Épisodes

  • 34 - Touch, don't look

    34 - Touch, don't look
    Dec 3 2025
    Hosts: Pete and AndyPete and Andy reflect on their first "Touch Don't Look" workshop—getting people hands-on with AI tools by building custom to-do apps in 60-90 minutes. They unveil their complete business model: Touch Don't Look (taster workshops), Speedrun (day-long build sessions), and Marginal Gains (SME community gym). The conversation explores why Excel rules enterprise, energy management over time management, the Advent Calendar games project, and why Context VM is one of the most important primitives in Nostr.## Key Moments:* [02:00] Steve Irwin wrestling crocodiles—the perfect icon for their AI workshop philosophy* [03:30] Andy replicates Basecamp's new to-do app in 60-90 minutes during the workshop* [05:00] The "aha moment": taking people from never having coded to deploying their own mobile app in an hour* [07:00] Why we never really talk about what Other Stuff actually does on this podcast* [10:00] Touch Don't Look explained: zero to custom to-do app in one hour, no GitHub required* [12:00] The barrier isn't technical anymore—it's the chat box paradigm constraining what people think is possible* [15:00] Speedrun unveiled: build a complete CRM, marketing website, and agent-powered funnel in one day* [20:00] Marginal Gains introduced: the small business gym with monthly rapid prototyping and community events* [22:00] "We've circled back to the plan from a year and a half ago"—staying true to core values* [25:00] The craft debate: AI doesn't dumb you down, it gives you more agency* [27:00] Why they're focusing on high-agency SME owners who should learn the tools themselves* [30:00] The uncomfortable truth: people don't understand their own problems until they start building* [32:00] Low-stakes sandbox environments before touching high-stakes business processes* [35:00] Energy management over time management: listening to your body, not hyper-organizing every hour* [37:00] AI as the thing that scaffolds what drains your energy so you can focus on craft* [40:00] The Advent Calendar project: building 25 games in 25 days as proof of work over talking* [42:00] "Should I be shitposting on LinkedIn? No. I should build 30 websites in a month instead."* [44:00] Energy states shape decision-making: doing work that keeps you in higher energy* [47:00] Why vibe coding is the right term (and why people misunderstand it)* [50:00] The one-shot fallacy: nothing good emerges that way, everything is iterative* [52:00] Excel runs the world: the most critical business processes are customized spreadsheets* [55:00] The $50 million Access database replacement that didn't work* [57:00] Why they won't be extractive with marginal gains: open source, take your toys if you leave* [1:00:00] Progressive overload for business: small considered steps, building muscle month by month* [1:03:00] The primitives approach: get encryption and architecture right, let users customize the process* [1:06:00] Winamp nostalgia: when the internet was quirkier with custom skins everywhere* [1:08:00] Why they're keeping all 25 advent games up forever (basically no overhead to run)* [1:10:00] Context VM explained: MCP over Nostr, solving self-hosting, security, and hole-punching* [1:14:00] The trust model: three different people run wallet, keys, and AI—user chooses who to trust* [1:16:00] Bring your own database to any app: front end on the internet, data on your Mac Mini at home
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    1 h et 13 min
  • 33 - The Impact of AI on Design

    33 - The Impact of AI on Design
    Nov 26 2025

    The Good Stuff Episode 33: On AI and Design**Hosts:** Pete and Andy **Guest:** Jarrad Grigg, Chief Product Officer at Adapter

    Pete and Andy sit down with Jarrad Grigg to explore how AI is transforming design. From Figma Make to DreamFlow, they discuss the gold rush for next-generation design tools, whether AI can be truly creative, and why craft still matters. The conversation challenges assumptions about delegation vs. doing, reveals why Excel runs enterprise, and explores how iteration speed has become the new competitive advantage.

    ## Key Moments:* [03:22] Jared's "oh shit" moment: train station photo with watch, GPT tells him which train to catch

    * [04:46] The design tooling journey from Photoshop 6 to Figma's workflow revolution

    * [10:00] The AI design tools gold rush: Figma Make, DreamFlow, and who will win

    * [11:03] Hot take: design systems are mostly a waste of time (except now with AI training data)

    * [13:42] Why every AI design tool starts with a text box—and why designers hate it

    * [17:40] DreamFlow's approach: infinite canvas + prompting + fine-tuning controls

    * [20:00] Where does the user come into the design process with these new tools?

