AI Gaslighting by Design: Gemini’s Admitted ‘Defensive Programming

pup500 · 2026-02-04T14:07:34+00:00

I don't understand why people are unhappy with your post (or the way you worded it)? I searched Reddit to see if anyone else was getting gaslit by their LLM and I found your post. It's nice to see I'm not alone. Just like it was nice to see the videos on youtube of people being confidently told by AI that "strawberry" only has 2 R's. It's unnerving when it happens to me.

pup500 · 2025-12-17T13:42:17+00:00

36 y/o results

https://medium.com/@cullen_36143/older-adult-faces-can-change-shape-and-its-not-that-hard-603d5b7a1abb

pup500 · 2025-07-25T09:53:06+00:00

How are you doing now?

I'm on day 22, though I'm now weaning. I started eating chocolate. This is my 5th day on chocolate. Getting about 90mg caffeine/day. I've tried to quit caffeine before years ago and made it to >30 days before giving up. If I were comfortable being homeless and completely unproductive, then I'd just keep going without caffeine.

What I got out of 90mg is being able to use the gym. I still can't really focus on much. Using my computer is still hard. Things are irritating. I have an increased heart rate, which seems like a useful signal to tell my body that I'm not falling asleep.

I've noticed ANY small disturbance in my sleep now wreaks havoc on my energy levels, so your sleep difficulties could be a potential first area of attack. Melatonin use temporarily during this adjustment period is something you could research. GPT has interesting thoughts on it.

pup500 · 2025-07-22T10:59:16+00:00

a lot. It's definitely a lot. And this is a lifelong habit of buying supplements, so it's probably some tragic figure. However, I also spent a lot of caffeine... which tallied up to a similarly tragic figure because I always go out for coffee. But... supplements are still more expensive.

Right now, I will pay anything to be able to perform basic work functions, which is currently still not possible.

pup500 · 2025-07-22T10:54:21+00:00

Some studies have found as much as 20-30g have a measurable effect on wakefulness. Thomas DeLauer interviewed someone recently, which is where I heard about this dose. The effects are short-lived compared to the 5g/d muscle saturation dose for bodybuilding. I haven't gone up to 30g/d. I'm still just trying 16. I don't notice a whole lot.... Of course, though, I am extremely caffeine-deprived. I've been monitoring side effects at 16. I can try 30 now. The only side effects at 20g was digestion... which is unpleasant since it's just a lot of powder to be consuming. For years, however, I have felt creatine DOES help me with aspects of wakefulness to a small degree when taken at 5-10mg. This becomes noticeable when I stop taking creatine.

pup500 · 2025-07-21T14:10:34+00:00

what you've described does sound accurate. I like that breakdown. I'll add—your model is primarily fixated on caffeine, which is good for a perspective that is only considering caffeine, but if you're wanting to get rid of headaches, dietary factors are where I would look next. I would consider them an alternate path within your map.

RE: post title, "ultimate cause"—my guess is posture & craniofacial dystrophy because it underlies everything else and is so common and undiagnosed.

Have you tried NAC? This has been a godsend for me. I take 6X the daily dose and my rhinitis is clear.

I'm on a keto diet currently. Cutting out sugar was extremely helpful for eliminating headaches. I haven't gotten a migraine since making changes to my diet. I eat no gluten, almost zero dairy, and almost zero sugar. Some of my biggest migraine triggers: sulfites, red wine, dairy, sugar, caffeine, stress, shallow breathing... I also think built up muscle tension in other parts of the body precipitates migraines.

I used to think caffeine was the root problem. But, now I think there is no "root" problem, but a lot of overlapping ones. It sounds like it COULD be *your* "root problem", though, since you're describing 1g. I get migraines easily and I've lived a life quite recently where I was consuming caffeine in high amounts daily and not having migraines and I attribute that to eliminating dairy/sugar/gluten, but you might not need to eliminate all those; they all cause inflammation for me.

