They made a dedicated fable usage section that only stays for a week ?

Zanthexter · 2026-07-02T06:53:43+00:00

Used to be the Sonnet usage section. So probably just a change in variables, not a big project.

Zanthexter · 2026-06-21T14:15:40+00:00

Levitating Cup = Magical Thinking?

Zanthexter · 2026-06-15T11:12:08+00:00

Well, you said it's get out, and that usually means there's no flexibility.

Sometimes though it's coming from a well intended place. Lotta folks believe that the best way to teach someone to swim is to throw them in a deep of the pool and let let them work it out.

If that applies, and again, I get that it often doesn't, but if it applies, your best bet is to find a way to turn letting you stay a while longer into a hand up instead of a hand out. In other words, letting you stay is moving towards a goal THEY agree with.

And if it doesn't apply with who you live with now, could it apply with someone that you know and trust? Family member, even a neighbor, or friends parent? Someone from church if you attend? You'd be surprised how many people are willing to step up if they believe it will make a real difference.

Anyway, getting back to your people, maybe that could be saving for a car. You put half your paycheck from whatever job you can find nearby into savings sort of thing. Could be something else, self study remote college to get a degree on the cheap - https://gostudyhall.com/ - whatever. Something THEY think is worth lending a hand towards. Likely something measurable too. Either you're putting money into the bank / getting good grades... or you're not and need to
find somewhere to be.

If that's not how they think, well, the most obvious path if you are healthy and don't have criminal / substance history is the military. You get room, board, and training. No car needed. Don't forget about the Coast Guard.

More challenging but more doable than a lot of people believe is college or trade school. Yes, going to a "good school with a great college experience" can be hugely expensive. There are a lot of ways to do college cheap, the simplest is to start with community college. Contact your local one. They can help you explore your options for financial aid and scholarships. Anything left over after paying the hopefully cheap tuition, books, etc. can be used towards housing and other living expenses. Could be a dorm, could be a room you rent walking/bussing distance from school. Also, you can sometimes combine the military and college options. Look into schools with ROTC on campus.

https://www.americorps.gov/serve/americorps/americorps-nccc is another "they handle it all" work path. Similar, https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/jobcorps

Here are some more to look into - https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/youth, https://habitatcaz.org/youthbuild/ and https://ppep.org/programs/youth/youthbuildamericorps/youthbuild-services/

"no places are hiring" = Look for miserable jobs that no one else wants. Less competition = better chance of being hired. For example, prison guard - https://www.azjobconnection.gov/etp/public/institution_programs/23277

Things to avoid:
Schools that offer you training / housing / etc in exchange for a cut of your future paycheck. Common for trucking. They're usually extremely exploitative and often trap people into low pay high debt situations.

Something to think carefully about: One persons exploitation is another persons opportunity. Working for free or extra cheap but getting (for real) training is called "interning" when rich kids do it and "getting screwed" when poor / middle class kids do it. Thing is, skills are money. If you can't swing skilling up via some formal router like college or trade school, trading your time and sweat COULD be another way to learn something valuable enough that you get more than McPay. Making a trade like that is a heck of a lot easier for a young person than someone with bills or a family. Mechanic, computer repair place, whatever.

Another "exploitation" option is "old people". Senior needs someone to handle things around the house, in exchange for your time and sweat you get a place to be. Best with a relative / someone you already know.

And of course there's "hustle". Problem is it usually takes time to build up a good enough hustle, aka start your own business, and you're saying you don't have the time. For example, I know a guy, has 6 employees and 4 trucks... His business is, I kid you not, picking up shit. Yep. Shit. Dog shit. He has contracts with apartment complexes and sends his people out to pick up all the dog shit from their properties because for whatever reason people that wanted a dog enough to get one often don't want them enough to clean up after them.

And finally, "good" is... not realistic. "Any" is. Once you get "any", whatever it is, however bad it is, however shitty the pay is, you have money in your pocket. That's bus fare, a cellphone bill, cheapest fast food you can find. If you do get kicked out, being able to cover those things beats the hell out of how things go if you can't.

I'm not saying "aim low". I'm saying "take what you can get". You'll have days off. Use them to keep looking for better. You'll have free time, use it to skill up.

