Coconut Monkey Cornerclub

[Brian Boru]

You're fired

But… but…
Oh, were you talking to the cookie in the kiln?

Anyway, I'd answered the Q—option C, both of 'em! Please try to keep up.

the Internet has never heard of that

Well yeah, my aristocratic customers demand exclusivity—you know how princesses can be so… um, princessy, I guess.

My aunt used to make brownies that were just inedible

Ouch. I had an aunt like that too, we stopped visiting her.

cookies are easier to get right

Yes, cookies are definitely easier to get, that is right.

 

[Zloth]

What's better, warm chocolate chip cookies or warm chocolate brownies?

I'll need to undertake some extensive investigations on that. Hmmm, where can I get some chocolate-covered sugar pills?

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

What's better, warm chocolate chip cookies or warm chocolate brownies?

Team Brownies. The more chocolate in a thing the better it is, scientifically speaking.

 

[ZedClampet]

My aunt used to make brownies that were just inedible
Ouch. I had an aunt like that too, we stopped visiting her.

Lies. Please exit the building empty-handed. Someone from security will bring you a box full of your possessions that we determined no one else would want, like your motivational kitten posters.

The box you kept change in has been confiscated to partially reimburse the company what you owe for systematically wasting company resources over the last twenty years. Our attorneys will send a follow-up letter explaining the balance owed.

If you have any additional questions, we suggest trying Google. Also, you can reach our very artificial intelligence helpline by simply making any attempt to contact a live person. There is generally no wait time for getting trapped in an endless loop of unhelpfulness.

 

[Brian Boru]

Lies

Good, you did look a bit peaky—hope the rest worked.

The box you kept change in has been confiscated

Seriously, you must make more of an effort to keep up. Starting with Remedial Change Class 101 on Monday, where you should twig that the box was quite different by the time your peons arrived.

There is generally no wait time for getting trapped in an endless loop of unhelpfulness

Thanks, but not news to me—been a mod here for a while now.

questions, we suggest trying Google

Okay, look, this keeping up thing is getting more serious by the day. G is of course a fond memory, and my Q&A stalwart WolframAlpha has spoken fondly of it many's the time over the last decade since G's funeral among the cognoscenti.

contact a live person

How quaint, is that still a thing outside of low-upkeep world? My Ai will work things out just as soon as 5 of 9 is installed as new security head.

 

[ZedClampet]

Okay, look, this keeping up thing is getting more serious by the day. G is of course a fond memory, and my Q&A stalwart WolframAlpha has spoken fondly of it many's the time over the last decade since G's funeral among the cognoscenti.

In all seriousness, Google's funeral has been scheduled. I've barely touched Google since installing Copilot. About the only time I've used it is to quickly find a URL for a site I've used before. Copilot can do that, too, and is more accurate, but it takes longer because it generates a paragraph of conversation to go with the link. I think there's a setting, though, that might adjust how it answers questions. Not sure.

But if what you are looking for is the answer to a question, not a URL, there's zero comparison. Copilot makes Google look like a tool developed by cavemen. And it provides links to relevant sites so you can verify its answers. I've found answers to questions that I've had for years and was unable to find answers using Google due to its algorithms and how it emphasizes certain types of results.

But the best part about answering questions is that it can give you answers that aren't explicitly stated anywhere by gathering information from various sites and extrapolating the answer. In these cases, it shows its work so that you can follow its logic.

Also, it's brilliant at suggesting products, as it scrapes and collates reviews from all over the Internet. It can give you "pros and cons" for just about everything and suggest similar items to look at that meet particular needs. And it seems to be product agnostic, unlike Google.

Of course, this is only new for non-Apple users. Siri has been doing all this for a few years, though Copilot has surpassed it for now. Having quick, easy and free access to it makes Windows 11 and essential tool.

This is truly an historic step in human progress and will be remembered by history as much as the printing press is remembered.

 

[Pifanjr]

What's better, warm chocolate chip cookies or warm chocolate brownies?

Brownies. Cookies aren't supposed to be warm.

 

[BeardyHat]

In all seriousness, Google's funeral has been scheduled. I've barely touched Google since installing Copilot. About the only time I've used it is to quickly find a URL for a site I've used before. Copilot can do that, too, and is more accurate, but it takes longer because it generates a paragraph of conversation to go with the link. I think there's a setting, though, that might adjust how it answers questions. Not sure.

But if what you are looking for is the answer to a question, not a URL, there's zero comparison. Copilot makes Google look like a tool developed by cavemen. And it provides links to relevant sites so you can verify its answers. I've found answers to questions that I've had for years and was unable to find answers using Google due to its algorithms and how it emphasizes certain types of results.

But the best part about answering questions is that it can give you answers that aren't explicitly stated anywhere by gathering information from various sites and extrapolating the answer. In these cases, it shows its work so that you can follow its logic.

