The Age of Cyborg Problem Solving
Thank you to all the IT professionals who helped me when I asked, “Can you just add this A record to the DNS,” over the years. I recently had the chatbots guide me through implementing and troubleshooting DNS and virtual host configurations for my new site from the command line. In doing so, the bots taught me how complex and opaque problem of domain management is. Welcome to the dawn of the age of cyborg problem solving. Humans and bots working as one.
I didn’t anticipate a major lift for my little website migration. I was moving a dozen pages from my old hobby host to a modern, scalable host. The steps were clear: stand up the CMS on the new server, configure the theme, move the content, point the domain. Seemed simple enough; I could do this in a couple of nights.
First step, stand up the CMS, then take some time to configure the theme. Then move the content. I did these steps manually, because it wasn’t a big lift, and I’m getting used to the automation toolkit. All in, it took me about 8 hours to get to this point. Things were going great! I have a fully functional site that mirrored my production site. The only step remaining was pointing my domain to the new server. Should take 5 minutes, then I can wait for it to propagate. All set.
But wait, it’s totally broke, 500 error. How do I handle this? So many options. Domain pointers, A records, CNAMEs, Microsoft, Linux, IIS, SSL, SQL, oh my!
Do I need to install certs on the new site, or will the certs from my domain registrar for the old site persist? I didn’t anticipate any of this. I thought I could do this in a couple of minutes. It’s supposed to just be a “pointer” or a “CNAME” or an “A” record or something, right? All the vendors always told me it was “just a DNS configuration for IT.”
And the best part? The only path into the server is a blinking dot trailing a long string of indecipherable text—the Command Line Interface (CLI)—or prompt as it’s promptly called. My first thoughts are memories of 8-bit games like Stargate or Rogue on our old 8086 in the study. Most of the games I played back then were booted off 5.25-inch floppies using MS-DOS. I never got much into gaming; I was more into MS-Word.
Back to the present. Don’t roll back, I thought. This is fixable. There was a problem, however. I literally had no clue how to fix it. All of my modern problem-solving tactics were useless. There were no folders to click through. No files to click open and read. There weren’t even any links to click. There was only the blinking cursor after a long string of indecipherable text. And, I had no idea what language this terminal was speaking.
I needed help. I asked the tech folks I trust. They pointed me to the DNS and virtual host. I didn’t know what a virtual host was, but I was determined. No one ever wants to touch this stuff, and I get it now. It’s fragile and opaque.
So, enter Chatbot. Below is a summarized re-enactment of my exchange –
Me: I was trying to point my domain to a new server, and I broke it.
ChatBot: You gotta give me more information. What kind of server is it? What is broken about it?
Me: It’s a hypervelocity Mercury server, and the domain name redirects to the IP Address.
ChatBot: OK, log into the terminal and enter this code [code].
Me: Perfect, but I am getting an error on the 5th step.
ChatBot: Does this code [code] return any error codes?
Me: no
ChatBot: Make sure you are using the hypervelocity Mercury server, and not the Jupiter version.
Me: ah, yes, I’m using the Jupiter version. The 5th step worked now.
ChatBot: Test all your use cases.
Me: How do I configure HTTPS?
ChatBot: Try following these 5 steps.
Me: That helped, the server activated, we are live!
In my humble opinion, this demonstrates the value of human capacity being enhanced with technology. Without me, Chatbot sits on a shelf. Without Chatbot, I struggle to read through endless pages of documentation that doesn’t make sense. Activating Chatbot, I am able to isolate the information I need more efficiently and solve the problems that are holding back my business.
This topic is not without controversy, nor should it be handled without heavy consideration. The most austere among us will exclaim that our lives are meant to be lived void of technology, a simple life. While modern accelerationists call for the erasure of pure, unadulterated human nature at a rate faster than the humans on Earth can process. It is a rise of the machine. The reality is what manifests before us.
What is manifesting today is a suite of tools that allow for the most interconnected human experience in history to take place before our very eyes. And you are welcome to use them. They are only tools. Don’t you let yourself get hit in the head with them. Be it by your own hand or the hand of others. And don’t let others use them to build houses that keep you out of either.