Episode 149: Hiring Claude as a $100 Virtual Assistant
Episode Description
This week, Damashe considers canceling his Claude subscription... only to immediately sign up for a more expensive plan to hire Claude as his virtual assistant. Meanwhile, Michael tackles a Stream Deck accessibility project with help from Claude Code, and the guys make potentially dangerous plans to unleash OpenClaw on their Mastodon bot. Plus: RSS reader workflows, notification rage-quitting, Bitcoin regrets, and why good help really is hard to find (whether human or AI).
Topics Discussed
AI Assistants & Claude (2:00)
- Damashe's plan to use Claude as a $100/month virtual assistant
- The $50 API credit offer (expires February 16th!)
- Why AI hasn't taken jobs... yet
- Claude Code living in the terminal
Stream Deck Accessibility Project (15:00)
- Making Stream Deck usable for blind users on Windows and Mac
- The power of profiles and context-switching
- Integration possibilities with Bunches, shortcuts, and automation
RSS Readers & Workflows (6:00)
- Net News Wire, Liray, and the eternal search for the perfect feed reader
- Why preview mode matters
- The Verge's Twitter-on-their-website approach
OpenClaw Plans (1:07:00)
- Security concerns and Leo's removal
- The bot that got itself a phone number and called its owner
- Plans to unleash it on the @TW Mastodon bot
- Building a kill switch (before the bot reads this transcript)
Good Help is Hard to Find (30:00)
- Why reliable contractors are priceless
- The 90-day test for employees who think the job is easy
- Michael's subcontractor success story
Also Discussed
- Cash App notification rage-quitting
- Uber's marketing message problem
- Bitcoin: "I would have sold it at $2,000"
- Home Assistant Yellow module installation anxiety
- Raspberry Pi 5 (16GB) for sale!
Links & Resources
- Follow the bot: @TW@technically.social (before OpenClaw takes over)
- Claude $50 credit: Redeem in settings before Feb 16th
- Harper's blog: Early Claude Code adopter mentioned on TWiT
- Net News Wire: Open source RSS reader
- PineCast referral: 50% off first 4 months (link in show notes)
Show Stats
- Total downloads: 29,312 (just 688 away from 30K!)
- Episode 148: 45 downloads
- Episode 147: 154 downloads
- Help us grow: Subscribe a friend!
Contact
- Email: feedback@technicallyworking.show
- Michael: @Payown@dragonscave.space
- Damashe: @Damashe@technically.social
- Use #TechnicallyWorking to join the conversation
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Episode 149 • Runtime: ~1:13:00
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