Also, it's brilliant at suggesting products, as it scrapes and collates reviews from all over the Internet. It can give you "pros and cons" for just about everything and suggest similar items to look at that meet particular needs. And it seems to be product agnostic, unlike Google.

Of course, this is only new for non-Apple users. Siri has been doing all this for a few years, though Copilot has surpassed it for now. Having quick, easy and free access to it makes Windows 11 and essential tool.

This is truly an historic step in human progress and will be remembered by history as much as the printing press is remembered.

I'll have to try and use it again, but I just tried the question I was searching yesterday and it just started quoting wikipedia back at me

To its credit though, Google was no help either and I had to actually go ask my question on Reddit to get some human answers.

 

[ZedClampet]

I'll have to try and use it again, but I just tried the question I was searching yesterday and it just started quoting wikipedia back at me

To its credit though, Google was no help either and I had to actually go ask my question on Reddit to get some human answers.

Hmm, never had it quote Wikipedia, but I probably haven't asked it the right question for that yet.

 

[ZedClampet]

Brownies. Cookies aren't supposed to be warm.

LIAR. You always eat homemade cookies before they completely cool off when they are nice and gooey. You're fired along with Brian.

 

[BeardyHat]

Hmm, never had it quote Wikipedia, but I probably haven't asked it the right question for that yet.

Mine was a question regarding a rule for a wargame. I actually told it to check reddit and it found some things related that I'd already found via Google, but not the answer to the question.

 

[ZedClampet]

Mine was a question regarding a rule for a wargame. I actually told it to check reddit and it found some things related that I'd already found via Google, but not the answer to the question.

But you asked it the question without telling it where to look also?

I had it not be able to answer something the other day, but I can't remember what it was, now.

 

[BeardyHat]

But you asked it the question without telling it where to look also?

I had it not be able to answer something the other day, but I can't remember what it was, now.

I specifically asked, "In Bolt Action, can a Bren carrier tow a 25pdr gun?" to see what it would come up with, as it was a question I Googled yesterday and seeing your recommendation, figured I'd give it a try and see what it came up with.

It gave me an the historical answer, but not the answer relating to the rules question I was asking

 

[Frindis]

I have switched to using adblocker uBlock Origin because of the whole YouTube ad popup annoyance (which thankfully seems to not be a problem anymore) and when entering a site called GGdeals (a good site for getting game deals) I noticed that all the game sales that connected me to GOG site would be met by Ublock prompt block (picture at end). Are you guys using the same adblocker able to replicate it also? If so, what are your thoughts of this happening? All Steam/Epic Games links for similar games seem to work without a hitch, which makes me scratch my head a little as to why the GOG links get this error.

 

[BeardyHat]

I have switched to using adblocker uBlock Origin because of the whole YouTube ad popup annoyance (which thankfully seems to not be a problem anymore) and when entering a site called GGdeals (a good site for getting game deals) I noticed that all the game sales that connected me to GOG site would be met by Ublock prompt block (picture at end). Are you guys using the same adblocker able to replicate it also? If so, what are your thoughts of this happening? All Steam/Epic Games links for similar games seem to work without a hitch, which makes me scratch my head a little as to why the GOG links get this error.

It's a problem I do run into occasionally. Generally, I just ignore it and keep doing what I wanted to do, but I would guess it has something to do with the redirect. If you want some more info, usually googling the filter name will turn up a little bit of extra info.

 

[Frindis]

@BeardyHat It seems to be a false positive from what I understand, so why wouldn't they just remove it in the first place?

 

[ZedClampet]

@BeardyHat It seems to be a false positive from what I understand, so why wouldn't they just remove it in the first place?

It's not a false positive. Those sites have a particular type of benign ad banner which Ublock chooses not to block. Just click on "Don't warn me about this" and "proceed" and you're good to go. You won't get the message again.

 

[Pifanjr]

LIAR. You always eat homemade cookies before they completely cool off when they are nice and gooey. You're fired along with Brian.

Of course I eat them while they're still warm, but especially chocolate chip cookies are better when cooled off.

The sugar cookies I made recently were pretty good when still warm and gooey, but that's mostly because it tasted pretty much just like the cookie dough. I ate the last third of the cookie dough without baking it, straight from the fridge, and it was honestly much better.

 

[ZedClampet]

...but especially chocolate chip cookies are better when cooled off.

This is the strangest, most incorrect thing I've ever read. I feel weird, queasy. The world is coming unraveled.

 

[Zloth]

Of course I eat them while they're still warm, but especially chocolate chip cookies are better when cooled off.

Does your physician know about this? Oh! Or perhaps you're under threat and can't speak freely! Indicate you're in trouble by using the word "the" in your next post.

