SYDBELLE ✌🏽 @sydbelle - Tumblr Blog

The New York Times never publishes my letters so I'm gonna start publishing them here.

To the Editor: I can't help but see Kevin Roose's article on his experiments with "vibecoding" -- that is, amateurs using artificial intelligence to build apps and websites -- as a perfect encapsulation of everything wrong with the AI boom. Instead of deploying these tools to solve cancer or climate change, Mr. Roose is utilizing the technology to make stuff like "a website that tells [him] whether a piece of furniture will fit in [his] car's trunk" and an app called LunchBox Buddy, which suggests lunches for his son based on the contents of their refrigerator. I'm sure Mr. Roose is aware of the shocking amounts of water and power that are used to feed and cool the AI machines, which is why I'm surprised he chose to leave that information out of his piece. Acknowledging the reality that AI's resource consumption will soon rival that of small nations would have been the perfect setup for the punchline that was the LunchBox Buddy's inaugural meal recommendation: A turkey sandwich. Behold the power of AI! Cord Jefferson Los Angeles

cordjefferson

I thought we had AI for this.

snoopyoftheday

snoopy of the day

fjolars

some actor studies for my illustration course h/a

I don’t think they share anything in common, well, besides being epic actors

kosmogrl

no love is ever wasted

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

THE GRINCH WAS REALLY OUT HERE WITH HIS GRUSSY OUT

weltenwellen

Hua Xi, from "Night Drive Through My Own Life"

augustshaped

cadencedcat

SALLY GRISSOM???

nuttysaladtree

Per prev's tags, the TikTok is by Kristen Dimercurio, the voice of Sally Grissom. She plays two characters here: the person who's struggling to manage their ADHD ("Blanketed") and their friend.

Until someone else comes up with a transcript: Blanketed is struggling specifically with the ability to do tasks that they do not want to do. Friend introduces the Hot Stove Conundrum: that Blanketed's brain will treat doing these kinds of tasks as if being demanded to hold their hand on a red hot stove. Three (ish) solutions are:

A. Mindfully avoiding unnecessary hot stoves. Think through the consequences of not doing the task, and removed it from your to-do if they can be avoided without actually deleterious consequences.

B. Decrease the [subconsciously] perceived threat level of what remains. The specifics vary by person, and Friend notes that for some people, "therapy and medication go a long way" and many ADHD tips, like adding nice sensory experiences (listen to something you like, wear a shirt you like) to counterbalance the "hot stoves" or body doubling, fall into this category.

B (part 2) Blanket remarks that they'd rather continue avoiding the tasks, and Friend compares it to being forced to touch a hot stove at gunpoint: "You'll get it done, but at what cost?" (Blanketed: "Is that why I work so well under pressure?")

C. Treating doing these tasks like the challenges they are, instead of minimizing them by comparing yourself to neurotypical people who accomplish tasks with ease. Being mindful of the true difficulty of these tasks makes it easier to practice challenging yourself and using rusty skills like handling complex logistics or exercising patience. It is also kinder to yourself and gives you the opportunity to reward yourself.