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I'm Kenyan. I don't write like ChatGPT, ChatGPT writes like me

marcusolang.substack.com

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Re: I'm Kenyan. I don't write like ChatGPT, ChatGPT writes like me

#341

Post by pxc »

thaumasiotes wrote: post #270
derefr wrote: post #244

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> MASSIVE EM DASH Tangent: the thing I find most annoying about ChatGPT's use of em-dashes is that it never even uses them for the one thing they're best suited for. ChatGPT's em-dashes could almost always be replaced with a colon or a comma. But the true non-redundant-syntax use of em-dashes in English prose, is in the embedding into a sentence of self-interruptive 'joiner' sub-sentences that can themselves bear pun…

> These things are spoken entirely differently than — and on the page, they read entirely differently to — regular parenthetical-bearing sentences. > No, seriously, compare/contrast: "these things are spoken entirely differently than (and on the page, they read entirely differently to) regular parenthetical-bearing sentences." Those are spoken the same way, they read the same way, and they mean the same thing.

They do mean the same thing, but they have different moods. With the em-dashes it's self-interjection that foregrounds the detour, but with parentheses it's, well... parenthetical.

Aside: it's probably just style (maybe some style guides call for the way you did it), but using em-dashes for this purpose with whitespace on each side of them looks/feels wrong to me. Anyone know if that's regional or something?

Re: I'm Kenyan. I don't write like ChatGPT, ChatGPT writes like me

#343

Post by AnonymousPlanet »

elliotec wrote: post #336
AnonymousPlanet wrote: post #334

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> [...] I'm a native English speaker that studied writing in university [...] As a native English speaker who studied writing at university, do you think "who" should be used with people while "that" should only be used with things or the other way round. Or should I just not care? Edit: missing things

You should just not care. Both are acceptable, "that" is a little less formal and probably more common in everyday speech.

Thanks. Is that true only for American English or other areas too? I've only noticed this the last couple of years on HN. Before that "who" and "that" were used more carefully. Or at least I had the feeling it was. Sometimes I wondered if it's just whatever people's autocomplete happens to spit out first.

Re: I'm Kenyan. I don't write like ChatGPT, ChatGPT writes like me

#344

Post by petesergeant »

NoMoreNicksLeft wrote: post #125
petesergeant wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ChatGPT would have used an actual em dash instead of a hyphen

I would use an actual em dash if there were a keyboard key for it. On my macbook, I have an an action script set up on the touchbar for emdash and a few other unicodey glyphs, but the (virtual) buttons are like 2 inches wide each so I can't fit more than 5 or 6 across it. Sucks.

Double hyphen works in many places

Re: I'm Kenyan. I don't write like ChatGPT, ChatGPT writes like me

#346

Post by blitz_skull »

It actually really bothers me that somehow the long dash has become such a "giveaway" that now I have to consider how I write. I actually used the long dash a lot in my normal writing, but now that everyone considers it some sort of "giveaway," it's like a tic that I can't help but notice.

It feels very natural to me. But if everyone and their mother considers it a "giveaway", I'd be a fool not to consider it. * sigh *

Re: I'm Kenyan. I don't write like ChatGPT, ChatGPT writes like me

#347

Post by SSLy »

derefr wrote: post #280
thaumasiotes wrote: post #270

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> These things are spoken entirely differently than — and on the page, they read entirely differently to — regular parenthetical-bearing sentences. > No, seriously, compare/contrast: "these things are spoken entirely differently than (and on the page, they read entirely differently to) regular parenthetical-bearing sentences." Those are spoken the same way, they read the same way, and they mean the same thing.

Is this maybe a thing like how only designers are aware of kerning? These read / sound very different to me, and to everyone I've brought up the subject with (who admittedly are in a certain bubble of people who either write professionally, or "do things" with their voices, or both.) • The length of the verbal pause is different. (It's hard to quantify this, as it's relative to your speaking rate, which can fluctuate…

I'm not a native speaker, I don't do work with my voice, and my English writing is confined to work – almost always with other ESLs – and short comments on the Internet; but what you write feels correct.

Re: I'm Kenyan. I don't write like ChatGPT, ChatGPT writes like me

#348

Post by pxc »

jay_kyburz wrote: post #216
amanaplanacanal wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are probably like me: if punctuation isn't on my keyboard, I don't use it.

Yeah, this is what I don't understand, surely people aren't "using" em dashes deliberately. I assumed MS word was just inserting them automatically when the user used a minus symbol between two words. Kind of like angled quotes.

I use them when they're easy to type. For me, that's on Android, macOS, and anywhere I've configured a compose key.

Angled quotes I use only on systems on which I've configured a compose key, or Android when I'm typing Chinese.

I don't like any kind of auto-replacement with physical keyboards, so I turn off "smart quotes" on macOS.

Anyway I use characters like that all the time, but it's never auto-replace.

Re: I'm Kenyan. I don't write like ChatGPT, ChatGPT writes like me

#349

Post by komali2 »

phantasmish wrote: post #335
komali2 wrote: post #315

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maneuvered, marched, slid over to, snuck up on/to, rolled on up to, ambled, thread his way through the crowd to, slithered, slunk. Pimp walked. Danced over to. Hopped over to. Sprinted! Jogged! Charged!

Crunched.

Glomped. Oozed.

Re: I'm Kenyan. I don't write like ChatGPT, ChatGPT writes like me

#350

Post by Anon1096 »

latexr wrote: post #177
signatoremo wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He didn’t say “how could anyone”. His words: "I cannot imagine figuring out how to raise a newborn without ChatGPT. Clearly, people did it for a long time, no problem." Basically he didn’t know much about newborn and relied on ChatGPT for answers. That was a self deprecating attempt on a late night show. Like every other freaking guests would do, no matter how cliché. With a marketing slant of course. He clearly said…

I disagree with the use of “literally” by the person above you, since Sam didn’t literally say those words (unless you subscribe to the new meaning of “literally” in the dictionary, of course). At the same time, their interpretation doesn’t seem that far off. As per your comment, Sam said he “cannot imagine figuring out how” which is pretty close to admitting he’s clueless how anyone does it , which is what your pare…

The interpretation is very off. You are way too focused on whether the first sentence is quote accurately. But

>Clearly, people did it for a long time, no problem.

In fact means Altman thinks the exact opposite of "he didn't know how anyone could raise a baby without using a chatbot" - what he means is that while it's not imaginable, people make do anyway, so clearly it very much is possible to raise kids without chatgpt.

What the gp did is the equivalent of someone saying "I don't believe this, but XYZ" and quoting them as simply saying they believe XYZ. People are eating it up though because it's a dig at someone they don't like.

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