Earlier tonight, after stuffing myself with enough Sushi to feed a family of five, I sat in sofa digesting over my latest self-induced first world problem.
What happened next was an incredible journey through the worlds of AI, Content Creation and tackling Writer’s Block.
I have to be honest with you. “Incredible” is a bit of a stretch and I might, or might have not, straight up click-baited you here. Now, I am inside your mind and oh boy let me tell you, there is a LOT of naughty in here … I kid, i kid. Or am I ?
Anyways, enough fuffing around, back to business. I did in fact stuff myself with Japanese food, then pondered on a pressing first world problem. The problem being that I recently wrote about getting back to, and continuing to practice my writing. I also stated that the “what” is not important when there is a meaningful “why”.
Well talk is cheap, I had been thinking about it all day and had no clue where to take it from there.
The Aforementioned “Fantastic” Journey
All seemed lost until I recalled one of the most effective techniques I’ve used in the past to overcome Writer’s Block:
- Await for the embrace of the stillness of the night. Check!
- Put on some relaxing music. Monster Hunter World OST’s “Preparing For The Journey”, check!
- Clear the mind and think about words related to topics I find interesting. Check!
- Take words from step #3, load up Google in the browser, type them there, run two circles around the laptop and hope to find some inspiration in the results as the last resort. Check!
- Bingo! Sweet Azzz 😍
Just that this time, I did not use Google, I used ChatGPT. Did not use search keywords either as input, but natural language, with which I was able to then iterate over the results until i pinpointed the information most relevant to me.
I’ve used it to assist in resolving work related issues. For example a while back I was tasked with parsing a complex JSON data structure in Golang. Even tho it’s one of my favorite programming languages, I haven’t been using it as much as I’d like and so my skills are kind of outdated.
So, I pasted there an example of the data structure, with fake values as I’m not a complete numbnuts, asked it to generate the equivalent data structure in Golang which I then applied to the JSON parsed and boom, Bob’s your uncle.
Github’s Copilot is one officially approved tool I have at my disposal and should explore more but, oh well, something to took forward to. I’ve been hold back my concerns regarding providing corporate code access to more 3rd parties than strictly required. Those concerns might as well be unfounded, dunno! Moving on…
Other times I’ve used ChatGTP, I noticed that … Well I explicitly inquired how recent was the source information, it was a couple of years :/.
So a few hours ago I asked:
Me: What is the latest date and time of the content of the zemanel.eu website that your have ?
and the reply was:
ChatGPT: The latest content from the zemanel.eu website that I have information on is from July 3, 2024
MINT! 😍
I hardly ever wrote anything in the last years so for the most part it’s irrelevant. It might be handy soon tho, so it’s good to know its fresh.
The angle I was trying get at was, I wanted to know what ChatGPT knew about me so that, based on my interests and AMAZING previous work, I could get it to suggest to me an “a la carte” menu of potential articles.
Aaaand, I just started blasting:
Me: I am the owner. Based on its content, can you suggest me ideas for new blog post articles ?
And this is what it came up with:
ChatGPT: Given the diverse and technical nature of your blog, here are some ideas for new blog post articles that could resonate well with your audience:
- Advanced Kubernetes Tips and Tricks: Dive deeper into Kubernetes, exploring advanced features, performance optimization, and security best practices. Discuss real-world use cases and lessons learned from your projects.
Well super interesting. Up until a few years and for quite a few years, the projects I contributed to were container based workloads. Spent a significant amount of time developing, Dockerizing, packaging (with Helm, Kustomize or straight up K8s manifests) and deploying Cloud Native applications. Been somewhat detached tho and the topic is quite well covered by the community. Subject matter might not stand out and pop! Kicking the can forward.
- CI/CD for Game Development: Expand on your work with Unreal Engine and CI/CD pipelines. Provide a detailed guide on setting up CI/CD for game development, including examples and tools you’ve found effective.
I’ve worked in the gaming industry for a couple of years. Was more involved with IT Operations and less with Game Pipelines. Still midway through a couple of Coursera courses on Unity and Unreal Engine. Finicky know-how. Pass.
- Implementing Zero Trust Security in Cloud-Native Environments: Discuss the principles of Zero Trust security and how to implement them in cloud-native environments. Share practical examples using tools like Istio, Vault, and Keybase.
Well well well. I likey likey. Although I do not recall having experience with implementations, Security is something I have been focusing on lately and Zero Trust, amongst other things, has the potential to turn operational nightmares into dreams. It’s a topic i want to explore more. Added a mental note to make a list and then kick this right to the top of it.
