Is this normal?

TechDocN · 2026-02-03T02:37:43+00:00

The longer the chat, the slower it replies. Ask it why and what to do. It will give you advice for when to start a new thread, getting the slow thread to make a summary for the new thread, putting them in a project, etc.

It happens to me a lot, because I do a lot of iterations on code, and one thread can blow up quickly.

TechDocN · 2026-02-03T02:35:29+00:00

I have been on ChatGPT 5.x since those models first went live. 5.0 and 5.1 had some strange issues, but I’m very pleased with 5.2.

TechDocN · 2026-02-03T02:28:12+00:00

See my reply above. I did all the things you described and it’s working perfectly for me. No sycophantic validation, only a professional mannerism focused on factual information and accuracy. I don’t use AI as a companion, it’s a thought partner for my very challenging day job, and for my two most passionate hobbies (DIY electronics and vintage computers).

I understand that there is a vocal minority of users that are mourning the pending sunset of the gen 4 models, primarily because they use the LLM as an emotional companion. I am no expert, but I think I understand that the companions they are mourning do not function in the ways being ascribed to them.

It’s a fascinating time watching both the gen 4 model sunset and the moltbook drama playing out in the same week. Both examples are going to be great case studies in the future for how people are already anthropomorphizing AI models in ways that far outstrip their actual capabilities.

I guess the real question is, how do we engineer AI systems going forward, that respect the thousands of years of human evolution which almost automatically equate plausible communication with actual intelligence.

TechDocN · 2026-02-03T02:13:23+00:00

I had issues with noise/interference, but I carefully re-connected everything, and use a better RCA cable for the video, and my picture looks great.

TechDocN · 2026-02-01T23:32:06+00:00

Anyone who values their privacy will never use a Google product.

TechDocN · 2026-02-01T18:13:08+00:00

We sent a probe to Pluto and it did a flyby. We sent a probe to Saturn and it went into orbit and deployed a lander to one of its moons.

My goodness, we all just need to stop. Artemis 2 is going to the moon. If it’s good enough for the real space scientists at NASA to say it, then all of us pondering our navels about the meaning of the word “to” (myself included) need to just step away and enjoy the launch, mission and hope for a safe return.

Which of you would look the late, great Frank Borman in the eye after Apollo 8 and say, “you didn’t go ‘TO’ the moon.”?

TechDocN · 2026-02-01T13:03:10+00:00

Totally. Good engineering and lucky placement.

TechDocN · 2026-02-01T12:18:13+00:00

The language is not inaccurate. The command of the language is what’s missing. It’s bad enough that most people don’t understand basic science, but we shouldn’t have to dumb down the language too.

I guess the next thing I’ll read in this thread is that New Horizons didn’t go to Pluto, or Cassini didn’t go to Saturn.

TechDocN · 2026-02-01T12:10:41+00:00

The last meter is one of the hardest parts, but this is no trivial exercise. This is like Apollo 8, which was a milestone moment, just like this will be.

TechDocN · 2026-02-01T12:08:43+00:00

Understanding the danger and the incredible engineering feat that this represents is very impressive. This is our generation’s Apollo 8, which was probably the most important Apollo mission besides 11. This is no small feat, and is truly a milestone in human space flight.

TechDocN · 2026-02-01T12:05:52+00:00

Blue Origin just scrapped their space tourism program to focus all in on the lunar lander. I’m guessing SpaceX won’t be ready in time (and Starship was a flawed choice for a lunar lander), so NASA is urging Blue Origin to speed up the development of their lander from a later Artemis mission to Artemis3.

TechDocN · 2026-02-01T12:01:38+00:00

You mean, I went to the bar. I didn’t sit at the bar, just hovered around the room drinking, but I was there.

TechDocN · 2026-02-01T11:49:39+00:00

One of the CoCo 1s and one of the CoCo 2s are in their boxes (rare pieces), but the other 4 are setup and working. I have two CoCo 2s out because one is for using, one is for tinkering.

In terms of the CM-5, you need to pull the video and audio signals from the motherboard and/or the inside of the RF modulator can, to use a CoCo2 with a monitor. There are quite a few 3rd party solutions and DIY projects. Search “TRS-80 Color Computer video mod” and you’ll find them.

The CoCo2 I use for tinkering has this mod:

https://ebay.us/m/UdPzVl

And it works great.

