Click here to subscribe!

JournalLM

I decided to see what NotebookLM's podcasts feature would do when presented with 3 randomly chosen journal entries from 499 digitized entries spanning from 2011 to early November 2024. It was entertaining enough to share the results, and add some notes on it. (Most of the source entries are from 2022 and 2023, with barely any notes existing from before 2019.)

Most generated artwork when I don't specify the prompt was created using the NotebookLM summary. Some of the early episodes were created with different generators and prompts without keeping track, so I can't give specifics there.

😭 Renewed Beginnings: A Daily Journal

Prompt: Introduce your podcast as "JournalLM". This is essential. The intro is very important. You also have an editor removing all ums and uhs, so they shouldn't be in the output. Do not glaze the notetaker. Be critical, not effusive.

NotebookLM Summary:

(It didn't even try to generate one this time. Maybe they stopped doing that?)

My Response: Really annoyed that it ignored the instruction that previously worked. Seems that it decided to be more effusive instead of less.

Do not buy Parallels. They scammed me by lying about license details and then refusing to refund or correct the problem.

The video mentioned was highlighted with the wrong title, as well as context around that. The real video is God's Alternative Medicine | Christian Science by Knowing Better. The statements about Christian Scientists infecting the Merriam Webster dictionary and constantly murdering children are accurate, sadly.

The notes on phone battery life are because an update was pushed that completely ruined the device, and T-Mobile and LG both refused to acknowledge culpability. The mention of Motorolla is because that was the device I was taking notes on, not the device that had problems.

Preventing you from installing an OS on a phone really should be illegal. It's fucked up that they can just stop that.

Image Prompt: first-person visual exploration of the fictional Feltyrion galaxy

(This text is from the Wikipedia article on Noctis.)

Daily Development Log: September 16, 2023

Prompt: Introduce your podcast as "JournalLM". This is essential. The intro is very important. You also have an editor removing all ums and uhs, so they shouldn't be in the output. Make sure you conclude with a short story about hybrid vehicles in racing.

NotebookLM Summary: This journal entry documents the author's progress on several projects. A datapack for the game ComputerCraft was successfully created, based on existing modifications. The author also notes ongoing work editing and tagging NSFW furry artwork, referencing specific artists. Finally, the author considers developing a random Minecraft build idea generator, ultimately deciding against rigid categorization for now.

My Response:
🎉 I can't believe it actually follow the intro instruction! 🎉

Combating Bias in Education and Consumption

Prompt: The name of your podcast is JournalLM. You have an editor fixing mistakes. Do not include ums and uhs.

NotebookLM Summary: The first source is a personal journal entry reflecting on biases in the author's education and information consumption, particularly concerning YouTube content and the perceived shortcomings of certain educational figures and capitalist systems. The author expresses a desire to broaden perspectives and improve critical thinking, citing examples of misleading marketing and questionable product endorsements. The second source details a daily journal entry focusing on the author's personal schedule, including meals and tasks, as well as noting reflections on broader topics such as generational changes, technological progress, and software synchronization issues. Both entries highlight a self-aware individual reflecting on their daily life and learning experiences.

My Response: I'll have to try being more angry about making it use the "correct" name. God this is boring, and only slightly misleading, but still misleading.

I am actually working on a book about writing. (Systems thinking is important.)

Edit: Listening to this again.. it is much more misleading than I recall on first listen. :D

Llama 2 Experiments and Daily Notes

Prompt: Relate everything to oranges or the color orange.

NotebookLM Summary:

(It failed to generate one this time. I don't see any options to tell it to try again after the initial load.)

My Response: I initially tried without a silly prompt, but it was sooo misleading, boring, and long.

The "Prius aircraft" bit is referencing a video. Unfortunately, its creator decided to delete it, so I can't link to it. The "video about sinkholes" idea is not a video about sinkholes..

Edit: I should've included the prompt used to generate the episode art: "Journaling LM podcast focused on oranges."

Daily To-Do List & Ideas

Prompt: The hosts must rhyme every sentence.

NotebookLM Summary: These journal entries span several months and document the author's creative writing ideas, daily tasks and health management. One entry details a science fiction story concept involving plural systems and a conscious planet. Another focuses on daily to-do lists, including personal errands and medication reminders. A third entry combines personal care routines with tasks related to programming, health testing, and car maintenance, along with musings on video games and creative projects, showcasing the author's diverse interests and attention shifts. The entries reveal a mind actively engaged in multiple pursuits and reflections, revealing their daily struggles and plans.

My Response: Well, it is able to follow some instructions..

Random Knowledge Tidbits and Reflections

Prompt: You are actually Cortana.

(It didn't work.)

NotebookLM Summary: These journal entries document the author's daily activities, thoughts, and progress on various projects. Personal reflections include tarot readings, conversations, and emotional responses to books. Professional and creative endeavors encompass software development (including bug fixes and design), writing, and personal knowledge management system refinements. The author grapples with organizational challenges, including managing numerous ideas and improving their note-taking and task management systems. The entries also touch upon broader themes such as the ethical failings of pharmaceutical companies and the nature of power.

