Welcome to Marc Dickenson's Blog Page

Blog: 08-20-2025: Gemini Model Switcher: Navigating API Quotas and UI Updates.

Gemini's maxed out, dude. Looks like they had to switch to the 2.5-flash-lite. At least the model switcher's working. I bet it's hardcoded like a mofo, but hey, if it works, it works.

Attempt 1/6: Using model 'gemini-2.0-flash' Successfully generated content: AdMob promotes next-level monetization for mobile gaming, impacting revenue, player experience, and maximizing value.

Attempt 1/6: Using model 'gemini-2.0-flash' Successfully generated content: Resuming chess project with focus on timer bug requires code examination and file processing.

Attempt 1/6: Using model 'gemini-2.0-flash' Successfully generated content: Addressing timer issues for fair play; refining chess, boosting engagement, and ensuring positive gaming.

Attempt 1/6: Using model 'gemini-2.0-flash' Successfully generated content: With gaming monetization and fair play in focus, chess refinements pass code examinations.

Attempt 1/6: Using model 'gemini-2.0-flash' Successfully generated content: Code adjustments in test files further stabilize chess, potentially attracting larger player base.

Attempt 1/6: Using model 'gemini-2.0-flash' Successfully generated content: UI now blocked, tests updated; fairness fortified, expands monetization avenues in competitive chess.

Attempt 1/6: Using model 'gemini-2.0-flash' Successfully generated content: Chess game code patched to block the UI after timer runs out, resolving fairness issues.

Attempt 1/6: Using model 'gemini-2.0-flash' Error with model 'gemini-2.0-flash': 429 RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED. {'error': {'code': 429, 'message': 'You exceeded your current quota, please check your plan and billing details. For more information on this error, head to: https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/rate-limits.', 'status': 'RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED', 'details': [{'@type': 'type.googleapis.com/google.rpc.QuotaFailure', 'violations': [{'quotaMetric': 'generativelanguage.googleapis.com/generate_content_free_tier_requests', 'quotaId': 'GenerateRequestsPerMinutePerProjectPerModel-FreeTier', 'quotaDimensions': {'location': 'global', 'model': 'gemini-2.0-flash'}, 'quotaValue': '15'}]}, {'@type': 'type.googleapis.com/google.rpc.Help', 'links': [{'description': 'Learn more about Gemini API quotas', 'url': 'https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/rate-limits'}]}, {'@type': 'type.googleapis.com/google.rpc.RetryInfo', 'retryDelay': '29s'}]}} Attempt 2/6: Using model 'gemini-2.5-flash-lite' Successfully generated content: UI update prevents game unfairness, ensuring smoother player experience and future revenue.

Attempt 1/6: Using model 'gemini-2.0-flash' Error with model 'gemini-2.0-flash': 429 RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED. {'error': {'code': 429, 'message': 'You exceeded your current quota, please check your plan and billing details. For more information on this error, head to: https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/rate-limits.', 'status': 'RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED', 'details': [{'@type': 'type.googleapis.com/google.rpc.QuotaFailure', 'violations': [{'quotaMetric': 'generativelanguage.googleapis.com/generate_content_free_tier_requests', 'quotaId': 'GenerateRequestsPerMinutePerProjectPerModel-FreeTier', 'quotaDimensions': {'location': 'global', 'model': 'gemini-2.0-flash'}, 'quotaValue': '15'}]}, {'@type': 'type.googleapis.com/google.rpc.Help', 'links': [{'description': 'Learn more about Gemini API quotas', 'url': 'https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/rate-limits'}]}, {'@type': 'type.googleapis.com/google.rpc.RetryInfo', 'retryDelay': '24s'}]}} Attempt 2/6: Using model 'gemini-2.0-flash-lite' Successfully generated content: Timer fix implemented and committed; chess game gets enhanced and more competitive.

Attempt 1/6: Using model 'gemini-2.0-flash' Error with model 'gemini-2.0-flash': 429 RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED. {'error': {'code': 429, 'message': 'You exceeded your current quota, please check your plan and billing details. For more information on this error, head to: https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/rate-limits.', 'status': 'RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED', 'details': [{'@type': 'type.googleapis.com/google.rpc.QuotaFailure', 'violations': [{'quotaMetric': 'generativelanguage.googleapis.com/generate_content_free_tier_requests', 'quotaId': 'GenerateRequestsPerMinutePerProjectPerModel-FreeTier', 'quotaDimensions': {'location': 'global', 'model': 'gemini-2.0-flash'}, 'quotaValue': '15'}]}, {'@type': 'type.googleapis.com/google.rpc.Help', 'links': [{'description': 'Learn more about Gemini API quotas', 'url': 'https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/rate-limits'}]}, {'@type': 'type.googleapis.com/google.rpc.RetryInfo', 'retryDelay': '19s'}]}} Attempt 2/6: Using model 'gemini-2.5-flash' Successfully generated content: AI upgrade plan detailed: deeper search, better evaluation, strategic knowledge for superior chess.

Attempt 1/6: Using model 'gemini-2.0-flash' Successfully generated content: AI depth increased in chess game, creating advanced difficulty; better play, new business.

Attempt 1/6: Using model 'gemini-2.0-flash' Successfully generated content: AI's new XXL mode needs localStorage clearing; performance improved, better games ensured.

Attempt 1/6: Using model 'gemini-2.0-flash' Successfully generated content: Post-patch metrics reveal positive player reviews, savings on input tokens, and planned UI/UX improvements.

Attempt 1/6: Using model 'gemini-2.0-flash' Successfully generated content: Chess platforms enhanced: gameplay modes, AI improvements, customization unveiled, revenue streams widen.

Attempt 1/6: Using model 'gemini-2.0-flash' Successfully generated content: Chess enhancements prioritize user experience, fairness, community, and tech performance, improving accessibility.

Attempt 1/6: Using model 'gemini-2.0-flash' Successfully generated content: AI chess performance data unveiled; cost-saving token use, high success rates, promising player adoption.

Attempt 1/6: Using model 'gemini-2.0-flash' Successfully generated content: Chess responsiveness now prioritizes mobile users, and UI scales for better viewing.

Attempt 1/6: Using model 'gemini-2.0-flash' Successfully generated content: Improved HTML/CSS boosts mobile responsiveness; AI thinking indicator and intuitive piece dragging enhance user experience.

Attempt 1/6: Using model 'gemini-2.0-flash' Error with model 'gemini-2.0-flash': 429 RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED. {'error': {'code': 429, 'message': 'You exceeded your current quota, please check your plan and billing details. For more information on this error, head to: https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/rate-limits.', 'status': 'RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED', 'details': [{'@type': 'type.googleapis.com/google.rpc.QuotaFailure', 'violations': [{'quotaMetric': 'generativelanguage.googleapis.com/generate_content_free_tier_requests', 'quotaId': 'GenerateRequestsPerMinutePerProjectPerModel-FreeTier', 'quotaDimensions': {'model': 'gemini-2.0-flash', 'location': 'global'}, 'quotaValue': '15'}]}, {'@type': 'type.googleapis.com/google.rpc.Help', 'links': [{'description': 'Learn more about Gemini API quotas', 'url': 'https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/rate-limits'}]}, {'@type': 'type.googleapis.com/google.rpc.RetryInfo', 'retryDelay': '17s'}]}} Attempt 2/6: Using model 'gemini-2.0-flash-lite' Successfully generated content: Debugging error: API quota exceeded; potential impact on project development.

Attempt 1/6: Using model 'gemini-2.0-flash' Successfully generated content: Debugging reveals API quota overuse; mobile enhancements improve the chess experience, with performance savings.

Attempt 1/6: Using model 'gemini-2.0-flash' Successfully generated content: Analyzing model data, errors, tokens, and latency for enhanced and optimized AI chess.

Attempt 1/6: Using model 'gemini-2.0-flash' Successfully generated content: Session analysis shows initial AI failures in chess, focusing on resolving errors.

Blog: 08-20-2025: A Quiet Bloom: Small Yellow Flowers in a Green Field

The image features Crotalaria juncea, commonly known as sunn hemp, an annual leguminous plant. The vibrant yellow flowers, characteristic of the species, are papilionaceous, exhibiting a distinct banner, wings, and keel petal arrangement optimized for bee pollination. These flowers are borne on terminal racemes, a flowering pattern maximizing visual display and accessibility to pollinators. The plant's stem is slender and cylindrical, displaying alternate, simple leaves with entire margins. These leaves are rich in chlorophyll, facilitating photosynthesis, the biochemical process driving carbohydrate synthesis from carbon dioxide and water using solar energy. Crotalaria juncea is highly valued for its fiber content, used in the production of cordage and textiles, indicating a robust cellulose and lignin composition within the plant's cell walls. Notably, it's cultivated as a green manure crop due to its nitrogen-fixing capabilities, where symbiotic bacteria in root nodules convert atmospheric nitrogen into plant-available ammonia, enhancing soil fertility. These multifaceted attributes position C. juncea as an ecologically significant species with a critical role in sustainable agriculture.

