Sensemaking with SIFT Toolbox
Exploring a different way to use LLMs
SIFT Toolbox is a lengthy instruction prompt that outperforms unmodified LLMs in multiple dimensions. You paste it in at the beginning of a chat session (or add it to project instructions) to make the LLM act differently.
With the prompt in place, your LLM will come to better conclusions, hallucinate less, and source conflicting perspectives more systematically. It also models an approach that is less chatbot, and more research assistant in a way that is appropriate for student researchers, who can use it to aid research while coming to their own conclusions.
Links below consist of logs of context building sessions using the tool, not finished documents. To see how the tool works, browse the examples or take the instruction prompt in the right sidebar and use it yourself.
-- Mike Caulfield
Recent Explorations
Azar Gat Claims
An analysis of Azar Gat's research on warfare in hunter-gatherer societies. Examines evidence suggesting that organized violence was common in prehistoric societies, with debate between "deep roots" and "shallow roots" theories of human warfare patterns. Reviews scholarly perspectives on violence rates in ancient versus modern societies.
Do we ingest a credit card worth of plastic a week?
In 2019 a study claimed that we ight ingest up to 5g of microplastics a week. That upper level was reported widely, without noting it was an upper level. More disturbingly the study was found later to have methodological problems. This log shows the ability of SIFT Toolbox to understand the importance of timeline and chronology when looking at research findings.
Asbestos Snow in Wizard of Oz?
A log of an exploration of whether asbestos was used to make the snow in Wizard of Oz. Has an interesting turn owards the second half of the log, where requesting "another round" of sources ends up overturning the up-to-then prevailing conclusion. If pressed for time at least scroll down to the "Read the Room" section.
Eisenhower Assassination Claims
Investigation into whether President Eisenhower authorized the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, Congo's first elected leader. Examines conflicting historical evidence including NSC meeting testimonies, declassified documents, and subsequent historical analyses of US involvement in Congo during the Cold War.
Bread was healthy in the past claims
Examination of the misconception that historical bread was more wholesome than modern bread. Documents widespread adulteration practices in 18th and 19th century bread-making, including the addition of alum, chalk, and other substances. Explores Dr. John Snow's research connecting bread adulteration to diseases like rickets.
Does Gravity "pull"?
Clarification of modern physics understanding of gravity according to Einstein's General Relativity. Explains that gravity is not a traditional "pulling" force as in Newtonian physics, but rather a curvature of spacetime caused by massive objects. Describes how objects follow geodesic paths through curved spacetime, creating what we perceive as gravitational attraction.
Miasma Claims
Overview of the historical miasma theory of disease that dominated medicine until the late 19th century. Describes how diseases were attributed to "bad air" from decomposing matter, and how this theory, while incorrect, led to useful public health reforms before being displaced by germ theory through the work of scientists like Pasteur and Koch.