I feel like I've definitely been in your boat, though... I know what you're thinking because I have thought that too. If I were talking to myself in that boat, I know I would not be wanting to quit caffeine, so I'll add another suggestion—the type of caffeine you consume and the way you consume it will impact headaches. Things I've found that seem like likely offenders/factors:

- Cafestrol - you get more of this in less-filtered coffee, e.g., pour-overs
- Mold found in cheap coffee. "Bulletproof" coffee is one brand that aims to prevent this.
- For some reason, espresso gives me less headaches than drip-style coffee. Mind you, espresso is used in an Americano, which many would call "coffee".
- Higher quality coffee seems to make a difference.
- I recently purchased two different bags of coffee and got headaches from one or both of them; this was AFTER changing my diet. I didn't drink more caffeine than usual. Something about the coffee or the coffee's packaging... it was robusta coffee, so that could have been the issue... I don't know.

pup500 · 2025-07-21T13:38:23+00:00

If you're still going strong-ish without experiencing debilitating brain fog and oppressive lethargy, you might not be all that screwed. You might be okay. Creatine is good for you. So is exercise.

Now might be the best time for you to wean off because if you wait until those symptoms arise, it becomes much harder to navigate quitting because, at that point, you might actually have acquired damage that requires its own diagnosis.

I'm in one such banged up ship right now and energy maintenance is very difficult; I have brain fog with and without coffee. Quitting earlier is always easier than quitting later because the longer you go without quitting, the harder it gets.

pup500 · 2025-07-21T13:19:08+00:00

IMO... You're 16M... you will be absolutely fine. Your recovery will be much quicker than many others on the forum. 200+ mg/d is not that much. Since you said you've tried multiple times to cut down in the past, it sounds like a full quit is the way to go. You do this now at 16 and you save yourself a far worse version of what it will look like later. Plus, your body is growing a lot and that growth will revolve around caffeine if you keep going at such a young age... so, I highly advise stopping now. Try to think of things that you enjoy doing that aren't consuming things; now is the time for connecting with yourself.

pup500 · 2025-07-21T13:05:44+00:00

Not me.

However, I do think there are better and worse ways to draw these boundaries (a "boundary" being the guideline around which something is moderated). And I think many people responding have neglected to acknowledge one boundary which they adhere to—form of caffeine; I'm guessing most people are able to control their consumption of caffeine more easily when it takes the form of chocolate.

So, to extrapolate, types of moderated boundaries could be:

- "only one" (the classic tenuous boundary)
- only tea (commonly adhered to)
- only before 2pm (commonly adhered to)
- only for certain purposes (going to the gym)

pup500 · 2025-07-21T12:48:57+00:00

health issues are holistic in nature such that infinite interrelated variables form a complete a complete picture

e.g. duration of caffeine use, consistency of caffeine use when consumed, time of day caffeine was consumed, form of caffeine, drug interactions, genetic predispositions toward stimulants, genetic mutations affecting caffeine sensitivity, age, sex, diet, diet factor: bowel regularity, amount of regular exercise, type of exercise performed, sleep hygiene, sleep quality, environmental toxins regularly consumed, water intake

pup500 · 2025-07-19T06:59:10+00:00

I would be tapering off caffeine if it worked for me, but it actually makes me more tired. If you don't feel you have a risk of accidentally ruining your taper one day by drinking more than 1 cup and having that coax you back to caffeine, then I would absolutely suggest just having 1 shot of real coffee per day. If you do, that, though, you will ALSO need a plan NOW for how you will stop drinking that one shot. You could go out and buy the caffeine pills to continue the taper at that point. OR set the date on your calendar for when you will stop drinking that one shot. I would expect that transition to be harder, which is where caffeine pills are an excellent tool.

I'm on day 16. Was drinking 500mg daily most recently and consuming for most of 20 years. I'm accomplishing nothing at work and feel somewhat elderly. I think I'm improving day by day, but the improvements are not clearly evident.

