Back when I first got a cellphone and slowly started forgetting phone numbers I remember thinking "OK that is scary, it really didn't take long for me to forget something that used to be second nature for me"
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Back when I first got a cellphone and slowly started forgetting phone numbers I remember thinking "OK that is scary, it really didn't take long for me to forget something that used to be second nature for me"
It has been 25-30 years since then, and today I have no idea what the phone numbers of even my closest peers is. Not using that skill just entirely obliterated it from my brain over time. I am not even sure how much effort it would take to get back into it.
This post is about vibe coding.
@tykling I'm pretty sure in some situations, like in Ukraine, people very quickly relearned these skills, as well as some others.
I'm somewhat afraid of situation when my phone dies and I also have no access to computer or internet for some reason - even another phone might not help here! -
Back when I first got a cellphone and slowly started forgetting phone numbers I remember thinking "OK that is scary, it really didn't take long for me to forget something that used to be second nature for me"
It has been 25-30 years since then, and today I have no idea what the phone numbers of even my closest peers is. Not using that skill just entirely obliterated it from my brain over time. I am not even sure how much effort it would take to get back into it.
This post is about vibe coding.
@tykling It's why I turn off auto anything (search). I have maybe two contacts in email and added another this weekend.
The rest, I remember or I ask someone for it again.It's not just ai that will make us brainless, it's allowing crap to take over for us which is another goal - turn us into a non-thinking society. So no or very few: contacts addrs, few phone #s, a.i. which is not ready for any real use, search assist, spellcheck and probably more.
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Back when I first got a cellphone and slowly started forgetting phone numbers I remember thinking "OK that is scary, it really didn't take long for me to forget something that used to be second nature for me"
It has been 25-30 years since then, and today I have no idea what the phone numbers of even my closest peers is. Not using that skill just entirely obliterated it from my brain over time. I am not even sure how much effort it would take to get back into it.
This post is about vibe coding.
That's why while Claude is generating bad cod for my boss I'm still coding good code for personnal projects ^^
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Back when I first got a cellphone and slowly started forgetting phone numbers I remember thinking "OK that is scary, it really didn't take long for me to forget something that used to be second nature for me"
It has been 25-30 years since then, and today I have no idea what the phone numbers of even my closest peers is. Not using that skill just entirely obliterated it from my brain over time. I am not even sure how much effort it would take to get back into it.
This post is about vibe coding.
@tykling wish Signal would add a feature where you have to push the numbers to select a contact.
(you do get to see matching results but you can disable making them clickable) -
@tykling I still remember the phone number of the house I was born in, and also that of my current house where I've now lived for 40 years.
I don't remember any mobile numbers, including my own. They seem too ephemeral to bother with memorizing.Information overload. Telephone, SSI, birthdays, anniversaries, drivers license, trash day, feed the dog, doctor's appointments, passwords, combination lock numbers, pay bill dates......the list goes on and on.
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Back when I first got a cellphone and slowly started forgetting phone numbers I remember thinking "OK that is scary, it really didn't take long for me to forget something that used to be second nature for me"
It has been 25-30 years since then, and today I have no idea what the phone numbers of even my closest peers is. Not using that skill just entirely obliterated it from my brain over time. I am not even sure how much effort it would take to get back into it.
This post is about vibe coding.
@tykling Wonder how long it would actually take to rebuild that kind of memory once it's gone. Like is it faster the second time or does it start from zero?
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Back when I first got a cellphone and slowly started forgetting phone numbers I remember thinking "OK that is scary, it really didn't take long for me to forget something that used to be second nature for me"
It has been 25-30 years since then, and today I have no idea what the phone numbers of even my closest peers is. Not using that skill just entirely obliterated it from my brain over time. I am not even sure how much effort it would take to get back into it.
This post is about vibe coding.
A million percent.
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Back when I first got a cellphone and slowly started forgetting phone numbers I remember thinking "OK that is scary, it really didn't take long for me to forget something that used to be second nature for me"
It has been 25-30 years since then, and today I have no idea what the phone numbers of even my closest peers is. Not using that skill just entirely obliterated it from my brain over time. I am not even sure how much effort it would take to get back into it.
This post is about vibe coding.
@tykling
I, for one, predict that the price of human skill erosion will actually exceed the cost of Ai implementation.
Prove me wrong. -
That's why while Claude is generating bad cod for my boss I'm still coding good code for personnal projects ^^
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Back when I first got a cellphone and slowly started forgetting phone numbers I remember thinking "OK that is scary, it really didn't take long for me to forget something that used to be second nature for me"
It has been 25-30 years since then, and today I have no idea what the phone numbers of even my closest peers is. Not using that skill just entirely obliterated it from my brain over time. I am not even sure how much effort it would take to get back into it.
This post is about vibe coding.
@tykling my coworkers think i'm crazy for not having any contacts in my phone. everyone is just numbers.