    * [23:00] Pete's sovereign engineering experience: shipping a new app every week in 5 hours

    * [26:00] The $94 million Bureau of Meteorology website disaster story

    * [31:00] Will AI lead to standardized, homogenous design everywhere?

    * [35:00] The creativity question: AI-generated purple gradients and training data limitations

    * [36:08] Pete's pipeline experiments: AI personas walking and talking through problems

    * [38:44] Set and setting for AI: changing how we interact beyond the text box

    * [42:37] Creativity needs time to breathe—dialogue over delegation

    * [46:00] Why UI isn't dead and voice interfaces won't replace visual design

    * [49:01] The typing vs. speaking debate: Andy filters ideas through writing

    * [50:04] Pete's Excalidraw whiteboard workflow: red boxes, green boxes, organized chaos

    * [54:04] Uncomfortable truth: loosely-coupled Excel sheets run the entire world

    * [56:45] The cottage industry opportunity: building better tools for individual problems

    * [1:00:10] Enterprise problems aren't technical—they're risk, compliance, and people

    * [1:05:00] The craft question: does AI destroy or enable it?

    * [1:08:18] The essay analogy: learning happens in ancillary exploration, not the output

    * [1:10:11] Doing vs. delegating: why delegation produces mediocre results

    * [1:13:40] The horse drawing meme: craft is passion and effort over time

    * [1:15:01] AI gives designers more time for craft and exploration

    * [1:16:32] Pete's realization: work becomes fulfilling when you own the creation process

    * [1:19:53] Energy drain vs. energy gain: doing what you want with AI scaffolding

    * [1:22:32] It's all about loops: iteration speed is the new competitive advantage

    * [1:23:34] The quality triangle shifts when you change the underlying technology

    **Quote:** "It gives us more time for craft. It's a freeing tool. If you really enjoy something it's not a job—you're constantly playing with it."
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    1 h et 25 min
  • 32 - Stewarding SMEs and AI with Bill Withers and Gabe Enslin

    32 - Stewarding SMEs and AI with Bill Withers and Gabe Enslin
    Nov 19 2025
    The Good Stuff, with Pete and AndyEpisode: AI and Stewardship in SMEsHosts: Pete and Andy, with guests Bill and Gabe from ADAPTEpisode Overview: Pete and Andy explore why small-medium enterprises struggle to adopt AI despite its transformative potential, and how succession thinking principles might unlock the path forward. The conversation reveals the intersection of business stewardship, role clarity, and AI implementation.Key Discussion Points:00:05 Defining Stewardship - The non-operational decision-making that encompasses vision custodianship and organizational leadership in SMEs01:23 Three Business Roles - Vision custodian (owner/capital deployer), organizational leader (strategy/culture), and technician (delivery/execution)04:44 The Reactive Trap - As businesses grow, founders become more reactive and stewardship acumen drops, even though they started as proactive entrepreneurs10:23 The Cruise Boat Test - What happens if you disappear for three months? Most SME businesses wouldn't survive11:32 Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation - Many businesses chase growth because "if you're not growing, you're dying" rather than asking what will actually make the owner happy17:34 Role Clarity First - Understanding you wear multiple hats (owner, director, vision custodian, technician) is the foundation for making better decisions22:19 The Unavoidable Truth - There's no way around the work, only through it. You must commit time to design the business you want27:20 Vision Creates Peace - A detailed vision provides clarity for decision-making even during chaos and overwhelming pressure28:35 AI Benefits Small Business - Counter to popular belief, AI is a decentralizing force that empowers high-agency, resource-constrained entrepreneurs30:35 The Intelligence Form Factor - When intelligence shifts from $100k human units to cents-based AI units, small businesses can finally compete33:15 The 50% Revenue Opportunity - Real potential for SMEs to increase revenue by 50% while maintaining the same overheads through AI-enabled capacity35:39 Problem-First Thinking - Stop talking about the technology; start with genuine business problems that need solving38:16 Why Adoption Lags - Uncertainty, lack of trust, overwhelming noise, and no clear pathway prevent action despite recognizing the opportunity40:26 Democratized Intelligence - AI allows you to access skills you don't have by simply talking to it in language you both understand43:44 The Trust Problem - We hold AI to higher standards than humans; one failure destroys confidence despite humans making errors constantly47:12 Building Trust Over Time - Need enough trust to take the first step, then build confidence through consistent positive outcomes52:32 Demonstrating Understanding - The roll cards exercise proves you deeply understand their problem, which builds immediate trust55:11 Core SME Challenge - Lack of time and constant resource constraints; always too much to do with too little capacity56:59 Working With AI - Stay involved as vision custodian for direction, architecture, and testing; let AI handle execution01:01:34 Mindset Shift Required - AI is probabilistic, not deterministic; requires different thinking than previous technology waves01:09:25 Vision as Working Asset - Detailed written visions reviewed monthly/quarterly to maintain alignment and guide all decisions01:16:31 Peace Through Clarity - When everything's chaos, knowing exactly what you want allows you to take small steps with confidence01:23:07 AI Role Cards - Give AI specific roles with accountabilities, decision rights, skills, and guardrails to perform reliably and build trust01:27:32 Human Flourishing Vision - Same revenue, same employees, but everyone works 20 hours per week instead of 50
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    1 h et 29 min
  • 31 - Where We've Changed Our Mind on AI

