The Lab · Level up
From Caveman to Prompt Shaman
I came to AI the same way I came to Bitcoin. Skeptical, then curious, then all in once I saw what it could do for a regular guy who wants to own his tools. Here's the path I'd walk if I were starting today, ending with the bot team I run myself. Climb at your own pace.
First chat
You learn that an AI will talk back like a sharp coworker if you treat it like one. Most people quit after one bad answer. Don't.
Ask it to explain something you already know well, like how a rifle zero works or what a Bitcoin block is. Then grade it. Push back where it gets things wrong.
You stop being impressed and start noticing where it's useful and where it's guessing.
Writing good prompts
Good prompts carry context. Who you are, what you want, what good looks like, and what to leave out. A short prompt gets a short brain.
Take one task from your week and write the prompt three times, each with more context than the last. Compare the answers side by side.
You can get a usable first draft on the first try most of the time.
Give a bot one job
A bot with one clear job beats a bot that does everything. Give it written instructions, examples of good work, and a name so you remember what it's for.
Build one bot for one chore you hate. Meeting notes, a weekly budget check, a training log. Use it every day for a week.
You trust it with that chore and only check its work instead of redoing it.
Run a team on routines
Several specialist bots, each with a lane, handing work to each other on a schedule. A lead bot keeps them pointed the same way, and you review the output.
Put one bot on a daily routine, like a morning brief at 7am. Then add a second bot that picks up where the first one leaves off.
Work gets done while you sleep and you spend your time deciding instead of typing.
Own your stack
You know which tools you rely on, what they cost, and how to swap them out. Your prompts, notes and instructions live with you, so no single company can pull the rug.
Write down every bot you run and where its instructions live. Back them up somewhere you control.
Other people start asking you how you set it up. Teach them.
This is where it ends up. Below is the team I run every day. Each bot has one lane, and the lead bot keeps them all pointed the same way. Every card has a lesson I learned the hard way.
Takes what I ask for, hands it to the right specialist, and checks the work before it reaches me.
One boss bot keeps the team honest. Without one, I was the bottleneck.
Helps me plan projects and pressure tests my ideas before I spend money or time on them.
Tell it to argue with you. Agreement is cheap.
I send it half-formed ideas from the truck or the gym and it files them so nothing gets lost.
Capture fast, sort later. Most good ideas show up at bad times.
Keeps track of what I said I'd do and pings me before it slips.
Short and specific reminders get done. Vague ones get ignored.
Drafts talking points for The Crucible from the day's Bitcoin, energy and AI news.
Give it your voice with real examples or it sounds like a press release.
Pulls moments from the show and turns them into clips and memes for X.
Speed beats polish. A good clip posted today beats a perfect one next week.
Cleans up episodes, writes the descriptions, and gets them out to the platforms.
Write the checklist once. The bot follows it every single time.
Built and maintains this site, from copy edits to the logo to deploying changes.
Approve before anything goes live. You stay the one in charge.
Nobody starts as a shaman. I started by asking dumb questions and getting dumb answers. Keep swinging the club.
Newsletter
Climb with me.
I'll send what's working for me as my bot team grows, plus Bitcoin, training and the show.