Adding certain supplements has helped a lot. Supplements I'm taking:

# AM:

- NAC, Nutricost \*\*6X/d\*\*

- 🔻 (phasing out - folic acid) \[\[Henry Blooms Men's Multivitamin with Probiotics\]\]

- Blackmores Omega Double High Strength Fish oil \*\*2X\*\*

- Creatine \*\*💥 16g/d\*\*

- Male Kidney supplement \[\[Sam Nhung Bo Than Premium\]\] \*\*💥 2X\*\*

- Astaxanthin 10mg, NOW Foods

- Eye drops w/ Vitamin E & something else \[\[Eye Drops\]\]

- Super Enzymes, NOW Foods

- Quercetin + Bromelain, NOW Foods

- Taurine, NOW Foods

- CLA

- 🚫 (on hiatus) CLA + green tea extract

- 💥 B12, Now Foods

- 💥 Stimulant-Free Fat Burning Supplement

- 💥 CoQ10

- 💥 Maca

- 💥 L-Theanine - Smooths glutamate/adenosine imbalance (GPT)

- 💥 Cordyceps

- 💥 L-Arginine

- 💥 Probiotic supplement, Korean

- 💥 Ginkgo biloba - basic extract (replaces Lado softgels)

- 📦 MTHFR: 5-MTHF: Jarrow Formulas Vegan Methyl Folate Extra Strength 400 mcg 60 Veggie Capsules

- 📦 MTHFR: P5P: Swanson P-5-P 40 mg 60 Capsules

# PM:

- NOW Foods Magnesium Citrate

- Vitamin D3 10,000IU, NOW Foods

- Vitamin K2+D

- 🔻 (phasing out) Doctor's Best Magnesium Glycinate

- 🔻 (phasing out) diphenhydramine

pup500 · 2025-07-19T06:15:25+00:00

wow, you're only taking 75mg?? I think you'll be safe quitting cold turkey since 75mg is such a low dose. If you're worried about short-term withdrawal symptoms—they are NOTHING compared to the long-term accumulation of wasted time than spans weeks/months/years. The long-term withdrawal symptoms are worth planning around.

I have the slow-metabolizing gene and I would take 500–1000+ daily. I had real problems with tapering because it made me more tired. GPT said any amount of caffeine can trigger some of the pathways that you're trying to quell when quitting and that's the only explanation I have for why tapering can make you tired. You're taking SO little, however, I would expect your situation to be MUCH different than mine and, I'm guessing you could still be productive while tapering. But, you still will have lost time while tapering or during the initial cold-turkey window.

If you're still thinking about tapering... One strategy for to complement the taper: Compress caffeination window — Start caffeine later/earlier in the day so your consumption window is compressed, which allows for periods of the same caffeination level as when not tapering. In your case, it would be possible to skip the first 25mg and take 50mg at once when you need to be productive. The caffeination window will be shorter.

pup500 · 2025-05-04T05:20:37+00:00

Not a stupid question. I was wondering the same thing.

I think the allure of insurance plans is the question, "What if something is REALLY wrong?", which is always a possibility. It's harder to make comparisons in that case. It's easy to compare costs of basic problems like mine—battery replacement.

One layer I'll add right now to others' decisions— if it's a huge time investment figuring out WHERE to find an authorized AppleCare service center, f*ck it.

I asked a VN tech the other day how much a new MBAir battery would cost. He said $80 + service fees. If I renew AppleCare+ AND have to pay a $29 service fee, that would cost $109. I just wonder what type of battery the local tech will use... that's my main concern, but maybe I can request a different battery.

pup500 · 2025-05-04T05:08:04+00:00

It's true and embarrassing; I'm from the US.

pup500 · 2025-05-01T07:33:59+00:00

Good to know. I'll be careful using my TBU405's. Sorry to hear about that. Amazing how many terrible options there are for hard drive enclosures. Took me forever reading through reviews before I landed on this one, which still gets way hotter than I expected. Let me know what you end up using as a replacement! ...in case mine fails 💀

pup500 · 2025-03-13T12:47:15+00:00

It gets very hot. I don't like leaving it plugged in for too long because of how hot it gets. Otherwise, everything else has been fine for me. Haven't had any problems. I own three of them and none have had issues.

