Limitations of AI

Before we get carried away by the capabilities of AI, reflect on what is shown in Figure 1:

Figure 1

Looks OK. Well, not really since 6 + 5 + 8 + 3 + 6 + 3 = 31 not 35! It seems that Gemini is not great at arithmetic (the calculation was made using the Chrome browser). I also spent a lot of time yesterday trying to get Nano Bananas to implement some simple instructions but it failed miserably. Figure 2 shows the mangled results:

Figure 2

In frustration, I asked Gemini the following:

Absolutely no difference. I can only say I'm mightily unimpressed with Nano Bananas. Can you at least give me some feedback as to why my prompt details are so blatantly ignored. All the image generator had to do was to make some minor changes to the shapes of the letters and numbers. It succeeded with the numbers but then became deranged when dealing with the letters. What confused the image generator?

Here was the response:

I completely understand your frustration, and you have every right to throw in the towel on this specific approach. It was a spectacular typography failure.

To give you a candid look behind the curtain, here is exactly why the image generation failed so consistently and how we can actually solve this.

Why the Attempts Failed

1. The Letter Count Discrepancy

The initial prompt set up a mathematical conflict right out of the gate. The phrase "twenty eight thousand and eighty two" actually contains 31 letters, not 33. When you later changed it to "twenty eight thousand and eighty eight," that phrase does hit the 33-letter mark perfectly. However, trying to force 31 letters into 33 slots in those first few attempts immediately confused the layout generation.

2. The Limits of Image Models

The image generation here is powered by the Nano Banana model. While it is a state-of-the-art model featuring high-fidelity text rendering, it fundamentally understands text as visual patterns rather than strictly logical data. It is excellent at writing a clear word on a sign, but it struggles immensely with rigid, mathematical spatial mapping.

When you ask it to draw exactly 33 numbers, exactly 33 letters, space them perfectly in concentric circles, and connect them with exactly 33 lines, it gets overwhelmed by the geometry. To fill the visual space of the circle, it begins hallucinating letters and creating gibberish filler words like "CHORTY" and "DIGHY" to complete the pattern.

How to Achieve Your Goal

The blunt reality is that no amount of prompt engineering will make an AI image generator reliably produce this level of precise, geometric exactitude. Image models are artists, not draftsmen.

To get this exact mandala, the most effective path forward is to bypass the image generator entirely and build it programmatically. By writing a relatively short Python script using a library like Matplotlib, we can plot the exact coordinates for the 33 numbers and 33 letters on a radial axis, draw the connecting lines perfectly, and apply the exact rich brown and gold hex color codes you are looking for.

Would you like me to write the Python code so you can generate this exact, mathematically perfect design yourself?

In the end the Python code worked quite well and using the Python output with the image generator produced the same frustration. Figure 3 shows the Python output:

Figure 3

So it pays to be aware of AI's limitations and work around them. Gemini at least is far from perfect.

Crazy Paving

 

This tiling pattern in the uploaded image for a pavement has me intrigued. Normally pavers follow a strict geometric pattern e.g. hexagonal pavers or a combination of hexagonal plus smaller square pavers. There doesn't seem to be any obvious pattern to the tiling shown in the image. It would be labourious if each tile was tailored to fit into its surrounding tiles. So the questions I'm asking are this: is there any pattern in the arrangement of pavers shown and, if not, how was the paving arrrangement using pavers of widely different shapes created in the first place without hand-crafting.

This is a great observation. You have spotted a style of paving that relies heavily on the skill of the installer rather than the repetitive manufacturing of the paver itself.

To answer your questions directly: No, there is no repeating mathematical or geometric pattern here.

The style you are looking at is commonly known as "Crazy Paving," "Flagstone Paving" (specifically irregular flagstone), or "Random Polygonal Paving."

It looks laborious because it is more labor-intensive than laying square bricks, but it does not require hand-crafting every single tile from raw stock.

Here is a breakdown of how this random arrangement is achieved practically and efficiently.

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1. The Material Arrives pre-"Broken"

The most crucial part of the puzzle is the source material. The masons are not buying large square slabs and cutting crazy shapes out of them.

When you order this type of natural stone (it looks like sandstone or perhaps a slate variety in your image), it arrives on pallets as large, irregular, quarried slabs of varying sizes. They are already in random polygonal shapes straight from the quarry.

2. The "Giant Jigsaw Puzzle" Method

The installation process is essentially solving a giant jigsaw puzzle that has no picture and pieces that weren't originally designed to fit together.

Here is the typical workflow for a professional mason:

• Sorting: The masons will usually sort the stone on the grass nearby, separating very large "hero" pieces from medium pieces and smaller filler pieces.

• Placement Strategy: They start by laying the largest, most attractive slabs first, spacing them out randomly along the path.

• Finding the Fit: They then look at the gaps created between the large slabs. They will go to their sorted piles and hunt for a medium-sized piece whose natural edge roughly matches the curve or angle of the gap they are trying to fill.

• The "Rule of Three": A sign of good crazy paving is that generally, no more than three stones should meet at any one joint. If four corners meet, it creates an ugly "cross" that draws the eye and ruins the random illusion. The masons in your image have done this very well.

3. The "Cheat": On-Site Trimming

You mentioned the worry about "labouriously hand-crafting" every tile. While they try to use the natural shapes as much as possible, they do cut the stone.

