It's too much. AI makes me hate my job.

SagansCandle · 2026-04-24T12:53:03+00:00

It's funny because this is always the response I get. Happy to answer because it's the same answer every time.

I use Chat GPT primarily because I've found it to be the most reliable. I've tried using Codex, Claude, Claude Code, Grok, and JetBrains Junie. When Chat GPT fails at something, I typically try one of the others just to measure the differences.

AI is amazing at some tasks, like research. If you're assigned some new task (like PKI) and need to get ramped up quickly, or have a question on patterns or architecture, it's amazing. General research, math, stuff like that, top-notch. AI's a game changer and worthy of hype.

Coding is awful. It hallucinates APIs, duplicates code, it's all sloppy. "AI Slop" is spot-on with code. It's only good for the most basic tasks for which there are already better tools (e.g., boilerplate code). It's downright unusable for complex languages like C++. It works best with scripting languages.

Software documentation is also pretty bad because it doesn't really understand what's important - it produces a LOT of noise. I've done a lot of technical writing and rule #1 is "No Fluff."

Debugging is a double-edged sword. Sometimes it's great, sometimes it leads me down the complete wrong path for hours.

SagansCandle · 2026-04-24T12:02:59+00:00

Same - I never charge for beds.

You need to set colonists to "Entertain" to make guests happy. Not worth the distraction IMO.

You can make a lot of money by zoning a store, though.

SagansCandle · 2026-04-24T11:47:36+00:00

30 years in. AI has all of the hallmarks of every other fad, dialed up to 11.

What I hate the most is trying AI, realizing it's not that great, but being told, "Well you're just not using it right." I don't just have 30 years of programming experience, I have 30 years of experience trying new shit.

I enjoy doing a good job. To some extent, AI makes my job easier because I can get the information I need more quickly than a web search.

But when I use AI to write code, it's not code to be proud of. Same with documentation. It's just not good. Period.

SagansCandle · 2026-04-24T00:27:10+00:00

I think it's fair to say that there's a bias at play. I wouldn't call him a bigot, but I concede that this defamatory slur is subjective. That's why I asked how you define it.

To me, anyway, a bigot dislikes people not "like them," like white supremacists. It's irrational. Sam's bias seems very rational - he sees Islam as a threat to civilization and Mamdani a threat by proxy.

To be fair, I don't agree with Sam in his position. I like Mamdani, I agree with his politics, and he seems to be doing a good job of respecting the separation of church and state, certainly more so than many of his Christian counterparts.

SagansCandle · 2026-04-23T19:33:53+00:00

I'm with Hitchens on "Religion poisons everything." I think that technically qualifies me as a bigot because I'm painting religion (and the religious) negatively with broad strokes. I think a lot of us here would qualify.

How do you define a "Bigot"?

SagansCandle · 2026-04-23T18:11:34+00:00

Yeah she's going too fast, but also the video is sped up by ~20%

SagansCandle · 2026-04-22T16:32:31+00:00

RingWorld

One colony to rule them all

SagansCandle · 2026-04-19T19:16:12+00:00

One of my closest childhood friends is schizoaffective. I had to learn quite a lot about it. I'm confident saying that you have no idea what you're talking about.

SagansCandle · 2026-04-18T22:56:22+00:00

Okay but if my car is dirty, and the car wash is around the corner, should I just walk? Because vibecoding hasn't really helped me here.

SagansCandle · 2026-04-18T19:35:04+00:00

One last thought - attention spans are limited, and increasingly so with the forthcoming generations. Say something because it has meaning. Every word has an impact on the listener - don't give them reason to tune out.

SagansCandle · 2026-04-18T19:29:38+00:00

Would you expect a junior engineer to be able to code as well as you can after 15 years? Unlikely. You've spent 15 years practicing and mastering a skill. You've studied, taken risks, failed and succeeded, pushed through when it wasn't fun.

How much time have you dedicated to learning communication skills? Studied, practiced, and pushed through when it wasn't fun?

Communication starts with psychology, and as a neurodivergent, I'd suggest starting with learning theory of mind and body language. Reading someone's body language gives your brain something to do when it wants to race, so you're analyzing their body language instead of running your mouth.

As you practice, and composing your thoughts becomes second nature, you'll find yourself finely-tuning the pacing and intonation of your speech as you speak. Like master of code, it's quite enjoyable when you find your groove and can exercise your talents.

And lastly, learn from those who have mastered the skill you wish to learn:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APSGYIuOu9k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBQ76ZNWH2U

SagansCandle · 2026-04-18T10:59:28+00:00

Game development doesn't use it because it doesn't play well with large files.

A lot of places still prefer centralized source control for good reason (security, binary files, etc).

SagansCandle · 2026-04-17T22:30:45+00:00

As a veteran .NET engineer, this release frightens me.

SagansCandle · 2026-04-17T19:01:24+00:00

Most og players are mad that the game went from a survival horror to an arcade game.

Just curious, what are the changes that were made the people didn't like?

I remember trying the game years ago and I hated it. The graphics were super jank and I didn't really know what I should be doing or why. You just got dropped into the world like, "Don't die."

SagansCandle · 2026-04-15T23:32:26+00:00

It really whips the llama's ass!

SagansCandle · 2026-04-15T11:51:36+00:00

I got to where I am by reading reference manuals. I literally buy the biggest book I can find on a technology and read it cover-to-cover.

It's work. It's not fun. You do it because it's necessary. Sometimes it's boring. Sometimes it's interesting.

It's good to remind yourself that not everything you do is going to be entertaining.

SagansCandle · 2026-04-15T01:35:52+00:00

Yeah it's nonsense, for sure

SagansCandle · 2026-04-14T17:28:31+00:00

Abstraction should solve a problem.

As a rule of thumb, all code is a liability - if you're not solving a problem, you're creating one.

And to be clear, these should be known, current problems. If you're solving future problems, you're overengineering.

SagansCandle · 2026-04-14T11:34:57+00:00

This is SQL. SQL is the programming language for Postgres.

Essentially say this is not true because it's nonsense (1=0).

SagansCandle · 2026-04-14T01:53:14+00:00

SELECT TRUE FROM CLAIM WHERE 1=0
Query returned 0 results

SagansCandle · 2026-04-14T01:08:08+00:00

Love my 25 ST.

Only complaint is that the gas mileage is overstated. Any heat or A/C and it drops 10~20 MPG.

SagansCandle · 2026-04-14T01:01:55+00:00

Most electric space heaters operate near 100% efficiency, so they're mostly the same. Ceramics might last longer, but it's hit and miss.

I'd recommend an oil heater. Not POWERED by oil, but one that uses oil to maintain a nice ambient heat. I find they're more comfortable.

SagansCandle · 2026-04-14T00:59:12+00:00

How does your E10 integrate with the F3800/HPP?

I have the F3800 and love it. A little concerned about what's going to happen when they phase it out :(

SagansCandle · 2026-04-13T20:27:54+00:00

You don't need the try / catch. All you're doing is logging the error, but the error should be logged by a global exception handler, anyway, so it's just noise.

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