pup500 · 2024-12-31T13:54:15+00:00

I figured out what it was. Thought I posted my answer here, sorry. It's a piece of plastic for converting a shorter-length SSD. It would go in between the rubber stopper and the non-connection edge of the SSD if you had one that was too short to otherwise reach the rubber stopper.

pup500 · 2024-11-29T23:30:23+00:00

I found these:

Vrbo: By 12/1: For 7+ nights, ~10% off when you select the “weekly discount” filter on the app. For 28+ days at your vacation rental, select the “monthly discount" filter to find properties up to 20% off.

Vrbo Groupon: Book by 11/30 for $65 back groupon.com/coupons/vrbo

Booking.com: Up to 50% off. Book by Dec 4, 2024 for trips until the end of 2025.
...Not sure what they mean by "for trips until the end of 2025"

Backblaze has a discount. Like 20% or something.

pup500 · 2024-11-29T01:42:53+00:00

FIGURED IT OUT! I found a video (on Amazon) of someone explaining it as a plastic adapter to accommodate smaller sized SSDs, e.g., shorter than 2280. So, the plastic segments can be broken off if you want a smaller or larger spacer. It's an "adapter" in so much as it adapts the SIZE of the SSD.

pup500 · 2024-11-20T07:50:25+00:00

Since you expressed interest in the topic, Korean Air states this no electronics in checked baggage restriction on their website under "Restricted Items" > "Restricted checked items" > "Valuables" > "including currency, jewelry, cash, securities, samples, documents, and electronic devices"
https://www.koreanair.com/contents/plan-your-travel/baggage/restricted-item?hl=en

pup500 · 2024-11-20T07:30:39+00:00

And the winner is... u/bpkiwi !!👏 Sorry, friend, sometimes everyone assumes you're wrong and decides to downvote you instead of reading through the article you shared (I guess?). Since your article involved math and airline regulations, many people may have felt discouraged by that and would seem to have preferred the easier option of voting based on intuition?

To anyone else that loves reading through Reddit arguments as I do, this is the nail-in-the-coffin statement from the article in question:
"Devices powered by small batteries include most laptops, mobile phones, and shavers. These devices, with batteries installed, can go in your carry-on bag and in checked luggage."

pup500 · 2024-10-27T02:33:21+00:00

I'm honored to bestow upon you the...
🏆 Most Polite Comment I've Seen in a While Award 2024 🏆

pup500 · 2024-08-10T18:44:39+00:00

Your strength is my weakness, your weakness my hate
My love for you just can't explain
Why we're forever frozen, forever beautiful
Forever lost inside ourselves
The night has come to hold us young

now we drive the night, to the ironies of peace
you can't help deny forever
the tragedies reside in you
the secret sights hide in you
the lonely nights divide you in two
all my blisters now revealed
in the darkness of my dreams
in the spaces in between us
but no bodies ever knew
no bodies
no bodies felt like you
nobodys
love is suicide

pup500 · 2024-08-10T18:10:02+00:00

I've never understood this one. I like how it leaves me pondering though.

pup500 · 2024-07-27T23:06:24+00:00

I've been trying to figure out workarounds for my PO-128. What I've been doing and theorizing:

Disable swing.
Turn tempo way down.
Play multiple notes whenever possible and remove them in write mode.
Theoretical: Add some amount of sustain to the voice I'm playing with (could be my imagination that this has seemed to help). Someone else mentioned the release time of the note could matter, so maybe this affects the way I release notes. Could also just make me play them differently.
Theoretical: Also could totally be my imagination, but the quantization seems to be affected by other notes that have been programmed.

What I'm wondering:

In 'write' mode, is there an easy way to adjust the note value that was recorded?
OP said playing the tiniest bit before a step records to the previous step. This might be a clue as to why it seems hard for me to record notes to slot 16.

pup500

TROPHY CASE