There are a lot of AI newsletters. There are a lot of maker newsletters. This one is about where those two things collide — and what it actually looks like in practice, not in a press release.
My name is Mike. I build hardware. I also spend a lot of time using AI tools to go faster, get unstuck, and occasionally embarrass myself when I find out the LLM confidently gave me wrong register addresses for a chip I've been fighting for a week.
What I'm building: Right now I'm working on a 60" Kumiko panel — a traditional Japanese woodworking pattern, but 3D printed in Georgia Tech colors. I'll be writing about it here as I go — the decisions, the dead ends, the actual filament cost, and what I'd do differently. What this newsletter covers:
Every issue has the same shape:
The Build — whatever I'm working on that week. Not the polished version. The version where I explain why I made a choice and whether it was right. One AI Tool Worth Knowing — one specific tool, one specific use case, and an honest take on whether it's actually useful for people who build physical things. Links Worth Your Time — 3–5 things I found this week that are worth reading. No padding. What I'm not doing: I'm not going to write about ChatGPT being amazing. I'm not going to review a product I didn't use. I'm not going to pretend something works when it doesn't.
The hardware world and the AI world are both full of hype. My job here is to cut through it for people who actually build things.
If that sounds useful, you're in the right place.
See you next week.
— Mike