Peanuts In My Pocket

When I walked into our shared office space this morning, my wife looked up at me and said, “I’m learning Python.” I smiled and asked a series of questions about why she was doing so and what she thought she would get from the experience. Her answers were telling and reinforce why we’ve been together these last 44 years. She’s learning Python because she read about an AI-enabled training course and was interested in experiencing an AI-enabled learning environment. I think she would have learned to play the drums or pilot a ship if it had been offered. She loves learning just as much as I do, though we approach it in different ways.

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My wife just looked over at me and said, “I just made a program to ask ChatGPT for a song recommendation based on three variables!” Before I know it, my wife will be starting a new career at age 63 as an AI Prompt Engineer. I can see it happening because that’s how learning works for her. She learns and masters things with ease. Of course, it helps that she is brilliant.

One of my favorite quotes is by Robert A. Heinlein:

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

I think being a generalist, even in a specialized field, is the best approach to learning. I used that in my professional career to become a mile wide and a mile deep in my specialty, which was manufacturing systems. But it goes beyond that now that I am retired. I’m a true generalist these days. Learning new things is a big part of my day, but I have a plan.

When I retired, I set myself a goal of writing a book. The key thing here is the writing part. I have little interest in publishing a book at this time, but I greatly desire to build a fictional world and tell a compelling story. What I learned as I started is that, despite my graduate degree, I do not write well. So I broke it down into smaller learning goals. One of these goals is this blog. Another was exploring AI to help guide me to better writing. Both approaches are working.

I write a draft and then edit using a guide developed from feedback received from an AI’s analysis of my writing. In short, I ask an AI to read and then highlight my mistakes, grouping them in a way that allows me to better understand my weaknesses. My mistakes are grouped by Spelling and Grammar, Conciseness and Clarity, Word Choice, and Readability.

Under Spelling and Grammar, I’ve developed a list of my top 15 errors, with number one being confusing word tenses. I am constantly muddling the message by changing tenses in a sentence or paragraph. I’m better at it now, thankfully, but it takes a lot of work to make small improvements.

The feedback for this post was 11 mistakes, which is down from an average of 25. My writing is improving. That is the point.

The AI-image prompt used for today’s post is: Create a warm, cartoon-style illustration of an older couple sitting in a cozy home office, each engaged in their learning journey. One person is focused on a computer screen, displaying Python code and AI elements like neural networks and digital interfaces, while the other is writing in a notebook with a stack of books titled ‘Creative Writing’ and ‘Storytelling.’ The room is filled with a mix of modern and vintage elements, like a typewriter, a globe, and a bookshelf overflowing with various subjects, symbolizing a love for learning. Use soft, inviting colors to convey a sense of curiosity and continuous growth.