Ramblin' & Amblin' (2026-10-22): A little AI tip here for fun
Ramblin' & Amblin' Field Notes with Mike Hall (Staff Software Engineer) Recorded on the move: engineering observations, systems architecture, and software craftsmanship reflections.
The Interviewer
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
A little AI tip here for fun. I did this early on with mid-
range of my learning journey with AI. I added a rule to my
skills and to the prompt MD. It's the Dwight Schrute Princi
ple.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
And it's where Dwight would ask himself before he did
something, would an idiot do this? And if the answer is yes, then he doesn't do that thing. And it's surreal watching the AI catch itself going to
delete a directory or reload a file that it knows it needs
sudo permissions to reload that service. And here it's the first thing I do is ask myself if an
idiot would do this.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
And if so, then I don't do that thing. And see it actually being a reasoning chain that happens
inside of the turn window. The Dwight Schrute would an idiot do that principle. It's a
good one.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Just tell your agent to add it to your prompt. Okay, thanks. Bye.