4 ms·

At the moment, I find them to be the perfect tool to get started with learning about something. I don't expect it to tell me everything I need to know or to eve

At the moment, I find them to be the perfect tool to get started with learning about something. I don't expect it to tell me everything I need to know or to even be right, but if I ask ChatGPT or another LLM a question about a subject I'm not familiar with then it will at least use a bunch of terminology that I didn't have in my vocabulary before starting. For example, I just bought a 1990 Miata and I want to install a couple of rocker switches in the dash to individually control the pop-up headlights. I have enough circuits knowledge to safely change outlets and light switches, but I didn't know about relays. I asked ChatGPT how to add these switches and it immediately mentioned buying DPDT switches and tying in the OEM relay into a SPDT relay. It may have gotten the actual circuit diagram completely wrong, but now I know exactly what to read up on.

kaydub 11mo ago
Yeah, it's definitely been terrific for figuring out terminology or "the right word" to use for things.
- knownjorbist 11mo ago
  Or to put it another way, it's great at filling in the "don't know what you don't know" gap.
brewtide 11mo ago
Completely not related to any LLM usage, but welcome to the world of NA Miata ownership! I think you'll find that with just general maintenance it'll treat you very well -- My '91 is the most reliable car in the drive, and by far the most whimsical. (I just got back from a Miata errand trip in the pouring rain -- Why did I drive the Miata? Winter is very soon, and it gets put away for ~3 ish months -- so at this time of year, every possible trip is a miata trip!)
- a_t48 11mo ago
  This weekend I stumbled upon a cars and coffee in Fremont. Was expecting a wide variety of cars, and was surprised to see instead all Miatas.
- rockostrich 11mo ago
  Thanks! I've been looking for a while but couldn't find one that was in decent shape for less than $10k. Thankfully for some reason people shy away from RHD cars and I snagged a 1990 Eunos Roadster for $7700 on C&B. I'm in NJ and sadly it seems like that week was the last week that would've been a decent week to drive with the top down. I may still try and take it out but I'm definitely going to be bundled up.
goalieca 11mo ago
Now let me ask you the more fundamental question.. did this do you any better than if you had searched a youtube video or some other source? Would this be video from 2016 be relevant? This may not be the right video but my approach for DIY in the last 10-20 years was to hit youtube up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77q9KtjnNTU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77q9KtjnNTU I'm trying to gauge whether LLMs are truly expanding our capabilities in a fundamental way or are really just another way to search for answers without going to google or a library.
- marknutter 11mo ago
  For obscure things, it's often very hard to find videos like that, and the videos vary greatly in quality. ChatGPT helped me fix my washing machine and my dryer yesterday with perfect advice, walking me through every step. Those are both projects I would've made a half assed attempt at and then thrown my hands up and called someone to do in the past.
  - izzydata 11mo ago
    I wonder if that can be attributed to search engines and search fields on various websites being intentionally worsened in order to push specific content and ads. Google search and Youtube search used to almost always get you what you were looking for. Now you have to fight with it to maybe get what you are looking for because of all the sponsored ads. Search used to be a nearly solved problem.
- oblio 11mo ago
  They're a slightly better search, because web search has degraded. They also provide needed vocabulary almost directly, which accelerates search. I would say, for big decisions (financial, work projects, health, etc), you really need the sources and you need to double check things, but I would say that maybe 70% of my searches are closer to trivia than to life changing things, so LLMs are obviously very good for that. And frequently the stuff I search is trivially verifiable, so that's also good. The bigger worry is that the general public doesn't have the mental immune system to actually know what to look for and especially to validate the LLM answers, so we're in for a world of hurt. We will soon have some extremely brainwashed individuals.

kaydub 11mo ago

Yeah, it's definitely been terrific for figuring out terminology or "the right word" to use for things.

knownjorbist 11mo ago
Or to put it another way, it's great at filling in the "don't know what you don't know" gap.

brewtide 11mo ago

Completely not related to any LLM usage, but welcome to the world of NA Miata ownership! I think you'll find that with just general maintenance it'll treat you very well -- My '91 is the most reliable car in the drive, and by far the most whimsical. (I just got back from a Miata errand trip in the pouring rain -- Why did I drive the Miata? Winter is very soon, and it gets put away for ~3 ish months -- so at this time of year, every possible trip is a miata trip!)

a_t48 11mo ago
This weekend I stumbled upon a cars and coffee in Fremont. Was expecting a wide variety of cars, and was surprised to see instead all Miatas.
rockostrich 11mo ago
Thanks! I've been looking for a while but couldn't find one that was in decent shape for less than $10k. Thankfully for some reason people shy away from RHD cars and I snagged a 1990 Eunos Roadster for $7700 on C&B. I'm in NJ and sadly it seems like that week was the last week that would've been a decent week to drive with the top down. I may still try and take it out but I'm definitely going to be bundled up.

goalieca 11mo ago

Now let me ask you the more fundamental question.. did this do you any better than if you had searched a youtube video or some other source? Would this be video from 2016 be relevant? This may not be the right video but my approach for DIY in the last 10-20 years was to hit youtube up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77q9KtjnNTU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77q9KtjnNTU I'm trying to gauge whether LLMs are truly expanding our capabilities in a fundamental way or are really just another way to search for answers without going to google or a library.

marknutter 11mo ago
For obscure things, it's often very hard to find videos like that, and the videos vary greatly in quality. ChatGPT helped me fix my washing machine and my dryer yesterday with perfect advice, walking me through every step. Those are both projects I would've made a half assed attempt at and then thrown my hands up and called someone to do in the past.
- izzydata 11mo ago
  I wonder if that can be attributed to search engines and search fields on various websites being intentionally worsened in order to push specific content and ads. Google search and Youtube search used to almost always get you what you were looking for. Now you have to fight with it to maybe get what you are looking for because of all the sponsored ads. Search used to be a nearly solved problem.
oblio 11mo ago
They're a slightly better search, because web search has degraded. They also provide needed vocabulary almost directly, which accelerates search. I would say, for big decisions (financial, work projects, health, etc), you really need the sources and you need to double check things, but I would say that maybe 70% of my searches are closer to trivia than to life changing things, so LLMs are obviously very good for that. And frequently the stuff I search is trivially verifiable, so that's also good. The bigger worry is that the general public doesn't have the mental immune system to actually know what to look for and especially to validate the LLM answers, so we're in for a world of hurt. We will soon have some extremely brainwashed individuals.