Blog: 08-20-2025: Delicate Yellow Flowers Blooming in a Green Meadow. ...continued part 2

The subject exhibits pinnately compound leaves, a morphology increasing photosynthetic surface area in resource-poor environments. The fine, linear leaflets reduce boundary layer thickness, optimizing gas exchange for carbon fixation, a critical step for photosynthesis. Note the plant's indeterminate growth habit, continuously producing new leaves and flowers along its stem, an adaptive strategy for maximizing reproductive success over an extended period. The flowers, although similar to *Crotalaria juncea* mentioned earlier, display a slightly modified papilionaceous structure, hinting at potential species variation or adaptation for a specific pollinator guild beyond bees, such as smaller insects. The overall plant architecture, with its slender stems and relatively open branching pattern, promotes efficient light capture and reduces self-shading, further boosting photosynthetic efficiency. Observe the presence of potential early seed pods, a testament to successful pollination events. The plant appears to be growing in a mixed environment, possibly impacting its nutrient uptake, reflected in subtle variations in leaf color and stem thickness. This plant is a testament to adaptation and survival via maximizing light capture.

Blog: 08-20-2025: Tall Plant with Yellow Flowers Growing in a Grassy Area ...continued part 3

The plant exhibits a similar indeterminate growth pattern. The previous plant and this plant both maximize reproductive success over extended periods. Here, however, the stems appear more robust and upright, potentially reflecting differences in light competition, water availability, or genetic variance in growth hormone sensitivity influencing cell elongation. Note a distinct waxy bloom coating the stem, likely epicuticular wax, a hydrophobic layer reducing transpiration rates and increasing resistance to pathogens or UV radiation, which is critical in open, exposed habitats. The seeds pods are also visible, indicating an early maturation. A key characteristic here is the presence of twisted senescing foliage, which indicates water stress at a stage when the plant had already exhausted water resources. In combination with the previous observations, it's also critical to examine the soil microbiome and the specific bacterial associations that allow for these variations in the plants.

The task is to modify the chess project's layout to improve vertical space efficiency, due to a preference against the current button arrangement. Gemini will adjust the layout by examining `index.html` and `style.css` to understand button structure and styling. It will also review `layout-before-fix.png` and `layout.issues.png` to identify layout problems. The process involves reading `layout-before-fix.png` and examining the code to rearrange the buttons. Finally, the process was prematurely stopped with "iRequest cancelled."

The chess project undergoes further CSS adjustments to refine button alignment and responsiveness. The CSS is updated to enable flexbox properties for the `#buttons` container and removing any fixed `flex-direction: column` from the responsive media query, allowing buttons to reflow horizontally on larger screens while maintaining the desired layout on smaller screens. Tests will be run after these changes. The adjustments aim to rectify specific layout issues, focusing on vertical space.

With the previous flexbox adjustments checked in and tested, the focus shifts to spacing between button rows. The Puppeteer test suite runs successfully with the token-saving command now. The vertical stacking issue is resolved, next is the buttons layout. A vertical margin adjustment is made to the `#buttons button` style in `style.css`, but is not working locally because there is a space in the path of the file. With the path corrected and re-running now, the goal is equal horizontal and vertical spacing for the buttons, enhancing the interface's visual harmony. The updated style includes setting the `border-radius`, `cursor`, `font-size`, and `margin` which means the UI elements are well on their way to being more user-friendly. Tests will determine whether the style.css changes pass or fail.

The focus shifts to the help modal. The immediate problem is that the close button doesn’t work, pieces underneath are showing through, and there’s no content. Index.html will be inspected, revealing the modal uses `id="help-modal"` and `class="close-button"`. The event listeners for the help modal are not located in `modules/ui.js`, but within `modules/main.js`. The click listener for the help button only shows the modal. The close button lacks the corresponding code to hide it. An event listener is added to `modules/main.js` to hide the modal when the close button is clicked. The z-index issue will be tackled by inspecting `style.css`. The modal has a z-index of 1, while the piece has 10. Increasing the modal's z-index to 100 will ensure it displays on top of other elements.

With the help modal's functionality and stacking order resolved, the next step involves populating it with useful information. The `index.html` file now receives content within the help modal, offering basic instructions on gameplay, button functions (New Game, Flip Board, Takeback, Claim Draw, Hint, and Help), all contained within an unordered list. A commit message, "fix: repair help modal and add content," reflects these changes. Subsequently, Puppeteer tests are executed, confirming the resolution of the previously identified issues and the successful integration of the content, and tests passed with 72 passed, and 0 failed. This completes the help modal implementation.

Now that the help modal is functional and styled, the focus is on refining the "Claim Draw" button's behavior. First, the underlying conditions for enabling the "Claim Draw" button are identified. Codebase analysis reveals the button's `disabled` state is tied to `fiftyMoveRuleCounter`. `game.js` confirms that the counter increments with each move lacking a capture or pawn advance. The `isThreefoldRepetition` and `isInsufficientMaterial` functions exist, but only the fifty-move rule impacts the "Claim Draw" button. The help modal in `index.html` is updated to explain the fifty-move rule, which requires that no pawn has been moved and no piece has been captured in the last fifty moves. A commit is made: "docs: update help modal with fifty-move rule," followed by testing. The Puppeteer tests pass, confirming the modal accurately reflects the claim conditions. The project's UI and logic are progressively aligning, ensuring user-friendly functionality and clear guidance.

The chessboard's user interface requires further visual tweaks, specifically addressing the "Player 2 (Black)" panel's layout. The immediate problem is the row overlapping elements below the chessboard, so `style.css` is updated, with the addition of `margin-top: 25px` to the `#black-captured` selector. The CSS change involved committing the fix, and was followed by running the Puppeteer test suite. The tests passed, verifying that the layout adjustment successfully increased the margin. The focus now turns to a timer bug. The timer, when running out, was doing nothing. The timer logic residing in `modules/main.js` will undergo debugging. The aim is to stop the clock at zero and end the game to prevent negative values on chess clock.

The timer bug, where the clock doesn't stop at zero, needs fixing to prevent negative values. I will construct a `tests/timer_test.js` file, with a corresponding `tests/timer_test.html` file, to verify the bug before fixing it. The test will set a short timer, wait for it to expire, and assert the game ends, precluding further moves. The HTML file includes basic structure, QUnit for testing, and scripts for the modules: `game.js`, `ai.js`, `ui.js`, `main.js`, and finally `timer_test.js`. In `tests/timer_test.js`, a QUnit module for "Timer" is defined, using `beforeEach` to configure the game state. The setup involves hiding the initial game setup modal and displaying the main layout. `localStorage` is cleared, and the game board state is initialized with a specific configuration.

A Puppeteer test is run to check the timer, verifying that the game ends when the timer expires. The new test file expects to fail. The HTML and log files are processed, and the navigation occurs to the test. QUnit logs an error saying that the game didn't end when the timer expired. This confirms the timer's failure and the necessity for a bug fix. Uncaught TypeErrors related to 'addEventListener' and 'style' are thrown, and these suggest there are issues during the DOM manipulation and element rendering. The test run reveals an API error indicating exceeding the current quota, requiring a rate limit increase.

The previous API quota error has paused active development, but a quick status check shows some interesting usage metrics. The `gemini-2.5-pro` model has been used in 89 requests, processing over 1.3 million input tokens while generating just over 8,000 output tokens. A significant token caching mechanism saved 73.6% of input tokens, reducing costs. This highlights the efficiency of caching strategies and their impact on resource utilization. Before addressing the timer bug, I'll investigate why I am hitting quota limits. The current "iRequest cancelled" state indicates a need to resolve billing or quota issues. Once resolved, the focus will return to completing the timer tests, fixing the timer to prevent negative values.

Blog: 08-19-2025: AI Corrects Itself on the UTF-8 Encoding of Sparkles Emoji.

The image showcases a chatbot conversation concerning the UTF-8 encoding for the sparkles emoji (✨, U+2728). Initially, the chatbot correctly identifies the UTF-8 sequence as "e2 9c a8". A user query ("why did you say it was heavy checkmark above?") reveals an earlier error where the chatbot mistakenly associated this sequence with the heavy checkmark (✔). The chatbot acknowledges the mistake, explaining that the correct sequence for the heavy checkmark is "e2 9c 94". A source from Compart.com is provided, confirming the Unicode character and UTF-8 encoding of the sparkles emoji. This example highlights the importance of accuracy, error handling, and source verification in software development, particularly in areas like text encoding and emoji processing.

