Field Notes
Can ChatGPT Make an Editable Diagram? 5 Ways I Tested
Mermaid import, draw.io's own Generate tool, Eraser, BioRender, and one workspace that hands back the .drawio file directly.
Writing
Everything published here, newest first. Essays, notes, and experiment write-ups.
Field Notes
I Tested Gemini 4 Argon’s “Less Hedging” Claim on Real Work
Against Claude Opus 5.5 and GPT-6.1 Sol. One got the math wrong, one forgot the handlebar, one added text nobody asked for.
Field Notes
Custom GPT and Gemini Gem Alternatives After the 2026 Retirement
Both labs ended the walk-into-a-room assistant. A job map for where those rooms actually go, and why persona is not a project.
Field Notes
How to Get 4K Images From ChatGPT (I Tested 5 Methods After Images 2.5)
ChatGPT Images 2.5 can go up to 4K in the API. The ChatGPT app still won't hand it to you. Here's what actually worked for me.
Experiment
How I Validate Business Ideas With AI Before Quitting My Job
I'm a working PM who hasn't picked an idea yet. This is the workspace, the three-round process, and the kill list I use to figure out what I could run alone in 2026.
Field Notes
How to Check if Text Has an AI Watermark (I Tested 5 Methods)
No public text checker exists yet. I ran five workarounds people share for Claude and Gemini, and only one works, for files only.
Essay · Workflow
How I Read a 154-Page Threat Report Without Reading All 154 Pages
Search first. Open the page. Summarize last, or never. Long PDFs on a cheap model: index, page jumps, one artifact.
Essay · Workflow
ChatGPT Study Mode Forgets Your Syllabus. I Fixed It With One Markdown File.
Study mode is back, but it still can't remember what you learned last week. Here's the PLAN.md method I use to actually finish learning something with AI.
Essay · Workflow
Why My AI Prompt Library Died (And What I Keep Instead)
I built a careful personal prompt library. It still died. What travels now is role, residue, and a short ticket.
Field Notes
How to Remove Gemini’s SynthID Text Watermark (I Tested 5 Methods)
Gemini has quietly marked your text since 2024, and it has quirks Claude doesn’t. Five methods, one that actually improved the writing.
Field Notes
Looking for Manus Alternatives After Restore Failed? Wrong Question
Manus data deletion, one-time restore, websites still down, and how to choose a cloud or local agent so your next eight months don't live only in a vendor sandbox.
Field Notes
How to Remove Claude’s AI Text Watermark (I Tested 5 Methods)
Five methods people try. Only one improved the writing instead of just hiding the fingerprint.
Field Notes
Is Hermes Agent Safer Than OpenClaw? Wrong Question.
OpenClaw, Hermes, DeepSeek Harness. Different names, same "local = private" illusion.
Essay · Workflow
AI Workspace for Product Managers: Keep Your Work Connected
The problem is not finding another model. It is keeping research, decisions, drafts, and context connected as the work changes.
Essay · Workflow
Leaving Poe for a long-term AI workspace
What I actually packed when the knowledge base went away. Not a ranking of bot stores.
Essay · Workflow
I Stopped Exporting AI Output Into Docs. Here's What Changed
Export is the handoff now, not where thinking starts.
Essay · Work & culture
From Vibe Coding to Vibe Working: Why Fast AI Output Isn't Always Safe to Ship
You can generate a polished report in minutes. Can you explain how you got there?
Experiment
I Asked 4 AIs to Review Each Other's Work
Same dilemma, four models, anonymized peer review. Self-preference and four blind spots.
Essay · Work & culture
Vibe Working: When Hiding AI Use at Work Becomes the Job
57% hide AI use from managers. Same people brag about workflows online.
Experiment
The AI Homogenization Problem
AI can improve average quality while collapsing diversity. What mitigates it.
Essay · Privacy
I Didn't Plan To Use My AI Workspace For Health
Family medical prep in one project. Patterns, not diagnoses.
Essay · Tools
I Stopped Reading "Best AI Tools" Lists
Workflow first, tools second.
Essay · Workflow
I Wrote an Employee Handbook for My AI Team
Persona and memory are the asset. The model is just the engine.
Essay · Writing
How I Taught AI My Writing Voice
A living voice document built by rejecting bad output, not "write like X".
Essay · Workflow
Multi-Model Is Useless If Every Tab Starts From Zero
One real project is rarely one chat. Who holds the files between conversations.
Essay · Workflow
Stop Treating Image Models Like Creative Partners
On-brand creatives stop being a slot machine when strategy stays in a hub and generators only get a finished prompt.