Tech Tips, Tricks & Trivia

This Week I Learned -  * Nikhil Pahwa on  how to use AI to write without the slop : Step 1: Find something you want to write about and record a voice note (transcribe it) or collect information/news articles about it. Step 2: Feed this voice note / notes to AI, whether ChatGPT or Claude, and ask it to identify 20 questions for you. The rule: no questions to which the answer is yes/no or one of a few options. Step 3: Record a voice note answering the questions. you don't need to answer all the questions. Feel free to ramble, and anything above 10 minutes is good. Anything over 20 minutes is amazing.  Step 4: Give your voice note transcript to AI. Ask it to identify a structure from the questions you've answered or simply, ask AI to structure your talk into an article structure verbatin with subheads. Important instruction: "do not paraphrase, do not add filler or transition sentences". Step 5: once you have a structure you like, edit the transcript to tighten language....

Cartoon co-created with Copilot. See more of my AI co-creations

Harness engineering is the practice of improving the environment in which AI models operate.  It's about designing controls around AI agents to ensure they can work reliably, accountably, and autonomously within a business.  Think of it like putting a harness on a powerful animal; the harness doesn't reduce the animal's capability, but it allows you to direct it safely and reliably. This practice involves:     Creating modular architectures     Maintaining high-quality documentation     Enforcing consistent coding conventions     Exposing clear APIs     Reducing unnecessary dependencies Harness engineering aims to make software AI-friendly, which may require upfront investment in refactoring legacy systems to improve modularity and eliminate inconsistent patterns that hinder AI reasoning.  It also emphasizes maintaining high-quality documentation, architectural standards, and governance as systems evolve.  Without the...