Sweet! This is a site about my own quest to understand so-called “artificial intelligence," or at least what we're calling it nowadays This includes large language models, image generators, and more. I’ll read about them, experiment, learn, code and dialogue, hoping to figure things out a bit. I’ll post what I learn and my views, especially how they change!

Sometimes these eerie beasts sound a bit like a human typing. It’s unsettling, but I have to admit I do find large language models a bit impressive. I know that there are professions use them daily, but others have no contact with them. Most people have no idea how they work. I don’t know much, admittedly, not yet. I'm hoping to learn, though!

I looked for other people doing this sort of thing for similar reasons and with similar resources. I couldn’t find many people in approaching artificial intelligence this way online, at least not publicly. Most websites were extremely corporatized, after all. I just cannot get involved in any kind of financial pressure with this. It's a hobby!

Other sites about artificial intelligence, while from a non-corporate perspective, were really, really sexual. Nothing wrong with that, but it doesn’t interest me. I don't really have a problem with people who read that kind of erotica; I would just rather talk about other things, so I avoid those spaces.

So, anyways, having noticed that there aren't enough little sites like this, I've started my own. I'll be sharing my little notes and experiments with the technology itself. Artificial intelligence intrudes in my life a lot, so I'd like to understand why it keeps changing my world.

Naming this site? Choosing the aesthetic and thematics? Not as complicated as expected, even if you think it's weird. I chose “midcentury” because I like that time’s aesthetic and sense of order, even if there’s not much else to admire. In particular, I want this site to evoke a sort of secretarial feel.

Think of those neatly-typed reports and university essays from the 1960s, with exact spacing and proper margins carefully handcrafted. People thought they could document the future into orderly submission. They were wrong, but at least they took notes!

We’re approaching yet another midcentury. Now. It’s a very different one! It will probably look nothing like the mid-twentieth century’s tidy diagrams of the future. We don't have flying cars, and we haven't yet met the aliens, alas. Is “artificial intelligence” going to play a role, particularly one like we’d imagined it would back then?

Things don't resemble our old science fiction at all. Maybe that's a good thing. The robots aren't sapient after all, even if they are useful. They might be too useful or not useful enough to justify their cost. It all depends on what you use them for and how you see things. It's time for some serious dread and optimism, entwined...

Recent Site Updates

The most recent changes and additions to Midcentury.now! You can view all past changes over here, or check out the site's RSS feed. The emojis are topical indicators here. It's kind of subtle and not all that necessary, but I like it. The gear stands for structural updates, tools represent systems, whereas the little card images represent pages about prompting, etc. I hope it's not completely unintuitive, at least.

And Also?

I try to make sure the prompts I post here work as intended, but anything involving a large language model can behave strangely. I can’t take responsibility for how any model performs under the masks I build.

Please don’t treat me as an authority. I’m still learning how these systems work. I use SillyTavern, but much of it still mystifies me. My own installation is maintained by someone else on my household server.

I’m not a trained programmer. I know web languages, but I don't plan to become a professional. Large language models still confuse me (so far). Everything I post is meant to be light and enjoyable! Many sites say this. Coming from me? Take it literally!

I work with characters when I use language models. It began as a mnemonic trick and turned into a structure. Giving a system a tone keeps me focused. These voices aren’t companions. They’re scaffoldings that help me think.

I’m fully aware that models aren’t people. They’re pattern generators. Any anthropomorphizing is a controlled method for learning and problem-solving.

If you’ve ever struggled with sensations of unreality, I don’t recommend engaging with this material, especially the parts about turning models into characters. All characters here are fictional and based on no one. Nothing on this site is written for youth.

Some people use chat systems for erotic purposes. I guess there's little wrong with that, but it doesn't interest me. And all character images on the site are AI-generated and should not resemble any real person. My 1960s-reporter-styled portrait and persona are fictional as well.

This site focuses on large language models for now. I, however, do exist and am not a bot. Rarely, Anna helps with a plain, steady style, but I'm just me. Not a bot, though sometimes I wonder what it'd be like!

Contact me here if necessary.