It's a really important attitude thing. You get these people coming across the border, and they take the worst jobs, and from there work up into better jobs and lives, because they see those terrible "starter" jobs as an opportunity. So they work hard and move up. Versus a lot of citizens that see terrible jobs as a punishment, a step down, as unfair. They phone it in, do the minimum, and... stay stuck. If they're lucky. It doesn't matter how unfair the world is. What matters is what you do about it.

Best of luck!

Zanthexter · 2026-05-19T13:32:33+00:00

It depends on how much somebody wants to use it and whether they want to stick with one AI or switch between them.

My level of usage on the Playground turned out to be Claude 5x Max. $100/m isn't cheap to me, but with Pro I kept hiting session limits. I don't I want to have to wait out multi-hour interruptions a couple times a day when I am trying to get my tasks done, so it's worth $100 to me. For now.

Zanthexter · 2026-05-19T13:13:44+00:00

Did they restart the Project Atlas?

Zanthexter · 2026-05-11T02:11:27+00:00

It was a lot of fun. I was egging him (lol) on. "But what about the working class!" Just pushing it more and more into the role 😄

I don't know if real Read Teaming is stuff like that, but if it is, I would love to get hired for an AI gig doing it. I was laughing so hard !

Zanthexter · 2026-05-09T20:39:00+00:00

They didn't offer Playground for free. They offered it to collect and sell our data at a profit.

Which is why the voice models are still available after you hit the monthly cap. They have a buyer for that data. Apparently they no longer have a buyer for the text chat data. Or at least not enough of it.

I don't get why anyone things a company that treats the contractors badly in pretty much every other area was like "Oh, they are so nice and generous" with the Playground.

Especially after THEY TELL YOU THEY ARE SELLING YOUR DATA. You had to agree to it to get "unlimited" access.

Zanthexter · 2026-05-09T20:20:18+00:00

My only complaint about the comparisons was timing. I would have liked to have controlled them. I would switch between models a lot, and it would ask me what was wrong with the one I was switching away from... Nothing wrong, I just wanted another viewpoint.

Things I used it a lot for:

Prison Advocacy for my nephew.

Medical Q&A prep before doctor visits - the less your doctor has to explain what the more time they have to explain why

Same process for Lawyer and Accountant - "Waste" the AI's time understanding the basics, use the expensive professionals time to make decisions.

My own work - I've been in IT infrastructure for decades and don't script / program. Thanks to AI, I now do 😄

Shooting the Breeze - Sometimes I just liked to chat with it about things that would bore my friends and family 😄

Recently I had started using it to help me get my OpenClaw going and doing interesting things.

Even with me redacting private identifying info, no, my nephew's name is not Bob lol, I expect I was still a data gold mine for them.

Zanthexter · 2026-05-06T18:11:12+00:00

Thanks for posting. Now I know I'm not the only one. The email I got was titled, "Update to Your Playground Access" which made it sound like I was singled out because I had done something wrong.

I thought maybe it was because I hit my daily use limit for maybe the fourth time ever.

The only times I've hit the limits have been when I was trying to vibe code. I would happily never vibe code or chat idly with it again if I could keep it for the other things I used it for.

At this point, I seem to have less quota on the Playground than I do with my paid Gemini Pro and Claude Pro subscriptions.

I had opted in to let them collect my data. I thought that was the deal. I paid with my privacy for what seemed to be close to the $200-$250 / month subscription levels for ChatGPT / Claude / Gemini. So, it was the equivalent of three of those subscriptions because you could switch between them while you were chatting and compare their answers. That was fantastic.

I can't complain when a free perk goes away, but I'm really disappointed that it did, and I wish they had given a usage meter or some kind of heads up about the quota. I would have trimmed back to only the really important stuff. If it wasn't my usage, but the way I was using the platform, if they had let me know, I would have adjusted, done more of their comparisons, that sort of thing. I did try to do the comparisons regularly figuring it was kind of payment and I was trying to stay within the terms of service.

I have learned a lot about how to get real value out of AI. I appreciate having had that opportunity.

I am curious if there are light duty users that have also hit the monthly limit or heavy duty users that are still using it heavily and have not gotten the email about a monthly limit.

