Technically Working 177: The Bot Couldn’t Get Out

Show Notes

Michael and Damashe begin with a look at how AI can turn convention documents into WordPress pages, Gravity Forms, confirmation messages, and other ready-to-use materials. They discuss why a smoother payment process matters and how showing people only the instructions they need can prevent abandoned registrations and unpaid entries.

Then Damashe reacts to rising Mac prices, explains why selling his MacBook Pro may have been a poorly timed decision, and considers whether things have become bad enough to buy another Windows computer. Michael shares useful shortcuts and recent experiences with Codex and ChatGPT, while both hosts stress that AI-generated work still needs to be reviewed.

The conversation also covers Postmark, Cloudflare, transactional email, and the decision to rebuild the Technically Working website with familiar WordPress tools. Damashe explains why he does not want his business depending on a software stack he barely understands. Along the way, the hosts offer a warning about installing several WordPress caching plugins and explain why more caching does not make a website faster.

Michael shares the latest Earshot improvements, including faster feed refreshes, haptic feedback, adjustable descriptions, new accessibility settings, and category browsing. The two consider how server-side podcast feed checking might work and what it could cost.

Finally, Damashe explains why the Technically Working Mastodon bot never appeared during the ACB convention. He secured the server so thoroughly that the bot could not get out. The planned solution involves a Raspberry Pi, Tailscale, and one more project competing for his attention.

In This Episode

• Using AI to build WordPress pages and Gravity Forms from existing documents
• Creating clearer registration and payment flows
• Why AI-generated forms and websites still need human review
• Rising Mac prices and Damashe’s poorly timed MacBook Pro sale
• ChatGPT and Codex shortcuts and computer control
• Postmark, AWS SES, and Cloudflare for transactional email
• Rebuilding the Technically Working website with GeneratePress
• Choosing a software stack you understand well enough to maintain
• Why several WordPress caching plugins will not make a site faster
• Earshot feed refresh, haptics, descriptions, and category browsing
• The possibilities and costs of server-side podcast feed checking
• Panic returning money to Playdate customers
• The mystery of subscriber number one
• How Damashe accidentally trapped the Technically Working bot
• Tailscale, Raspberry Pi projects, cameras, and internet failover

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