Ramblin' & Amblin' (2026-10-17): I just hope Scott, I think his name
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
So I just hope Scott, I think his name is Scott, Scott from
Scotland, you know, he's visiting the area and they were a
little lost on the trail with him and his daughter and his
mom, his mom from the area, she's local, but they're
visiting from Scotland, which is lovely. And as I was walking with him a little bit, this is a talk
about, about, you know, me being this great socialized,
that's actually, I tried to avoid a conversation twice on
the trail, but we intercepted again after the first time
they asked for directions and I, you know, I told him to
just keep this particular landmark to their back. And as long as they're moving away from that landmark and
up a little bit to their right, they'll be, they'll be fine
. And, uh, I said, you know, I'm trying to tell you left,
right, whatever on the trails, I don't know, but, um, I, I
haven't been paying attention.
Mike Hall
Host, ramblin-amblin
▶ Speaking
Uh, I've just been walking, um, and, uh, cause I was kind
of out in the further trails and, uh, when we come back and
we intersect again,
Uh, it's right where I told him, like one, like what you
could say, uh, one turn or one, you know, equivalent of
block of intersections in the trail, um, before the place I
told him to look for. And I said, it's a big clearing that, uh, as long as you
follow the tree line, we'll, uh, take it to the nature
center. And you just follow that up to your left and it, it, head
towards the pond and that'll, the nature center will appear
on your left. Um, you know, and, and that's, I met him, we, we, we
reconnected less than, you know, one turn, one turn away
from, from, uh, where the clearing was.
Mike Hall
Host, ramblin-amblin
▶ Speaking
So I said, all right, you know, I'll, I'll walk with you
guys a little bit and, um, and, uh, somebody passed us and,
uh, they were, um, clearly autistic. And, uh, they kind of made like a shooing gesture because,
uh, he was still in the, in the, um, in the, in the, in the
path and, um, in, in the way that sometimes neurodivergent
people do. And, um, if he, he was just bewildered, he, I don't know if
they have autism in Scotland, but, uh, the, uh, I just, not
think, I didn't even explain it. We didn't just let it go, but, um, cause it wasn't
aggressive.
Mike Hall
Host, ramblin-amblin
▶ Speaking
It was just direct. Um, and, uh, I'm coming through, move, but not in a sassy
way. Um, kind of just like how I was trying to avoid this whole
interaction and even why I did the eugtastic videos
themselves. But as I'm walking, I'm just a little bit ahead of where I
told him to be.
Mike Hall
Host, ramblin-amblin
▶ Speaking
And we come across the path and now you can look down and
see where the opening in the field was. And he can, and I can tell that he trusts me more because I
just showed him that the thing that I told you back when,
last time you saw me, it's true. There it is. And, and, and he saw that and we were talking and his
daughter was talking about how they learn languages with
grandma.
Mike Hall
Host, ramblin-amblin
▶ Speaking
And, uh, um, it was adorable, you know, I don't, maybe 12,
13 year old kid, but, you know, an age, uh, where they
asked adorable questions, but are more sophisticated in
their questions than simply, uh, just because the answer
will suffice. And so the grandma was kind of contemplating with her and I
listened to a bit, you know, we, we didn't walk too long. Um, and I, uh, the dad told me about visiting from Scotland
and, uh, that they kind of got lost in the trail. And I said, yeah, I said, yeah, if you follow the racers,
they'll, they'll, you'll walk with them.
Mike Hall
Host, ramblin-amblin
▶ Speaking
And, and they loop back into the, uh, into the open area. And then that's exactly what you're hearing all the hooting
and hollering for is the people at the top of the hill, man
. They make them walk, they make them run up a hill at the
very end. I hope I'm doing that right.
Mike Hall
Host, ramblin-amblin
▶ Speaking
Yeah. The, oh man, that's brutal. That's brutal. You just ran this whole race up and down, up and down.
Mike Hall
Host, ramblin-amblin
▶ Speaking
And then they, that's a long hill. Like just walking up that hill will get you, uh, winded. But, uh, uh, that's also where we sled during the winter
and it's a lot of fun to come down, but walking back up, I
know about that. Uh, the, uh, I, so, so the illusion of competence, this is
a perfect time.
