Incantations 89 - Back Next Week


Incantations 89 - Back Next Week

Hello there, [NICKNAME GOES HERE],

I've been pretty busy this week, not to mention being in a 6.3 earthquake on Thursday so I'll let this be really short to assure you I'll be sending a full newsletter out in the next week or so when I've stopped travelling and settled back home. The earthquake made me realise how unprepared I was (especially while travelling). I'll be setting up backup and emergency plans in the future. Something I can ask ChatGPT to help me with.

Until next week,

Andrew

Andrew Molloy

Automation Wizard/Soloneer - Exploring how we can use the latest technologies such as AI, automation tools like n8n, and 3D printing to make our lives easier and better.

Read more from Andrew Molloy

Last week, I thought I was running out of space on my NAS (Network Attached Storage, basically my central storage of hard drives at home). The warning lights were flashing, the drives looked full, and my brain immediately shifted into problem-solving mode. I started mapping out backup tiers, sync rules, and cleanup scripts. I even looked at buying another 16TB drive I didn’t really need. After an hour of overthinking and mapping, I noticed something ridiculous. Both recycle bins—local and...

There’s a special kind of panic that comes when you realize you might have just broken something that really matters. Mine started with one small file — a cryptographic key used to publish a client’s Android apps on the Play Store. We were hours away from handing everything back after years of collaboration with a major client. The transition needed to be clean and professional. And then I couldn’t find the key. See, a few years earlier I had made what I thought was the responsible choice: I...

Most people think the magic of AI is in the answers. But the real magic? It’s in the questions — and how you write them. Because let’s be honest. Asking AI for something then getting a sloppy answer really kills the mood. Makes a person think it’s not worth the hype. But who has time to research and learn “effective prompting” from the army of AI bros on social media? Not me. So here’s the shortcut almost nobody talks about: You can use AI to help you talk to AI. I know, it sounds a bit like...