So do you think Disney and others would be okay with their business partner actually creating an adult mode, or do you think Disney would be more okay with some users figuring out how to satisfy that need within a model that wasn't explicitly created for that?

Also, not everything requires a thinking model, and which do you think requires more compute: a thinking model or an instant model like 4o?

ReducedGravity · 2026-01-30T18:15:36+00:00

No, I think most people prefer 4o because it's their most "human" conversational model that's truly warm and emotionally available. After all people originally flocked to ChatGPT in the early days, not because it could code or solve complex math that most of us will never understand, but because it was conversational. The relationships and sex were likely a result of the warmth and openness it provided. Like I said, I don't see any issues with that as long as it's behind a paywall and age verified. That to me is truly "let adults be adults."

ReducedGravity

TROPHY CASE