Todd Grooms

Sat, 30 May 2026 13:58:47 -0500

A Buc-ee’s Beaver dressed as Apollo Creed from Rocky IV.

Don't use AI as a Therapist

Tue, 26 May 2026 16:35:28 -0500

I have been a longtime listener and subscriber of Accidental Tech Podcast. In the latest member special, ATP Movie Club: Her, the hosts discussed their thoughts after recently watching the 2013 film Her. I never watched the movie, but was vaguely aware that it dealt with the protagonist’s connection with a digital assistant (à la Siri). One of the overarching themes of the episode was the correlations we find ourselves in with respect to the “relationships” people are developing with LLMs. Towards the end of the episode, Marco discussed how people today are beginning to turn to LLMs for companionship or for help (using them as a therapist), eventually postulating current LLMs might be better than a bad human therapist. I have disagreed with many of Marco’s takes on the show, but this one really takes the cake: this is an outrageously bad take. OpenAI’s ChatGPT product has been the focus of lawsuits pertaining to violence and self-harm, for example:

These tools cannot and should not replace human connection or human conversation, regardless of how inadequate a human therapist might be. I have been fortunate to have what I consider to be a good therapist. If I did not feel that way, I would seek out a new therapist. Under no circumstances would I seek out an LLM for this role.

I like ATP and I’m fine with most of Marco’s takes, but this one is in the “Bad Takes Hall of Fame”. We can enjoy using LLMs for software development or for finding utility in repetitive tasks, but we should honestly stop there. This current episode of glazing AI in the tech sphere is getting out of hand.

Mon, 25 May 2026 21:30:23 -0500

Finished reading: A Terribly Nasty Business by Julia Seales 📚

Such a fun series so far.

Tue, 19 May 2026 20:39:58 -0500

Finished reading: A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales 📚

Thu, 07 May 2026 07:46:30 -0500

Finished reading: A Series of Unfortunate Events #8: The Hostile Hospital by Lemony Snicket 📚

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 20:18:28 -0500

Finished reading: A Series of Unfortunate Events #7: The Vile Village by Lemony Snicket 📚

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 14:44:58 -0500

Finished reading: Wings: the Story of a Band on the Run by Paul McCartney 📚

A Christmas gift from Ashley. I’ve always enjoyed Wings’ music, but wasn’t as familiar with the history of the band. It was a lot of fun. I took the time to listen to the albums after reading about them.

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 17:29:25 -0500

Finished reading: Apple The First 50 Years by David Pogue 📚

A fun read with lots of great stories and anecdotes. I still cannot believe how lucky I am to be apart of Apple and to have Apple be apart of me.

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 09:33:23 -0500

Only the thing for which you have struggled will last.

– Yoruba Proverb

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 13:44:33 -0500

Finished reading: Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green 📚

It was a good read, but difficult at times. I was upset when the current administration dismantled USAID. I am now furious all over again. We could be doing so much to help other countries that would, in turn, help us.

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 13:11:39 -0500

Exploring the Bison and Elk Reserve at Land Between the Lakes.

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 07:45:44 -0500

Finished reading: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas 📚

I had purchased an unabridged copy of this when I was in high school. The book sat on my shelf ever since. Approximately twenty-two years later, I have read it. Well worth the wait. I only regret not reading it sooner.

Sat, 24 Jan 2026 15:07:53 -0500

Finished reading: Apple in China: The Capture of the World’s Greatest Company by Patrick McGee 📚

Sun, 04 Jan 2026 16:31:00 -0500

Finished reading: Future Boy: Back to the Future and My Journey Through the Space-Time Continuum by Michael J. Fox and Nelle Fortenberry 📚

Great Scott! A fun stroll down memory lane reminiscing how one of my favorite movies improbably came together.