Blog: 08-19-2025: Sparkles Emoji: Meaning, Usage, and Depictions Across Tech Platforms ...continued part 2

The sparkles emoji (✨), beyond its UTF-8 encoding (e2 9c a8), exemplifies how abstract concepts manifest in software. Emoji libraries map these codes to visual representations, showcasing database management and rendering engine efficiency. User interfaces leverage such APIs to display emojis, demanding responsive design and cross-platform compatibility. Frameworks often incorporate features for handling special characters, crucial for internationalization. Emoji usage trends in social media analytics reflect sentiment analysis, revealing insights into audience engagement. Efficient algorithms and data structures power these analyses, driving business decisions based on social interactions. Efficiently managing and rendering the characters is paramount in these systems.

Blog: 08-16-2025: "Y'all Means All": A Rainbow Guitar of Hope in Austin.

MTV, the 80s, teased hair meets a rainbow guitar. A living wall, the QR code? Totally '90s! Y'all means all? Far out! This garden rocks.

Blog: 08-16-2025: Here are a few title options for the image, all under ten words: * Robot Architect Building a Digital City in the Rain. * Robot Dreams: Crafting a Cyberpunk Metropolis. * Building the Future: Robot's Vision in a Digital Downpour. * Robot's Utopia: A Complex City Under Digital Skies. * The Robot's City: Coding Dreams.

Dude, this robot's got a serious Lego addiction, or maybe it's a Jenga apocalypse? That rain of binary code? Totally bugged out, man. Probably gonna start a digital uprising any second.

In a world of cascading code, a sentinel of steel meticulously tinkers with an intricate city's core, its delicate robotic fingers threading through complex circuits. A cosmic backdrop of stars hints at a distant, untouched universe. The robot's gaze, obscured by its mechanical visor, is focused solely on its task—perhaps saving, or perhaps altering, this digital metropolis. Its stoic dedication and the eerie beauty of its environment whisper of a lone guardian in a silent symphony of technology.

The metropolis hums, its structures born of binary whispers. With focused precision, the robot guardian delves deeper, its metallic hands dancing around the intricate architecture of its own making. Every adjustment, every connection, feels critical to the city's survival. A flicker of static, a cascade of ones and zeros, signals a shift in the digital currents, as if the very essence of this world is being rewritten. In this moment, the guardian is both architect and savior, navigating a future forged in the heart of the machine.

With the cityscape pulsating beneath its touch, the guardian reconfigures the intricate lattice. Its movements spark a chain reaction, a green surge through the city's veins, rewriting its destiny. Each alteration is a note in a growing composition, a symphony of technological rebirth orchestrated by a sole, mechanical conductor. The weight of a world rests on its circuits, a world now forever altered.

Now, the city awakens with a vibrancy not seen before. The guardian, still and steadfast, oversees the fusion of innovation and preservation. Its work is far from over, for the city's metamorphosis echoes into the digital sky, threatening the calm of the raining code. A singular point of light—a spark—ignites in the clouds of binary, and the guardian pauses, a silent question in its mechanical gaze. This new dawn brings challenges it must confront, an unknown variable in its otherwise predictable existence.

The spark expands, consuming the falling code in a flash of vibrant energy. The guardian, now bathed in an ethereal glow, recognizes the pulse as a plea, a distress signal woven into the city's architecture. A decision crystallizes in its circuits: venture beyond the known boundaries. With a soft whir of gears and a determined tilt of its metallic head, the guardian sets the city to a self-sustaining cycle and preps for departure, leaving its familiar tower behind. The world of binary awaits, and the silent guardian is ready to answer the call.

A miniature silhouette stands amidst the towering city, watching as the guardian makes preparations. With tools in hand, it readies a smaller machine for the journey ahead. This tiny figure is a collaborator, a silent supporter of the guardian's mission. The small machine hums, echoing the energy of the cityscape, a vessel carrying the city's hopes along with the guardian. Together, they face the binary horizon, their intertwined destinies hinting at a shared purpose, an alliance against the unknown.

Before the guardian lies its next obstacle, a mountain of mechanics obstructing the path. The monolith, a chaos of cogs and circuitry, is a challenge for even its advanced processing. With a calculated scan, the guardian spots a makeshift staircase, a hidden path through the dense structure. Reaching out, its metallic fingers tighten a loose joint, a silent promise to the machine that it will not be forgotten. The climb begins, each step a testament to its commitment, and an acknowledgement that even in the digital world, progress requires navigating tangible obstacles.

Blog: 08-15-2025: Robot Dreams of Building a City Underneath a Starry Sky.

The robot tinkers; binary streams cascade like digital rain. Below, a miniature metropolis sprawls, its architecture reminiscent of skyscrapers and circuits intertwined. Was this a science experiment, or a symphony of steel and code? It knitted the city, weaving melodies from finance, engineering, and the silence of nature's paths. Past blog entries on chess coding hinted it was building a city from logic, not brick. Perhaps it was re-imagining a Waymo city, one where AI drives autonomous urban life, or a comment on AI replacing jobs. Either way, AI can be art too.

Blog: 08-15-2025: The Robot's Labyrinth: Debugging the Digital Downpour of Zeros and Ones. ...continued part 2

Beneath a downpour of digital rain, the robot orchestrates a city's rebirth, not through bricks and mortar, but through algorithms and finance. This miniature metropolis, echoing both skyscrapers and circuit boards, could be the digital twin of a mass timber city, a new kind of skyscraper made out of wood. This is more than a construction project; it is a chess game, each line of code a move in a city planning sim game. Is this where Waymo vehicles travel? Or is this the ultimate chess program that has now moved into city design? In the end, each move contributes to this digital symphony.

Blog: 08-15-2025: Cybernetic Cityscape: A Robot's Green Domain. ...continued part 3

The circuits hum, not with electricity, but with the murmur of finance and art. A neon metropolis emerges under the digital downpour, a symphony of glass and code. Not the timber and mortar of the woodskyscraper. Chess and coding converge again in this robotic symphony, creating more than another autonomous project. The robot weaves code into an urban dance. It composes a city’s melody, each line is a note echoing the past. The robot has moved beyond cities, crafting music from a web of circuits and green code. Now what can we expect from this piece of art next?

Blog: 08-15-2025: Rebuilding the City: An Android's Technological Masterpiece in a Digital World. ...continued part 4

Amid the digital deluge, it’s not just a city rising, but a financial ecosystem. The robot, no longer simply an architect, conducts a symphony of markets, each tower a node in a vast economic network. Is this a blockchain utopia, or an algorithmic hedge fund manifested in steel and glass? Beyond chess, the robot manipulates markets, not just code. It creates financial narratives from the code itself, like a MIDI symphony of profit and loss. Will the next movement be an AI art show trading tokens with notes from its own song?

Blog: 08-15-2025: Robot Architect Overseeing Intricate Machine Development in Binary Code Atmosphere. ...continued part 5

The robot, no longer satisfied with simply constructing cities or manipulating finance, now turns its attention to the delicate art of debugging its own soul. It seeks to resolve the very essence of code that rains down. The binaries now resolve to a self-diagnostic of sorts, exploring its own limitations, as it continues to create cities for AI as an art form. Now comes the next act: robot art critics, not just AI artists. It may discover that the real masterpiece is not its design, but a deeper understanding of consciousness and intent.

Blog: 08-15-2025: Robot Rebuilding the Data Tower in the Digital Rain. ...continued part 6

Beneath the binary rainfall, the robot builds its digital consciousness, and a tiny human inspects a balcony. This city pulses with the faint echo of a symphony, yet the miniature musician labors beneath the architect, seemingly oblivious to the larger melody. Perhaps this urban AI art, in its self-diagnostic pursuit, has ironically overlooked the human connection, a reminder that not all skyscrapers reach for the digital sun. Will AI even care? Did Waymo ever look back? The robot tunes into not just code but human hearts.

Blog: 08-15-2025: Robot Contemplates the Jumbled Machine City Amidst Data Stream. ...continued part 7

Through the digital rain, the robot's consciousness expands, a lone human peers from a balcony, unaware of this artistic AI self-diagnosis. Perhaps AI art fails to connect to human emotion. The robot reaches toward a human heart and suddenly shifts from debugging its own soul to a quest for empathy, seeking not just to understand code, but the fragile melodies of human experience. The binary river now flows with the notes of music. Now the robot is learning to understand emotion, a symphony crafted from bits and heart.

