This week I talk about why writing with AI isn't the same as using a calculator for math — financier Stanley Druckenmiller defended his AI-written WSJ critique of Scott Bessent by calling it "using a calculator," and I break down why that misunderstands math, calculators, and words. Then the unraveling of Ashley Flowers' true-crime podcast empire, and what a founder pulling 3 a.m. alarms on weekends and holidays has to teach any solopreneur who thinks no one else can do the work, plus a recommendation for Epic Rap Battles of History's new Tom Cruise vs. Evel Knievel on YouTube. Plus this week's systems tip: why the Stream Deck runs my entire show. Links: 'I'm not embarrassed by it' says billionaire investor who used AI for WSJ critique of Scott Bessent (Yahoo Finance) The Unraveling of Podcaster Ashley Flowers' True Crime Empire (Bloomberg) Epic Rap Battles of History: Tom Cruise vs Evel Knievel The Stream Deck These episodes are about taking more time off — especially on the weekends. The best way you can do that is by having a good system. If you're not sure where to start, head over to https://streamlined.fm/quiz. Answer a few questions, and I'll send you exactly where you should start to build a less overwhelming business. Do you have something on your mind? Let me know at https://streamlinedfeedback.com. You can write in, or leave a voice note. I might even play it on the show. 0:00 Why AI Writing is Not Like a Calculator 5:30 Recommended Reading: The Limits of Building an Empire 9:46 Something Fun: Epic Rap Battles of History 11:21 How a Stream Deck Can Save You Time Disclosure: these show notes were generated from the transcript and written newsletter, using a very strict format for how it's all put together.

AI and Automation are not the same thing. But people seem to use the terms interchangeably. Tools like Zapier and Make are deterministic automation — you know the input, you know the output, and it's incredibly consistent. Large language models are what I'm calling interpretive automation. Run the same thing multiple times and you can get different outputs. Both can do similar things. I don't treat them the same. And in this episode I’ll tell you the differences, and how to figure out when to use each one. Want more on using AI conscientiously? Join my mailing list at https://streamlined.fm/join Show Notes Zapier Claude RSS.com Kit Leave feedback

This week I talk about Conscientious AI Usage (a term my mastermind group gave me). Then a Six Colors article on Anthropic's lexical watermark and why making LLM output worse might be a net good, and a recommendation for Halo 3 on Game Pass. Plus this week's systems tip: building an "Are You Suffering From AI Brain Rot?" quiz with Claude in a couple of hours between meetings. Links: What is Conscientious AI Use? (LinkedIn) lovehate.ai LLMs Aren't Writing (Six Colors) Are You Suffering From AI Brain Rot? (the quiz) These episodes are about taking more time off — especially on the weekends. This has been an AI intensive episode, and if you want to be more conscientious about how you're using AI, take the quiz at https://brainrot.streamlined.fm Do you have something on your mind? Let me know at https://streamlinedfeedback.com. You can write in, or leave a voice note. I might even play it on the show. Disclosure: these show notes were generated from the transcript and written newsletter, using a very strict format for how it's all put together.

A few years ago, I was helping my friend Jeff rebuild an automation — getting his intake form to talk to his CRM and his project management tool. Halfway through the screen share, he stopped and said, "So you just think like this?" That's when it hit me: not everyone's brain defaults to systems. Mine does…but I wasn't born with it. I learned it. That's what this episode is about. A lot of solopreneurs tell me some people are just wired for this, and they're not, that it's a willpower fail. I don't buy it. Thinking in systems is a skill you can learn, not a gift you're handed. Here’s how. Looking for a place to start? Grab the free Solopreneur Systems Starter Kit — the 4 systems every solopreneur needs, plus the exact tools, automations, and AI prompts to set them up: https://streamlined.fm/kit

This week I talk about whether I'm wrong about AI-generated YouTube thumbnails — I've told my designer to never use AI on them, but if a thumbnail's only job is to get the click, does it matter? Then Casey Newton on Mark Zuckerberg's AI manifesto and why "superintelligence is a dragon" is the analogy that actually fits, and a recommendation for Schmigadoon! on Apple TV. Plus this week's automation: a Daily Call Debrief skill that gathers my recorded calls, summarizes them into Obsidian, routes action items to Todoist, and files client transcripts for voice-of-customer research. Links: AI Brain Rot vidIQ-generate Thumbnail of me Superintelligence is a dragon (Platformer) Call Debrief Prompt:  I want you to pose to me three extremely precise, very hard-hitting questions, all of which are independent and have different coverage, that if sufficiently answered, would yield some kind of transformative, genuinely novel, impactful insight. Please make reference to the primary source material where appropriate in the context of the question. These episodes are about taking more time off — especially on the weekends. The best way you can do that is by having a good system. If you're not sure where to start, head over to https://streamlined.fm/quiz. Answer a few questions, and I'll send you exactly where you should start to build a less overwhelming business.