Steve Jobs 1983
"Then an interesting thing happened. There were 20 people interested in volleyball...That’s exactly what’s going to happen as we start to tie these things [computers] together: they’re going to facilitate communication & facilitate bringing people together
book.stevejobsarchive.com
Includes one option for an accuracy benchmark framework that @emollick.bsky.social and his team introduce in their recent study on AI Prompt Engineering
A few thoughts on AI’s confirmation bias trap, and how to assess the level of accuracy you actually need in a response.
hardmodefirst.xyz/ai-and-the-c...
After last week's AI superhero moment—where it helped me get urgent medical care when I needed it most—I kept using AI to parse my diagnosis.
But at a certain point, AI stops feeling like a tool for understanding reality—and starts feeling like a tool for inventing one.
Read today's post for my full reflection on Elon's "enforcement by micro-management" strategy in the U.S. government and some thoughts on an alternative approach.
hardmodefirst.xyz/micromanagin...
Still, the optimist in me can't help but wonder... what if there were a better way?
3 things i came up with:
1. Teach everyone AI.
2. Ask people what they WANT to be working on.
3. Offer people a graceful exit.
Problem #1 - basically none of the "classic new CEO" tricks would work in an organization as large as the federal government
Problem #2 - It's pretty clear with emails like the one Elon sent last week that he doesn't want collaboration, he wants enforcement (and that means pushing people out)
Last week, Elon made headlines by asking govt workers to send five bullet points of what they did that week.
While stuck in bed this weekend, I found myself wondering—if I had to quickly assess the efficiency of the U.S. government, where would I even start?
It's not as simple as it might seem.
If I’ve learned anything from Swarm over the past decade, it’s that it’s really nice to find a burrow into a cozy corner of the Internet, one that feels a lot less like a fire hose and a lot more like that neighborhood cafe down the street.
IYKYK.
hardmodefirst.xyz/the-lowkey-c...
The Lowkey Comfort of Long-Term Narrowcasting
Reflections on a decade's worth of check-ins on the old school app, Swarm, and the power of hyper-niche, cozy connections in a digital age
There’s something to be said for the quiet persistence of a niche social network. Thanks for making it @dens.nyc
Alt title: How the current structures of our medical systems totally FAIL when bad test results get delivered over the weekend...
hardmodefirst.xyz/chatgpt-save...
So, about yesterday...
ChatGPT saved my life (No, Seriously, I’m Writing this from the ER)
How using AI as a bridge when doctors aren't available can improve patient-to-doctor communications in real time emergencies
More on this below
Some thoughts on the pros and cons at moving at the speed of AI in today's blog post
hardmodefirst.xyz/the-overachi...
Been slacking on my bluesky reshares....
but here's a fun one about a talk i gave this week on AI engineering, where I attempted to live debug my own website with no-code tools at USV
(spoiler: didn't work the first try, but still fun)
hardmodefirst.xyz/live-no-code...
But the handbook also made me wonder how different these culture handbooks will look in an AI-native era... how orgs choose human vs. AI-generated work, how they choose the right pacing, and what culture "feels" like when not all workers are humans...
hardmodefirst.xyz/the-new-cult...
I was lucky enough to spend a few days with Duolingo’s leadership team at their Pittsburgh HQ back in 2018.
One of the most emblematic moments of their "wholesome, and unhinged" culture is the way their office jammed into a conference room to speed complete the daily NYT crossword.
New post: The New Culture Handbook
Earlier this week, Duolingo published their company handbook, which unpacks the way their organization and company culture has evolved over the years.
It reminded me of the other great culture handbooks (largely from the 2010s).
My fave bit:
Today's post is a slightly more existential than usual detour to encourage you to draw out a little bit of your own fear... and then use it to motivate you on whatever AI learning journey helps you cross the chasm.
hardmodefirst.xyz/how-to-catch...
Feeling the AI FOMO? Feeling existential dread? Feeling like you're falling behind?
Not to trigger you further but... i think it's actually totally fine (and actually kind of important?) to be a little afraid of how fast things are moving right now.
This weekend my four-year-old reminded me of the power of this at home, so I wrote some reflections on it here:
hardmodefirst.xyz/the-power-of...
A few years ago I wrote a research report on decentralized community building, where I profiled a dozen web3 communities.
A takeaway that has stuck with me is that there's immense power in starting with a so-called "incomplete build," a project designed to leave space for others to contribute.
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Full post (which includes a nearly-there moment of contingency planning gone awry just yesterday...)
hardmodefirst.xyz/agile-parent...
We've run our family like a startup for years. Don't knock it until you've tried it.
Today's post: Agile Parenting: Chaos, Contingency Plans, and Locked Doors
How contingency plans can help you and your partner prepare for the unexpected...most of the time
This, plus some musings on how AI might impact the "public commons" effect of Internet subculture
hardmodefirst.xyz/getting-up-t...
This one's for anyone who's still afraid to push "publish" and share the stuff you've written or created on the Internet...
Getting Up the Guts to Type into Tiny Text Boxes on the Internet
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Today's post: Be Like a Rat - Lessons in Leadership from NYC's Rat Czar
hardmodefirst.xyz/be-like-a-ra...
Last night, I took a "Rat Walk" on my block with New York City’s official Rat Czar, Kathy Corradi.
I absolutely *love* learning from leaders who have such unique "one of one" jobs, particularly ones in super complicated systems (in this case: NYC bureaucracy + rodent subculture)
Don’t touch the cat
Some founders go viral on day one with a product launch. I went viral with a stomach bug.
Excited to announce that I’m officially launching Musekat—an AI-powered learning app that helps parents & kids explore museums through interactive audio tours.
hardmodefirst.xyz/going-viral-...
4 ideas to power the no-code AI build revolution:
1. Fractional, AI-Aware Architects
2. “Genius Bar" Style Real-Time Technical Triage
3. Memory-Retaining AI Agents
4. AI-Powered, Predictive Architecture Tooling
More on this, and full post here:
hardmodefirst.xyz/cowgirl-codi...
