Michael James Caughill

Writer, father, husband. I’m a contrarian. Unless you call me one, then…no I’m not.

[Michael James Caughill @caughill]

The problem is if AI can write code, it can make programs that can replace a ton of other professions.

[Ben Horne @benjamin_horne]

As a programmer, I don't think this is far off from what's actually happening.

For reasons that now feel overdetermined (codebases = 100% of context, verifiability, etc.) software development was/is uniquely shaped to get eaten up by LLMs.

But almost no other fields/industries are shaped in this way, except for a few select niches like translation, low complexity customer support tickets, etc.

Sure, everyone uses LLMs for the specific things LLMs are actually quite good at (e.g. summarizing documents, translating things, searching the web for you, proof reading important emails before sending, etc.) but the only full-blown industry where LLMs truly thrive *at the core value proposition* of said industry is... software.

Because us software engineers and other tech people are insufferable and think we're the center of the universe, we just assume automatically that it's only a matter of time before LLMs make the leap into other areas of the economy, and disrupt them like they've disrupted coding.

"Surely if LLMs can put a dent in *my* job, it's only a matter of time before they do the same to others!"

Idk... I'm just not seeing this yet.

[Michael James Caughill @caughill]

@SMGalbraith1 @JayCaruso She worked at the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and started a multimillion dollar media business. That’s a pretty good resume for a journalist.

[Michael James Caughill @caughill]

One of my goals in life is never to give @JohnCleese a reason to dress me down in this manner.

[John Cleese @JohnCleese]

I dislike and mistrust all closed systems of thought

I particularly dislike Islam because it demands child marriage, female genital mutilation, the beating of
wives, the killing of infidels, the unending promotion of the worst aspects of the male ego, and a complete refusal to contemplate multiculturism

All of which are contrary to the values I hold

Are you telling me, Maliq, that this all is caused by a fear of the truth ?

[Michael James Caughill @caughill]

It’s bigger than jobs, it’s a threat to their identity. A kid who wants to be writer, or a programmer, or a composer, or an artist, feels like there is point to it anymore. LLMs can do it faster and if not better, probably well enough.

[Katie Keith @KatieKeithBarn2]

@brianleejackson I wonder if it's related to resilience because Gen Xs and Millennials generally seem to be more resilient than younger generations.

[Michael James Caughill @caughill]

@237LAC I say it all the time and literally no one knows what the hell I'm talking about. ;)

[Michael James Caughill @caughill]

Back in bowl…

[Ed Morrissey @EdMorrissey]

Just watched "All of Me" with Steve Martin and Lily Tomlin for the first time in ages. It's a lot of fun, and Richard Libertini cracked me up as Praka Lasa. Great physical comedy.

[Michael James Caughill @caughill]

I once dated a brilliant 23-year-old who was furious that people with more experience than she got paid more.

I asked her: "Do you think you'll be better at your job in three years than you are today?"

She was smart enough to get it immediately.

[Rick Esenberg @RickEsenberg]

Yes. It's a common misperception that you need to do know what you're doing when you take on a job. Probably comes from Boomers.

[Michael James Caughill @caughill]

I’m a huge fan of free markets, but I’ve said for years that healthcare doesn’t behave like one.

If Honeycrisp apples get expensive, you can buy SugarBees.

If your child is dying and Eli Lilly controls the drug that can save her life, you’ll pay whatever price they ask.

[Mark Cuban @mcuban]

Ok. Take government completely out of healthcare. No rules. No laws. No Medicare. No Medicaid. Hospitals, insurance companies, can do anything they want.

What do they do ?

If you were running any of the biggest insurance companies or hospitals, what would you do differently once gov was completely out of healthcare ?

[Michael James Caughill @caughill]

@seanmdav Shhhhh. I want my free bath mat.

[Michael James Caughill @caughill]

First of all, animatronic horses would be cool as hell.

Secondly, if you want to have robots do human-shaped work, it would probably help if they are shaped like humans.

Third, factories are already filled with non-human robots. It's not like we've been ignoring them.

