Currently learning
Prompt engineering, AI-assisted debugging, and knowing when not to use AI at all.
How AI fits into the process
The same four steps, every time.
1
Idea (you)
2
Draft (ChatGPT / Claude)
3
Build in Cursor
4
You review, then it ships
"If I cannot explain the change, it does not go live."
Tools I'm exploring
A rotating toolbox of AI assistants I use for writing, coding, and problem-solving.
Daily
Claude
Anthropic
What it is
Anthropic's AI assistant, built for careful reasoning, writing, and code — with a large context window for working across many files at once.
What I use it for
My main pair-programmer. Architecture decisions, writing and refactoring code, and most of the actual building on this site.
Daily
ChatGPT
OpenAI
What it is
OpenAI's general-purpose AI assistant — one of the most widely used chatbots for writing, research, coding help, and everyday questions.
What I use it for
Everyday writing, brainstorming, and quick research — usually the first place I go with a loosely-formed idea.
Daily
Grok
xAI
What it is
xAI's AI assistant, built into X (Twitter), known for a more direct, less filtered tone and awareness of real-time trends and conversations.
What I use it for
A second opinion when I want a blunter, less hedged take — or to cross-check how a different model reasons about the same question.
Daily
Cursor
Anysphere
What it is
An AI-native code editor (a fork of VS Code) with chat and autocomplete built directly into the development workflow.
What I use it for
In-editor pair programming — fast iteration on layout, CSS, and JavaScript without leaving the code.
Referee
Gemini
Google
What it is
Google's multimodal AI model, integrated across Google's products, capable of working with text, images, and code together.
What I use it for
Cross-checking Claude's reasoning on trickier problems and getting a genuinely different perspective before committing to an approach.
Daily
Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft
What it is
Microsoft's AI assistant, built on OpenAI's models and woven into Windows, Edge, and Microsoft 365.
What I use it for
Comparing suggestions against more traditional, Microsoft-centric tooling — useful when a project touches that ecosystem.
Daily
Local
Ollama
Ollama, Inc.
What it is
An open-source runtime for running large language models entirely on your own hardware — no cloud, no API calls.
What I use it for
Running Gemma 4 (12B) locally for anything involving private or sensitive data, and as a fast daily driver that never leaves my machine.
Local lab
Mac Mini · Ollama · Gemma 4 (12B) — sized to run comfortably on the hardware in front of me, not in someone else's data center. Client files never leave this desk.
Claude, ChatGPT, Grok, Cursor, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Ollama, and their respective logos and trademarks are the property of their owners — Anthropic, OpenAI, xAI, Anysphere, Google, Microsoft, and Ollama, Inc. They're shown here purely to identify the tools I personally use; this does not imply any affiliation, sponsorship, or endorsement by those companies. Links open each provider's own site in a new tab.
My journey so far
A few milestones along the way.
August 2026
Handing real tasks off to Grok Bot
This is xAI's agent platform, not the Grok chatbot — worth keeping straight. Instead of asking it a question and reading the answer, I hand it an actual task and walk away. It runs on its own persistent cloud desktop, logging into the same sites and tools I'd use myself, and only checks back in when it needs my sign-off. I've started running a few in parallel and showing one a workflow once so it can repeat it — genuinely useful for the boring recurring stuff like inbox triage, expenses, and reproducing bugs. Still early and in beta, bundled into the paid SuperGrok and Cursor plans, but it's shifted how I think about what an "AI assistant" even is.
June 2026
Going local with Ollama
Picked up an Apple Mac Mini and started experimenting with local AI models — no cloud required. Ollama running Gemma 4 (12B) has become a genuinely fast, capable daily driver, running entirely on my own hardware. Just as important: it opens up a way to work with private or sensitive data entirely within my own, fully controlled environment, instead of sending it off to a cloud AI service.
Since May 2026
Deepening prompt-engineering skills
Now focused on getting more deliberate about how I work with AI — better prompts, better judgment about when to trust the output, and figuring out where it fits into a real product workflow.
January 2026
Building with Cursor and Claude
Brought AI into my actual workflow — using Cursor and Claude to speed up front-end development and explore ideas faster. This very site was built with AI assistance.
Mid 2025
Cross-checking with Gemini, Grok & Copilot
Started comparing how different models reason through the same problem, learning to spot where each one's strengths and blind spots show up.
June 2023
First conversations with ChatGPT
Started experimenting with AI for everyday writing, brainstorming, and researching — mostly out of curiosity about what it could actually do.
What AI doesn't get to do
The trust rules behind every project, no exceptions.
- No shipping unreviewed code — every AI suggestion is read and tested before it goes live.
- No inventing client facts — company details, numbers, and claims come from you, not a guess.
- No sending customer data to a cloud model — sensitive or private work stays local, or off the table.
Prompt → result
An illustrative example, not a real transcript — three draft directions, then the human last mile.
Prompt: "Write a 12-word eyebrow for a locksmith in Bad Kreuznach."
Draft A
"Trusted metalwork craftsmanship for homes and businesses across Bad Kreuznach."
Draft B
"Precision locksmithing and steelwork, proudly serving the Bad Kreuznach region."
Draft C
"Railings, staircases, steel — local locksmith craft built to last generations."
Edited final line
"Balcony railings, staircases, and stainless steel — built in Bad Kreuznach, for the long run."
Favorite so far
Claude and Cursor, for how naturally they fit into an actual coding workflow.
Using it for
Faster front-end iteration, drafting copy, and exploring ideas before committing to one.
Changelog
Updated whenever a tool, model, or habit changes.
- September 2026 — Gave every card and panel on the site a softer, raised look, and removed the link from the portrait photo everywhere it appears.
- September 2026 — Gave Ollama its own company credit (Ollama, Inc.) here and on the legal page, matching how the other tools are credited.
- September 2026 — Split the color picker off this page into a dedicated Visuals page, added three new Bright presets, and a second live mixer for a custom bright theme.
- September 2026 — Added Ollama to the toolbox and wrote down the trust rules on this page.
- June 2026 — Ollama running Gemma 4 (12B) became the local daily driver for private work.
- January 2026 — Cursor and Claude became part of the actual build workflow for this site.
What you can hold me to.
- I will tell you if a page was drafted with AI.
- I will not send your content, photos, or customer lists to a cloud model without asking.
- Every line is reviewed by me before it goes live.