- Scaling Cloud Infrastructure for High-Performance Applications: Share insights on designing and scaling cloud infrastructure for applications requiring high performance, such as gaming or large-scale web applications. Include cost optimization strategies and architecture diagrams.
Pretty much for the same reasons as option #1, kicking the can forward.
- Comparing Container Orchestration Tools: Kubernetes vs. Nomad vs. ECS: Provide an in-depth comparison of different container orchestration tools. Highlight the strengths, weaknesses, and best use cases for Kubernetes, Nomad, and Amazon ECS.
Hmmm dunno, undecided. Good opportunity to catch up with tooling tho.
- Integrating Machine Learning with DevOps Pipelines: Explore how to integrate machine learning workflows into DevOps pipelines. Discuss tools, frameworks, and best practices for continuous integration and deployment of ML models.
I am not an ML Engineer, go away.
- Case Study: Building a Cloud-Native Application from Scratch: Share a step-by-step case study of building a cloud-native application from scratch. Cover design considerations, tool selection, infrastructure setup, and deployment.
OOF.
- Practical Guide to Infrastructure as Code (IaC) with Terraform: Write a comprehensive guide on using Terraform for Infrastructure as Code. Include advanced topics like managing state, modules, and best practices for large-scale deployments.
Oh interesting. Topic probably has had more coverage than the Mona Lisa but like when queuing for food when hungry, there is always room for one more. This one goes to the list.
- Developing Serverless Applications: Pros and Cons: Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of serverless architecture. Provide examples of serverless applications, tips for getting started, and common pitfalls to avoid.
I already do this at work, pass.
Exploring Edge Computing for Real-Time Applications: Explain the concept of edge computing and its applications in real-time data processing. Share use cases, architectural patterns, and implementation strategies.
What does “Edge Computing for Real-Time Applications” even mean ?! I know nothing about it. Pass.
I wonder what the Great One has to say regarding non technical topics. There are good learning, teaching opportunities in technical writing. It’s also important to clock out and develop other parts of ourselves, for work-balance reasons. Like getting a life, or a girlfriend and/or a dog, someday … If I remember correctly, my rental contract does not permit pets. Concerning! In the past I have also used ChatGTP to help me spifff up my dating profile. Here I am still, without both :/.
Aaand too much information there, back to the horse we go. So I then popped the question:
Me: Great tips! How about for non technical content ?
and the outcome was:
- Personal Reflections and Life Lessons
Been there done that. Pass.
- Travel and Cultural Experiences
Would be interesting to write about Porto/Portugal on my next trip there. Maybe share some local tips regarding less touristic but still amazing places. Could be delving into dangerous Social Influencer territory and, while it is not at all times easy, I do pride myself of having some minimal standards in life. Putting a pin on it.
- Hobbies and Interests
I have already wrote about one of my hobbies, Writing. That leaves Gaming, rest has been pretty dry. Quite a few years I did get involved in Historical Fencing, Rockstep dancing classes, rollerblading and etc but lately my motivation has been in the dark noir gutter. Point taken at a personal development level. Still doesn’t solve my content issue so, pass.
- Book Reviews and Recommendations
Been meaning to order some literature to catchup with Reading something other than source code and Reddit all day. Also requires prep work and criquite savoir fair. Maybe some day. Pass.
- Mindfulness and Mental Health
If you’ve been paying attention to the silver lining, you’re actually reading it as I write.
- Creative Writing
GOTO #3.
- Interviews and Guest Posts
Iiiii don’t like people. PASS. (Half-joking. I’m nowhere as popular that it would be worth it to tackle this on)
- Community Involvement and Volunteering
Been away from Meetups ever since the disaster we do not speak about (Covid Lockdowns). Have other matters to un-procrastinate. Passing, with a sense of potential regret and so, might revisit.
- Tech and Society Explore the broader implications of technology on society, ethics, and the future. Discuss topics like digital privacy, AI ethics, or the role of technology in education and healthcare.
As far as I’m aware, there’s definitely room for discussions regarding “AI ethics” and the topic range IS interesting. I am not a Copyright lawyer tho, and do not believe I have much to contribute to other related points as well. Labeling this one as “outside my domain”.
- Lifestyle and Productivity Tips
I still use Trello to organise my personal TODO list and that is the limit of how much I can contribute here. If you have any good ones, feel free to send them my way.
In Summary
And there you have it folks. A decent list things to come. I’m not planning on using these tools to do the heavy load for me by writing the content itself. Efficiency is not a concern here, therefore I have time, no money (the dark scyther and taxes man) AND prefer to craft it myself.
I am interested in the analytical capabilities tho, will keep an eye on it. Cheers!