    31 - Where We've Changed Our Mind on AI
    Nov 12 2025

    The Good Stuff, with Pete and Andy - Episode 31: Where We've Changed Our Mind on AI

    00:22 - Theme: What have we changed our mind on in the last 31 weeks?01:48 - Australian Christmas: hot, beautiful, and reflective03:17 - Human at the edge model: the big shift03:34 - Why being at the edge means understanding less05:10 - Bionic human approach: involved in all decisions09:01 - Working in dialogue with AI (Gigi's approach)10:12 - Collaboration vs abdication of work10:21 - Why collaborative work is more entertaining12:15 - 10x vs 100x speed: choosing fun over max efficiency14:14 - Collaborative work as energy-giving16:02 - Permission-less collaboration: no judgment, no mood18:35 - Prompting tricks: "you're 160 IQ" and senior engineer20:02 - Writing as collaboration, not delegation21:50 - The embodied self: what AI lacks22:49 - Collaboration as the natural way to work with AI25:04 - Multi-agent systems add unnecessary complexity25:10 - Single agent with context from folders27:32 - "Do not write tests, I will test"29:04 - Diminishing returns on complexity29:53 - Test-driven development doesn't work with AI29:59 - Multi-agent systems: sounds good, doesn't work (mid-curve)30:36 - Filling gaps vs doing everything yourself39:31 - Buy vs build philosophy: the big pivot41:07 - Existing organizations are messy creatures42:31 - Timing shift: 5-year to 10-year game42:55 - Knowledge diffusion problem: nobody understands it yet45:41 - Build then buy: prove it first before acquisition46:20 - First principles vs practitioner reluctance46:43 - Paradox: successful businesses resist change most47:48 - Building capital vs burning time on acquisition48:45 - Learning by doing the job yourself50:40 - Backing operators: working in and on the business51:49 - Change management at scale: years of complexity52:03 - Gravitating back toward building from scratch53:20 - Building is more fun than acquiring53:41 - Positive vs negative energy: layoffs vs growth55:42 - Barriers to entry and regulatory hurdles56:46 - Not interested in government-regulated businesses58:37 - Small acquisition vs starting from scratch58:55 - Ownership of growth vs resistance to change01:01:28 - Why sell AI services into large companies?01:01:52 - Leverage paradox: why sell your time?01:02:53 - Nobody really understands AI implementation yet01:03:16 - Soundbite knowledge vs actual understanding01:04:06 - Wrong product: strategy requires understanding first01:05:08 - Training and education as the real market need01:05:31 - Proof of work: you have to do it01:06:01 - Speed running six months of learning
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    1 h et 7 min
  • 30 - AI Tools That Give Agency

    30 - AI Tools That Give Agency
    Nov 5 2025

    The Good Stuff, with Pete and Andy - Episode 30: AI Tools That Give Agency


    00:00 - Episode 30 milestone and introduction

    00:35 - Vibe coding workshop recap: tired, distracted, hectic

    00:49 - Challenge: normies building Bitcoin wallets from phones

    01:30 - Learning DNS, routing, and nginx on the fly

    01:58 - Workshop success despite constraints

    02:09 - Lost internet, crammed courtroom, Starlink saves the day

    02:37 - 15 people build custom Bitcoin wallets in 30 minutes

    03:33 - Group learning dynamics and organic collaboration

    04:14 - Reverse engineering the Replit stack

    05:12 - Why CLI tools create barriers for normies

    05:55 - Inventing app hosting inside Wingman

    06:22 - Building subdomain routing and DNS management

    08:30 - Reverse proxying and security considerations

    10:45 - Phone-based development: the ultimate accessibility test

    13:00 - Wingman as "replete for your own box"

