AI, with a side of humor

I won’t lie: It’s not a great moment out there. It seems like the news coming out gets more and more challenging. But we can’t be completely devoid of joy.

I’m a big fan of putting PowerShell into all the things, so one of the things I built over the weekend was a tool in PowerShell to interface in to OpenRouter’s API. OpenRouter is a tool that lets you play with every public AI model without needing to sign up for an account on that service.

To test it out, I decided to have each of the major AI services attempt some humor, and create a top-ten list of made-up facts about Minnesota.

This was the command:

New-LLMRequest -Model $modelName -Prompt "Give me ten made-up facts about Minnesota that are funny and in the style of a David Letterman Top Ten List"

So, from the home office in Wayzata, and in homage to the inimitable and iconic David Letterman, here are Top Ten Facts* About Minnesota:

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10. In Minnesota, it’s legally required to say “ope” at least 17 times per day, or you’ll be fined by the State Politeness Patrol.
9. The state bird is actually a giant mosquito that can carry small children and canoes.
8. Minnesotans have developed a secret language that consists entirely of passive-aggressive sighs and subtle eye rolls.
7. Every citizen is born with an innate ability to layer clothing in under 12 seconds, a skill passed down through generations of winter survival.
6. The Mall of America has its own gravitational pull, and locals who enter are not guaranteed to ever leave.
5. Minnesota’s state sport is competitive hot dish making, where contestants are judged on tater tot density and casserole structural integrity.
4. All Minnesota drivers are legally obligated to use their turn signals, even in empty parking lots, just to be extra considerate.
3. The state’s unofficial motto is: “If you don’t like the weather, wait 5 minutes… and then put on three more layers.”
2. Minnesotans can communicate complex emotions through subtle variations of “you betcha.”
1. Ice fishing is actually just an elaborate excuse for drinking beer in a tiny shed!

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10. Minnesota is the only state where “hot dish” is legally recognized as currency.
9. Every Minnesotan child’s first words are “Uff da!”
8. The state bird is officially the mosquito—it’s just a well-kept secret.
7. Minnesota lakes are only frozen solid nine months out of the year; the other three, they’re just “extra refreshing.”
6. State law requires every resident to own at least one flannel shirt or face severe penalties.
5. The Mall of America is visible from outer space, but only because the astronauts really crave some cheese curds.
4. Minnesota’s official state dance is known as the “Mosquito Slap Polka.”
3. It’s illegal in Minnesota to leave a hockey game early unless you have an official doctor’s note.
2. The state motto is: “Minnesota—Come for the lakes, stay because your car won’t start.”
1. Minnesota is the only state where ice fishing is classified as a religious experience!

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10. The official state bird isn’t the Loon, it’s a highly judgmental Wood Duck named Beatrice. She critiques your dock decorating.
9. Minnesota Nice is actually a complex system of passive-aggressive competition over who can complain about the weather most eloquently.
8. Every Minnesotan is legally required to own at least three flannel shirts, and a detailed spreadsheet ranking them by warmth and lumberjack-attractiveness.
7. The state motto, “L’étoile du Nord,” actually translates to “We’re really good at ice fishing, okay?”
6. Mosquitoes in Minnesota are classified as a protected species. They’re considered “state heritage pollinators…of you.”
5. The Mall of America isn’t just a mall, it’s a fully functioning ecosystem. Scientists are studying the feral pretzel population.
4. All Minnesotan babies are born with a pre-programmed understanding of the rules of Euchre. It’s genetic.
3. The reason Minnesota has so many lakes? They’re actually giant potholes filled with melted snow and regret.
2. Hotdish is not just a food, it’s a social contract. Refusing a serving is considered an act of war.
1. The state is secretly powered by the collective sighs of people realizing winter is coming again!

