I'm currently being paid by a client to fix his AI slop.

I'm working on a device that acts as a bridge between a video game sim wheel controller and a radio control car. It uses ESP32s on both ends, communicating using the ESP-NOW protocol. My client and I have been working on this for about 2 years now, and the final PCBs have just arrived. I did the coding and the board design in its entirety, and another freelancer designed the enclosure.

Unfortunately the only marketing material so far are some TikTok posts, but it's a pretty cool demonstration.

https://www.tiktok.com/@kyo.simrc.racing

So C++ doesn't count as code now.

Certainly Biden and Obama check off a few of the 14 points of Fascism, but are we really being serious here? "TDS" is just a thought terminating cliche.

You're going to see major cope once that bargain $200/month plan goes away, and every person or company that has embedded these services into their workflows gets to see their actual costs.

Have you actually tried this stuff or are you just saying stuff you hear on the internet?

Yes. I have tried this stuff. I really don't see how my use, or non-use of AI APIs changes this reality. Github Copilot announced it's going to per-token pricing in less than a month. I heard that on the internet by the way.

I'm watching people host models on things like LangSmith and OpenRouter for a fraction of the cost you are talking about. We have other people reporting their M4 Macs providing them with performance close to what they get with ChatGPT and Claude all locally with just a 24 GB M4 Mac. We already spend money on laptops. I can put in a ticket for an M4 Macbook Pro from IT right now.

Fantastic. I run local models too. This was specifically about APIs

Why do you think costs will go up when the competition is increasing while hardware prices per compute cycle go down? That's the part I don't get.

Going from a fixed monthly fee to a per token billing structure is not a cost reduction, and we are watching that happen in real time.

Which is good, because Nvidia pulling a Micron and ceasing consumer hardware production is right around the corner.

I'm sure it probably feels like the end of the world for some people.

Of course. Being laid off sucks, but that’s not relevant to this thread.

It's not relevant to a thread about a company laying off 20% of its workforce? sure man.

I'm glad I read this. Pre AI, I've always wanted to tell the company about myself using my own language instead of this fake corporate LinkedIn style language, which seemed like was the norm, and was expected. Now it seems like employers are looking for some hint of humanity. I guess I'll remember this if I ever decide to apply for a job again.

It's almost like there's a difference between a contractor and an employee. You'd think someone in the smartest cohort would know the difference. You wouldn't hire a full time groundskeeper just to plow your snow for 4 months and fire them when the weather changes.

Would it be Communism to require a license stating you know what that word means in order to use it?