Thoughts & Perspectives
Building in public
How to Use Claude Code (2026): The Working Loop, Not the Install Guide
Installing Claude Code takes ten minutes. Using it well is a different skill, and it's mostly about what you do before you let it write anything. Here's the loop that separates people who ship with it from people who spend an afternoon undoing it.
How to Use Claude Projects (2026): Stop Re-Explaining Your Business Every Morning
Most Claude Projects tutorials are feature tours. Here's the part that actually pays: a Project is a place to park the context you re-type into a chat box every single day. Set one up properly once and every future conversation starts already knowing your business.
How to Tell If Code Is AI-Generated: A CTO's Field Guide (2026)
There is no reliable detector for AI-generated code — the tools that claim otherwise are guessing. But after auditing dozens of AI-built codebases, I can usually call it in ten minutes, because AI code has tells: over-commented obviousness, hallucinated APIs, five different naming conventions, and tests that assert nothing. Here are the nine tells, and what to do if your codebase has them.
Is Gemini Worth It? The Honest Verdict by Use Case (2026)
Gemini's free tier is the strongest free AI seat on the market — that's the twist most reviews bury. Paying means Google AI Pro at $19.99/month, and whether that's worth it depends on how much of Google's bundle you'd actually use, not on the model. The verdict by user type, plus the naming ladder decoded.
Is ChatGPT Worth It? The Honest Verdict by Use Case (2026)
ChatGPT is worth paying for when the free tier's caps interrupt real work — that's the whole test. Free is genuinely capable, Go is $8 with ads, Plus at $20 removes the ceiling for most professionals, and Pro at $200 is for heavy agentic use. The verdict tier by tier, and where Claude beats it.
Is Claude Worth It? The Honest Verdict by Use Case (2026)
Claude is worth paying for if your work is writing, analysis, long documents, or code — that's where it leads, and $20/month is the cheapest rung that removes the free tier's ceiling. It's the wrong pick if you need images, voice, or the biggest app ecosystem. The verdict tier by tier, and the free test that settles it.
Claude for PowerPoint: What It Is, Who Gets It, and Whether It Beats Copilot (2026)
Claude for PowerPoint is Anthropic's official add-in that builds and edits native, editable slides inside PowerPoint — reading your slide master so decks come out in your brand, not generic AI styling. It's included with Pro ($20/mo) and up as of February 20, 2026. What it does, how to get it, and where it actually fits.
Claude for Excel: What It Is, Who Gets It, and Where It Beats Copilot (2026)
Claude for Excel is Anthropic's official add-in that puts Claude inside your workbook — reading sheets, writing formulas, building models without overwriting your cells. It's included with Pro ($20/mo) and up as of January 2026. What it does, how to get it, where it beats Copilot, and where it still bites.
Is Google AI Pro Worth It? The $19.99 Bundle, Honestly Judged (2026)
Google AI Pro is $19.99/month — same sticker as ChatGPT Plus and Claude Pro, but it's a bundle: Gemini 3.1 Pro, Deep Research, Veo video, 5TB of storage, YouTube Premium Lite, and more. Whether it's worth it depends on which half of the bundle you'd actually use. The verdict by user type, plus the Gemini Pro naming trap explained.
OpenClaw Review (2026): What the Most-Starred Repo on GitHub Actually Does
OpenClaw is a free, open-source AI agent you text like a colleague — and it can genuinely run files, messages, browsers, and code on your machine. My honest review: what it does well, where it bites, what it costs to run, and who should (and shouldn't) install it in 2026.
Is OpenClaw Safe? What I'd Check Before Giving an AI Agent the Keys (2026)
OpenClaw is the most-starred repo on GitHub and it runs with real authority over your files, messages, and credentials. Safe? Out of the box, no — four CVEs, a browser-based hijack technique, and a skill marketplace that has shipped malware say otherwise. Here's the honest risk read and the checklist I'd run before letting it near a business machine.
Is Claude Better Than ChatGPT? An Honest Verdict by Job (2026)
Is Claude better than ChatGPT? For long documents, careful writing, and coding, usually yes. For images, voice, the app ecosystem, and casual everyday use, ChatGPT still wins. The verdict by job, the pricing ladders side by side, and the one question that matters more than the pick.
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