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10. Minnesota’s state bird is actually a snowblower—locals just think it’s the loon because of the eerie noises it makes at 3 AM.
9. The official state motto is “Yeah, No, Yeah”—a phrase used in every conversation to politely disagree while still being nice.
8. Due to extreme winters, Minnesotans measure distance in “hot dish carry”—how far a tater tot casserole stays warm when walking to a neighbor’s house.
7. The state legislature once debated renaming “ice fishing” to “drinking in a tiny house with a hole in the floor.”
6. Minnesota’s most dangerous animal isn’t a bear or a wolf—it’s an overly aggressive mall walker at the Mall of America.
5. The state’s official apology is “Ope, sorry!”—used when bumping into someone, stealing their parking spot, or accidentally starting a Canadian border war.
4. The Minnesota goodbye takes so long that scientists believe it may be slowing down Earth’s rotation.
3. The Vikings’ playoff losses are actually part of a secret state ritual to ensure another year of above-average lutefisk production.
2. Mosquitoes are so big here, they’ve been spotted using crosswalks and paying property taxes.
1. The real reason for 10,000 lakes? Early settlers kept counting the same one every time it thawed!

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10. In Minnesota, it’s against the law to eat a Juicy Lucy without first doing the “Cheese Pull” – a traditional dance that involves spinning around while flailing your arms.
9. The state animal of Minnesota is actually the “Lutefisk-Eating Squirrel” – a fierce creature that can only be tamed with a can of Spam.
8. Minnesota has a secret underground network of tunnels made entirely out of tater tots, which can only be accessed by solving a complex puzzle involving the lyrics to “Funkytown”.
7. The city of Minneapolis is home to the world’s largest ball of twine, which is actually a giant metaphor for the state’s love of bureaucracy.
6. In Minnesota, you can get a free speeding ticket if you’re listening to a cassette tape of “Purple Rain” while driving – it’s a little-known loophole that Prince himself used to exploit all the time.
5. The official state dessert of Minnesota is the “Hot Dish Brownie”, a rich, gooey treat that’s only available at family reunions and Lutheran potlucks.
4. Minnesota has a special task force dedicated to protecting the world from the evil clutches of “Casserole Bandits” – thieves who steal hot dishes from church basements across the state.
3. The Mall of America is actually a giant experiment in social psychology, designed to test how many times a person can ride the same escalator before losing their mind.
2. In Minnesota, it’s required by law to wear a pair of plaid pants on Fridays – failure to comply results in a stern lecture from a committee of retired lumberjacks.
1. The state motto of Minnesota is actually “You Betcha, Oh Yaaah” – a phrase that’s been emblazoned on the state flag, despite protests from the neighboring state of Wisconsin, which claims it’s just a bunch of “you know, whatever”!

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10. Minnesota law requires all children to learn ice fishing before they can get a driver’s license. The DMV actually makes you catch a walleye before they’ll take your photo.
9. The Mall of America has its own zip code, time zone, and elected mayor who campaigned on the platform “Every Day Is Black Friday.”
8. Minnesota’s state bird, the loon, is actually just a regular bird that went crazy from the long winters.
7. Minnesotans don’t actually say “you betcha”—they’re legally required to say it by a 1943 state ordinance called the “Friendliness Preservation Act.”
6. During the coldest days of winter, Minnesota schoolchildren are taught to lick metal poles as a lesson in what not to do.
5. The Mississippi River actually flows backward in Minnesota during the winter months because even water doesn’t want to stick around when it’s that cold.
4. Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes were all created by Paul Bunyan’s pet beaver, who had severe OCD and couldn’t stop damming things.
3. Minnesota’s official state temperature is “colder than you thought possible.”
2. The Minnesota accent is actually the result of a statewide dental anomaly caused by excessive hotdish consumption.
1. Minnesota doesn’t actually exist—it’s an elaborate hoax created by Wisconsin to make itself look better by comparison!

Heh. Some of these are actually good. (None of these are actually true.) They all capture quite the same things and the same stereotypes about Minnesota. I’m glad that the AI models can have a bit of fun, too.