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The words, explained first

Short explainers that define the thing before anyone asks you to use it. Read them in order, or pick the one that is currently in your way. The step-by-step versions live in guides.

Explainer · Beginner

What AI can actually do for you today

The one-page tour for people who have never really used AI. Nothing to install, nothing to pay for, and a prompt to try in the next two minutes.

2 min read

Explainer · Beginner

What is AI, actually?

The plain-English guide to prediction, training data and using AI to learn what you do not yet know.

4 min read

Explainer · Beginner

What is an AI agent?

An AI agent is a program that can decide what steps to take and then take them. Here is the plain English version, and where the idea is oversold.

5 min read

Explainer · Beginner

Which model should I use? The one-page answer

ChatGPT and Claude both have a model menu and neither explains it. The only distinction that matters day to day, and the three-line rule I use to pick.

2 min read

Explainer · Beginner

Five things never to paste into an AI

Most things are fine to type into ChatGPT or Claude. Five are not, and the list is short enough to remember. Plus the one setting worth turning off.

2 min read

Explainer · Beginner

What is a VPS?

A VPS is a small computer you rent on the internet. Here is what that actually means, what it costs, and why you would want one.

5 min read

Explainer · Beginner

You may already pay for a coding agent

If you pay for ChatGPT, Codex is included: a coding agent that works on your real files. Most subscribers never open it. Try it in five minutes.

2 min read

Explainer · Beginner

What is the terminal, and how do I use it?

The terminal is a window where you type instructions to your computer instead of clicking. How to open it on a Mac or Windows, paste a command, and stay safe.

1 min read

Explainer · Beginner

What is SSH, and what is an SSH key?

SSH is how you log in to a computer somewhere else, like a rented server, from your own terminal. What an SSH key is, and the one command you type.

1 min read

Explainer · Intermediate

What goes wrong with an always-on agent

I have run one for months. It fails quietly, loops expensively, forgets, and sometimes does the confident wrong thing. Five failures and how to catch each.

2 min read

Explainer · Beginner

What is local AI?

Local AI means running the model on your own computer instead of somebody else's. What you gain, what you give up, and if your machine can cope.

5 min read

Explainer · Intermediate

Compact or restart? Keeping Claude Code sharp

Long coding sessions go stale for the same reason long chats do. Claude Code gives you two ways out, and picking the right one makes or breaks the afternoon.

2 min read

Explainer · Intermediate

Two ways to let AI use your browser

Two ways to let an AI use a web browser for you. One reads the screen and moves the mouse. The other talks to the browser directly. Which suits a local model.

7 min read

Explainer · Intermediate

When should Claude Code use a subagent?

A subagent is a helper Claude Code sends off to do one focused job and report back. When that saves you a cluttered session, and when it only burns more of your allowance.

2 min read

Explainer · Beginner

Six more AI tools worth knowing about

Canva, Microsoft Copilot, Descript, Gemini, LM Studio and NotebookLM: what each one is, who it suits and what it costs. Orientation, not reviews.

3 min read

Explainer · Beginner

Hallucination, decoded

The word everyone uses for AI making things up, in one page: what it is, why it happens, where it happens most, and the two habits that catch it.

1 min read

Explainer · Beginner

Tokens and the context window, decoded

What is a context window, and what is a token? Two words behind most AI pricing and limits: a token is a piece of a word, the window is how many fit at once.

2 min read

Explainer · Beginner

API, decoded

You will see the word on every pricing page. An API is how one program talks to another. What it means for you, when you would use one, and the price trap.

2 min read

Explainer · Beginner

Does my AI subscription pay for API use too?

Usually not. ChatGPT and Claude plans are billed separately from their APIs. The exceptions are the companies' own apps, and one setting can quietly switch Claude Code to the API.

3 min read

Explainer · Beginner

Reasoning model, decoded

What is a reasoning model? It works the problem out before answering, so you see a pause. Good for maths, planning and tricky code. Is the wait worth it?

1 min read

Explainer · Intermediate

MCP, decoded

What is MCP, and what is an MCP server? MCP is the plug standard that lets an AI assistant use a tool like your calendar. The server is the tool's end of the plug.

2 min read

Explainer · Beginner

Deepfake, decoded

What is a deepfake? A video, photo or voice faked to look like a real person. How they are made, why phone calls are the dangerous ones, and three checks.

2 min read

Explainer · Beginner

Open source, decoded

Open source means the code or model is public and you can run it yourself. What that buys you, what it costs, and why so many AI tools say it on the label.

2 min read

Explainer · Beginner

Why every post here is under 400 words

You came here to do a thing, not to scroll. Every post here is short on purpose: the answer first, one prompt to paste, nothing to wade through.

1 min read

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