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Back when I first got a cellphone and slowly started forgetting phone numbers I remember thinking "OK that is scary, it really didn't take long for me to forget something that used to be second nature for me"
It has been 25-30 years since then, and today I have no idea what the phone numbers of even my closest peers is. Not using that skill just entirely obliterated it from my brain over time. I am not even sure how much effort it would take to get back into it.
This post is about vibe coding.
@tykling When I was a kid, I had everyone’s phone numbers memorized…. Now, I’m not so old that it was only 4 digits or something like that…. But there were only 5 exchanges (579 728 571 723 404) so it was kinda like only having to remember four digits.
F**k…. I AM old.
Also, I write my own code & regex.

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Back when I first got a cellphone and slowly started forgetting phone numbers I remember thinking "OK that is scary, it really didn't take long for me to forget something that used to be second nature for me"
It has been 25-30 years since then, and today I have no idea what the phone numbers of even my closest peers is. Not using that skill just entirely obliterated it from my brain over time. I am not even sure how much effort it would take to get back into it.
This post is about vibe coding.
[ circa 1,000 BC ]
back when I got a stylus and papyrus, I slowly started forgetting how to memorize thingsetc etc x1,000
There is a British philosopher, G Moore, iirc, who said something like
Progess is letting us forget things
and that is one of those simple statements that is truly profound
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Back when I first got a cellphone and slowly started forgetting phone numbers I remember thinking "OK that is scary, it really didn't take long for me to forget something that used to be second nature for me"
It has been 25-30 years since then, and today I have no idea what the phone numbers of even my closest peers is. Not using that skill just entirely obliterated it from my brain over time. I am not even sure how much effort it would take to get back into it.
This post is about vibe coding.
@tykling as someone old enough to remember the "corded family phone" with no quick dial features, I'm still able to call everyone I need to, and store details of (nearly infinite) contacts I might want/need to reconnect with some day. It's just easier 99.9% of the time. This is post is also about vibe coding.
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Back when I first got a cellphone and slowly started forgetting phone numbers I remember thinking "OK that is scary, it really didn't take long for me to forget something that used to be second nature for me"
It has been 25-30 years since then, and today I have no idea what the phone numbers of even my closest peers is. Not using that skill just entirely obliterated it from my brain over time. I am not even sure how much effort it would take to get back into it.
This post is about vibe coding.
@tykling I used my partner's number as the unlock code for a tablet my children used for entertainment, so they would memorize it. It worked
anyway, this is applicable to any skill: create opportunities to use it. Also, people used to recall entire epics with minimal fidelity loss before there was writing, I hear, so they would find our ability to recall a few numbers rather unimpressive. -
Back when I first got a cellphone and slowly started forgetting phone numbers I remember thinking "OK that is scary, it really didn't take long for me to forget something that used to be second nature for me"
It has been 25-30 years since then, and today I have no idea what the phone numbers of even my closest peers is. Not using that skill just entirely obliterated it from my brain over time. I am not even sure how much effort it would take to get back into it.
This post is about vibe coding.
@tykling I remember my childhood home phone number and my first mobile number in 2003 but I don’t know my wife of 10 years phone number
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@tykling Wonder how long it would actually take to rebuild that kind of memory once it's gone. Like is it faster the second time or does it start from zero?
Refreshing an existing but faded memory or skill is faster than learning a new one, yes.
For example, I recently played a video game I hadn't played in over a decade, which has very unusual and difficult controls. I was rusty at first, but my old skills came rushing back pretty fast. It took me far longer to learn the game as a kid than to recall it as an adult.
Unfortunately it's also very hard on my elbows now.
Adult bodies are so fragile! -
Back when I first got a cellphone and slowly started forgetting phone numbers I remember thinking "OK that is scary, it really didn't take long for me to forget something that used to be second nature for me"
It has been 25-30 years since then, and today I have no idea what the phone numbers of even my closest peers is. Not using that skill just entirely obliterated it from my brain over time. I am not even sure how much effort it would take to get back into it.
This post is about vibe coding.
Part of the problem is that modern phones don't even *display* phone numbers any more.
Like, I would remember a phone number just by seeing it regularly, even if I don't have to type it in. But I don't even see it regularly.
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Back when I first got a cellphone and slowly started forgetting phone numbers I remember thinking "OK that is scary, it really didn't take long for me to forget something that used to be second nature for me"
It has been 25-30 years since then, and today I have no idea what the phone numbers of even my closest peers is. Not using that skill just entirely obliterated it from my brain over time. I am not even sure how much effort it would take to get back into it.
This post is about vibe coding.
@tykling
this post is about the inevitable consequences of not doing the work... convenience culture is toxic at such a low level no one realizes its very profound effects on a body of knowledge few people (even those doing it) give the time of day to: implementing in the real world. Doing real world things--laying brick, building a bookcase, installing a deadbolt, fixing the plumbing-- teaches a body of knowledge largely inaccessible to people who think knowledge is stuff in books -
@tykling I remember at least 10 important numbers and I carry a small
notebook.... but that's just me who started carrying a notebook playing pretend slueth since I was 7