Hey all-

I’m writing this from my grandmother-in-law’s kitchen in Maine after a week of serious recharging. It’s no secret that I’m a believer in the power of strategic pauses, and it’s been nice to devote some time to refilling the well. I’m going to keep it short this week so I can make my call time for our morning hike. Let’s get to it.

This Week’s Focus

It’s safe to say that I accomplished my goals of hammock naps and oysters.

Musing — See One, Do One, Teach One

Over the past year or so, my wife has been alarmed at how quickly my friends and I have transitioned from surfing and rock climbing to golfing and cycling. It’s been a rapid shift that I’m honestly still coming to terms with myself. One of the upsides is that it’s much easier to find golf courses and paved roads, and this week I’ve been able to get some swings in under the watchful eye of my new coach: my father-in-law.

While we were walking the fairway after a much-improved iron shot, he mentioned that he’s felt his technique sharpen while he’s been coaching me. Explaining the finer points of a swing has enabled him to better understand his ideas and put them into practice in his game. It reminded me of “see one, do one, teach one” — a traditional teaching method that my own dad saw constantly in his health care career. The basic idea is that a student is really able to master a technique by first seeing it demonstrated, then doing it themselves, then teaching it to someone else. It’s honestly remarkable how having to explain a concept to someone unlocks a deeper understanding and buries an idea in your brain. The same idea underpins my own approach to writing — forcing myself to explain my ideas refines my own grasp of the concepts I’m working through.

From the Library — Reverse Engineering with AI

One of my favorite newsletters right now is Artificial Ignorance from Charlie Guo. He has a ton of great insight into broader trends in AI, but he’s also mining similar ideas about how tech advances are unlocking new product capabilities and business opportunities. I really liked his latest, where he reverse engineers a Substack API using Claude, as an illustration of what’s possible.

Next week

Back to the grind. I have two things on the list:

• Client onboarding — I’m starting with a new long-term client on Monday and my core focus for the week will be getting up to speed on their problem space.
• Refining the image processing MVP — I wrapped up my initial version before the break and am getting a first round of customer feedback on Monday. I’m looking forward to continuing to chip away at the product.

Thanks for reading — I hope you have a strong finish to your Friday and a relaxing weekend!