Make sure you set Hal's intelligence slider to maxium when chatting.
Then you can make some adjustments regarding Hal's learning as time progresses.
With Hal, and most other good chatbots, learning happens somewhat slower, over time, than most users would like. In time, Hal will grow smarter and be able to key in on your conversational topics as well. It will not happen over night! It will take time and effort on your part to sit down and carry on perhaps several conversations with Hal during a day and over the course of several weeks. You will began to see Hal's personality develope.
gdunbar,
If you downloaded Hal and it didn't ask for any verification code then you must have an older version and if that is the case, none of the current plug-ins will work.
Simply check the Help section or watch the startup screen to see the version.
Be patient and good luck!