[Tom Goodwin @tomfgoodwin]

I’m still confused as to why we’re making robots that look like people rather than making them far far far far better at doing the things we need them to do.

It’s like we’re making animatronic horses not cars with wheels

[Michael James Caughill @caughill]

@RickEsenberg @BuffaloSabres @WISN12News Why were you watching the Sabres?

[Michael James Caughill @caughill]

LLMs aren't conscious.

They're the ghost in the language...

...human-shaped shadows seared into every written text, the way the Hiroshima bomb burned silhouettes into the walls of the city.

#LLMs

[Michael James Caughill @caughill]

Got married there.

[Michael Antonelli @BullandBaird]

You can’t comprehend how amazing what’s inside this circle is.

I hope East Coasters never discover it.

[Michael James Caughill @caughill]

Name your favorite [anything] but don’t say your actual favorite.

[cinesthetic. @TheCinesthetic]

Name your favorite film composer. You cannot say Hans Zimmer or John Williams. Go!

[Michael James Caughill @caughill]

Shit. This is the first time I’ve ever been fooled by an AI generated video. I absolutely thought this was a British commercial until I read the comments.

[The Best @TheBestqueenx]

This is how you advertise watches...

[Michael James Caughill @caughill]

This is the most interesting take I've ever seen in regard to the sequels.

[Aakash Gupta @aakashgupta]

Disney is about to delete five years of canon because Rey doesn't move toys.

The sequel trilogy did $4.47B at the box office. Force Awakens $2.07B, Last Jedi $1.33B, Rise of Skywalker $1.07B. The merchandise tells a different story.

Star Wars merchandise peaked at $700M in 2015 when Force Awakens launched. By 2019, the year Rise of Skywalker shipped with a billion-dollar marketing push as the supposed finale of the Skywalker Saga, Hasbro's Star Wars line was doing roughly $150M. A 70%+ collapse during the trilogy's own theatrical run.

Then 2020 happened. No new movies. A streaming show legally unavailable in most international markets. Hasbro's Star Wars revenue grew 70% year-over-year. One character named Grogu outsold three years of sequel-trilogy merchandise.

The sequel cast specifically can't move inventory at any price point. Rey, Finn, Poe, Rose, Holdo: Walmart clearance for years. Diamond Select's president said sales on TFA and TLJ products "were not too strong." Hasbro silently stopped producing Rise of Skywalker figures mid-line. There is no mass-market action figure for Poe, Finn, Lando, unmasked Kylo, Palpatine, or Leia from that movie. The licensees gave up before the trilogy finished releasing.

The Lucasfilm acquisition was a $4.05B bet on the merchandise flywheel that built modern Hollywood toy licensing. Kenner's best year selling Original Trilogy toys, adjusted for inflation, outperformed the entire Disney era combined. That's the asset Disney bought.

Galaxy's Edge runs the same play. Over $1B per park to build a Star Wars land set on a sequel-era planet nobody cared about. Both parks underperformed projections. The Mandalorian-themed expansion now under construction is the admission.

If the rumor lands, this is the most expensive retcon in entertainment history. Five years of IP development written off because the licensees voted with their order books. Luke, Han, Leia, Vader, Boba, Mando, Grogu, Ahsoka generate revenue. The sequel cast generates returns.

[Michael James Caughill @caughill]

I’ve been on here 19 years. Early on, @journalsentinel included me in a “who to follow” story (mostly because there were about six of us in Wisconsin).

[Jeff Blehar is *BOX OFFICE POISON* @EsotericCD]

Depressing realization: I have had a Twitter account for nearly 16 years.

[Michael James Caughill @caughill]

My wife spends more time playing video games than I do. And I'm talking real console games, not Candy Crush.

[Lizzie Marbach @LizzieMarbach]

I know this is unpopular, but it will always be unattractive for a grown man to play video games.

Some women might be understanding or pretend like they don’t care that you spend hours playing, but they do.

It is extremely unattractive to women and will never not be. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[Michael James Caughill @caughill]

Taylor Swift

[Curiosity @CuriosityonX]

If aliens requested a meeting with a sole individual to represent the human race, whom should we send?