Ask HN: What do you use ChatGPT for and why doesn't it work for me?

Re:Ask HN: What do you use ChatGPT for and why doesn't it wo... by bruce511 on Monday January 15, 2024 @12:23AM (#38997699)

For technical stuff Google works well. Questions that fit into 5 words, technical terms, are all well handled.

I don't use GPT a lot, but I have found it helpful when asking longer-form questions. I recently had some observations of the sun, that didn't gel with my mental model, and I asked ChatGPT a long form question and the answer was really helpful. On prompting for raw numbers I was directed to several Web sites and software.

Because my question involved multiple parameters (my location, time of year, time of day) the Google search wasn't helpful. The Chat one was easy.

I don't think it's a case of "one replaces the other". I think it's a case of another tool in the tool chest. I'll use both, depending on my question.

Incidentally think how useless Google is to a toddlers "why?" and how well say an audio assistant powered by Chat would handle it.

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Re:Ask HN: What do you use ChatGPT for and why doesn't it wo... by elliotwagner on Monday January 15, 2024 @02:00PM (#39004646)

i’m curious. Can you share what you asked chatgpt and what its answer was?

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Re:Ask HN: What do you use ChatGPT for and why doesn't it wo... by bruce511 on Tuesday January 16, 2024 @11:36PM (#39023377)

I wanted to understand why the sun positions in the morning and evening did not agree with my mental model of sun position.

Specifically I live south of the tropic of Capricorn, and yet the sun rises and sets South of my position.

Turns out that although the sun is always north of me -at midday- , because of the angle of inclination of the earth, for gold the year it rises and sets south of me.

This means that my solar panels should lie flat, not point north, during the summer half of the year. I adjusted them, and am seeing improved generation during the morning and evening.

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