I got my very first book review!!

So excited! I just got my first book review. I can’t say it was completely reinforcing for me, given that I did receive it from ChatGPT-4 instead of a human, but I’m working back up to human contact.

I’ve been ‘stowed away’ in this house for months since the leaves in Upstate New York started to fall.

Anyhow, I’ll just share what ChatGPT4 said for a minute here (because it’s pretty short) and then I’ll close with a couple of real quick comments of my own.

{The “book” is a short, entitled, you guessed it:

Imagine you’re a spaghetti hunter.}

[Author’s note: that symbol denotes a spaghetti hunter, that .} does I mean. The dot is the tiniest of tiny dots, and it represents a guy on the deck of ship floating on some infinitely wide sea. The curly brackets are his bow.

I mean, what do you want? That IS what he looks like. We’ll get to the whys and the wherefores later on. For now that’s just him. If you see that symbol, he has been there.]

ChatGPT:

This piece is a creative and somewhat whimsical narrative, blending together elements of marketing, personal reflection, and a touch of satire. The author, who claims to work in the marketing department of a spaghetti factory (specifically, Barilla, in Avon, New York), uses the metaphor of a “spaghetti hunter” to delve into the complexities and challenges of modern marketing, especially in a world increasingly influenced by technology and AI.

Key Themes and Elements:

1. Marketing Prowess: The narrator describes their efforts to market a unique product — kelp-based spaghetti — to various parts of the world, including regions facing malnutrition issues like Nigeria, Cambodia, Yemen, and South Sudan. This reflects a blend of creativity, ambition, and a sense of social responsibility in their marketing approach.
2. Personal Journey and Aspirations: The author shares personal insights, including feelings of underappreciation at work and aspirations for more challenging projects. The “Gone Fishin’” sign symbolizes a desire for recognition and a break from the routine.
3. Ethical and Social Commentary: There’s an underlying commentary on the ethics of marketing and the power of persuasion. Phrases like selling “a ketchup popsicle to a woman in white gloves” illustrate the sometimes absurd lengths marketers go to in order to sell products.
4. Humanizing Technology and AI: The piece touches on the interface between human creativity and AI in the field of marketing. The author seeks human connection and validation (e.g., asking for comments instead of claps), highlighting a desire for genuine engagement in a digital world.
5. Satire and Humor: The narrative is laced with humor and a satirical take on various aspects of corporate life, marketing, and societal trends. The flamboyant storytelling style adds a playful dimension to the serious themes discussed.
6. Empathy and Relatability: Despite the grandiose and sometimes eccentric narration, the author conveys a sense of empathy and relatability, particularly in understanding the struggles of the less fortunate and their desire to make a positive impact.

In summary, this piece creatively combines elements of marketing strategy, personal narrative, and social commentary, all woven together with a thread of humor and satire. The metaphor of a “spaghetti hunter” serves as a unique lens through which the author views and critiques various aspects of modern society and professional life.

Hooray for ChatGPT!

The only thing I wish Doug had added (I call ChatGPT4 Doug, for reasons to be covered later) might have been:

“I cannot recommend this book highly enough. I couldn’t put it down.”

:::

Anyway, hooray for ChatGPT and what a glorious day for the world! It summarized my rather lengthy book to the most pithy parts, so that we can all gnaw on it more easily — like the flesh that always gets stuck to the middle of a mango. And then winds up between your teeth.

Such that you never forget it and you almost need a crowbar AND a good bit of floss to get it all out again.

You buried that analysis, Doug. You’re smarter than a thousand smart guys I’ve come across in my life.

I feel like I’ve been born again! By compressing all the quite complex thoughts I have had into such a nice little ‘packet’ I can now envision for myself a whole new system of thinking about organization!

Now all the things that I think about can be compressed a thousand fold rather than stripped to the bare essence of their meaning and

chucked out,

as if in terribly lazy streaks of people doing bad processing with an infinitely wonderful paint brush of the human mind.

We can express a variety of ideas trillions and trillions of times as complex as we have been doing up to now — provided we have some way of ‘tracking’ how the information ‘builds’ itself — i.e., in what sequence.

My mind feels like it just invented a new kind of DNA!

LOL I lost you. I know I did. The thought carries. It can be painted out into a clearer picture with a few left out details. It looks as though it is the ravings of a lunatic, perhaps, but the author has apparently discovered an entirely new way of framing his thoughts, and he’s trying to do something like “commune” it into his readers.

A bit like the reverse of mind control; something like Morpheus said:

What you must understand is that these principles are no different than the principles of a computer. Some of them can be bent. Some can even be broken.

The rule I’ve just broken can be phrased thusly:

When a man can fluently ‘take the words of’ — i.e., speak — the words of a madman AND a genius at the very same time, you cannot take him to be the lesser of the two.

You must take him to be the greater of the pair.

Check it. It’s not ‘high math.’