Brian Houser

Technologist, writer, philosopher, teacher, learner. Not necessarily in that order. So there.

[Brian Houser @bhouser]

@thsottiaux Auto mode for model and effort/reasoning level selection. It should automatically choose the optimal balance of quality and cost and my only choice should be speed.

[Brian Houser @bhouser]

Lots of ongoing chatter about 5.6 Sol sucking down Codex tokens too fast. I'm having good results switching to Terra Medium after the initial design & build. Not much slower and much more efficient token use.

[Brian Houser @bhouser]

@xikhar Yeah, I really wish these would be banked resets.

[Brian Houser @bhouser]

@MatthewBerman @thsottiaux Like I should take the weekend off. It's been a crazy couple of weeks...

[Brian Houser @bhouser]

ChatGPT Work helps me turn scattered ideas and source files into finished work. On a recent novel, it helped organize the story bible, track continuity across chapters, and support revision without losing the arc. Feels less like prompting a chatbot and more like sharing a desk.

[Brian Houser @bhouser]

@strimblez My Codex prompt: Unlimited quota for the next 5 days. Knowing what you do about me, choose 5 projects you know would benefit me and create detailed independent tasks for them and tell them to begin and continue until completed. If those 5 projects complete, choose 5 more.

[Brian Houser @bhouser]

GPT-5.6 Sol makes Codex feel less like a coding assistant and more like a team. I asked an app project to coordinate with a separate task that knew my production server. They exchanged context and deployed the app—without me re-explaining the infrastructure. @OpenAI

[Brian Houser @bhouser]

If the current approach begins requiring repeated retries, broad exploration, or architectural decisions, stop and recommend reassessing the model or reasoning level rather than continuing to consume quota.

[Brian Houser @bhouser]

With the 5.6 model release, I'm having some decision fatigue deciding on the optimal model for Codex/Work tasks. Disappointed it doesn't automatically choose the most efficient model & effort. I added this custom instruction to help:

[Brian Houser @bhouser]

Optimize for the expected total credits required to reach a correct, verified result—not minimum reasoning on each individual step.

[Brian Houser @bhouser]

I'm intrigued enough by the new @PerplexityComet browser to still be using it but my patience is running out each time it asks me to make it my default browser--which seems to be about every half hour. Why can't it understand I'm not convinced enough to take that step?

[Brian Houser @bhouser]

I just published Playlist: the most underrated song from each of the top 100 albums https://t.co/RgBPCuOnOr

[Brian Houser @bhouser]

@darwintojesus Consent is mandatory in relationships
Don’t discriminate based on race or gender
Protect children from harm
Wait your turn in line
Don’t text and drive

God didn’t give us these and yet we all agree they are important moral principles. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[Brian Houser @bhouser]

@darwintojesus Morality doesn’t need God—just empathy and reason. We don’t need a divine command to know murder is wrong, just like we don’t need Zeus to fear lightning. Millions of secular people live ethical lives every day, guided by conscience, not commandments.

[Brian Houser @bhouser]

@elonmusk A country isn’t just its people—it’s also its land. Geography defines borders, resources, climate, and strategic position. Without land, there’s no territory to govern, defend, or build upon. People matter, but without geography, there’s no country to call home.

[Brian Houser @bhouser]

I just published Lament for a Lost Marketplace https://t.co/55PFkRXEkx