However, they aren't cutting the whole shape. They are "trimming to fit."

If a mason finds a piece that fits perfectly on two sides but has a sharp corner sticking out on the third side that blocks the next piece, they will use a diamond-blade angle grinder or a masonry saw to quickly lop off that offending corner.

They only cut what they have to in order to make the puzzle pieces snug.

Summary

The "pattern" you see is not designed beforehand; it is emergent. It arises from the mason making hundreds of small decisions on-site about which rock fits best next to the previous one, combined with minor trimming to tighten the joints.

It is a testament to skilled labor. A poor mason will leave wide, ugly mortar joints because they can't be bothered to find the right pieces or trim them. A skilled mason, like the one who did the path in your image, achieves tight, consistent joints that make the path look cohesive despite the randomness of the shapes.

Indonesian Vocabulary Update

The Indonesian word "\( \textbf{buming}\)" translates to English as "booming" but has the following significance in everyday language:

In everyday Indonesian conversation (bahasa gaul), "buming" is the phonetic spelling of the English word "booming."

It is used to describe something that has suddenly become incredibly popular, is trending, or is "exploding" in the market or social consciousness.

1. The Core Meaning

Just like the English "business is booming," Indonesians use this to describe a sudden spike in popularity. It is often interchangeable with the word viral, though buming implies a high volume of activity or sales rather than just internet fame.

• Context: It is strictly informal. You will see it in text messages, social media comments, and casual spoken conversation.

• Spelling: While many Indonesians will still write "booming" (English spelling), you will frequently see "buming" in text chats (WhatsApp) where phonetic spelling is common to save keystrokes or add a casual flair.

2. Common Usage & Examples

Here is how you will hear it used in Jakarta:

Example A: Regarding a new trend (Food/Fashion)

• Indonesian: "Wah, es kopi susu gula aren lagi buming banget sekarang."

• English: "Wow, palm sugar iced coffee is really booming (trending/everywhere) right now."

Example B: Regarding a song or movie

• Indonesian: "Film horor itu langsung buming gara-gara masuk TikTok."

• English: "That horror movie immediately blew up (became a hit) because it got on TikTok."

Example C: Regarding Business

• Indonesian: "Usahanya lagi buming, dia sampai kewalahan terima order."

• English: "His business is booming, he's actually overwhelmed accepting orders."

3. "Buming" vs. "Viral"

While often used for the same things, there is a slight nuance:

• Viral: Usually refers specifically to internet content (videos, memes, tweets) that spreads fast.

• Buming: Can refer to internet content, but is also heavily used for market trends, businesses, commodity prices, or hobbies (e.g., "Sepeda lipat lagi buming" - Folding bikes are really trending).

Finally, "While the Indonesian language has more formal words like melejit (soaring) or populer (popular), "buming" is the go-to informal term in social media and casual conversation to capture the "hype" of a specific moment."

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Another word I came across today was "\( \textbf{jamret}\)":

It is extremely likely that the word you are encountering is "Jambret" (pronounced jam-bret). It is common for the "b" sound to be softened in rapid speech, or for non-native speakers to miss it, resulting in the spelling "jamret."

This is a critical word to know while living in Jakarta.

1. The Core Meaning

Jambret means "snatch thief."

It specifically refers to a thief who snatches an item (purse, phone, necklace) using speed and force, usually while riding a motorcycle or running past the victim. It is distinct from other types of theft because the victim is aware it is happening the moment it occurs, but it happens too fast to stop.

2. Usage & Examples

You will hear this word used in warnings or when retelling an unfortunate event.

Example A: The Warning (Most Common)

• Indonesian: "Hati-hati main HP di pinggir jalan, banyak jambret!"

• English: "Be careful playing with your cellphone on the roadside, there are lots of snatch thieves!"

Example B: Retelling an Incident

• Indonesian: "Kalung dia kena jambret pas lagi nunggu Gojek."

• English: "Her necklace got snatched while she was waiting for a Gojek."

Example C: The Active Verb (Menjambret)

• Indonesian: "Dia ditangkap karena mencoba menjambret tas turis."

• English: "He was arrested for trying to snatch a tourist's bag."

3. Important Distinctions: Jambret vs. Copet vs. Maling

Indonesian has specific words for different types of theft. Mixing them up can confuse police or security guards.

Word	Action	English Equivalent
\( \textbf{Jambret}\)	Takes by force/speed (often on a motorbike). You feel it happen.	Snatch Thief
\( \textbf{Copet}\)	Takes by stealth (unzipping a bag in a crowd). You don't feel it happen.	Pickpocket
\( \textbf{Maling}\)	General term for a thief, usually breaking into a house or stealing a parked car.	Burglar / Thief
\( \textbf{Rampok}\)	Involves weapons or threat of violence (entering a bank or stopping a car).	Robber

I also found reference to the following words but haven't checked them out yet with the native speakers around me.

"If you are looking for other common Indonesian slang or phrases to navigate daily life, you might also find these useful:

• \( \textbf{Goks}\): Short for \( \textbf{gokil}\), meaning "crazy" or "awesome".
• \( \textbf{Baper}\): An abbreviation for \( \textbf{bawa perasaan}\), used when someone is being "overly sensitive" or "taking things to heart".
• \( \textbf{Mager}\): Short for \( \textbf{malas gerak}\), used when you're feeling too lazy to move or do anything."