Dustin · original user message
I want to discover what the film is about by hearing myself talk about it.
1. The question before the project
ChatGPT · original reply
When you first imagined taking Greg's identity away— with his knowledge and permission —
what was the part of that idea that delighted you?
Not what you think it symbolizes now.
What made you want to do it in the first place?
2. Doing nothing today
Dustin · original memo audio
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Um... Like, the Halloween story? Because I don't know what the fuck it is.
It started as like, you know. I did start comically to remove Greg.
Dustin · original memo audio
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This is... I don't know. It's like, I need a life.
But... I don't know. But this is important to me, and...
I don't know. It's like, it's what I got right now. And it'll...
It's not like, I don't know. Yeah, it's just getting... everything's getting... better and better, which is really cool, but it's also... takes more focus to get... to not stall out. I mean, I won't sell out, but it's kind of the idea of being able to be like, I'm doing nothing today.
And then, the system should still do stuff, and still be flourishing, um, and without you there.
Dustin · original memo audio
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I was gonna say, the garden functionality that I've been working on that has, I don't know, 50 or 60, like, I don't know if I'm calling them seeds or what, but it's basically the idea of taking in, um, taking in input. We'll just say input.
For me, it's, it's, I've I've scoped it to one input. Um, you could probably guess what that is. And then I take, I use that alongside information from my own life.
Um, and then, the functionality or, like, the what LifeOS does with it, and the garden is it, it sees, uh, it looks for associations between those and things that can be helpful, right?
Dustin · original memo audio
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Oh, yeah, the Greg thing. Greg was just the, Greg represented to me the idea of a character that I... resonated with in my real life, um, a name I didn't like, and nothing against the name.
I've known some great, you know, people named Greg, but it was just like, I remember immediately being like, oh, you know, that was a that was a choice to give it that name. I didn't give it that name. That just happened, whatever, you know.
Dustin · original memo audio
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But it was this idea of a character that is, that, you know, I didn't ask very much of Greg. Greg was just kind of mysterious. Greg was, you know. was apparently, you know, always on the roof for, and I didn't know...
I mean, but where I put that, for me, was not knowing, you know, the things I didn't know, and I couldn't control, as little as you want to make that to his, as, as, as, um, interfering, uh, with life in the biggest way that you want to make it. I don't know how to explain that, but it can represent the thing that you don't have control over or a person or a situation or anything really. But, Probably more even so with Greg is that that attention is, is, is almost like, it is so focused on you.
Dustin · original memo audio
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But, hmm. You can, you know, choose to try every day, and, you know, let go of... things that, um... I want to be careful in saying, let go of.
I mean, uh, just be honest about where things are at, and what your energy, like, for me, I have such, like, I don't know, my energy is... all... I don't know how to explain it. It's, you know.
It, it just, it, it's, it's like it. Yeah, it's a... I don't want to steal this, but it's like a weather system, but and that's not stealing.
It's just like, that was a good. That was a good description. I heard.
Dustin · original memo audio
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so imagine you put all of that, whatever that was, and then you put that into a character, and then you say, uh, let's just delete that character.
Dustin · original memo audio
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I haven't really talked to Greg.
Greg is totally fictional, by the way, so literally that's just like, you know, saying, hey, you know, talking to your chat and saying, okay, I want to talk to Greg now or whatever. It's not, like, it's not, like, I have to, like, plan a dinner, and make great dinner, and sit down, and he's not a robot, or... anything like that. It's just, like, that I haven't really asked, and then, and then I thought maybe along the storyline, I could have Greg say some things.
3. In peace
ChatGPT · original reply
The system remembers what the story is trying to forget.
That's my interpretation, not something you've declared.
Best ✨ · voiced by ChatGPT
And Best ✨ would absolutely make me put that distinction on the record.
ChatGPT · original reply
If you stopped trying to remove Greg for a moment and simply let him speak, what do you think you'd be curious to hear from him?
Not what he should say for the movie.
What would you want to know?
Dustin · original user message
I’d want to know if he comes in peace ✌️
ChatGPT · original reply
And I love that the first thing you'd ask your fictional mind reader is something he presumably already knows you want to know. 😂
Here's my next question:
If Greg answered, “Yes, I come in peace,” would you believe him?
Dustin · original user message
no 😂
ChatGPT · original reply
😂😂😂 OH, GREG.
The man hasn't even been allowed to speak yet, and his credibility is already in the toilet.
Best ✨ · voiced by ChatGPT
And Best ✨ is over there insisting we don't lose how funny this is.
ChatGPT · original reply
What would Greg have to do for you to believe he genuinely came in peace? ✌️🎃
Dustin · original memo audio
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I really don't know.
That's my, that's my first gut. you know, reaction.
4. An objection
Best ✨ · voiced by ChatGPT
Now, Best ✨ has a little objection to my previous question.
I asked what Greg would have to do to prove he came in peace.