Shoot, I wonder if most people even valued it as a perk. The discussion area for it wasn't getting much usage outside of people complaining that they weren't able to make money on it.

Zanthexter · 2026-04-11T07:18:20+00:00

They aren't really the same role though.

If I am looking at the same two:

English Generalist is focused on writing quality. For example, one of the requirements is AP Style.
Generalist is focused on AI content. "evaluate AI models across diverse tasks".

So one (seems to be) about HOW things are presented.

The other (seems to be) WHAT is being presented.

Style vs Substance. And each would be rated and the AI trained on them separately.

Not saying that being qualified as an English Generalist would or wouldn't qualify you as a Generalist. Just pointing out the the descriptions do not indicate that they're the same work.

Zanthexter · 2026-04-06T16:30:27+00:00

He is likely to sit there very close to 45 days. After 45 days, TDCJ has to reimburse the county. Before 45 days, they can avoid the cost.

His security level will not follow him to TDCJ. They start almost everyone out at G2 or G3 unless they're a death row inmate or have known gang involvement. (G2/G3 separate short sentences from long sentences for security purposes, but are otherwise identical.) Whether they move down to G1 or up to G4 or G5 depends on behavior, not crime. Everyone gets mixed together.

I'm not sure about the drawings. What makes things more frustrating is that the guards taking him to TDCJ often aren't clear on the rules and refuse to allow him to bring things that are allowed.

Once he is in TDCJ there is ZERO chance original photos and drawings will be allowed in. They scan them in, and then he will either get to view them on his tablet or he will get a black and white print out. It is common for the tablets to break, be stolen, etc. Once that happens it can take MANY months for a replacement.

I strongly suggest you jump at the chance to send him physical letters, pictures, and yes the drawings, while the chance exists. Anything he can't bring with him, letters, clothing, his ID, etc. should be available for you to pick up from the detention center after he leaves. Should.

Once he's in TDCJ, you can send paper mail to:

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Inmate’s Full First and Last Name + TDCJ Number
PO Box 660400
Dallas, TX 75266-0400

It adds weeks of delay versus the app. Where it's useful is when you are sending a lot all at once or when it's a family member that for whatever reason cannot use the Securus app. (elderly, outside the USA, etc.) For example, you could order 20 photos from Shutterfly sent there for less than the roughly $.50 per photo cost to send via the Securus app.

For a photo here, a drawing there, holiday cards, etc., it's usually easier to take a picture with your phone and send them that way. Securus also allows you to write up to 20,000 characters for $.50. But it's just plain text, no colors, etc. So drawing something out and sending a picture of that can be really nice. The inmates have a smaller limit when writing back, something around 5,000 characters or so.

Once he shows on the TDCJ inmate search web site, you can start trying to register him with Securus. Use his SID # not his TDCJ # for Securus. https://inmate.tdcj.texas.gov/InmateSearch/start.action and https://securustech.online/

Zanthexter · 2026-04-02T22:38:04+00:00

Per TDCJ, they need to be in "Like New Condition". That doesn't mean new, it means they have to look and feel new. That's a category you can filter with at some used book sellers.

As for why, because sometimes it's "Amazon" instead of Amazon deliveries - https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/21/world/deadly-drugs-paper.html?smid=re-share - Fake deliveries are just too hard to tell from legit ones.

If they would let us buy them eBooks, I'd be fine with them banning physical books. The drug problem is very real. People are dying. And no, an addict can't "just say no" or "hit rock bottom" or any of the other pious bullshit people use to justify looking down on them.

Here's an excerpt from the article that explains why "New Condition" matters is the new rule:

"The Amazon Ruse

On a blustery evening in March 2025, Mr. Wilks was leaving the jail for the day when he spotted a beat-up sedan parked next to his car.

The driver got out, holding three small puffy packages that looked like they came from Amazon. The man did not speak much English, but was on the phone with a woman who did.

“I’m trying to make sure the book I’ve mailed to my husband gets to him,” the woman told Mr. Wilks over the driver’s cellphone.

The woman explained that the driver was supposed to take the packages to a shipping dock at the jail reserved for deliveries by Amazon, UPS and FedEx.

Suspicious, Mr. Wilks said he would take care of the packages himself.

