> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bramadams.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# ZANZIB(AI)R
- URL: https://www.bramadams.dev/standup-2024-01-01/
- Published: 2024-01-01T22:46:20.000Z
- Updated: 2024-01-01T22:46:20.000Z
- Description: essays masquerading as newsletters, my two cents, using functions to change system calls, meditate on being a student for eternity
- Author: Bram Adams
- Tags: standup

💡

This is a daily standup post of the work put into maintaining bramadams.dev. **Ex nihilo nihil fit*.

## Newsletter (Sundays)

- i felt like issue 41 was again a bit too lengthy, i'll be looking to concoct shorter pieces for the near future, more true to form with what i am reading, and choosing themes from `wander` in commonplace bot
  - truth be told, i like writing a essay per week and it seemed fitting to merge the work with the newsletter. but i must keep in mind that a newsletter needs to be enjoyable in the landscape it is consumed, an email inbox. substack has normalized the "essay in the inbox" problem i suppose. as long as the topics are interesting
- future large topics i want to cover:  
  - website as an art piece and art galley at the same time
  - a creative technologist manifesto
  - the cultural value of programmers and their programs
  - a mathematical guess as to how much zero to one code will be written in the next century

## Software (Saturdays)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/0c/cc/0ccc9a8d-054a-4056-b11e-e1bfbbb66387/content/images/2024/01/google-2c-1-1-1.jpeg)

Google must really value my opinions because they keep asking for my two cents...

### AI Tip

Use system messages to change the functionality of the chat completion based on a function response

The idea is when a function call is fired and the data is returned, use `system` role to simulate instructions to change how the function info is given to the user:

```javascript
if (messages[0].role !== "system") {
  messages.unshift({
    content: "If you have knowledge loaded in from get_knowledge, you can ask me questions about it. If the match has steps, go through each step with the user in QA format, one by one.",
    role: "system",
  });
}
```

```javascript
{
  name: "get_knowledge",
  description: "Get knowledge from user query from a knowledge base",
  parameters: {
    type: "object",
    properties: {
      query: {
        type: "string",
        description:
          "The query -- cleaned up to match knowledge base criteria",
      },
    },
    required: ["query"],
  },
}
```

```javascript
// ...
if (name === "get_knowledge") {
  // ...
  const knowledge = {...};
  insert_specific_system_message(...) // insert a system message for this particular fn
  const newMessages = createFunctionCallMessages(knowledge);
  // ...
```

## Books (5/month)

💡

links are affiliate! if you pick up a copy, i get a little kickback!

- [Supergods](https://amzn.to/41GIFAH?ref=bramadams.dev) \- 77% (*+1%*)
- [Black Rednecks & White Liberals](https://amzn.to/3tGNFsj?ref=bramadams.dev) \- 58%
- [Command & Control](https://amzn.to/3TIyjOK?ref=bramadams.dev) \- 23%
- [At Home in the Universe ](https://amzn.to/3H2FlXc?ref=bramadams.dev)\- 36%
- [Napoleon: A Life](https://amzn.to/3tzoiIY?ref=bramadams.dev) \- 46%
- [Glass Bead Game](https://amzn.to/48gE8Hz?ref=bramadams.dev) \- 41% (*+3%*)
  - The everlasting dance between the pupil and the teacher, the roles merely shift
- [River of the Gods](https://amzn.to/4axpAoF?ref=bramadams.dev) \- 25% (*+4%*)  
  - ZANZIBAR