Oh, I couldn't figure that out. Instead, I counted "How many new thoughts did I note down?" as a proxy for quantity -- but certainly not quality. So

In 2023, each month, I changed my environment to see if it would impact my way of thinking. I ran 12 experiments. 8 succeeded.

As expected, changing the people in my environment (i.e. meeting new people) had the biggest impact on diversity in thoughts.

What surprised me was changing work places, e.g. libraries, had as much impact. Seeing new books & people was thought-provoking.

New gadgets had a surprisingly powerful impact too -- letting me cycle in the rain, breeze through airport security, or plan meetings to the second.

I summarized this year's experiments in changing environments in a blog post. Read on -- and please let me know if you have suggestions!

https://lnkd.in/gywRVQ8s

It does follow the instructions quite often. I've seen it veer away a bit on occasion, but that's less than one in 5 times. (Of course, my evaluation is subjective.)

If I find it needs extra prompting, I add more emphasis (e.g. "NEVER apologize") or repetition ("NEVER apologize. NEVER") or emotional blackmail ("My career depends on this.") The last is actually proven to work 🙂

I add these to the custom instructions in ChatGPT, one per line. You can access that via the 3 dots next to your name when you log in. Then these act like a starting prompt for ALL future conversations.

I speak with ChatGPT ~20 times a day. That’s more than I speak with most of my colleagues. ChatGPT is clearly my favorite team member.

I conduct reviews with my colleagues on how to communication in code and words. With ChatGPT Custom Instructions, I can do something similar - guide ChatGPT on how to work better with me.

Currently, I have 10 custom instructions. They evolved over time and will continue to evolve.

Here's the list, along with the story behind each.

https://lnkd.in/gAEiYVkb

I stopped writing code.

When ChatGPT is able to do something basic that existed for 18 years, which I'm not aware of after 15 years of learning, it's time to admit defeat and embrace AI as the default option.

https://lnkd.in/e9rt3ah8

In 2012, I started Gramener with half a dozen friends.

Today, we were acquired by Straive.

I feel like the father of the bride.

Gramener was registered on 26 Feb. A day before my daughter’s birthday.

I’ve spent more time with Gramener than my daughter. That makes Gramener my elder child.

Who’s moving into a new household. Along with me. (I feel like சகலகலா சம்மந்தி.)

Wish me luck!

https://lnkd.in/geDbMT28

I was at Cream Centre with my father on a Sunday afternoon. We’d finished a light lunch and were debating dessert. (He has triglycerides. I have cholesterol.) This was my fifth visit this year, and I had abstained so far. I couldn’t any longer.

I ordered a Sizzling Brownie Sundae. But not for reasons you might think.

Read on for my guide on the art of scraping food...

https://lnkd.in/gPNx2CaQ

My PyCon talks are a way for me to learn. I usually pick topics I don't know about.

But at PyCon India 2023 the organizers picked "Programming Minecraft with Python" - a talk I'd given before. So, I started exploring ways to game it.

(I like gaming things. It's boring otherwise. Once, Infosys had me write a 400-page document. I began each page with a letter that spells out a poem.)

Sanjeev Sehgal and I were discussing Hasbro Gaming Studios and how Gramener could help with Gen AI, which gave me an idea.

What if AI could generate code to play Minecraft?

So welcome to JNTU Hyderabad at 11 am tomorrow for "AI Coding & Gaming: Programming Minecraft with Python". I've no idea what'll happen 🙂

https://lnkd.in/gctxvh_Z

Ashwini Mathur and I are conducting a webinar on the impact of LLMs in Pharma. It's online at 10 am Eastern on Mon Sep 11.

Simon Willison described LLMs as alien technology we're still discovering. I couldn't agree more - and it helps to see it from different perspectives. So, we're pairing the tech research at Gramener with the domain research Ashwini Mathur is doing at Novartis to explore the good, the bad, and the surprising uses of generative AI.

https://lnkd.in/gcTuXYuB

Last week, I was at IIT Madras for lunch with the faculty.

The dessert was carrot halwa with ice cream. I scraped the last bits with my spoon, but a little ice cream was left over.

I was torn. I CAN’T POSSIBLY waste it. But can I lick it? In public?

As it turns out, I have a simple rule to get the best of both worlds. Read on...

Yes, my casual reading does go down when I read more books. Podcasts, for example. If I fall short, though, I just read a few comics or short stories to compensate. But that's how I discovered The Paper Menagerie, which was one of the best stories I read last year. So, worked out quite well 🙂

Best of luck, Jessica! I find that a no-regret approach works really well.

That's a good point. One of my resolutions this year it to change my environment, and books are a part of that too.

Singapore has a good selection of libraries. I'll explore a few genres I've never read before. Thanks for the nudge, Vishwam Sirikonda Kontham

Ah, Sanderson is amazing. I think of him as the Michael Crichton of fantasy. Extremely varied in his style of writing and topics. Very mature thinking, but conveyed simply enough for a child (and child-safe too). It's hard to compare him with Tolkien, but in my opinion, he's the best of this generation (with the possible exception of Patrick Rothfuss, if he ever gets to completing his third book.)

Thanks, Lokesh! I'll be sure to check Awe out.

A big enabler was that I started walking 10K steps a day 4 years ago. I got bored and started on audiobooks. Since then, it's been easy 🙂

I read 52 #books in 2022.

The best #nonfiction was Victor Frankl's Man's search for meaning. It’s 75 years old, timeless, and shows how feelings and environment are independent.

The best #fiction was Ken Liu's The Paper Menagerie. I cried all the way from the beach to home. The skies joined me. It’s short and touching.

Brief #reviews of the better books I read are below.

https://lnkd.in/g5xTcTdK

And THIS is impact. Thanks for making MY 2022 an amazing year, Tanvi Bansal !

And THIS is impact. Thanks for making MY 2022 an amazing year, Tanvi Bansal !