What I’m doing here is trying to figure out some benchmarking tests to rate all the AI systems out there. The “application” I’m using is Dungeons & Dragons, in particular, having it be a Dungeon Master. Today, I tested out one of the more difficult parts of D&D, combat. There’s a stack of rules, and then crossed with different monsters, player abilities, terrain, etc., there’s a ton of combinations and possibilities.

Here’s an overview of the prompt I’m currently using to play D&D with ChatGPT: In my mind, I’ve got as new talk that evaluates several of the AIs out there based on how well they can play Dungeons and Dragons. After using ChatGPT for about a year, I have first hand experience that makes all the hype - good and negative - seems a lot less amazing. ChatGPT is practical, it’s quick, fun, and even creative.

There is already a delightful article on all this, but… If I needed some kind of thesis or dissertation, how about the roll of alcohol in Wes Anderson movies. How is it used as a plot device, character motivation, and just overall establishing the Wes Anderson feel. The rat in The Fantastic Mr. Fox is motivated by “cider,” it’s what made kept him going - an alcoholic. Mr. Fox makes a rash celebratory toast after, as he says, having had too much to drink already.

“They say all foxes are slightly allergic to linoleum, but it's cool to the paw, try it.” Enshittification considerificatedThis week’s Software Defined Talk, episode 451: How does anyone use the Internet? This week, we discuss what “enshittification” is, what causes it, and whether it can be prevented. Plus, stay tuned until the end to hear the Software Defined Talk origin story. (Sadly, we made no 451 Research references.) Relative to your interestsEnterprise developers: what they do, where, and how - Highlights for a recent survey of developer types.

The “p” in IDP is for portal, not platform. Photo from Craig I, 2009.I think about this headstone often. It’s a well known, eye-rolling cliché is that, of course, he meant to let art flow through you effortlessly. He was, after all, a poet. For those of us who can’t just pour the muse out of a bottle, there’s something more to “Don’t Try.” And that is: stick to what you’re good at.

Tell me the last new condiment you tried that you didn’t like. Developer ProductivityOne of my co-workers worked at Uber for awhile on their internal developer tools and platforms. In this week’s Tanzu Talk episode, Cora and I talk to him about what they did, why, and how as well. Check out the video below, or the podcast episode if you prefer that. Relative to your interestsPitchfork & The Death of the critic - Death of the critic?

All Talk, No ToolsI like heuristics you can use to figure out what’s “really” going on at work (well, in any system, I guess). When it comes to Big Change, one of the heuristics I like to use is to ask if the organization is using new tools. My colleague Bryan Ross has a new post up on using this test. For example, if you’re in some big digital transformation initiative - like migrating to cloud, converting your app dev style to cloud native, getting more agile/DevOps/platform engineering - are you using new tools?

… I implore you to click on the video above because I live for the views, but if you (like me!) can’t stand video, here is the transcript: Synergies is actually a very useful precise word in the business world but it gets overused and it's not well understood. What it means is that if you combine two or more things together, you gain a capability that they didn't have on their own.

This year we’ll see a lot app platform teams struggle to get developers to actually use and appreciate their platforms. I know this because this has happened to every platform team I’ve talked with over the 9 years when they’ve put Cloud Foundry in place, failed to appreciate the “Kubernetes is not for developers” paradox, and are now putting “platform engineering” platforms in place. The solution is marketing and developer advocacy, and good old fashioned trust building.

Upgrade That Spring!If you do Spring stuff in a large enterprise, you should check this thing out. Relative to your interestsAI for Economists - Some prompt formations and stuff for the ChatGPT and friends. Signs that it’s time to leave a company - Attempts to get people back in the office are something to watch in 2024: “I do think there’s lessons to be learned, and that the delusion that they can roll back work from home and enforce RTO without killing off innovation is a big problem that will increasingly hurt them over time.