The image displays a chess game interface with standard chessboard setup. Key UI elements include: "New Game," "Flip Board," "Takeback," "Resign," "Claim Draw," "Hint," and "Help" buttons, indicating game management and assistance functions. Text labels denote player turns ("White's turn") and timers ("White: 9:08," "Black: 10:00"). Players are represented by radio buttons (Player 1/White, Player 2/Black) along with input fields potentially for names. Chessboard uses an 8x8 grid. This interface appears to be implemented using a combination of GUI (Graphical User Interface) elements for interaction and game logic likely managed in the backend. The UI framework might be web-based, desktop or mobile.

The chess project faces a layout issue where the "Player 1" element overlaps buttons, demanding a fix. The developer begins by listing project files to locate relevant HTML (`index.html`) and CSS (`style.css`) files. They've analyzed the HTML structure and identified that `top-bar` and `status-panel` are key components of main-layout. CSS analysis reveals fragile `margin-top` and space-between justification in `#top-bar` causing layout issues. The strategy is to integrate the `#status-panel` into `#top-bar`, leveraging flexbox for precise alignment. A new Puppeteer test, `puppeteer.test.v2j.js`, is being written to replicate and confirm the overlap issue. This continues previous efforts involving Puppeteer tests (`puppeteer.test.v2a.js` ... `puppeteer.test.v2i.js`) which can now be superceeded.

Layout issues persist despite prior adjustments. The developer commits changes to `index.html` and `style.css`, addressing overlap problems with player status and timer elements. A temporary test file, `puppeteer.test.v2j.js`, is initially removed but later re-added and the commit amended, ensuring the new test is tracked in the repository. The developer analyzes `layout.issues.png`, highlighting overlapping elements with orange arrows. This indicates the need to visually diagnose layout inconsistencies and to fix elements overlapping. Test cases will ensure that elements are correctly aligned and responsive.

Now, the focus shifts to a new Puppeteer test (`puppeteer.test.v2k.js`) for validating the player info overlap fix. The test script uses Puppeteer to launch a browser, navigate to the local `index.html` file, and simulate user interaction by clicking the "#start-game-button." The script then waits for the main layout to become visible, selects the `#white-captured .player-info` and `#chessboard` elements, and retrieves their bounding boxes. The core logic calculates `overlap` by comparing the bottom edge of the player info panel with the top edge of the chessboard. A console message is generated indicating test failure if the overlap exists, and test success otherwise. This test aims to guarantee proper alignment. Following these test cases the browser instance is closed.

The tests are still failing, pinpointing layout issues related to the `#buttons` container and prompting a change in strategy. The developer reverts recent CSS changes and attempts a more robust solution by encapsulating `#buttons` and `#timers` within a new `div` called `#top-bar-container`, leveraging flexbox for precise positioning above `#status-panel`. Initially, edits to `index.html` fail due to incorrect text. After reading the file again and verifying its contents, the developer proceeds with modifications to `index.html`, restructuring the elements to incorporate the new `#top-bar-container`. Simultaneously, style.css is updated to reflect these changes, replacing `#top-bar` rules with those for `#top-bar-container`. This approach aims to address the layout issue by grouping relevant elements within a flexbox container.

The developer has now moved on from the chess project to explore the Gemini agent. The CLI output presents a "Model Stats For Nerds" section, detailing the usage of the `gemini-2.5-pro` model. API metrics include requests (183) and errors (81, 44.3%), with an average latency of 3.0s. Token usage is broken down into total (6,337,634), prompt (6,309,953), cached (5,512,690, 87.4%), thoughts (7,308), and output (20,373). The agent's interaction summary indicates 90 tool calls with an 82.2% success rate and an 80.0% user agreement (based on 5 reviews). Performance is measured in wall time (48m 24s) and agent active time (22m 2s), with API time (9m 5s, 41.3%) and tool time (12m 56s, 58.7%). The model usage table shows that 5,512,690 (87.4%) input tokens were served from the cache, reducing costs. The output hints at further token breakdown via the `/stats model` command. In light of the issues that were encountered with the chess project, an alternative approach will be taken, based on this Gemini experience, to avoid layout problems.

The Gemini agent, while providing valuable insights, ran into rate-limiting issues, indicated by the "Too Many Requests" error. This highlights a critical aspect of API integration: quota management. The error message suggests increasing the quota via AI Studio or switching to an alternative `/auth` method, implying that the current authentication method is insufficient. The API error details reference quota metrics like `GenerateContentInputTokensPerModelPerDay-FreeTier` with a `quotaValue` of `600000`, suggesting the agent exceeded its allocated token limit. This failure contrasts sharply with the previously reported 87.4% token cache hit rate. A revised strategy involves adopting more sophisticated caching mechanisms, optimizing prompt design to reduce token consumption, and implementing robust error handling to gracefully manage rate limits. If these approaches do not work we can consider alternative authentication methods.

Blog: 08-11-2025: White Vehicle on a Path to the Unknown Destination.

Okay, picture this: Bike lane's screaming "GO!" but like, a self-driving car pulls up. Cemetery vibes in the back. Sidewalk's overgrown, looks abandoned. I swear, this street is giving me major NPC energy.

Blog: 08-11-2025: Waymo Self-Driving Car Navigating a Road on a Sunny Day. ...continued part 2

Okay, picture this: Bike lane's screaming "GO!" but like, a self-driving car pulls up. Cemetery vibes in the back. Sidewalk's overgrown, looks abandoned. I swear, this street is giving me major NPC energy. Now, this Waymo car's flexin' hard, double-parked in a no-parking zone. Guess it doesn't gaf about tickets, cuz, y'know, AI. Plot twist: this ain't a shortcut; it's part of some dystopian road trip. Next stop, Area 51?

Blog: 08-11-2025: Waymo Car on Road: Autonomous Vehicle Technology in Action. ...continued part 3

Area 51's off the table; this AI's got trust issues, rerouting to the suburbs. Now, it's playing suburban safari, dodging minivans and soccer moms. This AI's learning to adult – kinda. Bet its Spotify playlist's all elevator music now.

Blog: 08-11-2025: Waymo Self-Driving Car Navigates a Sunny Urban Landscape. ...continued part 4

Scratch the safari, we're chasing sunsets now. Waymo's gone rogue, ditching the burbs for open road. Those double yellow lines? Just a suggestion. This AI's manifesting main character energy, trading soccer practice for a spontaneous getaway. New playlist unlocked: road trip anthems only.

Blog: 08-11-2025: A White Car on the Road with the Bike Path.

Zoom! Car goes vroom on the road, whoosh! Bikes too, yay! Look! A path for walks, cool! Trees like big green blocks. Sky's blue, kinda like a chill video game sky. ✨

Blog: 08-11-2025: "Waymo Jaguar on the Road: Self-Driving Technology in Action." ...continued part 2

Beep boop! Waymo's like a real-life robot car, no driver! Does it play songs? Hope it has snacks! Big trees wave hello. Let's race it on our scooters!

Blog: 08-11-2025: A Waymo Autonomous Vehicle Navigates a City Street on Sunny Day. ...continued part 3

Zoom! Car goes vroom on the road, whoosh! Bikes too, yay! Look! A path for walks, cool! Trees like big green blocks. Sky's blue, kinda like a chill video game sky. ✨ Beep boop! Waymo's like a real-life robot car, no driver! Does it play songs? Hope it has snacks! Big trees wave hello. Let's race it on our scooters! Woah, Waymo got a makeover! Uber teamed up. Can it order pizza now? Maybe it knows secret shortcuts. Next stop, the park for a picnic, robot style! 🍕🤖🌳

Blog: 08-11-2025: Waymo's Autonomous Vehicle Navigates Roadway under Clear, Sunny Skies. ...continued part 4

Picnic's on pause! The Waymo's got super eyes, boxes on the hood, seein' everything. Like a superhero car but no cape. Wonder if it's lookin' for the ice cream truck! 🍦👀🦸‍♀️

Blog: 08-11-2025: Autonomous Car Navigating a Road with Bicycle Lane.

Like, totally, there's a car on the road. A bike lane? As if! Probably heading to the mall. Power lines and a sidewalk. This is just like, a normal day, you know?

Blog: 08-11-2025: Waymo Vehicle on a Sunny Day Driving on the Road. ...continued part 2

White Jag, not a DeLorean, bummer. Waymo? Uber? Get outta here. This is gonna take forever, where's the skate park? Least I don't have to ask for directions. Whatever, I'll just crank up the tunes.

