Practical AI, Honestly

ChatGPT helped Scott think through ideas and design. Claude helped with the coding. Scott carried prompts to Uno, shared terminal results back with ChatGPT, and decided what to do with the suggested corrections.

In this episode of Practical AI, Honestly, Scott looks at the work hidden in those handoffs: carrying context, checking results, and choosing the next step. Another model’s opinion can help, but the check still needs to fit the task.

Do this today: Pick one recurring AI task. Write down the first request, the information you pass along, the result you inspect, and the point where you decide whether to continue.

Host: Scott Ray. Studio: RDC Software Works.

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I am not a developer. I am not a programmer. I do not have a computer science degree.

That is important to this story, because I did not come to Claude Code looking for a faster way to do a job I already knew how to do.

I came to it trying to understand what the computer was doing while I learned how to make these AI tools useful in my everyday life.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit practicalaihonestly.substack.com

Scott explains the personal meaning behind Uno’s name, then revisits his January 2026 Linux experiment and February move to a Mac mini. The migration footage captures setup, errors, and retries—and raises a practical question: what should an AI assistant be allowed to do without asking first?

Show notes

* The beloved one-eyed cat behind Uno’s name.

* Starting an OpenClaw experiment in a Linux virtual machine.

* Moving saved context and tools to the Mac mini.

* Installation steps and competing Telegram connections.

* Three access decisions to make before connecting an AI tool.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit practicalaihonestly.substack.com

The earliest period Scott can reliably trace is 2024, when he was trying to gain control of the next chapter of his life and using ChatGPT to work through consequential questions. He is not a developer or programmer and does not have a computer science degree; the practical part of this journey includes learning the terminology, understanding what the tools are doing, and figuring out how to ask for the intended result. Beginning with TikTok and YouTube curiosity and a familiar habit of treating ChatGPT like a search box, he explains how that use widened into documents, explanations, computer questions, software comparisons, and better preparation for conversations with qualified professionals—without handing the tool professional judgment. The episode ends with a low-stakes exercise for turning one answer into a better, verified question.Current ChatGPT descriptions are separated from Scott's historical recollection. The 2024 account is retrospective memory rather than a verified transcript, and personal examples are intentionally generalized.Show notesCanonical article: https://practicalaihonestly.substack.com/p/when-chatgpt-stopped-feeling-likeUse ChatGPT — official OpenAI documentation: https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/use-chatgptPrompting — official OpenAI documentation: https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/promptingProgram home: https://practicalaihonestly.substack.com/podcast

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit practicalaihonestly.substack.com