If Napoleon Had Nuclear Submarines…

Just about a year ago, I set a goal for myself based on what was happening in my life. I wanted to spend a year learning how to use modern applications and programs alongside my passion for history to build my website.

I’ve always been a tech guy—ever since I joined the Navy in the early ‘80s, learning Boolean algebra, superheterodyne circuits, and AND/OR gates. But somewhere along the way, I fell into a tech funk.

Just a little Dave secret: I still use FrontPage 2003 as my word processor and web design tool. Even when WordPress forced me into its block editor, I fought tooth and nail to find workarounds to keep doing things the old way. Sure, it worked—still does—but here’s the thing…

Sooner or later, it won’t.

Technology keeps advancing, but I was stuck in 2003, writing HTML code and pretending I didn’t need to change. Meanwhile, my 14-year-old son was coding in languages I didn’t even recognize, making fun of my outdated ways. The old saying about sufficiently advanced technology being indistinguishable from magic? I was living it.

I bought him a new computer, thinking it was high-powered enough for his projects. Turns out, that purchase sent me down a rabbit hole—learning about modern processors, video cards, and advancements I had only vaguely understood before.

So, a year ago, I set out to learn AI.

I know—some folks object to AI, even vehemently. But with love, I say: they’re wrong. AI is here. It’s the new way. I either learn it and adapt or get left behind, clinging to two-decade-old tech. Nostalgia is great—especially for a history buff—but it doesn’t pay the mortgage.

It’s been a journey. WordPress alone was a struggle—the block editor is anything but intuitive, at least for someone raised on BASIC and DOS. (I first installed Windows 3.11 in August of 1995.) Even now, I still can’t get the archive system to work properly. The limited documentation is no help, and my common sense tells me it should work—but it doesn’t.

Then there’s the writing. The common assumption is that AI just spits out a polished 1,500-word article at the push of a button. It doesn’t work that way. Well, it does, but those articles are soulless, obviously AI-generated, and uninteresting—even to me.

The real secret? The prompt is king. For a solid 1,500-word article, my initial prompt is usually between 500 and 700 words long. And that’s before editing, revisions, and corrections. Then comes training the system to match my style and tone. It’s a process. A skill. One I’m still refining, just like any other writing craft.

The podcast element? That was an accident. I hadn’t planned on adding it, but once I did, it became another skill to master. Like most voice synthesis programs, it’s not perfect. You’d be amazed at how many words need to be spelled phonetically just to get a passable pronunciation. Another ongoing learning curve.

Over the past year, we’ve gone through five major updates to ChatGPT models, at least three revisions to the voice processor, and multiple changes to WordPress themes. Every time I think I’ve got something figured out, the tech evolves, and I have to adapt all over again.

That’s my point. One of my dropped classes last semester had a textbook called The Historian’s Toolbox. The latest edition—less than a year old—sparked controversy for including a single sentence that wasn’t explicitly critical of Donald Trump (true story). Yet, despite all the noise, the book contained zero mention of AI. In a book about tools. In 2024.

And yet, A.I. is absolutely the future of history.

We have to learn to use it—or get left behind.

I’m not saying we should churn out shallow, poorly researched A.I.-generated content. AI doesn’t replace proofreading, peer review, or genuine historical analysis. If anything, it increases those responsibilities. But what it does offer is efficiency.

And that’s something we’ve been chasing forever.

In Star Trek, the omnipresent computer isn’t a magic solution—it’s a tool. It doesn’t solve the crew’s problems; it expedites their thinking and analysis. That’s the dream, isn’t it?

I still have a long way to go, but I’ve come to enjoy the process of adapting and refining my approach. Dave Does History has opened new doors—not just for me, but for others, too.

If Napoleon had nuclear subs, we’d all be speaking French. So, the history thing can be oversold.

Mike Murphy to Bill Kristol (2/7/2018)

Something to consider: Political consultant Mike Murphy once said, “If Napoleon had nuclear submarines, we’d all be speaking French, so the history thing can be oversold.”

The lesson? We can cling to outdated, rigid principles, shake our fists at the clouds, and dismiss new technology. But the truth is, if Herodotus had A.I., he would’ve used it. And he would’ve made damn sure his students knew how to use it, too.

Yes, A.I. plays a big role here. But at its core—this is still me. Every word, every decision, every mistake is mine. And as long as I have something to learn, I’ll keep pushing forward. Because history—and the future—demand it.

Thanks for your support and for being part of the journey. Let me know if I can help with yours.