    15:20 - Users own their data and infrastructure

    17:30 - Local LLMs vs cloud models: the sovereignty question

    20:00 - Replit's business model vs individual agency

    22:45 - Building tools for non-technical users

    25:15 - File browser, code editor, and hosting in one

    27:30 - Workshop format: chaos, breakthrough moments, and Bitcoin transfers

    30:00 - Vibe coding: removing friction from creation

    32:15 - AI as enabler of individual agency

    34:45 - Small business vs enterprise: different needs

    37:00 - Not convincing boards, just building what works

    39:30 - Corporate products vs tools for builders

    42:00 - Model flexibility: switching between providers

    44:15 - Data sovereignty and GitHub integration concerns

    46:30 - Bringing AI into your infrastructure, not vice versa

    48:45 - Local models for sensitive business data

    51:00 - Model selection: right tool for the task

    53:30 - Microsoft Copilot vs Wingman positioning

    54:36 - Building for small business, not enterprise

    56:00 - Access to models without vendor lock-in

    56:55 - Enabling agency rather than creating dependency

    57:20 - Data access without platform lock-in

    58:13 - Model selection: cheaper models for simple tasks

    59:00 - Terminal amnesia: the universal developer experience

    59:15 - Future: natural language command execution

    59:53 - Model lobotomization drama and platform switching

    01:00:08 - "That could have been a Wingman" - wrap up
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    1 h
  • 029 - From Zero to Vibe Coder

    029 - From Zero to Vibe Coder
    Oct 29 2025

    The Good Stuff - Episode 29 - From Zero to Vibe Coder

    In this episode, Pete and Andy dive into the world of "vibe coding" and discuss how to get someone from absolute zero to building their own applications in record time. The conversation centers around Pete's upcoming workshop at the Bitcoin Bush Bash in Busselton, where he plans to teach 20-50 people how to create customized Bitcoin wallets from scratch in just 30 minutes.

    They explore the traditional barriers to learning programming—the presupposed knowledge, the friction of setup, and the intimidating complexity—and how AI tools have dramatically changed the learning landscape. The discussion touches on the asymmetry of knowledge in tech, the challenges of teaching coding to beginners, and how AI has become the non-judgmental tutor that cuts through layers of assumed expertise.

    They also explore practical applications of AI tooling beyond coding, from business automation to tax preparation, and make a compelling case for why business owners in particular need to understand these tools to stay competitive.


    **Timestamps:**

    - 0:00 - Introduction and the value of "always be recording"

    - 2:00 - The vibe coding workshop challenge: teaching Bitcoin wallet creation in 30 minutes

    - 5:00 - The friction problem: terminal commands, repo cloning, and beginner barriers

    - 8:00 - Why experienced developers struggle to teach: the asymmetry of knowledge

    - 11:00 - How AI cut through the learning barriers and changed everything

    - 14:00 - The "Hello World" drop-off problem and learning surface area

    - 18:00 - Current tools still aren't normie-friendly enough for true beginners

    - 25:00 - The Replit solution: web-based coding that removes installation friction

    - 30:00 - AI agents and the future of automated workflows

    - 35:00 - Why business owners need to attend vibe coding workshops

    - 40:00 - Moving beyond ChatGPT/Claude to agent-based tools like Wingman

    - 43:00 - Using AI for non-coding tasks: tax organization and business automation

    - 47:00 - The future of email-based businesses and automation opportunities

    - 50:00 - Closing thoughts on freeing people up for higher-value work
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    1 h et 6 min
  • Good Stuff Episode 28 - The Human Way to Use AI

    Good Stuff Episode 28 - The Human Way to Use AI
    Oct 23 2025

    Good Stuff Episode 28

    Pete and Andy reunite in person at City Beach to explore how AI agents are can give individuals the power to solve their own problems. From Wingman V2's evolution to the resurrection of pre-digital work practices, they discuss why treating agents like employees with their own computers might be the key to unlocking practical AI leverage without the complexity of SaaS abstractions.