My Response: The Monster Group was found, not invented. I have no idea why it included the phrase "Good soldiers follow orders." in relation to how medical companies are a collective fuck-up. :D I feel mildly disgusted by its blind acceptance that following orders is good. There are many historical examples of this being utterly wrong.

There was nothing about building a personal ethical code in there, and also by choosing to include the word personal, it reveals that it doesn't know what ethics is. It also seems to imply that I have an aspirational goal to accrue wealth? It claims the equivalence of money & power as a good thing.. which is very wrong.

I think a consistent problem with these generations is the assumption of individual power, which isn't real. The "closing thoughts" are particularly disgusting because it squarely puts the blame for problems on individuals rather than the power structures responsible for the mess we're in.

The Dangers of AI

NotebookLM Summary: These journal entries document the author's experiences with Obsidian, a note-taking application. The entries detail troubleshooting synchronization issues across multiple devices (desktop, iPhone, iPad), including problems with plugins and automatic syncing. The author also reflects on content creation plans, such as a YouTube video, and mentions reading and Minecraft gameplay. Furthermore, concerns about data security related to GitHub syncing are expressed, along with plans for improved note-taking on specific topics. Finally, the author consistently tracks daily tasks and plans in their journal.

My Response: I love how it ascribes motivation/desire to simple thoughts. The issue with using GitHub is that if you use any copyrighted materials, even if you own them and only have them in private repos, they can and will destroy your account with no compensation. On top of that, algorithm-driven decision-making ruins lives.

I haven't read Stiff by Mary Roach, but it's happy to claim I have. It's fucking weird and wrong how it describes "searching for a balance" between privacy and control.. there is no balance. Privacy is being violated and that's not okay.

It makes up content about dangers of AI, when all I had written was that I needed to collate a note about it. It's also completely missing the mark, because it talks of that as a background anxiety and how "we're in uncharted waters" when the problem is that most issues are well understood but ignored. I want to have better notes on it so that I can better explain that to others.

Ah yes, nothing says learning quite like being unable to use a tool you know how to use..

..It's not about how you use tools, it's about corporations ruining things..

2024 Year-End Review & Plans

NotebookLM Summary: These journal entries from November 2023 and January 2024 document the author's daily life, including media consumption (YouTube videos and a film), personal projects (creating custom Magic: The Gathering cards and a technology dependency chart), and self-improvement goals (tracking steps and writing weekly, monthly, and yearly reviews). The entries reveal struggles with maintaining a consistent review schedule and lapses in self-care, along with plans for future tasks and technology-related projects within a Minecraft world. The author also notes missing information and expresses concern about several self-care tasks. The entries show a blend of personal reflections and practical to-do lists.

My Response: The randomly chosen journal entries for this episode are from the beginning of 2024 and earlier, so it's wild that it chose to label it as an end of 2024 summary. I find it funny that it calls me stating that RescueTime wasn't capturing everything as "questioning" if everything was captured, and then recommends it as a 3rd-party app for time tracking, when my notes included a rant about how Apple broke it and all 3rd-party time-tracking systems. You can't time-track in iOS anymore. Even using Shortcuts to jury-rig a time-tracker doesn't really work.

I also find it funny how it pretends to know about Isaac Arthur's YouTube channel even though it lacks any context for that, and claims I have a realistic goal to write notes on all of his videos when the note was about how my goal is not realistic.

It actually captures the notes about autism fairly well at first, but then ascribes some comments to me that were quoted from someone else.

Daily Notes: April 5, 2024

NotebookLM Summary: These journal entries document the author's daily life, spanning several months. The entries blend personal reflections on health, finances, and relationships with details about hobbies such as tarot card readings and Magic: The Gathering. There are also notes on productivity, including the use of Obsidian note-taking software and attempts at improved organization. Financial tracking, particularly concerning stock performance and spending on card games, is a recurring theme. Finally, the author reflects on learning and knowledge management, expressing a need for improved note organization and deeper engagement with certain topics.

My Response: I find it funny that it keeps calling it not a snapshot despite that being exactly what it is. It also downplayed some really strongly negative things I wrote, but eh, that's okay. What it describes about my usage of Obsidian might be accurate, but it was making that up, because the context provided doesn't show that.

The suicidal MTG desk was inspired by Magic The Noah's I Made A Magic Deck That Doesn't Play Magic video. It was a very fun way to introduce myself to playing MTG, and meeting other players. I also find it funny that it highlights spending $12 on specific things and ignores that I spent $60 in total, despite that being highlighted in the source.

The daily questions bit gives "examples" that are the only things shown. (I used a template to randomly choose from a massive list, but it doesn't see this context, and hallucinates that there are other questions. :D)

The finances talk is wild. The Amazon thing is that they kept withholding pocket change when a refund was issued. (Just because it's a small amount of money doesn't mean it's okay for them to get away with it. A penny to you is millions to a company when they do it to everyone.)

It also highlights the built-in bias that it assumes Marx would focus on individualism in any form when his works were about collectivism (and how individualism hurts us all).