Things I've been Dabbling In This Week
Claude Code, symbolic imagery, prediction markets, and seeds
I wanted to share a quick list of a few things I’ve been tinkering with or thinking about over the past week. Here are just some tools, ideas, and rabbit holes that have been fun to explore and give you a peek into my mind.
Claude Code Plugins
Claude has been awesome for building functional prototypes of apps lately. If you configure things right, you can actually build real tools for people pretty quickly.
One thing I’ve started using more often are the Claude plugins like:
/security-review/code-review/simplify/explanatory-output
If you’re not technical, these plugins are surprisingly helpful because they start to interpret what you’re trying to prompt instead of just blindly generating code. It forces the model to explain itself a bit more, which helps a lot when you’re trying to understand what’s actually happening under the hood.
There’s also a short free course floating around that teaches the basics of building with Claude and it’s less than an hour. Definitely worth doing if you want to get comfortable quickly.
FaithTech’s Redemptive Framework and the Idea of Discernment
In the age of AI, “taste” has become a bit of a buzzword and I’m glad it was my word of the year. Everyone talks about having taste which is neat, but I’ve been thinking a lot more about discernment.
Taste helps you judge output. Discernment helps you judge implications.
AI workflows are incredibly seductive because of how fast things can move. You prompt something and within seconds you have a result that feels polished and convincing.
That speed can sometimes bypass reflection.
I’ve been wondering if product people and builders are starting to feel their discernment muscles weaken a little bit. Not because AI is bad, but because the pace of output doesn’t naturally force you to slow down and think through consequences.
Something I’m personally trying to stay mindful of and actively practice.
The Art of Plating
Went to Alma Fonda Fina truly great food and probably my favorite dining experience I’ve ever had in Denver been here for 26 years and can say that with confidence.
Lots to talk about here in terms of ingredient flavor, environment, and kitchen staff communication. Truly a masterclass in hospitality!
I’ll just say that having the opportunity to sit at the chef’s counter where he was plating the food gave me a fresh appreciation for the essence of presentation.
Here was my favorite dish which was the NY Strip Al Arriero from that night.
Jonathan Pageau and Architecture
I listened to a conversation recently with Jonathan Pageau, who does a lot of interesting thinking around symbolism and culture.
One thing he talked about that really stuck with me was how sterile most modern spaces are.
If you walk through most new buildings or office spaces, they’re incredibly efficient and clean… but they rarely feel meaningful and lack symbolism.
Older architecture often carried symbolism and intention. Churches obviously did this, but even city centers and public buildings used to have design elements that communicated something deeper about the culture.
An area he dives into is the paradox of the American city which have churches that are often empty compared to the tourist and symbolic value that churches have in Europe.
Listening to that conversation is going to make me start paying more attention to architecture and city planning again. It definitely sparked my visual curiosity in ways I wasn’t expecting.
Myron Golden on Risk and Return
I’ve also been listening to some Myron Golden content lately. I really admire his combination of faith and business insight.
He shared a podcast recently about the relationship between risk and return, and one of the things he emphasized was the idea of seeds.
What seeds are you planting with your language?
What seeds are you planting with your actions?
Prediction Markets
Prediction markets are another rabbit hole I’ve been going down lately.
I’m not personally trading on anything right now, but platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi are pretty fascinating if you think about them.
The idea that people are literally betting on probabilities of future events is kind of wild. One thought I had was that founders could actually use these markets as a strange form of validation or signal. Sometimes you can learn a lot just by observing what people believe is likely to happen.
One market I saw recently made me laugh cause it was about Jesus and the comment is too good.
The internet never disappoints.
Waymo
Lastly, Waymo. I spend a lot of time in the Bay Area, where autonomous taxis are becoming more common. I was pretty skeptical about the experience at first.
But after riding in one a few times last year and now, I started noticing something delightful about it.
There’s something about the ambiance of the ride that feels different. The driving is smooth, the seats are clean, the environment is quiet, and the music is always so calming.
It almost creates this calm little bubble while you move through the city.
I’m still not sure what to make of it long-term and I do have a lot of admiration for Uber drivers. I’ve had some of the most memorable conversations with drivers from around the world while I’ve traveled.
I’d love to hear what y’all have been looking into recently shoot me a DM or comment!