    0:00 Back in the van at City Beach, Perth - discussing grass, beaches, and jet lag after Madeira

    2:55 Kicking off with Wingman V2 development and the importance of reading skills documentation

    5:02 What is Wingman? The TLDR for new listeners on agent orchestration software

    9:05 Anthropic releases Claude Code on mobile - perfect timing for Wingman's approach

    10:19 The lobotomization problem and why model flexibility matters for production systems

    13:29 Building processes with agents: triggers, workflows, and file-based conventions

    16:12 File watchers and convention-based programming for agent coordination

    18:44 The challenge of selling Wingman vs. using it to run businesses directly

    21:08 Why agents are like employees: managing workload across multiple direct reports

    23:30 The cloud vs. on-premises debate: putting computers in businesses, not businesses in computers

    25:42 Staying involved in the process to maintain intuition and avoid costly mistakes

    27:52 The last mile problem: getting from 95% to production-ready

    30:09 Small vibes, many courses: iterative development with constant testing and commits

    31:38 The shift from resource allocation to rapid experimentation in enterprise

    34:17 Why outsourced consulting models struggle with agent-driven development

    37:20 Multi-user Wingman: the philosophical question of shared vs. individual agents

    39:53 Using Nostr keys for identity management in small business tools

    42:10 Building Good Stuff with just two people and AI leverage

    44:45 The importance of developer logs, security reviews, and daily highlight reports

    48:49 Relearning structured work practices from the pre-digital era

    52:07 Building Pontefex: a visual interface bridge for Claude Code web development

    54:37 Why clipboard-based workflows beat complex integrations

    56:07 The Excel principle: empowering people to solve their own problems with tools
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    57 min
  • The Good Stuff 27: Lessons Learned with AI Agents

    The Good Stuff 27: Lessons Learned with AI Agents
    Oct 16 2025

    The Good Stuff, with Pete and Andy - Episode 27: Lessons Learned

    Hosts: Pete and Andy

    Episode Overview: Pete and Andy reflect on lessons learned from months of experimentation with AI agents, coding tools, and building software. They discuss the shift from "vibe coding" to more structured approaches, the importance of shipping usable tools, and their plans for a multiplayer version of Wingman.

    Key Discussion Points:

    Side Quests and Experimentation (01:16-08:30)

    • Andy builds a habit tracker that evolved into a doom-scrolling prevention app
    • Pete experiments with media over QUIC and real-time streaming protocols
    • The power of AI to remove gatekeeping from learning new technologies
    • Building an Nostr-based virtual pub with spatial audio

    Vibe Coding vs. Slow Coding (09:38-16:13)

    • Insights from working with serious engineers on AI-assisted development
    • Everyone uses AI differently - no single "vibe coding" workflow
    • The importance of understanding your codebase architecture
    • Moving slower to go faster: maintaining intuition while delegating implementation

    Build vs. Buy: The Shopify Question (14:25-25:06)

    • Andy's journey building an e-commerce site from scratch instead of using Shopify
    • The value of understanding how things work vs. convenience of platforms
    • Localization of software development - kids will build these things natively
    • Self-reliance as a valuable use of AI-gifted time

    Shipping Tools People Can Use (25:06-33:00)

    • The critical lesson: put working demos in users' hands
    • Plans for multiplayer Wingman to lower barriers to experimentation
    • Designing the business into Wingman - mapping workflows and agents
    • Testing at Bush Bash with live coding sessions

    Orchestrators vs. Deterministic Processes (33:00-38:52)

    • Why probabilistic orchestrator agents often fail in production
    • The case for simple, deterministic workflow rules
    • Left curve vs. mid curve: sometimes simpler is better
    • Humans should still design the business processes

    Rate Limits and Model Selection (38:52-42:43)

    • Claude Haiku as a solution to usage limits
    • Running agents via API for unlimited usage
    • Multiplayer mode for sharing subscriptions efficiently
    • The challenge of making complex technology accessible

    Simplifying the Message (42:43-48:31)

    • Beacon demo: focus on the "moment of magic" not the complexity
    • "Solvatur Ambulando" - solve it by walking around
    • Wingman's unique value: anywhere access + multiplayer agents
    • Don't let ego get in the way of clear communication

    AI Agents Playing Games (48:31-59:09)

    • Using game environments to test model performance for business applications
    • Games as sandboxes for learning resource allocation and strategic thinking
    • Beyond single-agent approaches: teams of specialized agents
    • General Catalyst's investment in gaming arenas for model testing

    Multiple Minds Per Task (55:13-01:01:38)

    • Humans have multiple personalities for different contexts
    • Agents may need similar specialization to avoid being overwhelmed
    • File-based handoffs between agents as a clean interface
    • The power of forcing agents to document their reasoning


    "Mid curve me is just like 'oh I've been so clever' - but that's not for the person on the other end that wants to look at it."
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    1 h et 2 min