Rain rain go away come again … tomorrow?

Steve, why do you need all of these agents for language learning? Don’t you live in China and have lots of tools and exposure to the language? Yes. But…

SLV live stream all about the IELTS band descriptors. Spoke with that guy who runs an agency here and we got talking about the need to understand how the band descriptors work. So, this is an introduction to them.

GREAT NAP today! Sleep inertia? Wow. Took a couple of hours and now I’m WIRED!

New interview lead email… recent, cinnamon buns, Matebook Fold, and an interview request… for the CEO to be on my podcast. But, which one?

And what if I just went travelling?

Donate to the show! PayPal link below!

https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA

***

Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com

And on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4

Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com

Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog

Hope you have a great one!!

00:00 Introduction and Weather Update

00:20 AI Agents for Language Learning

00:39 Daily Life and Reflections

01:56 Challenges with AI Agents

02:45 Language Learning Tools and Techniques

05:23 YouTube Channel and Podcast Insights

09:05 IELTS Band Descriptors Explained

11:29 Future Plans and Career Decisions

19:02 Travel and Language Barriers

26:13 Nap Time and Sleep Inertia

29:40 Podcasting and Interview Leads

34:05 Conclusion and Farewell

Ozzy Osbourne has passed away, aged 76. Life of sex, drugs and rock n roll… still dies.

Manus agents worked! Both Chinese and Russian. Zapier? Only Russian worked. Chinese didn’t.

Spent the morning looking at Deep Learning - what did I learn? It’s all very technical. Not sure I want to be digging into code at the moment.

https://www.deeplearning.ai/courses/

SLV podcast out! Episode 49! Thinking what else I could add to the membership program. Should I split the podcast from the YouTube channel?

Workouts in! 6.5 km in 42.59. Squats, legs, bench, chest, run, then platform pilates workout to cap it all off.

And CRYPTO drops, Chinese stocks rock?

Donate to the show! PayPal link below!

https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA

***

Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com

And on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4

Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com

Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog

Hope you have a good Wednesday on the Crazy Train!

00:00 Introduction and Breaking News

00:45 Reflecting on Ozzy Osborne's Legacy

03:08 Personal Reflections and Life Choices

09:13 AI Agents and Automation Challenges

15:38 Language Learning and Podcast Updates

25:07 Fitness Routine and Reflections

31:04 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Almost the end of July and the Dog Days are almost upon us!

Hot, but not as hot as a few years’ back.

SLV podcast edited, will post tomorrow. Now looking to cut back on some of the software I’m paying for (repurpose.io is one that comes to mind).

Manus automation: we’ll see if it works AND can be done FREE with limited credits. Aaaaand is now not available in China.

Don’t forget your language studies! Reading Outlaws of the Marsh! All of this AI stuff has me being mindful not to lose track of what is important: making language learning easier.

And CRYPTO roaring, GOLD rushing, OIL a dropping?

Donate to the show! PayPal link below!

https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA

***

Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com

And on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4

Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com

Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog

Hope you have a great Tuesday!

00:00 Introduction and Podcast Updates

01:00 Membership Program and Transcription Tools

02:30 Challenges with Podcasting and Editing

05:56 Automation and AI Tools

24:20 Language Studies and Personal Reflections

28:13 Market Updates: Crypto, Gold, and Oil

33:12 Conclusion and Farewell

New week begins! Productive weekend!

Saw a movie! The Lychee Road! Pretty good.

Saw the new Huawei Matebook Fold

SLV podcast recorded, should be up soon.

Workouts in! 7.5km in 52.49, then maces and bells, then skips and circuits, then… Blue Frog!

And damn… found cinnamon buns imported from Guangzhou!

Donate to the show! PayPal link below!

https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA

***

Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com

And on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4

Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com

Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog

Hope you have a great start of week!

00:00 Introduction and Weekend Recap

00:29 Cinnamon Buns from Guang Jo

02:17 Blue Frog Burger Night

06:25 Movie Review: The Leche Road

16:24 Tech Talk: Huawei Mate Book Fold

26:31 Language Log and Podcast Updates

28:29 Workout Routine and Reflections

31:39 Conclusion and Sign-Off

Bought an API key! They got my money and my credit card deets!

But can’t the Zapier+Claude connection to work because of OAuth… and the firewall.

Need to tweak those AI Agents, still not doing what they’re supposed to.

SSAB Newsletter in Chinese?! Why not?!

STOP MAKING STUFF! USE WHAT YOU’VE GOT! Says the AI Man Behind the Curtain. Guess I should start building some courses.

Workouts in! Shoulders, rows, deadlifts (topped 150kg x 1 today), 50 pull up push ups, get ups, dips, then out for a 5.5km run in 56.31 to finish up with another 61 pull ups or so.

Donate to the show! PayPal link below!

https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA

***

Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com

And on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4

Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com

Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog

Hope you have a great weekend!!

