Ask HN: How are you using GPT to be productive?

Funnily enough ChatGPT 4 can probably be used to help enhance commonly used open source licenses to add that clause to the license.

I'm not saying I totally root for that (I kinda do): I'm saying we'll see such a license at some point.

I often use it to just gain ideas when I'm stuck with any situation, eg: "How to deal with non-responsive stakeholders?"

The little bit of time I spend messing with it (and Bard now that I have access) is mostly just for fun; trying different jailbreaks and creating ridiculous scenarios and seeing what kind of reaction I can get get from the bot.

To be fair, the one time I did try ChatGPT for something productive it was kinda helpful. I asked it to generate some Apache mod_rewrite rules for me for a particular scenario I was working on. What it generated wasn't exactly what I needed, but that could have been down to me not prompting it as well as I might have. Still, even with having to hand-tweak the output a bit it probably did save me some time, but not a massive amount.

All of that said, I'm sure the day is coming when I find some uses that fit my workflows, but I spend most of my time reading, researching, and experimenting with new stuff (but mostly using programming languages I already know well). So there just aren't a lot of obvious places to insert ChatGPT / Bard right now.

You inspired me to try it for finding a book I can't quite remember the title of. Unfortunately no joy. Still, for the amusement of anyone who is interested, or anyone who might be able to help me with this book:

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Mindcrime: What was that horror novel from way back when, about the time traveling demon hound?

ChatGPT: It's possible that you're thinking of the horror novel "The Hound" by H.P. Lovecraft, which was first published in 1924.

In the story, two grave robbers become obsessed with obtaining a certain artifact from a tomb in Holland. After obtaining the artifact, a small bronze statuette of a hound, they begin to experience strange and terrifying visions. The hound appears to come to life and stalks them through their nightmares.

Later, one of the grave robbers travels to Egypt and discovers that the artifact was made by a sinister and ancient cult, and that the hound is actually a demon summoned from another dimension. The hound then follows the man back to his home in England, where it continues to torment him until he meets a gruesome fate.

It's worth noting that there have been many horror novels and stories featuring time-traveling demon hounds over the years, so if "The Hound" isn't the specific book you're thinking of, there may be another that matches your description.

Mindcrime: No, it was more recent than that. I think from sometime between the late 1980's to mid 1990's. I think the word "hound" might have been in the title.

ChatGPT: Thank you for the additional information! The book you may be thinking of is "The Hound of the Baskervilles" by Arthur Conan Doyle. Although it's not a horror novel, it's a detective story featuring the famous detective Sherlock Holmes and his companion Dr. John Watson investigating a supernatural curse and a demonic hound that is terrorizing the Baskerville family on their estate in Dartmoor.

"The Hound of the Baskervilles" was first published in 1902, but it has been adapted and retold in various forms over the years. There may be a horror novel that is a retelling or adaptation of the original story that you're thinking of, but without more specific details, it's hard to say for sure.

Mindcrime: No, it's much more contemporary than that.

ChatGPT: I apologize for the confusion. Let me try to narrow it down further. Do you remember any other details about the book? For example, do you remember the author's name or any other specific plot points or characters?

Mindcrime: There was some stuff about an airport or airplane near the end.

ChatGPT: Thank you for the additional detail! The book you might be thinking of could be "Watchers" by Dean Koontz.

"Watchers" is a horror novel that was published in 1987. The story follows Travis Cornell, a man who is hiking in the mountains when he stumbles upon a genetically engineered creature known as "The Outsider." The Outsider is a highly intelligent dog with extraordinary abilities that has escaped from a government laboratory.

Cornell takes the dog under his wing, but soon discovers that a ruthless government agent is after the dog and will stop at nothing to retrieve it. The novel reaches its climax at a local airport, where a final showdown takes place between the agent and the dog.

While "Watchers" does not feature a time-traveling demon hound, it does involve a genetically engineered dog that could possibly fit your description.

Mindcrime: No, it wasn't by Dean Koontz. And time travel was definitely a plot element.

ChatGPT: Thank you for letting me know. I apologize for not being able to find the book you are thinking of. Without more specific details, it's difficult to narrow down the possibilities. If you remember any other details about the book, please don't hesitate to let me know and I'll do my best to help you identify it.