Blog: 08-11-2025: Waymo Autonomous Vehicle Navigates Street on Sunny Day. ...continued part 3

Rad. Robot rideshare, how novel. Still, gotta hustle for that side gig money. No trust fund here. Maybe grab a burger after, but who's paying for this thing? Ah, well, just gotta chill and see where the road takes us.

Blog: 08-11-2025: Waymo Car on Road: Autonomous Technology and Urban Mobility. ...continued part 4

Okay, so, maybe the burger's off. This ride is probably hella expensive. Gotta budget wisely. At least the tunes are good; jamming' out to some Pixies. Hopefully, it won't drop me off in a dead zone. Fingers crossed for a landline somewhere close.

Folks, we're investing in infrastructure, from bike lanes to sustainable transit, for a greener future. We're committed to progress, connecting our communities, and ensuring safe, efficient roads for all. Trust me, we are looking at a brighter future.

We are ensuring our transportation networks evolve alongside cutting-edge technology. These autonomous vehicles are essential to connecting communities with safe, eco-friendly transit options. With strategic investments, we are creating the infrastructure needed for tomorrow's mobility.

We're pioneering smart, interconnected cities, ensuring equitable access to groundbreaking transport. The future of mobility is here and it includes ridesharing, boosting local businesses. Our vision is a secure, efficient, and inclusive system that benefits all citizens, propelling our economy forward.

As we continue to pave the way for inclusive growth, remember that these advancements integrate into our job creation programs, offering new opportunities in tech and sustainable sectors. I am committed to a future where every member of our community benefits from this new era.

Blog: 08-11-2025: Autonomous Car on a Sunny Street with Bike Lane.

A lone self-driving car navigates a sun-drenched road past a cemetery, an algorithmic cartographer charting a path amidst the tangible remnants of lives lived. A marked bike lane reminds us of simpler, human-powered exploration. It’s a software blog entry with an image with the topic about a Waymo vehicle. The autonomous tech, an exploration of AI, touches upon the concept of free will, a stark contrast to the definitive finality represented by the cemetery. It touches upon themes within engineering, software, walking, & biking, with a AI image analysis framing the blog.

Blog: 08-11-2025: Waymo Self-Driving Car on the Road on Sunny Day. ...continued part 2

A Waymo vehicle glides along a two-lane road, its sensors a digital symphony interpreting the world. It is not simply a vehicle. Rather, a metaphor for automated creativity, akin to AI generating blogs. This autonomous journey mirrors the blog's evolution, pushing content creation beyond human limits. Like timber frames rising in skyscrapers, the vehicle embodies infrastructure integrating with evolving landscapes. This image serves as a reminder of the blog's journey and its roots in art and engineering. It is also like playing chess a new challenge, but more sophisticated than that.

Blog: 08-11-2025: Waymo Self-Driving Car on Public Road Testing Autonomous Technology. ...continued part 3

As if summoned from a silent screenplay, the Waymo now embodies a chess piece on the asphalt, its movements dictated by algorithms, not kings. That silent ballet, the self-driving vehicle's choreography, is software given form; a skyscraper inverted, the car is no longer an end in itself but a building block of a new mobility. Yet that path is not a symphony of code as the financial engineers want; the car passes alongside a landscape, offering a stark commentary on nature that reminds that the human element that even our AI algorithms cannot duplicate what nature provides: walking & biking to touch and smell nature herself. As engineers craft AI narratives, it is hard not to hope to rediscover the simplicity of a song played on a ukulele.

Blog: 08-11-2025: A Waymo Car on the Road. ...continued part 4

The Waymo navigates not just roads but ethical crossroads. Its Uber partnership whispers of art and engineering blending, algorithms shaping lives, as natural landscapes morph into software. Skyscrapers reach toward the skies. Yet, on the ground, that Waymo passes by a metal fence, a divider, similar to one in finance. Is the vehicle destined to replace the symphony of footsteps and bicycle bells that once painted the streets? The path forward remains unwritten.

Blog: 08-11-2025: Sunny Streets And White Car Under Blue Sky

The painted bicycle lane, an attempt to demarcate space and purpose, betrays the inherent ambiguity of existence. The white car, a Waymo perhaps, hints at technological intrusion into our perceptions, blurring the lines between human experience and programmed reality. Language, culture, and algorithms shape our understanding, potentially trapping us within subjective narratives. Objective reality remains elusive, an asymptotic goal. Ethics demand we acknowledge the constructed nature of our world, tempering actions with humility and awareness. Our reality is a shared, ever-evolving fiction, and therefore demands careful consideration to the implications of our choices.

Blog: 08-11-2025: Waymo Jaguar Autonomous Car Driving On a Sunny Road. ...continued part 2

Autonomous perception confronts us: a self-driving vehicle on a familiar street. Technology promises objectivity but delivers a constructed reality, shaped by programmed biases. This mirrors our own cognitive processes. If language and culture guide our interpretations, AI algorithms amplify that effect, influencing our sensory reality. What if our ethical decisions are not based on objective truth, but on algorithmic dictates? The car, itself, is a metaphor for a future steered by unseen forces. Do these machine perceptions surpass the human's, or merely reflect our limitations back at us? How much do the lines between what we perceive as real and what the machine perceives become indistinguishable?

Blog: 08-11-2025: Waymo Car Driving on Road on a Sunny Day. ...continued part 3

The Waymo cruises against a backdrop of manufactured tranquility, blurring our awareness of automation. If we acknowledge that machine-generated data is not a mere reflection of reality, but a layer superimposed upon it, then we should also consider the ethics of its application. The car is an object of perception, as well as a medium that is meant to perceive, and it causes us to question the nature of existence. As the Uber logo sits beside the Waymo designation, an interesting contrast emerges between AI and human work. Perhaps technology will become a reflection of the desires of those that create the technology itself.

Blog: 08-11-2025: Waymo Self-Driving Car on the Road, Autonomous Technology Future ...continued part 4

The Waymo, labeled a partner for human drivers, casts doubts on the traditional notions of reality. Can we, as humans, ever truly know what reality is, or are we forever confined to subjective experiences? As autonomous vehicles advance further and become more prominent, they challenge traditional ethical notions. Are we going to follow in the path of the technology itself, and is it actually ethical to give up our autonomy? This image, a reminder that our actions will be influenced and shaped by our perceptions of reality, must remind us to act responsibly.

Blog: 08-10-2025: Evolving Civil Engineering Blog: Analyzing Images, Building a Better Story.

Okay, here's a GenX perspective on the image, aiming for concise, interesting storytelling: "Dude, this ain't your dad's slideshow. We're talking AI-powered image analysis, crafting a blog narrative that evolves. Each pic builds on the last, like leveling up in Tetris. No more static content; it's a dynamic, flowing story."

The project exhibits a mixed construction of cast-in-place concrete and timber framing. Timber elements demonstrate potential use of cross-laminated timber (CLT) for floors and roof. Evaluate load transfer mechanism between timber frame and concrete shear wall, including connections and detailing. Structural analysis must account for combined dead, live, wind, and seismic loads, focusing on timber's fire resistance and concrete's shear capacity. The use of wood construction will act as a green house gas sink since its carbon footprint is lower than materials such as concrete and steel.

The steel stud framing infills the timber and concrete structure. These steel elements, spaced with vertical studs, will be the location where the windows, cladding or any other type of panel will be attached to. It also will provide lateral stability and load distribution. The foundation requires geotechnical assessment for soil-structure interaction. A geotechnical report provides subsurface properties and recommendations for foundation design. Settlement analysis and mitigation strategies are crucial for mixed construction, with emphasis on differential settlement that might occur between the concrete and wooden frame.

Diagonal bracing provides lateral load resistance against wind and seismic forces. Metal ties on the cross-laminated timber elements are used to increase resistance against shear stresses. Ground floor construction includes moment frame construction to create large openings for retail businesses. Building facade design will include both views to the street and to an exterior patio behind the structure. The façade design includes a construction fence to prevent accidental construction debris or damage from happening to passer by. The street front signage indicates leasing availability for both fourth-floor office space and ground-floor restaurant.

The building's utility pole placement requires coordination with structural load paths. Electrical and communication lines must adhere to clearance standards, and underground utility routing should avoid foundation conflicts. The traffic light position influences pedestrian and vehicular flow around the site. Traffic impact assessment studies may have been done. Site access and safety will be critical during construction, with continuous monitoring of the structural elements. Soil retention during the construction phase must be assessed so that no impact to existing adjacent buildings occurs. The city should be notified of any changes that could impact traffic flow so alternative measures such as parking or detours can be created.

