Many times people credited with creating a genre or style simply placed the final brick, standing on the shoulders of giants. But who had the most profound impact through both luck and effort?

I’m interested in any art form - theater, painting, film making, video games, etc.

I asked Claude for references to some ideas the ai had output earlier about a 16th century cardinal (Sadoleto). It's response was, Let me analyze the letter, and then this:

async function searchForSadoletoLetter() {
  try {
    const files = ['sadoleto_letter.txt', 'sadoleto.txt', 'sadoleto_to_geneva.txt', 'letter_to_geneva.txt'];
    
    for (const filename of files) {
      try {
        const content = await window.fs.readFile(filename, { encoding: 'utf8' });
        console.log(`Found file: ${filename}`);
        console.log("First 500 characters:");
        console.log(content.substring(0, 500));
        return content;
      } catch (err) {
        // File not found, try the next one
      }
    }
    console.log("Could not find any files containing Sadoleto's letter");
    return null;
  } catch (err) {
    console.error("Error searching for files:", err);
    return null;
  }
}

const content = await searchForSadoletoLetter();

// Since we don't have the letter available as a file, let's search for published versions online
console.log("The letter isn't available as a file. We would need to rely on scholarly knowledge about Sadoleto's letter to Geneva (1539).");
console.log("Sadoleto's letter was published in 'A Reformation Debate: Sadoleto's Letter to the Genevans and Calvin's Reply' (ed. John C. Olin).");

This strikes me as odd? Did Claude write a script to generate its own response? Have coders put something like this in as a gaurdrail?

edit: details about earlier convo

Just for fun, given that we're probably on the eve of the announcement of the announcement of the Switch 2, a look back on some of the online reactions when the first Switch was first detailed, pricing and all.

First, we have this (in)famous neogaf thread.

I don't see that happening. With that price, that paywall and that game line up, I see it below 40M after 5 years. Maybe even below 30M units.

With that price point and lineup? Fuck no.

Eventually if they drop the price big and have a lineup worth a shit maybe they can recover. Maybe. But starting off this bad doesn't inspire me with confidence.

On Reddit, the reception was equally as negative in volume, but the tenor was more reserved

Watched the presentation and was surprised at how little they did to promote the value of purchasing the Switch at $300.

Of course, fans will buy it at any price, but many consumers are gonna see two confirmed launch titles, a paid online service from a company with no proven record in that regard, and Nintendo's history of lackluster third party support and sparse releases. Consumers are liable to perceive better value in Sony's or Microsoft's offerings.

What large games they did show (Zelda, Mario, Xenoblade 2, etc.) looked good, but really not digging the console itself currently. Not a good value proposition.

EDIT: The more I try to inform myself, the uglier this whole situation looks. This console just doesn't look good.

The games from in-house Nintendo look fantastic, it contrasts so starkly with what I posted above. I don't get it. Hardware and all such related services are not their thing at all, not even remotely.

Some opinion pieces as well

The Nintendo Switch is going to be a flop.

Sorry, but it’s true, and what’s ridiculous about the whole thing is that it’s a result of Nintendo making exactly the same mistakes that turned the Wii U into a disaster – an astonishing lack of games and a price that’s too high – £280 – given said astonishing lack of games.