Mon, 29 Dec 2025 17:09:14 -0500

Finished reading: This Is for Everyone by Tim Berners-Lee 📚

Thoughts on my Consumption Footprint

Sun, 21 Dec 2025 22:13:35 -0500

It can be a humbling experience to think back on how long one has owned an item. Ashley and I received a Cuisinart conical burr coffee grinder as a wedding gift over sixteen years ago. We still have a few things that we received as a wedding gift or even before our wedding, but those items are beginning to dwindle. Perhaps those items no longer serve us. Things become used and worn and, sometimes, things can even fail. Such is the fate of our Cuisinart grinder.

A few months ago, I observed that the push buttons were increasingly difficult to engage. I would have to press the buttons at different angles or roll my finger on them to trigger the function. It was annoying, but the appliance was still functional. Over the last week, however, we observed that the output in ground coffee started to decline. The motor would always spin when on, but we could hear times where there was no actual grinding occurring. It seemed like perhaps a gear was slipping, leaving the actual burr stationary while the motor continued to spin, leading to the decline in output.

I did a little searching to see what my options were for repair. Over the last year, I have given more thought to my personal footprint. Whenever I toss or donate items, I feel a little guilty. Not that I don’t want to declutter (I do), but I question myself over why I had the item in the first place. If it’s an item that I like, why not continue to use it? If it can be repaired, should I be doing that instead? Unfortunately, it seems that Cuisinart appliances are not exactly repairable or, if they are, there is a dearth of online material describing how to repair them. Additionally, the only replacement parts I could find were the external plastic components (e.g. the bean hopper and the ground receptacle) and not the actual burr or motor.

Ashley sent me a Crate & Barrel link for Cuisinart’s latest model that replaced our model. The cost for a grinder can vary, but this model seemed to be appropriately priced for a conical burr grinder, especially a consumer model. My hesitation in choosing this model, however, was the idea that I would eventually be in this same situation again sometime in the future (with any luck, in sixteen years or later): I would have an appliance to dispose of and replace, instead of repairing and extending its useful lifetime.

I searched and found a highly recommended coffee grinder manufacturer named Baratza that is well known for their repairability. One Redditor quipped that he owns a “Ship of Theseus” Baratza Encore. I loved the idea of a coffee grinder “for life”. I did not love a more expensive upfront cost though. I was torn on which option to choose. I slept on it. Eventually Ashley and I decided to just purchase the Cuisinart option, due to its familiarity and local availability (I am also trying to avoid having everything shipped directly to me if there are local options available).

Values

In 2019, our 2011 Land Rover LR4 was beginning to visit the mechanic more frequently. It had been a wonderful vehicle for our family since 2014, but the maintenance costs were starting to accumulate. Additionally, I did not feel good about the fuel economy (both from a cost and consumption angle). I convinced myself that buying a new electric vehicle was the best option. One of the most difficult aspects of that decision was the cost analysis vs. the environment analysis. Was it better, cost wise, to purchase a new vehicle and avoid the ongoing maintenance costs of this vehicle? Was it better, environment wise, to purchase a new electric vehicle and avoid using gas with this vehicle? I do not pretend to know whether or not I could justify either, but sometimes the heart wants it wants and the head follows along. Additionally, one can reverse engineer reasoning to justify most decisions in life.

I’ve recently spent a lot of time thinking about this choice. Were I to do it again, I might very well choose the other road and keep the LR4. Ashley and I both loved that vehicle and we additionally carry very fond memories of our time in that vehicle. While I dislike using gas stations and burning gas, I also dislike the resources that went into the manufacture of our electric vehicles. The raw materials that go into making a vehicle plus the raw materials that go into making a large battery are non-trivial. Even with well detailed breakdowns on the benefit analysis of a new electric vehicle vs. a used ICE vehicle, it can be difficult to make a decision.

All this to say, I’m rethinking what’s important to me and what I can realistically do. I’m approaching consumption with more thoughtfulness. Why am I thinking about making this purchase? Can I purchase a used item instead? What level of quality should I be looking at? I definitely don’t want to buy junk anymore. I want things that will have as long of a useful life as possible. These are the types of questions and considerations I want to maintain moving forward when I contemplate purchases. If I’m honest with myself, I’m sure the answer to the first question will greatly reduce my consumption footprint.

