Apr 11, 2023 3 min read News

So...What is This Blog?

This monkey is trying to figure out wtf is going on in his very electronic surroundings.

This blog is mostly my way of creating a space to think some things through. And while other topics will happen eventually, right now that means mostly thinking through AI things (GPT and its ilk). So if you are currently somewhat perplexed about where the world is going, why not join for the ride? Will there be walls of text? Definitely! Will they be worth your time? I'll try to make it so. Why not sub to the blog and punish me with cancelling your subscription, when I eventually fail?

For now, let's take a step back ...

... and look at were we are right now, when this blog is in its infancy. ChatGPT was launched 4 months + a bit ago, and while the world hasn't crumbled around us yet, a lot of people seem to agree that interesting times are coming and coming at us fast. For me, the last couple of months have been almost disorienting. I'd been working with text all my life (I'm a freelancer and write B2B content for the interwebs professionally) – and when I finally had a moment to look into this ChatGPT thing, I couldn't believe it. An alien had landed on my desk. And it was talking to me. It was baffling. It still is.

Since then, I tried to stay up to date and to learn about this what I can. I did systematic tests to improve my prompt game, I talked to Sydney, I checked out other AIs, I read primary AI research literature. I... spent a lot of time on reddit. For the first months I felt I'm getting a handle on it. Then GPT-4.0 released and since then it just won't stop. AutoGPT, HuggingGPT, papers about Theory of Mind in LLMs, BabyAGI, Microsoft Jarvis and more and more and more. The last couple of weeks were very dynamic.

Motivation for better thinking

As a result of this very dynamic times, there is a whole mess of thoughts in my head. This blog might be a great way to work through them and get them somewhat organized. I also see it as motivation to dig deeper, do proper research and be precise in my thinking; or at least be as precise as I know how to. Publishing something obviously stupid or repeating some hearesay b@llsh*t would really irk me. Ultimately, I hope to understand more and think better thoughts as a result of this.

Butterfly Explosions, why that Name?

I liked the sound of it and there is a strong association with the unpredictability of complex systems, which plays an important role in my thinking.

This space was supposed to be filled by a cartoon of a man holding up a sign saying "We are all controlled by the outcomes of a complex system!" It's a really clever cartoon and I love it. Unfortunately, The New Yorker wants 95$ for the license, so I prefer to drive my point home by asking you to contemplate the reality of Brexit having happened.

What to expect then?

I'm not sure yet. Expect a lot of articles about LLMs and AI for starters. I hope I can make them interesting and somewhat distinct from stuff you've read a dozen times elsewhere. There are also thoughts about politics I want to get to eventually. I promise to not fall into the trap of partisan drivel and hackery. And while I will try to not just post about everything, I might come across a song I really like and give it a shoutout. Who knows!

I don't want to write fast just to have articles. I want to really think things through, really look into stuff and give my thoughts time to develop. I'm aiming for about one article every two weeks. So don't expect this to be the place to stay up to date about the newest and hottest headline. Especially for the next couple of weeks, there will be a lot of looking back and going through my backlog. What I lack in up-to-dateness, I hope to make up for with "Hey-that-was-somewhat-interesting"-ness. If you want to see, whether I'm going to be successful in that, do the signing up thing below. I promise: no spam.