@tante You actually ARE extra capable using a coding assist, or finding vulns via AI... it's not an imaginary or unmeasureable state. And AFAIK it's having zero effect on my lungs.

Still I agree the current way things are, where there's no equivalent self-hostable system right now, it's a serious problem.

It's not simply it's essentially being forced to use proprietary systems, it's also that those systems are under US control, run on your actual (FOSS or not) machine over the internet.

"The basic strategy of all addictive technologies is very simple. They make you feel extra capable, they addict you, then they make you feel inadequate without them."

(Original title: How to smoke)

How to smoke

I used to love to smoke. If it weren’t for the whole lung cancer, emphysema, death thing, would you recommend smoking?

(buttondown.com)

"The basic strategy of all addictive technologies is very simple. They make you feel extra capable, they addict you, then they make you feel inadequate without them."

(Original title: How to smoke)

How to smoke

I used to love to smoke. If it weren’t for the whole lung cancer, emphysema, death thing, would you recommend smoking?

(buttondown.com)

"The basic strategy of all addictive technologies is very simple. They make you feel extra capable, they addict you, then they make you feel inadequate without them."

(Original title: How to smoke)

How to smoke

I used to love to smoke. If it weren’t for the whole lung cancer, emphysema, death thing, would you recommend smoking?

(buttondown.com)

@tante You actually ARE extra capable using a coding assist, or finding vulns via AI... it's not an imaginary or unmeasureable state. And AFAIK it's having zero effect on my lungs.

Still I agree the current way things are, where there's no equivalent self-hostable system right now, it's a serious problem.

It's not simply it's essentially being forced to use proprietary systems, it's also that those systems are under US control, run on your actual (FOSS or not) machine over the internet.

@hopeless
its affecting *someones* lungs
https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2026-04-28/living-in-hell-data-center-neighbors-grapple-with-noise-air-pollution

also i have yet to see some proof of ai making you more capable at coding
@tante

@marmeladenbaguette @tante

> its affecting *someones* lungs

Yes it's not good. I would much rather run local LLM from solar like everything else in my house. But I can't find a competitive local solution to Gemini 3.1 Pro.

> also i have yet to see some proof

I didn't get the memo that anything I do depends on your opinion? Please bear in mind I never heard of you until a moment ago.

You're welcome to keep coping with the idea coding assists don't work and I am just an inveterate liar.

@hopeless
if you are'nt interested in other peoples replies get a website
@tante

@marmeladenbaguette @tante

I took your comment about the lung situation seriously, it is a reasonable point.

Please help me understand how you would reply to stranger demanding that you "prove" something to them, that you think would "show interest in [their] replies"? Just say, "no"?

@tante some thoughts, from me, a rando.
First, the Tobacco lobby is still very powerful. Where do you think all the young people vaping came from? This may be more a UK problem, I don't know - but I think it's international.

That's not what gaslighting is but I get the gist.

A big thing I miss from California is the noticable lack of people smoking in public. Our ban didn't come in til 2007, and we've just passed a landmark bill that means people born after 2009 cannot be sold tobacco legally. So there's some progress.

Maybe it's because I watched my dad's smoking-caused cancers eat him from the inside out, but I don't find pics of people with smoky sticks hanging out their mouths to be cool. Never did I don't think. My whole house stank (he smoked inside). I stank. The dog stank (and, having been white, went an ugly creamy brown). My console cables stank.
The smell is absolutely one of the worst things and more smokers should know this.

So yes, yes to this. Yes to changing norms.