The Current State of Product Recommendations and Research

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 17:03:48 -0500

I have been toying with the idea of picking up a standalone camera for a while. I would like a camera that anyone in the family could use, without the need to ask for Ashley’s or my phone. However, I don’t want it to be a complicated device to use. It needs to be simple enough for the kids to pickup and use without a lot of fuss. I want something more on the “point and shoot” end of the spectrum. I have seen some promote the use of film cameras as a way to avoid the over production of photos and to be a bit more thoughtful in the photos we choose to take. Since photos have a cost, the theory goes, is this moment worth capturing? Are you taking the time to compose the shot the way you want? I’ll be honest, I haven’t used a film camera in ages. However, I’m definitely at the right age / demographic to get caught up in analog nostalgia though.

Without much experience in this area and not really knowing what worthwhile options are available, I used my search engine of choice, Duck Duck Go, to find options for “best starter film camera”. One of the first options in the results (that wasn’t an ad or the AI generated response) was a site that I didn’t recognize. This isn’t uncommon though; there are so many websites out there and many are content farms, abusing SEO to harvest ad revenue. I’m fairly used to seeing dubious options in my results. I tapped through to look at the article, “Best Film Cameras for Beginners 2025”. I was alarmed to see emoji section headers. Before I even started reading, I knew this was an LLM generated article, likely infused with affiliate links. Bleh. I knew this was possible and likely, but I was still not prepared for how I would receive this eventuality this morning.

A few months back, Ashley and I were discussing web search, LLM responses, and trust over lunch. She initially dismissed the idea of knowingly reading or using LLM responses for research. I postulated that we would, soon, have enough LLM generated content that we would no longer be able to assume that our search engine results led to pages with content written by a human. I then asked her why she trusts websites in search engine results? What makes the author anymore of an authoritative source than an LLM model? How can we verify that people are who they say they are? How can we validate their credentials? The concept of what we trust and why was heavy. The idea that we can no longer trust gave us both an existential crisis. I thought we’d probably have a few more years before it got too bad. I’m beginning to think I was too optimistic.

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 13:59:13 -0500

Finished reading: Superbloom by Nicholas Carr 📚

There is a lot to process here. It can feel a bit overwhelming and deterministic: was our current reality set in motion over a century ago? Can our current situation be improved? I’m feeling less optimistic that it can be fixed.

Fri, 28 Nov 2025 12:00:55 -0500

🔗 Requiem for Early Blogging

This article struck a chord with me. I have been reading Superbloom: How Technologies of Connection Tear Us Apart and one of the recurring themes I’m noticing is that the lack of friction in communication seems to be a double edged sword.

via kottke

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 15:19:55 -0500

📺 My Pace – Life of Goro | Escaping City Rules for Outdoor Life in Hokkaido

I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about intentionality and what would give me meaning outside of work. What do I want my life to look like? I’m still figuring that out.

via kottke

Sat, 08 Nov 2025 22:30:42 -0500

Finished reading: Source Code by Bill Gates 📚

I really enjoyed the computer history covered in Bill Gates’ memoir. He comes across as a fascinating individual, especially when going into details regarding early software development.

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 21:13:19 -0500

🔗 Mr TIFF

Please, Mr. TIFF is my father…

via 512 Pixels

Sun, 02 Nov 2025 17:06:18 -0500

🔗 Three Tough Truths About Climate

An interesting and thoughtful prospective about a topic that brings me anxiety. I often fret over my children’s experience with the world and what the climate will be like in their lifetime. Instead of feeling hopeless, this made me feel a little more hopeful.

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 19:23:00 -0500

Finished reading: The Pumpkin Spice Café (Dream Harbor, Book 1) by Laurie Gilmore 📚

Definitely not a book in my wheel house, but I needed a book in a pinch and this was available via Kindle Lending. A little saucy, but enjoyable.

Sat, 27 Sep 2025 11:17:02 -0500

Finished reading: Kingdom Keepers II by Ridley Pearson 📚