Wandering Shop Stories 86

Prompt Word: Hedge Minervie and Chip 74 Graendle rumbled deeply to the team, “The witch and I have never been friendly, and that isn’t about to start now.” Cathy spoke up, “Back on topic, treant, what do you know of the Unicorn?” Greandle’s upper branches quivered, “It appeared, though I was not there to see it, on the same day as the last visit. I have heard from the wood, that it appeared in a tree, and the tree broke under it....

5 May 2026 · 2 min · Gary Allen Vollink

Wandering Shop Stories 85

Prompt Word: Odd Minervie and Chip 73 The group, led by Cathy and Minervie stepped out into the clearing. Chip waved at Graendle from Minervie’s hip. Graendle, voice like an old mill in a wind storm, spoke, “I recognize some of you, and others are new.” Cathy responded, “I’m Cathy, and I have questions you might be able to answer.” Graendle creeked more slowly, with less screetch and more groan, “Cathy, then, what are your questions?...

3 May 2026 · 2 min · Gary Allen Vollink

Wandering Shop Stories 84

Prompt Word: Mug Minervie and Chip 72 The party made its way toward Graendle the treant. There were no sightings of anything that wasn’t already part of the observed creatures. There was a minor confrontation with a particularly territorial juvenile black hart, but Minervie bound it quite expertly. Cathy tried multiple times to talk to Chip and spark his imagination, but Chip would just reply with, “That’s silly,” and “Why would that exist?...

2 May 2026 · 2 min · Gary Allen Vollink

Current Thoughts on AI and LLMs (2026)

AI Is A Moving Goalpost Artificial Intelligence does not exist. Artificial General Intelligence does not actually mean anything. Both of these things come from Science-Fiction writing. Both of these things have been co-opted by companies selling Large Language Model technology. Machine Learning is a technology, and it underlies ALL of this. Good and bad. Both AI and AGI are marketing terms, and in the last 4 years, they each have had their meaning changed, multiple times, by the people who are selling them....

1 May 2026 · 9 min · Gary Allen Vollink