Lede
I asked for a border for an image. I got a circus.

What does not make sense

• “Smarter than you,” but can’t keep a straight line.
• Agents everywhere; ownership nowhere.
• Model cards are pristine; margins are missing.
• Buttons for “Generate” and “Scale,” but not “Do it properly.”
• Price like a jet. Output like a rail-replacement bus.

Sense check

• If the basics break, the pitch is noise.
• A tool that can’t respect “change nothing else” isn’t intelligent. It’s impatient.
• Quality isn’t more features. It’s fewer errors.
• Ship the line, then the lecture.

The sketch

• Scene one: “Add left border only.” The machine redraws the poster.
• Scene two: Pop-up: “AGI is here.” Border still isn’t.
• Scene three: Invoice prints. The line does not.

What to watch, not the show

• Promise inflation: every fix is “the future.”
• Blame drift: “your prompt,” “your phone,” “your network.”
• Basics ignored: undo, lock, gutter, stroke width, consistency.
• Hype taking the money while users do the clean-up.

The Hermit take

Intelligence starts with a straight line and ends with doing what you were asked. Count what matters, and draw it.

Keep or toss

Toss the hype. Keep the tools that obey.