Until recently, I could code on flights. This year, I lost that ability. Again.
It’s happened before. In each case, technology has solved the problem for me. Here’s the history.
I need a laptop. Since 2001, I’ve never been without one on a flight.
I need power. Since 2005, I use dark mode and every low power feature available. (I also became good at finding hidden power outlets.)
I need documentation. Since 2007, I use offline documentation. Windows .CHMs gave way to devdocs.io.
I need my notes. Since 2010, all my notes (Markdown files) are synced via Dropbox automatically.
I need CDNs. Since 2014, I’ve replaced CDNs with local node modules. Note to self: Get a local caching proxy instead.
I need GitHub. Since 2023, I have two laptops. So, I git pull manually before flights. Note to self: Find an automated solution.
I need ChatGPT. Since 2024, I stopped coding without ChatGPT. Now I’ve forgotten how to code. Today, I couldn’t figure out the SQL syntax to group by duration == 0 vs duration != 0. Note to self: Get lightweight local code LLMs.
It’s amazing how the coding technology stack has grown. Also amazing how technology fills the gaps in the scaffolding.
I used this technique first when typing out the strips during my train rides from Bandra to Churchgate. I had an opportunity to re-apply it recently when we needed to tag hundreds of photographs based on a set of criteria.
Here’s how you can do this. Note: This works only on Windows.
STEP 1: Create a new Excel workbook and save it as an Excel macro-enabled workbook. (Note: When opening it again, you need to enable macros)
STEP 2: Open File > Options (Alt-F-T), go to Customize Ribbon. Under “Customize the Ribbon”, enable the “Developer” menu.
STEP 3: In Developer > Insert > ActiveX Controls, select Image and draw a rectangle from A1 to J10. (Resize it later.)
STEP 4: By default, this will be called Image1. In any case, note down the name from the Name box on the top left.
STEP 5: In cells A11 onwards, add paths to file names.
STEP 6: Click Developer > Visual Basic (Alt-F11), go to ThisWorkbook, and paste this code:
Option Explicit
Private Sub Workbook_SheetSelectionChange(ByVal Sh As Object, ByVal Target As Excel.Range)
Dim img As String
img = Sh.Cells(Target.Row, 1).Value
If (img <> "" And img <> "file") Then ActiveSheet.Image1.Picture = LoadPicture(img)
End Sub
Replace ActiveSheet.Image1 with ActiveSheet.(whatever) based on your image name in Step 4.
STEP 7: Select Developer > Design Mode. Click on Image1. Then select Developer > Properties. In this panel, under PictureSizeMode, choose 3 - fmPictureSizeModeZoom to fit the picture.
Now scroll through the rows. The images will change.
Every time I get annoyed at people, I remind myself to be more like ChatGPT. Specifically:
Don’t get annoyed. Be patient.
Encourage them.
Step back and show them the big picture.
(Then I get annoyed at myself for getting annoyed.)
Today, I analyzed how exactly ChatGPT is different from me. So, I took a pitch document I co-authored with ChatGPT.
Section A: Authored by Anand
WHAT DO WE NEED?
We are looking for API access to (SYSTEM) via the REST API as an Agent role (read/respond to emails). Specifically, access via a bearer token.
This would be accessed by a single application developed by a team of 3 developers and 1 business analyst. None of them have access to (SYSTEM) today.
WHY DO WE NEED THIS, AND WHY SO SOON?
We need this to classify emails automatically, as they arrive, into categories such as “non-value-add” (e.g. Thank you, Out-of-office, etc.)
We’d line access today, please. Currently, we are processing XX,XXX non-value-add emails per month. Each day of delay leads to a processing waste of ~XX emails per day. At current volumes, this will save ~$XX,XXX per annum.
IS THERE ANY OTHER WAY?
To access emails in real-time, this is the only option. (We’re ruling out web scraping.)
(SYSTEM) rule-based closure won’t work. It’s based on keyword search, not semantic matches. For example, “Thank you” is present in non-value-add emails as well as follow-up questions. Multi-lingual matches are a challenge. So, though (SYSTEM) currently closes emails with rules, 1 out of 6 emails that are NOT closed already are non-value-add.
This cannot be done via (SYSTEM) or any other BI system because it involves accessing the data in real-time as well as responding via (SYSTEM). This needs to be steady-state access, not one-time, since we want to classify emails real-time.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?
Based on our past experience, this would take about X weeks to prototype, X weeks to develop, and X weeks to test. We should have the application deployed in X months.
Section B: Authored by ChatGPT
WHAT’S THE IMPACT IF WE DON’T MOVE FORWARD?
Quantitatively, continuing without this solution wastes resources on XXX non-essential emails daily, costing $XX,XXX yearly. Delays in customer responses will ensue.
Qualitatively, lack of automation strains customer service, risking employee burnout and diminished customer experience.
WHAT’S THE PRIORITY (MOSCOW)?
(SYSTEM) API access via REST as an Agent role with a bearer token is a “MUST HAVE”. Alternative methods like scraping (SYSTEM) are impractical due to high effort and maintenance.
WHAT’S THE OUTCOME IF WE MOVE FORWARD?
Financially, securing API access saves $XX,XXX annually by cutting manual email sorting. Efficiency gains reduce operational costs and free resources for strategic tasks.
Strategically, automating email classification boosts customer satisfaction and response times, establishing leadership in service innovation. Long-term, it enables data-driven insights into customer behaviour, improving decisions and customer service scalability.
Analysis
I fed these to ChatGPT and asked: “You are an English professor evaluating an essay. Compare the writing styles of the 2 sections. They’re written by different authors. List the major differences in writing style.“
Here’s what it said (roughly):
Area
Anand
ChatGPT
Structure
Direct, concise, with specifics
Broader perspective and implications
Focus
Detailing the process
Benefits and consequences
Detailing
Specific, providing clear picture
General, providing implications
Tone
Conveys urgency
Reflective rather than urgent
Approach
Problem-solving oriented
Outcome-oriented
Yeah, that’s definitely me on the left.
I like the direct, concise, specific part. I plan to add the “broader perspective”, “implications”, and “outcome-orientation” to my life.
Postscript
Jaidev pointed out that this is confirmation bias. He asked ChatGPT for the similarities in the writings. It said both are clear, direct, structured, specific, quantitative, and strategic. So, if you ask for differences, you’ll get them, even if they’re marginal.
I now need to learn (and write about) framing questions well!