Mike Hall
Host, ramblin-amblin
▶ Speaking
I couldn't imagine a better conversation to be, uh, um,
seated there is with the dad. You know, he, clearly they have the accent and, uh, he's
telling me about their return. And I said, you know, it's funny. I said, I'm walking out here and I'm thinking about how AI
and, um, these tools are, are learning.
Mike Hall
Host, ramblin-amblin
▶ Speaking
And not that I'm, um, a researcher, just, uh, looking at it
from a professional perspective. And, uh, that's, you know, yeah, they do create these tools
and, and you can use them to good effect. But they also will make up a story about George Washington
's birthday. And, uh, with a straight face, because they have no faith.
Mike Hall
Host, ramblin-amblin
▶ Speaking
Um, and then I asked him, again, the appearance of
competence. I, I was able to just use a little anecdote that I've been
mulling over to sound like I was out here, you know, sp
outing wisdom. Because this daughter is talking about how do you learn
language. And I said, well, you know, like, I didn't directly address
the daughter.
Mike Hall
Host, ramblin-amblin
▶ Speaking
I was talking with the father. I said, you know, I'm funny, I'm thinking about these,
these, this topic. And I asked him, I said, why does a bee make hexagonal
honeycombs? And he's thinking, he's like, and then he tries to come up
with an answer, as humans do.
Mike Hall
Host, ramblin-amblin
▶ Speaking
And he's, but he poses this question, hmm, you know, is it,
I, I think it, you know, like, clearly he's doubting the,
his own understanding here, which is a healthy human
response, if you're uncertain. And then he makes kind of a guess, um, about, you know,
that they just found it to be the most efficient. And then I, sounding like I'm super wise, and I'm actually
just quoting Peter Watts' book, um, I think it was Cunning
ham, the character Cunningham was talking about why bees
form honeycombs. And it's that they, that they don't, just forces of the
environment, uh, physics makes it so.
Mike Hall
Host, ramblin-amblin
▶ Speaking
They just stand in a circle. I mean, they just puke in a circle. Um, I didn't see it. I said a little bit more delicately than that.
Mike Hall
Host, ramblin-amblin
▶ Speaking
And I said that they spin in a circle and they emit the wax
, uh, for the honeycomb. And as layer upon layer is built, it weighs down the honey
comb and it forms into the most efficient distribution of
weight. And, uh, it happens to be hexagonal. And he's like, whoa.
Mike Hall
Host, ramblin-amblin
▶ Speaking
And then now we're at the, uh, parting of ways. And I, I use this as my moment to, to step away. And it sounds so profound. Um, you know, you guys, you're going to go this way.
Mike Hall
Host, ramblin-amblin
▶ Speaking
I'm going to go that way. And, you know, it's actually funny even before that. And we shook hands and wish everybody a good day and a
happy, uh, uh, trip here in, in my hometown. Uh, happy visit.
Mike Hall
Host, ramblin-amblin
▶ Speaking
Um, but, uh, the first time we met, it was kind of funny
because, uh, there was a fork in the trail and I told them
to take one way because that'll take them where they want
to go. Um, but when I stumbled upon them, they were looking down
the other path and they were so confused because in the
middle of the path is a sign that says wrong way. And I just walked up to him and I said, I think that's for
the runners. We're okay.
Mike Hall
Host, ramblin-amblin
▶ Speaking
And then when we departed, I said, I'm going to go the
wrong way. I just, I don't know. I'm, uh, just having fun out here. And, um, and then again, as we're looking at the AI stuff
that, it is a Rorschach test.
Mike Hall
Host, ramblin-amblin
▶ Speaking
It's going to tell us about who we are and there's going to
be a lot of people trying to control what that sounds like. But, um, all of that in due time, just right now, coming
out here, listening to people clap and run, people get lost
. And hearing a kid having a existential contemplation about
where does this all come from, uh, is just part of a
Saturday morning in Crystal Lake. All right, thanks.
Mike Hall
Host, ramblin-amblin
▶ Speaking
Bye.