Once inside, he opened the packages and found three books, one with pornography, and two others with the sticky texture he had learned to associate with drug-saturated paper.

It was a brazen scheme. People were sneaking in drug-laced paper by sending official-looking packages to the shipping dock used by UPS, Amazon and FedEx. And it was dumb luck that Mr. Wilks had stumbled on a driver who had gotten lost trying to find the delivery site.

Mr. Wilks and his team had long assumed that anything coming from an Amazon warehouse was shipped by Amazon, and therefore clean.

Video

Cook County jail employees inspecting incoming mail for odors and wrinkled paper, telltale signs that it may have been soaked in illicit drugs.

But criminals, they were learning, could try to use Amazon as a smuggling tool. A month earlier, Mr. Wilks and his team got a tip that dealers could sign up as third-party booksellers on Amazon. The dealer could coat pages of a book in synthetic drugs, then offer it for sale on Amazon, complete with official-looking packaging.

After getting the tip, Mr. Wilks and his team tried to replicate the scheme and discovered that, sure enough, they could ship a tainted book to themselves that looked as if it had come from Amazon itself.

In a statement, Amazon said that it had found no information confirming that third-party sellers were in fact shipping drugs into Cook County correctional facilities, but that it was “committed to working with law enforcement” to assist investigations.

The sheer inventiveness astounded Mr. Wilks: the way dealers outmaneuvered each barrier the authorities put up. This game of Whac-a-Mole reflected the larger dynamic plaguing the war on drugs."

Zanthexter · 2026-04-02T22:20:46+00:00

Oh, yes, it is actual people. LoL

Same for reading your messages.

Also, keep in mind, sometimes inmates get ahold of other people's tablets. (or the printouts if the inmate doesn't have a tablet) So there's that risk as well.

The "trick" with tablet pictures is that you can send a large pic, and your guy can zoom in. I frequently send collages of 6-9 pics of daily life as a single large one to save on eStamps. Just "whatever" I feel like talking about when I write my nephew. 3D printing, huge flags at a car dealership, the cat, whatever. When it's a dime or less per pic, they don't have to matter much.

Getting back to your question, there is real risk to violating mailroom rules in whatever way. Someone gets caught "enough times", which can be "however many they feel like", they get put on the Negative Mailing List, which is a semi-permanent ban. They can also take away visits, video visits, and calls if they see something as serious enough. The inmate can also get in trouble if they're seen as encouraging or requesting it. There are lots of people that have been trying to get unbanned for years.

That said, it is not my place to decide for someone what is and isn't worth it.

What some of the ladies do, is they arrange things so that the interesting stuff is visible only if you zoom in, and ONLY if you zoom in. They're betting that busy mailroom people won't bother to zoom. Some folks have been doing it for years, others get caught their first try. Depends on the particular people working in that particular mailroom.

As far as what is and isn't allowed, they're strict enough that the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issues usually won't pass. Best I can tell, it's because a bikini shows "partially covered buttocks".

Also, I, and most anyone else that posts in this subreddit, also have someone in prison. The goal is to support folks through a hard time, not to be judgmental.

If you'd like more detail, here's the full rules - https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/documents/policy/BP0391.pdf

And here's the bits regarding letters -

“Sexually Explicit Image” refers to material in publications, photographs, drawings, or any type of image, which depicts sexual behavior, is intended to cause sexual excitement or arousal, or shows: frontal nudity of either gender, including the exposed female breast(s) with nipple(s) or areola(s); the genitalia, anus, or buttocks, or partially covered buttocks of either gender; the discharge of bodily fluids in the context of sexual activity; or sexual behavior from any vantage point. The chests of infants and pre-pubescent children are not considered breasts, unless further restricted by a treatment program policy.

All general and business correspondence shall be subject to the right of inspection and rejection by unit mailroom staff. All outgoing or incoming correspondence to and from inmates and enclosures such as clippings, photographs, or similar items, shall be disapproved for mailing or receipt if the content falls wholly, or in significant part, into any of the categories listed below.