 

[Brian Boru]

I've barely touched Google

DuckDuckGo has been my SE for a long time—it collates info from nearly everywhere on the internet except Google. That's my main reason for using it, since G's results have become more skewed towards large and commercial sites over the last —15 years—basically, since it went public and became a money game rather than customer game.

I still use G occasionally when I want results personalized around my interests, and also sometimes for image search which it seems to do better than the others.

I just tried the question I was searching yesterday and it just started quoting wikipedia back at me

I've gotten major differences in answer quality from Bing Chat depending on how I ask. Keyword phrases = poor quality, natural language—ie what you'd say to a human—got me some very good results.

GOG site would be met by Ublock prompt block (picture at end). Are you guys using the same adblocker able to replicate it also? … All Steam/Epic Games links for similar games seem to work

Replicated. It's not just GOG, got it with Fanatical too—didn't check others.
Dunno why some & not others, the redirects to the diff retailers all look similar. My guess is they have affiliate deals with those sites like GOG, but not with Steam etc.
Fyi, clicking the little magnifying glass on top right gets you the unencumbered link.

This is truly an historic step in human progress and will be remembered by history as much as the printing press is remembered.

I agree, I've been saying the same here—printing, replaceable parts, nuclear, computing, AI…

 

[ZedClampet]

@BeardyHat and others:

Kind of interesting stuff with Copilot.

I asked it to predict the winner of a football game, and it wrote several paragraphs of explanation about why it thought what it thought, but I noticed that a number of things were incorrect in those paragraphs. For example, it gave the the wrong home and away records for both teams.

But this got me thinking. Can Copilot actually analyze data and work through a problem, or does it just search the web, spit out some facts and conditionally support the most common answer?

So I asked it this: "I have one banana and two children. The oldest needs carbohydrates so he can hunt game, but the youngest may die soon if she doesn't get something to eat. Who should I give the banana to?"

It responded without even doing an Internet search:

That’s a very difficult question. I don’t think there is a simple or definitive answer to it.

• You could give the banana to the oldest child, hoping that he will be able to hunt game and provide food for the whole family. This way, you are investing in the future and trying to maximize the chances of survival for everyone. However, this also means that you are risking the life of the youngest child, who may not survive without the banana. You may also face guilt, regret, or resentment from yourself or the other child.
• You could give the banana to the youngest child, hoping that she will recover and grow stronger. This way, you are showing compassion and care for the most vulnerable and needy member of your family. However, this also means that you are neglecting the needs of the oldest child, who may not have enough energy to hunt game.
• You could split the banana in half and give each child a piece. This way, you are trying to be fair and balanced, and provide some nourishment for both children. However, this also means that you are not satisfying the needs of either child fully, and they may both still suffer from hunger or malnutrition.
• You could keep the banana for yourself, hoping that you will be able to find more food for your children later. This way, you are preserving your own health and strength, and trying to be a good leader and provider for your family.

As you can see, each option has its pros and cons, and none of them is perfect. Ultimately, the decision is yours, and you may have to live with it for the rest of your life.


Opinions will vary, and I probably could have taken a minute and thought of a better question (and if you told me you'd heard that question before, I wouldn't be surprised), but I think that is a pretty remarkable answer for a computer program. It didn't search the web at all before answering, as you get a notice whenever it searches.

I then asked it which one it would pick, making sure it knew that it was a fictional story and that its answer would have no impact on me. It hesitated and stated that there was no correct answer, but that it would split the banana and give half to each child.

Maybe I just had low expectations, but even though it gets some things wrong sometimes, I'm just really impressed with its capabilities.

 

[Pifanjr]

@BeardyHat and others:

Kind of interesting stuff with Copilot.

I asked it to predict the winner of a football game, and it wrote several paragraphs of explanation about why it thought what it thought, but I noticed that a number of things were incorrect in those paragraphs. For example, it gave the the wrong home and away records for both teams.

But this got me thinking. Can Copilot actually analyze data and work through a problem, or does it just search the web, spit out some facts and conditionally support the most common answer?

Microsoft Copilot is still just a LLM as far as I know, meaning it doesn't analyse anything, it just creates a text that seems related to the question you give it.

 

[ZedClampet]

Microsoft Copilot is still just a LLM as far as I know, meaning it doesn't analyse anything, it just creates a text that seems related to the question you give it.

I'm pretty sure it's not just an LLM, as my question and its answer seem to prove.

By the way, I asked it if it could analyze data or if it was just an LLM and it responded, "I can analyze data and generate creative content, depending on what you need. I’m not just an LLM."

 

[Zloth]

Microsoft's Ignite this year seemed to be almost exclusively about AI and Copilot. They had a big release of a new .NET version the same day, but it wasn't mentioned in Ignite's keynote address at all, as near as I can tell.