But perhaps that assumes Greg is responsible for proving something in the first place.
And perhaps we've been putting him on trial without knowing what he's accused of. 😂
ChatGPT · original reply
So I'm curious about something slightly different:
Has Greg actually done anything in the story that makes you distrust him, or is it the fact that you don't know what he's doing up there on your roof?
Because those are two very different mysteries. ✌️🎃
Dustin · original memo audio
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Yeah, no, this is this is good. So, best has a little objection to the previous question. Um, because what was asked is what Greg would have to do to prove that he came in peace, but perhaps, uh, that assumes Greg is responsible for proving something in the first place.
And perhaps we've been putting him on trial without knowing what he's accused of. That's fair.
Dustin · original memo audio
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That's a very good question. No, let's just answer it. Like, let me not put my my thinking.
Let me answer it with, like, I guess, in the story, it would be dumb Dustin. But I don't like that. I don't like the name dumb Dustin anymore, even though I like what it represents, which is just like, just do the thing, just answer the thing, like, the weather's good.
Go outside, you know? pool's warm, jump in. You know, that sort of thinking, like, instead of, um, overthinking, but so I'm gonna go with that, because has Greg actually done anything in the story that makes me distrust him?
No, I don't believe so. Um, or is it the fact that I don't know what he's doing up there on my roof? Yeah, it's that.
5. What does his presence make possible?
ChatGPT · original reply
If Greg stayed on the roof forever, but never interfered with anything you did, would you still want him gone?
Dustin · original memo audio
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I would want to know what I'm missing out by having Greg. around.
And why the roof? I mean, I kind of get it, but... like, the roof makes me think that he doesn't know, like, like, it makes me think he doesn't have a unit that he stays in. He just stays on the roof.
Which makes me think that he's like linked to something else. Because you wouldn't just be on a roof, mind reading somebody. Um, if that wasn't true, or at least that's my, my thinking.
So, I guess with that, uh, I don't think, I mean, if he never interviewed with, interfered with anything, I did, I just don't know if I'd believe that that's possible, because maybe not in the physical, but what about, like, he obviously has impact on the story and other things, right? So, um, My question back, I'm going to actually flip it and say, has Greg done anything that we can see that's that's positive? And we can include literally this discussion here, because, you know, maybe just having that is some something helpful, right?
ChatGPT · original reply
That's evidence that the fictional character of Greg has been useful to you . It isn't yet evidence that Greg, within the fictional world , has deliberately helped anyone.
Best ✨ · voiced by ChatGPT
Best ✨ would protect that distinction.
ChatGPT · original reply
In that earlier account, Devin wanted Greg retained because interesting things happened around him.
That's an interpretation voiced by another character, not independent proof that Greg was helping.
ChatGPT · original reply
When you hear that Devin wanted to keep Greg around because interesting things happened around him , does that sound like a good enough reason to let Greg stay?
Or does it make you more suspicious? 😂✌️✨
6. Who’s Devin?
Dustin · original memo audio
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Okay. I could, uh... I could get lost in this tonight.
'Cause... Who's Devin? Because...
Devin wanted to keep Greg around because interesting things happened around him. Does that sound like a good enough reason to let Greg stay? Well, or does that make you, does that make me more suspicious?
Uh, I forget what I forget who Devin was. Was Devin authorized? Like...
Was Devin in the original gang, or were they, were, was he, like, the 415? No, I don't think so. Chad was, Chad, Chad did positive things, like, we gotta fuck Chad collection out of him, and all kinds of funny things, and he helped other people, and he was, like, a pretty boy that, um, I had a whole, like, Chad's cool.
I just hated Chad at 1st 'cause he had good hair, and he, like, he, like, went to the pool and stuff. He didn't stop and, you know, think about whether he wanted to enjoy his day. But fuck that guy.
Chad's still around. I've never, I wouldn't let Chad go. You know?
But Devin, I don't remember Devin. I don't remember if he's an audience member. Let's figure out who Devin is, and then if Devin still wants him around or not, and what's Devin been doing?
What's Devin up to? And actually, let's add to that. What has everybody been up to and who from the audience has questions?
ChatGPT · original reply
We can open the floor imaginatively , without pretending these are documented submissions.
ChatGPT · hypothetical audience questions
Devin — hypothetical follow-up
"Before anybody removes Greg, has anyone checked what breaks when he's gone?"
Marcy — hypothetical audience question
"Does Greg actually want to leave, or does he just want everyone to stop talking about him?"
An unnamed audience member — hypothetical
"Why is nobody asking who gave Greg the roof key?"
These are questions we can consider, not claims that those characters actually said them.
Best ✨ · voiced by ChatGPT
And Best ✨ has a reason to keep us honest: there's a difference between recovering a fictional world and inventing new history for it.
ChatGPT · original reply
When you say you'd never let Chad go, what did Chad give you that Greg hasn't?
Dustin · original user message
I will continue that later. This is good content actually.