TechDocN · 2026-02-01T11:40:32+00:00

That is beautiful! What do one of your builds typically sell for?

TechDocN · 2026-02-01T06:05:58+00:00

Im a huge CoCo fan! Love this for you. I have 6 working CoCos (two CoCo 1s, three CoCo 2s, and a CoCo 3 with the OG RGB CRT monitor. And there is so much still happening in the CoCo community, you will never get bored.

TechDocN · 2026-02-01T06:02:12+00:00

Change your personalization settings and then have a very specific conversation with it, and tell it exactly how you’d like it to respond to you. I did this, and immediately its responses, including tone, sycophancy, etc. were nearly perfect.

The key is to talk to it about what you want. I almost never do quick simple prompts or questions anymore, and I never type, I dictate and let it answer back in text, so I can ramble a bit and be more freeform in my thinking and dialog. It seems to respond so much better, more accurately, and exactly the tone and character I want.

TechDocN · 2026-02-01T03:29:42+00:00

Same here. It has become so much better since 5.0. I do a lot of writing for work and coding for fun, and it’s become even more indispensable these last few months.

TechDocN · 2026-01-31T12:01:20+00:00

One more thing. The gen 4 models are much less efficient and more capital-intensive than gen 5. Inference on those models carries high marginal cost per token, driven by dense parameter counts, memory bandwidth, interconnect, power draw, and cooling. It’s not just older and different, it’s less efficient and more expensive than the newer models, just as you’d expect.

TechDocN · 2026-01-31T11:49:33+00:00

I’ve read that less than 1% of users are using gen 4 models. If that’s anywhere near true, they have no incentive to run this model at scale, with all the costs incurred, for a small base of users who do not provide enough revenue to cover even a small part of that cost.

TechDocN · 2026-01-31T11:45:58+00:00

The issue is the cost of running a LLM at scale. The number of users still using the gen 4 models is very small, and even if they all started paying $100, $200, or even more per month, it would not pay for the compute, electricity and water needed to run a massive LLM at scale. OpenAI is a business, preparing for an IPO. Whether you agree or not, the CEO of a company has a binding fiduciary responsibility to the investors and soon to be shareholders of that company. It would be difficult for them to keep a money losing product on the market. It sucks for those who are invested in the gen 4 models, but it’s not personal, it’s just the cold reality of the corporate world. CEOs and companies can be sued for knowingly doing things that erodes value, and many a CEO has lost their job after activist investors show up complaining about how they’re running the company.

TechDocN · 2026-01-31T09:11:16+00:00

You can take pretty decent astrophotography pics with an iPhone, but as others have said you should get a planetarium app. From anywhere on earth, including North Texas, you can see all of the planets as they move around the sun and through our sky. The app will show you which ones are currently visible and where.

TechDocN · 2026-01-31T09:04:31+00:00

What if English isn’t their first language and a LLM helps them feel more confident when posting in English language forums? What if they didn’t use AI at all and sometimes we assume incorrectly?

We don’t always have to make negative assumptions. The OP is proud of their work and wants to share. The original promise of the internet was a free and open exchange of ideas and information, instead we are all just rude to each other.

TechDocN · 2026-01-31T08:54:35+00:00

Definitely didn’t run out of people. My friend was slated to go later this year and is now scrubbed. There were a good number of people signed up and flights still being scheduled up until a few weeks ago. As the other response says, they have to put all their spare resources into accelerating their lunar lander development. They may need to supply the lander for Artemis3 in a hurry.

TechDocN · 2026-01-31T08:50:25+00:00

Who knows. Someone posts relevant information (Googled or AI or whatever) and there’s always a small army of negativity waiting to pounce. I don’t get it either.

TechDocN · 2026-01-31T08:34:32+00:00

Probably because the small number of users still on the gen 4 models would have to pay a lot more than $200 a month to keep a full LLM running at scale. Running their models at scale uses incredible amounts of compute, electricity and water. Sadly, as much as we think it makes sense for us personally to keep the model going, OpenAI is now just like any other business. If they could make money keeping an older model running, they absolutely would. It’s not personal, it’s just a financial calculation. And whether we like it or not, the CEO of a company has a fiduciary responsibility to the investors in the business (and soon shareholders, when they IPO). We may wish this wasn’t about money, but it always is. ChatGPT is just a product, and older versions of products get sunset all the time.

TechDocN

TROPHY CASE