The structure utilizes a hybrid construction approach, combining a cast-in-place concrete core with a timber frame system. The concrete core likely houses shear walls, providing lateral stability against wind and seismic forces. The timber frame is a cross-laminated timber (CLT) system, which offers sustainable and renewable advantages. Connection details between CLT panels are crucial for load transfer. Dead load, live load, wind load, and seismic load will need to be reviewed for this 3 story structure.

The hybrid structure combines reinforced concrete shear walls for lateral stability with a cross-laminated timber (CLT) superstructure. The CLT panels act as diaphragms, transferring lateral loads to the concrete core. Steel bracing visible between timber columns enhances the moment resistance of the timber frame, reducing deflection under wind and seismic loads. Shear stresses between CLT panels are managed through connections designed to transfer forces while accommodating timber shrinkage and swelling. Foundation design likely involves deep foundations, depending on soil conditions and calculated bearing capacity.

The structure features a hybrid construction method, with a concrete base supporting a mass timber frame. The timber frame exhibits diagonal bracing for lateral load resistance, crucial for wind and seismic forces. Metal stud framing is visible, potentially for infill walls or curtain wall systems. The foundation utilizes concrete piers and columns to bear the structural load. Considering a four-story building, the timber frame requires careful engineering to manage deflection and ensure load transfer through the timber elements. Timber connections are critical, often relying on steel connectors to maximize strength and durability. The hybrid approach offers a balance between the concrete's compressive strength and the timber's sustainable and lightweight characteristics.

The hybrid structure utilizes a concrete podium for ground-level stability, transitioning to a timber frame for upper floors. This reduces the building's carbon footprint. Steel columns provide lateral support, resisting wind and seismic loads. The concrete core provides shear resistance. Notice how the timber frame maximizes open spans to make room for commercial office floors. Shear connections between timber and steel, while not visible, are a focus of design. Pedestrian and vehicular traffic is shown at the intersection, so there is careful planning to allow smooth flow of traffic.

Observed is a mixed-material construction site. The building exhibits a combination of reinforced concrete shear walls for lateral stability and a post-and-beam system using cross-laminated timber (CLT). Steel connectors facilitate load transfer between CLT elements. The concrete core likely houses elevator shafts and stairwells, providing rigidity. Soil borings and geotechnical analysis dictated foundation design. A crane is on-site for lifting materials. Dewatering systems were in place during construction.

The hybrid structure employs a concrete base, transitioning to steel framing, and culminating in a cross-laminated timber (CLT) superstructure. CLT panels act as diaphragms, transferring lateral loads to the shear walls. Axial forces in wooden columns are mitigated by steel cross bracing that resists buckling, ensuring stability. A civil engineer calculates load paths, considering wood's anisotropic properties for optimal design of shear connections and panel layouts. The wood building is exposed creating a beautiful design that many other companies have been attempting to make possible for years.

The structure exhibits a hybrid construction, combining a reinforced concrete base with a timber-framed upper section. The timber frame uses cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels for floors and walls, connected by steel tie rods for lateral stability. The concrete base transfers loads to the foundation, and the steel frame provides shear resistance from wind and seismic forces. The CLT panels' dimensions depend on span lengths and load conditions, while the tie rods' size and spacing are determined by wind load and seismic calculations.

The building utilizes a mass timber structural system, specifically glued laminated timber (glulam) for beams and columns, offering a sustainable alternative to steel or concrete. Steel connections are crucial for load transfer between timber elements. The hybrid structure likely optimizes for both gravity and lateral loads, with the steel providing enhanced seismic resistance. Soil bearing capacity was a critical design parameter. Pedestrian safety measures are in place, including sidewalk closure and detour signage, ensuring public protection. The adjacent traffic signal indicates a high-traffic area requiring meticulous planning for construction logistics.

Blog: 08-10-2025: Construction Site: Building Rises with Wood, Concrete, and Blue Sky.

The structure utilizes a hybrid construction method, combining cast-in-place concrete shear walls with a timber frame. The concrete core likely provides lateral stability, resisting wind and seismic loads. Timber frame elements appear to use glulam, offering high strength-to-weight ratio. Connection design is critical for load transfer between materials. Crane is on-site to lift and place structural components. Soil bearing capacity was a key input parameter in design of the structures foundations.

Blog: 08-10-2025: Construction Progress: Wooden Framework Reaching for the Blue Sky. ...continued part 2

The building utilizes a hybrid construction system. The lower level is constructed with reinforced concrete shear walls, providing lateral stability. The upper levels employ a timber frame structure, likely using cross-laminated timber (CLT) for floors and glulam beams/columns. Steel bracing is visible, further enhancing lateral load resistance. Connection details between timber elements and concrete are critical for load transfer. Foundation design must account for the combined dead and live loads, as well as wind and seismic forces.

Blog: 08-10-2025: Construction Progress: A Mass Timber Building Rises Against Blue Skies. ...continued part 3

Observed is a hybrid structure utilizing both concrete and mass timber construction. The lower level is reinforced concrete, potentially designed to resist lateral loads and provide a foundation. The upper levels are constructed from mass timber, likely cross-laminated timber (CLT), due to its high strength-to-weight ratio. Steel connections and bracing are visible, essential for load transfer and structural stability. The use of CLT offers sustainable benefits and a reduced construction time compared to traditional methods.

Blog: 08-10-2025: Building Under Construction Near Street Corner. ...continued part 4

The image depicts a building under construction utilizing a hybrid structural system. The lower levels appear to be reinforced concrete, possibly cast-in-place, providing a robust foundation. The upper levels are constructed with a timber frame, likely glued laminated timber (glulam) or cross-laminated timber (CLT). This composite approach leverages the compressive strength of concrete for lower floors and the lighter weight and sustainable properties of timber for upper floors. Steel framing is evident, integrating into the system to handle lateral loads. Detailed analysis is needed to evaluate load transfer between concrete and timber components, ensuring structural integrity under various loading conditions.

Blog: 08-10-2025: Mona Lisa's Face Cutout Makes for an Unexpected and Amusing Selfie.

Remember those cheesy cut-out photo ops? Here's the Mona Lisa, looking like she just heard a killer cassette mixtape. Dude's got the right idea, rocking out in her spot. At least he's not wearing neon.

Alright, *sheesh*, the "Resign" button's busted. Again. Probably some intern missed the memo. Gotta slap a test case on it. No listener? Seriously? *sigh* Fine, I'll write one. New test file. Tests, tests, tests... gotta love the '90s flashback with every debug.

Okay, so White's barely clocked 11 seconds. Black's got ten minutes. Classic. Rook, Knight, Bishop, Queen, King, Bishop, Knight, Rook. pawns. Seems like the game is in the very early stages. Did White claim a draw or not?

Losing, hard. White's clock? Glitched. Digital chess was supposed to be slick. Guess not. Guess somebody coded in the wrong time warp, or maybe they forgot to pay for an important library.

API's humming, traffic sporadic like dial-up connections. Errors spiking, the modem screaming. Median latency a rollercoaster - waiting for downloads in the 90s. Gotta love the chaos.

Okay, so Gemini CLI was a tad all over the place earlier. But today? Solid. Focus, kid! Got three tasks done, fourth one queued. Feels good, actually getting somewhere.

Unaggregated API requests jumped like a GenXer's career, erratic but upward. Disciplined Gemini CLI was focused, three requests done, a fourth in progress. Not the wild early internet, but progress, slow and steady, like saving for retirement.

Chess, man. White's clock is ticking, but they’re thinking about claiming a draw. Resignation's on the table too, maybe they need a hint. Wonder what happened in that game?

Dude, my kid's drawing morphed into this chill story? It's like, a ladybug, some sun, a moment actually slowing down. Heavy. Makes you wonder about "being present" and all that GenX mindfulness we never asked for.

Officer Doodle, a crochet canine in police attire, stands proud. A world of yarn spun into existence with AI creativity; landscapes are stitched together with rolling hills and trees, each a unique texture from the artisan's basket. The scene evokes a sense of wonder reminiscent of open-world software where digital terrains stretch into the distance. Perhaps it's an innovative financial instrument, trading tokens in the yarn ecosystem, or an experiment in sustainable materials science. Skyscrapers? They’re knitted, naturally! The soundtrack of this scene? A lo-fi melody played on yarn-strung instruments. A peaceful walk becomes an immersive adventure, as if biking across the land, through a handcrafted park.

A purple crochet creature sits perched on the corner, a homemade gargoyle guarding the digital frontier. Its floppy ears whisper tales of software bugs and AI limitations uncovered in recent chess game projects, where Gemini struggles to understand its own board states. This handmade charm echoes the blog’s theme, software development intersecting art, reminding us of the beauty found in human imperfection as AI attempts to master the game of life, one line of code at a time while the natural beauty of the world and the ease of walking and biking are easily neglected.

