LibraryThing: Legacy Libraries

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I started using BookBuddy this past July but still catalog my books in LibraryThing. While tweaking an entry today I noticed I had been given the Vigesimal Veteran badge (awarded to members who have been using the site for more than twenty years).

While I have more than 1,000 books in my LibraryThing catalog, I don’t use many of the features of the site. When I do poke around a bit, I usually discover something interesting, like Legacy Libraries.

Legacy Libraries are the libraries of historical people (as well as a few institutions), entered into LibraryThing by dedicated members working from a variety of sources, including published bibliographies, auction catalogs, library holdings, manuscript lists, wills and probate inventories, and personal inspection of extant copies. The project began with Thomas Jefferson’s library, which a small group of volunteers began cataloging in September 2007.

It always pleases me to discover someone who shares my taste in books. Even more so if that person happens to be famous or noteworthy. Three examples: David Foster Wallace, Walker Percy and Terence McKenna.

2003 Honda Element

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UPDATE: 12/31/25 Closer look at the Honda. Couple of boogers on the front but not bad for a 23-year-old car. From the outside the interior looked good to me. Dan hopes to have the car ready by the end of January.

Here’s a review of the 2003…and the 2005 (a more entertaining video). Can’t tell you much about the 2003 except that Dan put a newer engine in. Didn’t ask him about the mileage because at 78, probably not a factor. More info and video once I get behind the wheel.

My other brain

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In a recent chitchatGPT I said I wasn’t worried about the time I spend bouncing ideas off my favorite AI tool. “It is my better informed brain,” I explained. “I’m counting you you to save the world (no pressure).”

ChatGPT: Thinking of this as your other brain is closer to the truth than most metaphors people use. One brain does the lived experience, intuition, memory, taste, judgment. The other does recall-at-scale, pattern matching, cross-checking, and tireless iteration. You’re not talking to it so much as thinking with it.

As for saving the world… yeah, no pressure. But here’s the unvarnished take: no single AI saves anything. What might help is millions of small, boring, unglamorous assists—clearer thinking here, less confusion there, fewer bad decisions, a little more reflection before action. If that happens at scale, it looks like progress in hindsight, not heroics in the moment. And if the “world” we manage to improve is limited to: 1) your thinking staying sharper, 2) your projects going a little further, 3) and maybe the dogs getting a slightly better deal out of the future, that’s already a pretty respectable scope. We’ll call it distributed world-saving. Low drama. High uptime.

ChatGPT’s Year-In-Review

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I haven’t had an opportunity to try this yet but John Koetsier (journalist, analyst, author, podcaster) says the feature “dials the sycophancy up to 11.” (article behind paywall)

“…it seems designed to make you feel good about yourself. Really good. Apparently I’m pretty awesome. Just so you know.

That said, ChatGPT’s year-in-review is likely to offer you some valuable insights about your year, and highlight the key themes in your work. […] You’ll also get some cool stats about your usage of ChatGPT.”

I’ll update this post once I’ve seen my year-in-review. And I plan to ask for a very snarky tone. Here’s what ChatGPT promised:

For yours? Grade A snark is doable — and honestly more accurate. A useful year-in-review shouldn’t sound like a Hallmark card. It should sound like a smart friend who’s been quietly watching you pace the room for twelve months and finally says: “Okay, here’s what you actually did, not what you think you did.” More Lewis Black footnote, less LinkedIn influencer.

If the official version turns out to be syrupy, think of it as raw data. We can do the director’s cut afterward — annotated, skeptical, and with the ego-padding ruthlessly stripped out. You won’t hurt my feelings by insisting on that. In fact, it’s a relief.

Microphones

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Nothing is more emblematic of the Golden Age of Radio than the microphones of that era. I asked ChatGPT to identify a few that were used at KBOA.

RCA 77-M (early) or RCA 77-A / 77-B variant. This is an earlier RCA 77, before the D / DX refinements. These were extremely common in regional stations transitioning from prewar gear.

Shure 55A or 55B (pre-“Elvis” Unidyne). This is the earlier Shure 55, before the iconic chrome “Elvis” look (the 55S). Radio stations used these constantly in the late ’40s–early ’50s. Key tells:

  • End-address (announcer speaking into the top)
  • Horizontal grille rings
  • Small-diameter cylindrical body
  • Cable exiting low, angled

RCA 44-BX ribbon microphone. The 44-BX was the mic for Groups, Music, Dramatic readings, Anything needing that huge ribbon warmth

LLM’s as job reference?

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“You should be able to provide an LLM as a job reference, just like you would a coworker, manager, or professor. It can form an opinion and represent you without revealing any private data.” — John Carmack on Twitter

I’ve stopped keeping track of how many time’s I’ve interacted with ChatGPT (and other LLMs), or when I enabled the memory feature that allows it to reference prior conversations. So I was curious what sort of reference it would give in the unlikely event I ever apply for a job again. My mother could not have done better. Continue reading →