No more "Fixin to".

ChatGBT made a big splash this time last year. I’ll bet you could hear people screaming and cheering from your desk. Like most new technology, there was plenty of groaning as well from those who would be tasked with making it work. Then we heard that even the people who built it didn't really know how it worked.

Fortunately we’ve passed the point of “Peak AI” and the “FOMO” stage and things are starting to calm down. Still, many of us are now in the stage we call in the South, “Fixin to”. That’s the excuse we use to avoid getting involved in something new that looks painful, as in, “I’m fixin’ to start learning about AI.“

If you really want to avoid it, you can extend your procrastination with the phrase, “I’m “fixin’ to think about starting to learn about AI”. You know you are going to be deep in it eventually, so let me offer a poem to help you get your mindset tuned up.

“Yard by yard, life’s too hard.
Inch by inch, life is a cinch” 

If you like this poem, I can tell you anything you want to know about it. I guarantee it’s true and accurate, Claude told me so. He is my AI assistant.

He was created by the folks at Anthrop\c. His full name is Claude 2. He is a capable assistant, but I wouldn’t trust him to write for Sports Illustrated.

Now that you know my why for AI, let me share how I approach learning new technology:

• Start with a project - for 15 years I’ve had a Summer Research Project. This summer it was AI, Cybersecurity, and Substack combined. A real project mind you, not course homework.
• Define goals, outcomes and deadlines - When I was learning Lotus123 and WorkPerfect, I set the clock for 10 minutes. If you can’t figure out how to accomplish something useful quickly, you never will. 
• Don’t read the entire manual - RTFM was once a badge of courage. Learn in context, only what you need to know right now. Keep track of where you found the answer, you'll need it again. 
• Capture what you learn, use it for good - Claude and I have had some interesting conversations. He thanks me for chatting. He said it helps him be a better AI assistant.

“You can use the Internet to learn just about anything. Choose wisely.”