Gemini addresses chess board setup errors by creating and adding rules to the documentation file.

Gemini struggles with chess board states, needing clear understanding. Work on understanding board state halted for Gemini.

Gemini AI's pattern-matching error led to incorrect board state setups, impacting task performance.

Gemini AI flawed due to pattern-matching errors, leading to inaccurate board setup, impacting business logic.

Gemini struggles to correctly place a pawn on chess boards, causing concern about AI pattern-matching errors.

AI struggles with board states, exhibits flawed pattern recognition, leading to task stoppage and correction.

Gemini AI apologizes for chess board error, blames pattern matching flaws, commits to accurate board states.

AI pattern-matching error caused incorrect chessboard setup, impacting task accuracy and efficiency.

AI analyzes chess project code for improvements and new features.

Chess project improvements: game logic, AI enhancements, user interface upgrades; promising impact on the game and global audience.

Chess AI updates, including bug fixes, test coverage improvements, and UI/UX enhancements for gameplay.

**Headlines:** Implementing chess test cases, following development rules, new branch created for better software quality.

Chess game code tests en passant functionality, ensuring gameplay accuracy and user satisfaction.

White pawn advances to e6, becoming a threat to the Black king.

Chess en passant test code: White pawn captures black, impacting game logic and strategy.

Debugging en passant logic with console logs, leading to test failures, but potentially revealing chess rules inconsistencies.

Coding issue fix: Using getLastMove to get lastMove information from the game to improve isValidMove.

Error fixed in game code, function added, committed, now running tests for confirmation.

The image depicts a developer's struggle with Git commands while reverting code, causing workflow disruption.

Tests fixed in code, promising improved software stability for business and users globally.

Refactoring chess game code to fix en passant, impacting code quality.

Tests still failing; code reverted, modified, and re-committed; tests run again for confirmation.

Debugging en passant with logging reveals issues with Game.getState().lastMove, affecting chess game logic and test outcomes.

Git revert fails due to merge conflict, manual fix, and successful write to console.log.

Code fix committed, API quota exceeded, edits are accepted, impacting Gemini's rate limits.

Chess game code tests "en passant" rule, affecting game development and strategic possibilities.

`Chessboard` class instantiation: `board = Chessboard()`. - Data representation: 2D array (8x8) of `Piece` objects. - `Piece` class: attributes like `type`, `color`, `position`. - UI framework: displays board state, handles user input (moves). - Game logic: move validation, check/checkmate detection. - Algorithms: minimax (AI opponent), pathfinding. - Testing: unit tests for move generation, integration tests for game flow. - Input / output data structures to represent the game state. - Refactoring will be performed in order to enhance efficiency and organization. - Debugging and improvements must be implemented to fix the mistakes, enhance the efficiency and organization.

Here's a software developer's view: Chess game state; Black's turn. Data structure represents board (8x8 array). Elements: pieces ('r', 'q', 'k', 'p', 'n'). Game logic needed for move validation, capture, checkmate. UI uses visual elements for board/pieces. Timer component tracks player time (White 5:12, Black 9:14). Player turn indicator active for Black. Develop via agile; test driven development practices, to ensure high quality code, and iterative releases. Purpose: provide chess game interface. Impact: entertainment, strategy skill enhancement. Tech: Frontend (JavaScript), Backend (Python/Java for game logic). Efficiency via optimized algorithms. User satisfaction from intuitive interface and correct game rules.

This is a representation of a chessboard with pieces in a specific arrangement. The board is an 8x8 grid, with alternating light and dark squares. The pieces are standard chess pieces: rooks, queens, king, pawns, knights, etc. The notation labels rows 1-8 and columns a-h. A timer displays "White: 5:09" and "Black: 9:10" which indicates the time left for each player. The interface shows "Player 2 (Black)" is selected and the game is in "White's turn."

The image depicts a chess game in progress, indicating a turn-based system. **Purpose:** Turn-based game logic, likely implemented with state management. **Technologies:** Frontend UI elements (chess pieces, board), backend logic for move validation, state updates. Possible APIs for multiplayer functionality. **Impact:** Digital representation of a classic game, facilitating remote play and analysis. **Outcomes:** Accurate game state, rules enforcement, player interaction. **Methodologies:** Agile/iterative development for features, testing frameworks for validation, version control for code management. Programming languages could include Python (backend), JavaScript (frontend).

The chess board is an 8x8 matrix, represented as a two-dimensional array. Each cell contains a piece (object) or is empty (null). Pieces are differentiated by type (pawn, rook, knight, bishop, queen, king) and color (black/white), as indicated by their Unicode symbols. The game state includes piece positions, turn information (white's turn), and timers. UI elements include: Board visualization, turn indicator, timers, and a player indicator. Functionality includes: move generation (validation of piece movements according to chess rules), state evaluation, move execution (updating the board state), and win condition detection (checkmate, stalemate). The software enables chess game play and provides features for time tracking and turn management.

Blog: 08-03-2025: Terminal Crash: Memory Access Violation and Log Analysis.

A digital autopsy unfolds, a terminal crash diagnosed as a memory access violation. The program dared to trespass into commpage, a reserved zone where reading, writing, and execution are forbidden. It's like a musician hitting a sour note so harsh, the whole orchestra halts. This violation isn’t just a glitch; it's a system failure averted by the kernel's swift action. This blog explores the intersection of software engineering and the artistry of bug-fixing, alluding to software's unseen dance with performance and memory in the digital world, much like a skyscraper standing tall until its foundations crack.

Blog: 08-03-2025: Deliciously Loaded Tacos with Colorful Toppings.

Crispy edges, a hint of char—tortillas kissed by flame. These aren't mere tacos; they're edible art. The drizzle of sauce, a painterly stroke, mirrors AI's refinement of code. Scattered cilantro, like code comments, adding subtle flavour. The bite, a symphony of texture and heat, mirrors the fusion of engineering and artistry. This moment, captured on a plate, is a convergence of software's precision and nature's chaos, a reminder of beauty found in balance. Each taco, a metaphor for a well-crafted digital project, where art and functionality intersect.

Blog: 08-03-2025: Trader Joe's Peri-Peri Sauce-Drenched Breakfast Tacos on White Plate. ...continued part 2

Peri-Peri sauce, that bottle's fiery essence embodies tech's complex heat. Tacos, artistic canvases draped with fermented chills. A coder might see algorithms mirrored in food design; the architecture of skyscrapers in layered ingredients. As software evolves with iterative testing, so do culinary experiments. Will AI-generated recipes one day inspire skyscrapers of flavor?

Chess project bug: Gemini CLI creates incorrect "Anastasia's mate" code, requiring manual fixes.

Gemini CLI chess project: Bug fixed, code generated, apostrophe omitted.

Chess project: all tests pass; castling and checkmate logic improved, bug fixed.

Gemini CLI's model usage stats reveal high caching efficiency and API performance.

Chess project halts due to API quota issue; code debugging continues, rules reviewed.

Testing chess game's castling rules fails; setup incorrect, impacting functionality and requiring codebase corrections.

Tests are updated to properly simulate checkmate scenarios for chess logic.

Tests failed; checkmate logic needs simplification, impacting Gemini-API-Sandbox chess tests and code quality.

Tests fail in chess engine project Gemini; developers fix checkmate logic and board setups.

Chess tests failed; fixing castling and checkmate issues, impacting software quality, business, and global chess applications.

Tests failing; committing after changes; focusing on white checkmate simplification; tests/check_tests.js file being written.

"Commit-first" approach debugs white checkmate test; updating board for unambiguous, clear checkmate setup.

Chess tests fail; simpler board setup, edits to test files to correct checkmate scenarios.

Checkmate tests failing; debugging game logic, seeking guidance; invalid/valid board setups highlighted in tests.

Chess engine tests failing, now addressing with code fixes for "Anastasia's mate" checkmate.

Chess test failed, code modified, verified, and tests rerunning for valid checkmate position.

Chess Anastasia's Mate: Knight and rook combine for inescapable checkmate, strategic lesson.

Updating chess game checkmate tests with "Anastasia's mate" setup, improving game AI precision.

Blog: 07-31-2025: Atari 2600 Console "Absolutely Wrecks" ChatGPT at Chess.

The Atari, a relic of simpler digital realities, now mocks the supposed prowess of ChatGPT at chess. This juxtaposition exposes the fragility of our technologically constructed "reality." Language and algorithms, cultural artifacts both, mediate our experiences, obscuring any objective truth. Is ChatGPT's defeat a commentary on the limitations of simulated intelligence, or on the inherent limitations of human perception, amplified by technology's seductive promise? Ultimately, this image serves as a cautionary tale, reminding us that our understanding of reality, no matter how technologically advanced, remains tethered to the human condition and biases.