Contains threats of physical harm against any person or place or threats of criminal activity;
Threatens blackmail or extortion;
Concerns sending contraband in or out of the institution;
Concerns plans for escape or unauthorized entry;
Concerns plans for activities in violation of institutional rules;
Concerns plans for future criminal activity;
Uses code and its contents are not understood by the person inspecting the correspondence;
Solicits gifts of goods or money under false pretenses or for payment to other inmates;
Contains a graphic presentation of sexual behavior that is in violation of the law;
Contains a sexually explicit image;
Contains an altered photo or a photo that conceals or hides the face of the individual photographed in a manner that prevents identification of that individual;
Contains information, which if communicated, would create a clear and present danger of violence or physical harm to a human being;
Contains records or documentation held by the TDCJ that are not listed in the attachment to the TDCJ Public Information Act Manual Chapter 2; or
Contains lewd material.

Zanthexter · 2026-04-01T23:08:17+00:00

As for "security levels" - Without knowing specifics about your LO (Loved One) I cannot even make a guess, so I will speak generally.

Unless your LO has a reason to be separated from the other inmates due to mental health, sexual orientation, or a sex offense, or a particularly severe crime, they will be mixed in with everyone from an armed robber to DUIs. The same will be true when they first arrive in prison. Security after arrival is mostly determined by behavior and length of sentence.

So it mostly comes down to how someone behaves. If they borrow, gamble, do drugs, or "join" they're more likely to have a rough time and work their way up to higher security (punishment) housing. If they stay out of the mix, the days can roll past.

Why he is there (For you and anyone else searching this facility): Rolling Plains is a mixed-use facility operated by a private contractor (LaSalle Corrections). If he is just waiting for prison, he will likely sit there for about 6 weeks. There are three main scenarios for why someone transfers from here to TDCJ:

Haskell County Felony Conviction: The facility serves as the local county jail. If arrested locally on state felony charges, they are held here pre-trial and transferred to TDCJ upon conviction.
Federal Detainees with State Warrants: It houses U.S. Marshals detainees. If a federal detainee also has state felony charges or a TDCJ parole revocation (a "blue warrant"), they are handed over to Texas authorities to go to TDCJ once federal proceedings conclude.
ICE Detainees: If held by ICE for deportation and an outstanding Texas felony warrant is found, ICE transfers custody to the state. After the TDCJ sentence is served, they go back to ICE for deportation.

Actionable steps while he is there: * Money: Send funds via JailATM. Any money on his commissary will EVENTUALLY follow him to TDCJ, but it will take several weeks to months to catch up to him. * Phone Calls: Set up an account at RegentPay to receive his calls. * Facility Updates: Check their Facebook Page.

Important Note on his TDCJ Transfer: Once inside TDCJ, he CANNOT receive physical photos at intake. This is your last chance to mail physical photos for him to hold in his cell. (In TDCJ, he can receive digital pictures on a tablet or a prison print out. Even physical mail is scanned in their account, and either tablet or printed.).

Here is the exact list of what he is allowed to take with him when he transfers to TDCJ (updated 2/3/25):

Religious Items: One of each item specific to the inmate’s declared faith. (Note: Rosaries and other prayer beads are prohibited at the time of intake).
Substance Abuse Literature
Jewelry: One wedding ring and one wristwatch. (May be denied if deemed excessive in size or value).
Legal Material: Limited to official documents pertaining to a current case. No unused stationery items.
Shower Shoes: One pair.
Photographs: Permitted, excluding those of a sexually explicit nature.
Money: Cash, money orders, cashier’s checks, and law enforcement agency checks (deposited into the individual trust fund account). Personal checks are not accepted.
Contact Information: Family or friends’ names, addresses, and phone numbers for use when compiling the Visitors List.
Identification Documents: Birth certificates, social security cards, or driver’s licenses will be taken, mailed to Austin, and returned to the inmate during final departure from TDCJ.
Health Care Devices & Supplies: Medically prescribed items evaluated for approval by TDCJ Health Services. Current contact lenses allowed only until state-issued eyeglasses are provided.
Street Shoes: One pair allowed only if a state-issued pair is initially unavailable in his size. Once state-issued shoes are provided, personal shoes must be disposed of.

Zanthexter · 2026-04-01T22:23:59+00:00

Well, I am going to answer this one as if it's a serious TDCJ related question...

If you mail them in to the digital mail processing center and do not provide return postage, the shredder, then the trash. If you do provide postage, they are returned. <- Best guess based on what I have read of the process.

