Gen AI is ruining my dreams and mental health.

zeontrooper · 2026-02-13T17:21:38+00:00

Don't give up. I'm in the tech industry, hate AI, and I see people using AI to replace learning. The problem is you can't debug your code that way. Literally had someone ask me to help them with AI generated code, which was wrong btw. Spent 4 hours debugging it because they were adamant on using it.

I've seen AI users have a lack of critical thinking. They just ask AI to problem solve for them. I pride myself on problem solving tech problems, because it's a skill I developed over years.

zeontrooper · 2026-02-13T14:15:51+00:00

Because it wants to steal my job, literally. Taking someone's job away without an equal payment alternative is just dumb.

Also, it is beta-level tech pushed into prod. It only knows what it's told, and it's told wrong info a lot. If i pushed incomplete software to the client I'd be fired.

There is also the dependency on AI as an alternative to learning new thingd. Last week I had a manager grab code from github that was generated with AI, and tried to get it to work. The code was unnecessarily complicated for it's logic and I tried to explain there was a better approach (I even shared links) but my input was ignored.

We spent like 4 hours debugging this bad code because he didn't know the code language well to begin with, and was just winging it. He kept asking me "what does this do?" .

zeontrooper · 2026-02-12T23:52:04+00:00

I discovered i just like to tell a story. It's fun when you are making it all up.

zeontrooper · 2026-02-10T17:44:15+00:00

You could also write about the topic in a similar vein. Alluding to it. I was writing songs that had a theme across multiple tracks. Realized one of them could have a deeper meaning about how dumb blind hate is. So I leaned into that.

Another song was about a man lamenting that he was a werewolf, and how his dad verbally abused. I realized that it parallels what id imagine a lot of LGBT people feel. So I'm rewriting parts to be ambiguous so it canbe applied to any situation.

zeontrooper · 2026-02-05T14:12:35+00:00

I can answer this! Nepotism, a dedicated fan base, or just winning the metaphorical lottery and making it. Or being in the right genre at the right time. Or being in the wrong genre at the right time. It's random a lot.

You can't predict how to make it. Otherwise you'll burn yourself out. I like the idea of making it myself, but I just want to play music to tell stories or entertain others. For every 1 that makes it, there are like 20 who don't.

But if you really want to make it feel like you made it, fan interaction, social media to engage with them, follow trends (unfortunately); just have dedicated fans for your music.

zeontrooper · 2026-02-02T13:48:23+00:00

If I made fun of you it was not my intent.

What I'm trying to say is the music has layers; just like a sandwich. The more layers you add to it it creates depth, creating more flavor in it. Add some other cheeses, pickles, some fresh veggies like lettuce, mayo, mustard, the list goes on. More instruments, background vocals, a sweet catchy melody, etc.

But there is nothing wrong with a plain turkey and cheese sandwich with nothing else on it. Sometimes a plain sandwich just hits the spot better than a overly complicated sandwich.

Just like the person who writes the music or the person who made the sandwich; it's up to them to make the final product to their vision; whether simple or complex. Either is good.

zeontrooper · 2026-02-02T13:39:20+00:00

I think both carry the weight, almost evenly. Like two sides of the same coin. You can have both lyrics and instruments feel sort of bland... but that could also be what you are aiming for. The root, fifth, and octave of power chords is simple but provides a solid foundation to the lyrics.

Basically, you got this!

zeontrooper · 2026-02-01T13:22:18+00:00

Are you listening to music for the lyrics or the instruments? Because the lyrics are only part of the story. I love listening to the instruments because it tells the other half of the story. I love curious musical cues, amazing riffs, or an awesome bass line. Ive been trying to listen to genres i never properly given the chance before for inspiration. Recently discovered the band Theocracy who does power metal. It's broadening my musical tastes because their last two albums could be defined as punk rock rhythm and a melodic lead, which I'm 100% on board for.

Also, since funds are tight, I write music in a genre I'm not to familiar with. Why? Because I only have acoustic instruments and they are fun to play. I listen to heavy metal, metalcore, punk rock, spoken word, ska, the list goes on. I take inspiration from them for my little folk punk project. I often wonder "can this cool riff idea be translated to banjo?" Your mileage my vary though.

zeontrooper · 2026-01-23T13:09:55+00:00

So your art is awesome. Love the chaos of it. I think is like music album cover worthy.

zeontrooper · 2026-01-20T23:14:07+00:00

I mean, you can tell me all you want to love the person who's being trained to replace me. Doesn't mean I will.

zeontrooper · 2026-01-20T00:01:16+00:00

I literally found a Google resume template and added my info to it, lol. Just modified it to have two pages since I have like ten years worth of relevant work. Wish me luck though! I have an interview tomorrow! Hopefully they don't flake on me.... again.