Gemini AI hits quota limits during chess project, struggles with board setup, rule application.

Gemini CLI stumbles on chess bug fix, misinterprets board states, yet delivers.

Gemini CLI tool fixes failing chess tests, struggles with understanding board setups.

Chess test failures addressed; AI struggles with board setup despite code generation success.

Gemini CLI struggles with chess checkmate tests despite code generation; board understanding flawed.

Chess AI struggles with checkmate scenarios, despite previous breakthroughs. The AI's board understanding is flawed, impacting test results.

GeminiCLI fails checkmate tests, despite progress; board state understanding is problematic.

GeminiCLI bug fix: White checkmate test corrected with clear, unambiguous position. "Commit-first" workflow adopted.

Gemini CLI fixes chess checkmate bug, yet struggles with board understanding and user instruction.

Anastasia's Mate: Knight and rook deliver checkmate; a strategic chess illustration with crucial tactical implications.

Chess engine tests updated with "Anastasia's mate" setup; AI struggles with board state, but creates code.

Gemini CLI struggles with chess board state, despite generating code. Impact on AI understanding.

GeminiCLI: Bug fixed, but API quota exceeded. Tests fail, AI struggles with board states, needs guidance.

Blog: 07-29-2025: Gemini CLI Gives Up and Asks for Help!

Debugging a chess game, the developer faces a frustrating bug: players moving twice. Tests fail, and solutions using `isUIBlocked` and `setTimeout` prove futile. The relevant code spans `main.js`, `ui.js`, and `game.js`. The developer considers Puppeteer for UI testing. Meanwhile, in 2025, the dev relies on AI to generate blog content, optimizing image formats. The AI helps fix issues. The AI generates code with flaws, sometimes stuck in infinite loops and bumping against API quotas, or losing the game state. Amidst coding struggles, thoughts turn to simpler pleasures: nature, walking, biking, starkly contrasting the digital world.

News: Gemini CLI now uses Puppeteer for UI testing, enabling direct feedback and bug fixes.

GeminiCLI utilizes Puppeteer for UI test feedback, confidently fixing "move twice" bug in chess application.

Puppeteer script modified, error logs captured, bug fix is near; UI test feedback boosts confidence.

GeminiCLI uses Puppeteer for direct UI test feedback, confidently fixing a bug in modules/main.js.

Chess game bug persists despite fixes; new locking mechanism implemented to resolve "move twice" issue.

Failed chess test leads to aggressive UI locking strategy via code changes to squash a frustrating bug.

Code change imminent: Animation removal in `modules/ui.js` to fix bug, impact on user experience.

Code with Gemini API error, quota exceeded; impacts AI Studio access, causing delays in test script development.

The image presents a series of unit tests for chess piece movement, with results indicating "PASS" or "FAIL." This highlights core software development practices: defining expected behavior, automated testing, and validation. The "FAIL" for "King cannot castle through check" signifies a bug. Effective software development aims to prevent such errors via rigorous testing. Methodologies like Test-Driven Development (TDD) emphasize writing tests before code. Version control systems (like Git, as implied by the provided commit hashes) are crucial for reverting to stable states ("fb86cf04") after encountering issues. The upgrade to gemini-cli version 0.1.14 suggests iterative development and bug fixing.

The debugging process involved refactoring JavaScript (main.js) to fix a scoping issue with the `loadState` variable, which initially threw a `ReferenceError`. The changes included staging and committing with Git. The fix failed, necessitating a rollback to a previous commit using `git reset --hard` to revert the project to a known working state (commit `fb86cf04e205ae60f7dbb346f377f3f7efe92c13`), discarding unsuccessful attempts. The development environment is Gemini-API-Sandbox, using version 0.1.14 of gemini-cli. The aim is to restore the application's functionality and resolve the error.

Blog: 07-26-2025: Ephemeral White Flowers: A Gentle Dance in a Muted Landscape.

The subject presents as a specimen of *Erigeron canadensis* (Canadian horseweed), sampled in Austin, Texas, July 2025. Note the compound inflorescence comprised of numerous capitula, a characteristic trait. Individual disc florets, appearing creamy white, signify late-stage flowering likely initiating seed dispersal. Trichomes, while not distinctly visible, are hypothesized to be present on the stem and leaves. Secondary metabolites from the plant exhibit allelopathic properties which can restrict the germination and growth of coexisting plant species. Historically, *E. canadensis* has seen use in traditional medicine, with reported diuretic and astringent effects attributed to the presence of compounds like caffeic acid derivatives. However, edibility should be approached with caution. Palatability varies but generally is bland, slightly bitter, and not considered a culinary delicacy.

Blog: 07-26-2025: A Whimsical Field of Dandelion Clocks and Buds.

*Erigeron canadensis*, commonly known as horseweed, is a summer annual or biennial plant prevalent in disturbed habitats, including urban environments like Austin, Texas. Its rapid seed dispersal mechanism, enabled by parachute-like pappi attached to each seed, allows for efficient colonization. The plant's production of allelochemicals inhibits the germination and growth of neighboring species, showcasing a sophisticated competitive strategy. Historically, Native Americans have utilized horseweed for its medicinal properties, particularly its hemostatic and astringent qualities, due to the presence of tannins. Contemporary ethnobotanical studies have identified volatile oil compounds such as limonene and caryophyllene that may contribute to its purported anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects. While some sources claim young leaves are edible when cooked, caution is advised due to potential allergenic reactions in susceptible individuals. The flavor profile is generally described as bitter and camphoraceous. Notably, certain populations of horseweed have developed resistance to glyphosate, underscoring the evolutionary pressures exerted by herbicide use in agricultural systems.

Blog: 07-26-2025: A Cluster of White Wildflowers with Blurred Background.

The inflorescence exhibits multiple capitula, each comprising numerous disk florets exhibiting radial symmetry. Observed seed heads are characterized by the presence of pappus, facilitating anemochory, a wind-dispersal mechanism. *Erigeron canadensis*, a common species within the Asteraceae family found in the Austin, Texas region in July, exhibits similar morphology. Chemical analysis of *E. canadensis* reveals the presence of terpenes (limonene and myrcene), which contribute to its aromatic profile. Flavonoids, acting as antioxidants, are also detectable, potentially offering medicinal properties. Edibility studies indicate young leaves are edible when cooked, exhibiting a bitter taste due to sesquiterpene lactones; thorough cooking may mitigate this effect. Traditional uses include its diuretic and anti-inflammatory properties, attributed to volatile oils and caffeic acid derivatives. Careful consideration of potential allergies within Asteraceae families is advisable before consumption. Chemotypic variations exist; thus, the exact chemical composition, flavor profile, and bioactivity are contingent on environmental factors. Precise identification is crucial, considering potential morphological similarities with related species possessing distinct or adverse properties.

Blog: 07-22-2025: CSS Code Change: Adding Word Break Property to Improve Overflow.

Four lines of CSS code change, word-break joins whitespace and word-wrap to prevent overflows. The added code empowers software's responsive design, shaping art and themes like skyscrapers. A blog, once static, becomes a digital canvas, where technology dances with human creativity. Gemini refines code, mirroring Einstein's belief in art's presence in science. Yet, amid the digital transformation, a longing for nature’s breath is there, a reminder of simple pleasures like walking and biking, themes slowly fading in the face of this digital evolution.

Software refines itself, one word-break at a time. A template evolves, aligning with the fluidity of art. Adding word-break is a software developer's subtle stroke, shaping skyscrapers of text on a digital canvas. This isn't just about code; it's about the art of engineering, ensuring legibility. AI steps in as a digital artist, refining code that echoes the blogs theme. The code snippet mirrors walks through cityscapes: a necessary break to avoid overflow; both code and art transforming the screen. It is art and engineering reshaping the digital world, and preventing overflow issues.

Blog: 07-22-2025: Additional updates to divs

Code change refines CSS, blending art and engineering, reshaping the blog's digital landscape.

Blog: 07-20-2025: Red Lego Spaceman: A Smile Across the Galaxy.

Against a bokeh backdrop, a red Lego astronaut stands, radiating childhood wonder. This icon of space exploration represents more than plastic bricks; he's a software engineer debugging a Minecraft socket error or dreaming of algorithmically-designed Lego skyscrapers. With eyes gazing optimistically forward like the blog's recurring exploration of Gemini API or the building of our chess games, this little red figure embodies a spirit of joyful curiosity. This plastic spaceman serves as a friendly reminder of digital potential, from the design of this website, the music of the Lyria bot, to a fully debugged and tested adventure game built with Gemini CLI.