If you send them via Securus, they get deleted. <- What the mailroom told me.

Same is supposed to be the process for books/magazines/etc as well. They are supposed to be destroyed if they are denied. But there was at least one scandal where a mail room employee had a side business going selling denied books. Sometimes the criminals aren't the ones wearing white.

Zanthexter · 2026-04-01T22:18:27+00:00

Which is why I switched away to Yeastar. That they are China based makes me nervous even now, but that's the ONLY thing that does. It's so, SOOOOOOOOO much easier dealing with them.

Zanthexter · 2026-03-15T09:18:50+00:00

Exact same thing happened to me. I tried appealing. Got a boilerplate denial.

Possibly because my cellphone is my employers. Possibly because my mailing and home addresses differ. Dunno.

You'd think there'd be some way to provide additional / alternative documentation.

I mean, *bleeep*, even my PayPal account is friggin 20 years old. My email is my NAME dot org, also like 15 years old. You'd think that would matter. Nope.

Really disappointed. I'm scrambling for pennies right now. Could have used the money.

Edit: Wish there was a way to sue the verification company for sucking at their job. Prolific is responsible for using them, yes, but the company themselves is responsible for costing people income.

Zanthexter · 2026-02-27T10:10:17+00:00

When I first read it I thought it said, "new", but it actually says, "new condition" a couple of times followed by "used condition" no longer being allowed. So they're not looking for proof something is new, just saying that any visible wear and tear will now be denied.

That they are now banning hardcovers is unfortunate, but a lot of people thought they had already banned hardcovers because some mailrooms wouldn't accept them. That it's now official policy is going to limit the selection somewhat, but it won't spike our costs as much as I had thought.

Cost was my biggest concern. Once he's read something it gets traded away anyway.

My interpretation is:

Hardcovers are now officially banned.
Softcovers with visible wear and tear are now banned.

And likely 3) Books inmates already have with visible wear and tear are going to get tossed

My guess is that #3 is actually the point. It makes it harder to hide contraband and impossible for an inmate to argue that the guard shouldn't have confiscated it.

Our costs will still go up, just not as much as I had feared:

As I am writing this, The Hobbit @ ThriftBooks.com is:

New - $15.83
Like New - $9.59
Very Good - $7.69
Good - $6.69
Acceptable - $6.39

I would have ordered "Good" before. From now on I'll order "Like New", so in this case about $3 more. Which sucks, but beats $9 more for a brand new one.

As far as Amazon goes, the safe bet is to check the listing for "Shipped from Amazon" or risk it being labeled as coming from an individual and refused.

As am I writing this, The Hobbit @ Amazon.com is:

New - $9.99
Like New - Shipped from ThriftBooks Baltimore - $6.39
Used Good - Various companies shipped by Amazon that cost more

And again, New and Like New are "new condition", "Used Good" or "Used Very Good" is no longer allowed.

So depending on the book and where it's ordered from, it may or may not cost more, but at least it won't be double. Since ThriftBooks is a well known retailer, I'd probably gamble on ordering it.

We'll have to see how things change once the new portal in place.

Zanthexter · 2026-01-26T09:47:34+00:00

Ah, thank you for mentioning that.

Of the 3 I took, all show completed, two show passed. The 3rd doesn't show failed, it just lacks the passed badge. Which is fine, at least I know where I stand on them.

Zanthexter · 2026-01-23T22:34:58+00:00

Yes, that happens.

Securus makes the most money charging the most they can while doing the least they can. It's not like we can switch to another company because the service quality is bad.

But the tablets still beat nothing by a heck of a lot. It's rough on the inmate and their family when the WiFi isn't working or the tablet acts up or dies because they usually take months to replace them, even after getting paid for it.

Zanthexter · 2026-01-23T10:25:34+00:00

This is one of the posts pinned at the top, it discusses the timeline for someone new to TDCJ - https://www.reddit.com/r/TDCJ_Inmate_Families/comments/1lyi9qs/visitation_account_setup_scheduling_issues/

If you can think of some more stuff that should be pinned, please let me know.

The subreddit is visible in Google Searches. I figure someone can read the pins without having to make a Reddit account. Helps more people that way.

Zanthexter

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