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Sitting or hitting?

Huh, my intelligence is pretty artificial (fake?). I wonder why I didn't have the answers Alan provided?
 
Assuming Alan is not putting us on, I don't get how an AI program that does "not . . . have the capability to browse the internet or access current sources" can determine whether a phrase is "commonly used" or is "widely recognized" or is "used within the broader canoeing community"—or not.

In any event, the issue isn't whether "hit and switch" is the most common term, but where the heck did the term come from and what, specifically, does "hit" refer to.
 
Assuming Alan is not putting us on, I don't get how an AI program that does "not . . . have the capability to browse the internet or access current sources" can determine whether a phrase is "commonly used" or is "widely recognized" or is "used within the broader canoeing community"—or not.

In any event, the issue isn't whether "hit and switch" is the most common term, but where the heck did the term come from and what, specifically, does "hit" refer to.

I was kind of surprised by that too. I don't know much about Chat GPT and assumed it was mainly gathering and regurgitating info from online. I'm not sure where it got its 'intelligence.' Possibly from books and magazines or other digitized material?

Maybe I'll go back and ask it.

Alan
 
I was kind of surprised by that too. I don't know much about Chat GPT and assumed it was mainly gathering and regurgitating info from online. I'm not sure where it got its 'intelligence.' Possibly from books and magazines or other digitized material?

Maybe I'll go back and ask it.

Alan
So I went back and asked:

I asked: If you're not using the internet for your references where are you obtaining the information about sit and switch paddling?

It responded: "
As an AI language model, my responses are generated based on a mixture of licensed data, data created by human trainers, and publicly available data. I have been trained on a diverse range of sources, including books, websites, and other texts, to develop a broad understanding of various topics.

For general knowledge questions, I can provide information based on what I have been trained on up until September 2021. However, it's important to note that I do not have direct access to specific sources or the ability to browse the internet in real-time. Therefore, my responses are based on the information I have been trained on and may not include the most recent developments or specific instances that have occurred after my knowledge cutoff.

In the case of "sit and switch" paddling, the information I provided was based on the general understanding of the technique as it was known up until September 2021. If there have been any recent developments or specific instances related to the term "hit and switch," I may not be aware of them. It's always a good idea to consult the most up-to-date sources, such as canoeing organizations or instructors, for the latest information and terminology."

Alan
 
I'm now inclining toward an explanation that "hit" is intended to refer to a vocalization telling one to do something, sort of like "hit the road" or the more generic "hit it". The something that is the object of the vocalization is to switch paddle sides. The actual vocalization most commonly used to hit your switch is "hut". Can I now be a "hot" AI program?
 
"Hut" is a guttural utterance, easy to say from the throat with almost no breath, is a sharp and distinct sound, and can be very loud when necessary (as in windy conditions, or when waves are splashing against the canoe). In the larger voyageur canoes, my bow paddle position is as much as 30 feet from the stern paddler and even though I have good hearing, sometimes I might miss responding to an unheard or indistinctly said hut, but paddler #2 will often relay it to me with only a half stroke delay. If the hut comes either at the beginning catch or in middle of a stroke in progress, I always finish the power stroke I am on before switching. A good hut call will come near the end of a power stroke and the switch to the other side is done automatically without even thinking about it. Mass Race starts are alive with multiple calls of hut, hut, hut after the first few sprinting strokes, so the crew has to without question know the particular sound of their own stern caller.
 
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Here's some more fodder to feed this discussion...

At the Jensen Canoes website there's a series of articles and interviews about Gene Jensen. One of them is an interview by Chuck Weis for Paddler Magazine.

A Conversation with Gene Jensen - Paddler Magazine - August 1993​

https://www.jensencanoes.com/articles-news/paddler/

In that article I noticed this entry:

"As we move along the channel toward the main river, Jensen mixes “huts” easily into his conversation; so easily, in fact, that in the bow I have to concentrate on not missing them. “Hut” for those of you not involved in marathon or “hit and switch” touring, is the verbal signal tandem paddlers use to call for switching sides. And there is good reason that it comes easily to Jensen. He and then partner Tom Estes invented the term as it applies to canoeing."

The next few paragraphs discuss how Gene Jensen and Tom Estes came up with the "hut" back in 1949 and how it became popular among the marathon racing crowd.
 
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Ok, so I signed up for Chat GPT just to see. This is the initial answer:

"The term "hit and switch" is not commonly used in reference to the paddling technique you described.
What a crock. Chat GPT is a joke if this is typical of it's responses. Just do a web search with "hit and switch" and you'll come up with all kinds of references that I consider mainstream and reliable.
 
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