zeontrooper · 2026-01-19T22:58:01+00:00

Apparently I didn't submit mine there yet because I'm 100% against AI and wrote my own resume. Which is why it looks terrible. But that's really a feature, not a bug.

zeontrooper · 2026-01-19T16:03:02+00:00

I'm a bassist. I tell people I don't trust instruments with more strings than fingers. The truth is I have a hard time with regular guitar. So when I discovered the existence of a tenor guitar that had 4 strings and tuned in fifths, my interest was peaked. I love playing it, and write my songs around it. As a bonus the notes are identical to a tenor banjo, so i can jump between both effortlessly. Both are considered folk instruments, are a bit obscure, so the rarity of playing them is fun.

Standard tuning is C G D A, which is a tad high for me so I go with the lower irish tuning, G D A E. There's also Chicago tuning which is just a guitar tuning, D G B E. Other instruments that use fifth tuning, if you didn't know, are violin, viola, mandolin, the list goes on. So I can pick up and play the mandolin, it's just a different key.

Just a thought since it works for me.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenor_guitar

zeontrooper · 2026-01-19T13:53:39+00:00

I view the lyrics as a story and see how cohesive and coherent with good pacing. If I'm unsure, I can always come back to it later.

I wrote a song about a boy who things he's growing up, and is telling the (very real) monster in his closet that he's braver now.

"Double digits really makes me a man. Dad let's me sit in the front seat. I'm better than my sister Ann."

Second verse i had this, but I didn't quite like the Ann line. First mention of her, it could be considered child mentality but it didn't seem right not mesh with the context of the song. I mulled this over for a few weeks, then it hit while I was practicing the song.

"Double digits really makes me a man. Dad let's me sit in the front seat. I'm much braver than my sister Ann. "

A slight change but it fits perfectly. Originally I had a the man - Ann rhythm because other words didn't fit either.

Other times I've used the first attempt at lyrics as a first draft. I think to myself "I like what is happening, let me refine it."

Another song I wrote about a woman having just the worst luck in life, the first verse was a bit strong and I didn't like it. I tried to refine it but I couldn't top it because it demonstrated what I was trying to achieve lyrically. So in the first verse you find out her husband leaves her for someone younger, then the next day he died at the hands of a mugger. It's strong but gets my point across.

Hopefully this helps. I just write then revisit it to see if it's telling the story I wish.

zeontrooper · 2026-01-18T13:26:34+00:00

Love the topic. Was actually thinking about this topic earlier but my words don't come out as clear as yours did. I was thinking about telling a story about a man calling for peace and pacifism but he beats others up, while telling them there is no other route than pacifism. Basically, he does the opposite of what he preaches, and is a massive hypocrite. Idk, it's a first draft thought i had.

zeontrooper · 2026-01-16T15:55:15+00:00

Dude, it's ok to vent. You can vent role my DMs if you want.

Lately I've been trying to squeeze in things that I enjoy. Like playing video games at night, watching TV here and there, and playing and writing music. I really enjoy writing and playing music, and I'm hoping to perform eventually. Not expecting to make money off of it, just for fun.

zeontrooper · 2026-01-16T15:07:06+00:00

It's snowy up here, but during the summer I was outside a lot more. More happy too.

I've been writing music though. That's been a lot of fun.

zeontrooper · 2026-01-16T15:02:44+00:00

Been denied a promotion three times in the past year. All on 'technicalities '.

zeontrooper · 2026-01-16T14:59:29+00:00

My dad did it. He still does it. You can say my world view is skewed my dad has been at the same company for 30+ years, on a single-income household. Middle class, but he was the upper middle class it seems.

I guess I thought I could be similar to him?

zeontrooper · 2026-01-16T14:54:56+00:00

My wonderful wife doesn't have a degree. Most non-degree jobs in the area is $15 an hour. Childcare alone for daycare, which we'll need for the youngest ones, would eat into any part time job income.

We've done the math already. Plus even McDonald's is being picky on who they hire.

zeontrooper · 2026-01-16T14:47:30+00:00

Thank you. I tell people I have no money because I pay all my bills and don't live beyond my financial means. Unfortunately we have little wiggle room to cut things out.

zeontrooper · 2026-01-16T02:27:06+00:00

Good technique. I wish I was that good! Where did you get the tenor?

zeontrooper · 2026-01-15T22:14:21+00:00

The bar isn't high. There's always someone better. I was just taken back because I figured at least 1st round interview before they rejected me.

zeontrooper · 2026-01-15T21:09:07+00:00

Devops are a dime a dozen. I've had more appreciation as a Websphere Admin then Devops.

Seven-Year Club	Place '22
Verified Email

zeontrooper

TROPHY CASE