00:00 Introduction and Initial Thoughts

00:12 API Key Troubles and AI Agents

01:12 Challenges with Western Apps in China

01:53 Automating Podcast Administration

02:02 Newsletter and Substack Issues

02:49 API Key Purchase and Usage

04:12 Zapier and Claude Integration Struggles

07:00 Language Vlog Newsletter Experiment

16:13 Future Plans and AI Integration

26:25 Workouts and Fitness Routine

35:39 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

More troubles with the AI Agents… are they worth it? Might be another way to get this done.

Did some of the languages today, going back to the age-old argument: is it better to spend time learning the language or exploring the country and its culture?

Shot some videos today, we’ll see how that goes.

Live streams in! Characters and resources!

Donate to the show! PayPal link below!

https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA

***

Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com

And on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4

Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com

Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog

Hope you have a great one!!

00:00 Introduction and Current Thoughts

00:44 Considering a Business Venture

02:24 Challenges in Teaching and Technology

03:34 Student Placement Agency Insights

05:52 Debating Travel vs. Studying

07:40 Past Travel Experiences

12:54 Language Learning Challenges

22:33 AI Agents and Automation Issues

30:19 Conclusion and Future Plans

The burger is gone… because I had another pilates class or whatever it is! Went to PanemorFit. Smaller classes, a touch more difficult, but mainly because of holding the poses for so long.

Run in! 7.02km in 43.36. Went fast today. Also managed to get the squats and bench in today too!

Returned one of the cell phone sticks I bought, easy as pie! Apply for refund and they send a guy to pick it up!

New SLV podcast out! Am thinking… is this what I want to do? What else would I want to do?

Throwing out more stuff, but debating… is this move necessary right now?

Donate to the show! PayPal link below!

https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA

***

Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com

And on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4

Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com

Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog

Hope you have a great one!!

00:00 Introduction and Daily Routine

00:27 Debating the Necessity of Moving

01:27 Housing and Visa Dilemmas

05:04 Career Reflections and Future Plans

24:05 Fitness and Workout Regimen

34:48 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Monday and back at it! But slow going.

Got my Zapier AI Agents working again.

Chinese done, thinking… should I do the HSK 5 test this year? Build it up on YouTube?

SLV podcast recorded, will edit tomorrow. Didn’t know I could view my iPad screen from QuickTime!

Workout in! 6.5 km in 43 min 56 sec. Tried to do the skips, push ups, tuck jumps and pistol squats but only got through three rounds. Knees were hurting!

Off to Blue Frog for two for ones… ooof ate one and that was too much! And have another one for tomorrow! Aaand, Mile High burger is same same, just different pictures.

Donate to the show! PayPal link below!

https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA

***

Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com

And on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4

Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com

Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog

Hope you have a great start of week!

00:00 Introduction and Monday Evening Recap

00:35 The Blue Frog Burger Experience

02:11 Workout Struggles and Reflections

14:12 Cleaning and Decluttering

21:01 AI Projects and Language Learning

31:26 Podcast Recording and Final Thoughts

SSAB - July 14, 2025

Monday and back at it! But slow going.

Got my Zapier AI Agents working again.

Chinese done, thinking… should I do the HSK 5 test this year? Build it up on YouTube?

SLV podcast recorded, will edit tomorrow. Didn’t know I could view my iPad screen from QuickTime!

Workout in! 6.5 km in 43 min 56 sec. Tried to do the skips, push ups, tuck jumps and pistol squats but only got through three rounds. Knees were hurting!

Off to Blue Frog for two for ones… ooof ate one and that was too much! And have another one for tomorrow! Aaand, Mile High burger is same same, just different pictures.

Donate to the show! PayPal link below!

https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA

***

Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com

And on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4

Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com

Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog

Hope you have a great start of week!

00:00 Introduction and Monday Evening Recap

00:35 The Blue Frog Burger Experience

02:11 Workout Struggles and Reflections

14:12 Cleaning and Decluttering

21:01 AI Projects and Language Learning

31:26 Podcast Recording and Final Thoughts

Hot and humid but getting things done! Early morning Chinese character review.

Workouts in, the gym was no cooler! Up early for a run (5.82km in 46.41), midday gym visit for 55 pull ups, push ups and squats + Turkish get ups, farmers carries, dips. Then out for another run (it was cooler outside) to finish up the pull ups by the tree and to run another 1.33 km.

Stuff gone! Weights are moved and it gives me a bit more room to maneuver BUT! These stands I got? Add to the clutter. Time to start shooting videos to justify their purchase!

Out to Blue Frog for dinner, they removed the double burger and now have some sort of “Mile High” burger!

Could I get certified as a Chinese teacher?

Latest APP adventure? A Chinese character breakdown site… turns out MDBG does it better.

Donate to the show! PayPal link below!

https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA

***

Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com

And on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4

Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com

Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog

Hope you have a great weekend!

00:00 Introduction and Morning Routine

01:33 Running and Workout Challenges

06:48 Live Streaming and Language Learning

14:25 Thoughts on Becoming a Certified Chinese Teacher

19:55 App Development and Future Plans

31:49 Conclusion and Final Thoughts