Authentic Chaos

The world is changing faster than my underpants. I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know where I'm going. Life has me back on my heels.

I'm booked to fly to Vegas on Monday - but more on that later.

I called Jimmy Poon back in Flusherville, where an early winter storm had him stuck in the house, tinkering on projects.

"Hello," said Jimmy Poon.

"Hello, Jimmy Poon," I said.

"Hello, Royal Flusher," said Jimmy Poon.

I heard some distant high pitched clinking sounds, some clicking sounds, and overtop of it all, Jimmy Poon's three octaves above middle C elfin laugh.

"Jimmy Poon, are you tinkering?"

"Royal, I'm putting the finishing touches on the SLM AS."

"Jimmy Poon, I do not have a particularly slim ass."

I heard about twenty seconds of tee-heeing.

"Royal, it's the Savvy Language Model Artificial Stupidity system I've put together. It's going to help you with your blog!"

"Jimmy, I gotta tell you," I said, "AI is clearly going to change everything in ways we can't even imagine and sometimes I think it could be the next big leap forward and improve life for all mankind, and sometimes it scares the everloving crap out of me. It'll burn down society and drain us of every block chain bit dollar we've fucking got in our crypto accounts - which I also have no clue about."

I could hear more clicking - Jimmy Poon typing.

"Royal, I've jammed the whole AS engine into the Video Poker WinSimulator 3000, so you'll have access to it from anywhere."

"Jimmy, I'm really confused about life. I think of all the things I should be doing and feel guilty that I'm not. Even though I don't really want to do some of those things. If something bad happens, people tell me it was 'meant to be'. And if something I want to happen doesn't, they say it 'wasn't meant to be' and I should get over it. And other people have it just as bad.

I don't know who's right, who's wrong... 

And I've got this trip coming up to Vegas, just to avoid Christmas, and yeah I like Vegas and gambling but I don't even really know if I want to go and..."

Click click click...

Then:

"Royal?"

"Royal (tee heee heee) are you crying?"

I sniffed and blew my nose.

"No... " I said, voice cracking.

"Royal - there's nothing wrong with you," said Jimmy. "You've gone through a tough, tough time in your life, and you are still trying to figure out how to keep going and make something out of where you are."

"Okay..." I said. It made some sense.

"Royal, those people are displaying Toxic Positivity. You need to embrace your life in a state of Authentic Chaos. You need to understand that your feelings, whatever they are, are valid - the good, and the bad. You need a new approach to your life and to your Vegas trip.

Like, look at me, I'm putting together the AS system using vibe coding. Basically, I log into ChatGPT, and tell it 'Hey, I sorta want something cool that might look like this' and it spits out the Savvy Language Model."

"Authentic... Chaos??? Jimmy, what the fuck?"

I heard sparks in the background.

"Royal - gotta go. Use the AS! Embrace authentic chaos. Just... ask the AS! It'll explain everything."

Jimmy Poon hung up and I sat staring, thinking about what he'd said. It was mostly gibberish to me, which either something I didn't understand, or an early form of Irish licorice my grandfather used to enjoy.

Now, about that Vegas trip.

I have very few offers in Vegas these days. I am getting offers for 4 nights at Rio (pay resort fee), and the odd night or two at Resorts World and South Point. And I still get MGM offers.

I get very little downtown. Discounts mostly. Nothing at Boyd. My Ace in the hole there is my host.

So this is the way the trip is shaping up. I've got a one bedroom suite at Luxor with $100 in resort credit and $25 freeplay - big whoops. I have to pay the resort fee. And I've got 5 nights at the Cal downtown, comped. No more meal books for Flushiepants - I've gotta prove my action in order to get them going forward.

The nickel and dime ratchet continues to tighten.

I used Avion points for the flights on Delta and I'm out $125 in fees. My host gets a green handshake, so all in, it's $425 for 9 nights in Vegas including airfare. Pretty goddamn savvy.

Still got it!

Oops, forgot parking in Tampa. $175. Total $600.

Still have most of it!

I have a pretty great trepidation sitting on my desk here at the Greacey Palms Senior Putt Putt Trailer Park Retirement Community and with great trepidation, I fired up the AS.

> I am the author of the Royal Flusher blog. I am going on a trip to Las Vegas. I will be writing a trip report.

It really was stupid.

> Make me an artwork thumbnail for this trip report. Use my logo and website. Use vibe coding? Make it about gambling

And here's what I got back.

Wow, if it wasn't for the RO of Spades Hearts, I would have had a Four and a Half Card Kl Flush.

> what is vibe coding?

Vibe Coding is a fresh term for a way of building software where tell an AI what you want, and the AI handles 100% of the actual coding.

 > OK. What is vibe gambling?

If Vibe Coding is about "forgetting the code exists" and just letting the AI build the app based on a feeling, Vibe Gambling is about "forgetting the pay tables exist" (temporarily) and letting the session be guided by the energy, the "cinema," and the flow.

It’s about playing where the lighting is right, the cocktail is high-end, and the "vibe" is immaculate - even if the machine has a touch of Artificial Stupidity. 

Good God, what had we unleashed? Forget the pay tables exist?

But... I had to think, well, in lieu of anything better, the 'vibe' of what AS had said was the answer, even if the details were suspect. I would embrace artificial chaos, eschew toxic-whatever-Poon-said, and attack - no, harmonize with Las Vegas.

Vibe Gambling.

Time to pack.