of developers just not thinking

So I type some text and save it, as is my wont. It's dynamite, of course. Then I close the file as I have other stuff running, filling text editor (Kate) tabs.

Later, I come up with addendums, additions, changes, and more (it's a poem, see) so I go "Open Recent", but hey Kate developers, guess what?

It's not there.

Can I please slowly and LOUDLY re-state right here that the document I just imagined and created and saved and will probably want to dive into multiple times in the very near future IS NOT-THE-FUCK THERE!", in my "Recent Documents". That document from less that five minutes ago.

Yes, thank you, you coder who knows how to make a list of 12 into a list of 100-that-needs-scrolling-before-you-realise-what-order-it's-going-in, but still doesn't include the document that fulfills the first of your menu criteria: RECENT!

Some shite from three weeks ago. Boom! Got it. That thing that I was recently working on. No. Fuck off.

See, this is "recently opened documents". Not recent documents.

Oh, I see. That's brilliant. I'm sure someone's auntie twice-removed will appreciate that. WHAT THE FUCK!

And Boom! There's another instance of me not being able to be in more than one place at the same time (I think I was getting browser developers to use and respect multiple tabs at that particular time)..

So, we have "recently opened documents" instead of "recent documents". Sorry.

I mean, doing is what we do, creating, isn't it? Not "re-opening". Or whatever.

Can everyone who uses these offending apps, like Kate, please bug their authors (or however you report bugs these day) and fix this.

Or I may have been elsewhere missing my opportunity to put "Scotland" into the drop-down of "Countries".

Everywhere-at-once, like the Heart Of Gold.
How do I code this?

Chat GPT!!!*

;o)


references:
* Me: Do you have code that can turn my ESP32 device into a time-machine?

Chat GPT: I'm sorry, but as an AI language model, I don't have access to your ESP32 device, nor do I have the ability to create code for it. However, I can provide you with some guidance on how to program your ESP32 to perform certain tasks related to time and time travel.

To turn your ESP32 device into a time machine, you would need to program it to perform various functions related to time. Here are some steps you could take to get started:

Set up the time on your ESP32: The first step in creating a time machine is to set up the time on your device. You can use the built-in RTC (Real-Time Clock) module on the ESP32 to keep track of the time.

Create a time-traveling program: To create a program that can travel through time, you would need to use various sensors and actuators to control your environment. For example, you could program your ESP32 to turn on and off lights, change the temperature, or adjust the humidity level based on the time.

Use internet time sources: You can use the internet to get the current time, and even synchronize your ESP32 clock with a time server. This will ensure that your time machine is always accurate.

Use NTP protocol: The Network Time Protocol (NTP) can be used to synchronize your ESP32's clock with an accurate time source. This will ensure that your time machine is always accurate.

Create a user interface: You could create a user interface for your time machine using a touchscreen display or a web interface. This would allow you to input a desired time and control the various functions of your time machine.

While creating a time machine is a complex task that requires expertise in programming and electronics, the ESP32 has many features that make it well-suited for this task. With the right skills and tools, you can turn your ESP32 device into a time machine that can travel through time and control your environment.

ChatGPT.. Resistance is futile!

So, I gave in and started a chat with the ChatGPT..

And okay, it won't ever be "thinking" or "sentient" or anything like that but Holy Moly! It certainly is handy!

I think I just witnessed the beginning of the end of the Search Engine Era. How fun!

First we exchanged ideas about whether code can be poetry or art, and vice-versa. Output not bad for a big-data-algorithm; certainly better than anything you would get at the local after 11pm.

Then I asked about some ESP32-related stuff and was able to correct ChatGPT a couple of times as we went along. Fair enough. It had misunderstood the technical documentation but now got the lingo and assured me that future queries along these lines would be more accurate. Okay!

But what piqued my interest was when we started talking code. I asked if CG could find a way to improve on a function I wrote, and while it could not (though it did instantly recognised that I was using Arduino "Strings"), its response to my next question; "So, how would I do this using C-strings?", as well as its perfectly-formed answer (IT STYLES CODE LIKE ME! NAH NAH NAH NAH NAH FUCKERS!!!! See! That's where the curly braces go!), got me asking one simple question..

How long would it have taken me to find that on Google?


And the answer is; as I know from experience; in the 20m-infinity region. ChatGPT had already done all that "Googling" and just spat it out. Good code. And with proper comments.

So yup, for a great many search queries It's (in the Python style) ...

Goodbye Google

;o)

ESP32

So, the eldest says, "I want to build robots".

Like any half-decent parent I hit Google that night with a vengeance and came out with one overriding thought.. "Microcontrollers".

See, I'm old-school. When I want a tech thing done I build it from scratch. Well, you know, nothing is from scratch; as Carl Sagan said..

If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe

But scratch-ish. I've built amps, PSUs, effects pedals, loads of shit; designed and etched the PCBs, soldered on the components. I once gave a girl an effects pedal for her birthday, hand-made, and she said it was the best present she ever got. So..

Microcontrollers. They make all that shit obsolete.

The last time I etched a PCB was decades ago. Since then I've tended towards "just buying shit" because the whole building electronics things is way too time-consuming to run alongside adulting.

Don't get me wrong; I've had ideas for a dozen "gadgets"; things I'd like to experiment with or install around the house; thinking things that respond to me and what I'm up to. But then I think of the electronics involved and move on in life. *sigh*. I was somehow too busy to notice the advent of consumer-focused Microcontrollers. OMFG!

Microcontrollers existed in "industry" for years before some bright spark (Wiki:Arduino) thought about putting one on a PCB that instead had NO specific function! That stuff, is up to you. The importance of this gestalt shift cannot be overstated.

Everything is now happening in software.*

The board has connectors for all the chip's pins so you can attach *things* to it; myriad sensors, touch, data, whatever; INPUT, and same again on the OUTPUT; speakers, screens, LCD readouts, whatever you need.

I feel like I'm not entirely getting my point across here. I cracked a couple of ribs last night and the pain is interfering with my language skills. That and the pain-killers.

What I'm saying is that these days you can go straight from imagining a thing to having a thing in the time it takes to attach a few components to a breadboard, grab the code off the internet and upload the "sketch" to your board. Boom! Assuming the code exists. And if it doesn't, well, write it.

By board I mean most any ESP32 module. And by write it, I mean, I did..

ESP32 Signal Generator for Sine, Square and Triangle Waves.
With serial and web control, memory presets and more..



Why ESP32?

Imagine an Arduino board but WAY faster with WAY more memory as well as WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities. And then imagine that you can buy it for around £2 on AliExpress (My Happy Place), which you can. Madness!

Want to build a wee robot that you can control from your tablet or phone?

Is why.

;o)

references:
* Which as you know, is the place I like best.

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