Intelligent Machines (Audio) IM 866: I'm Bonkers for Yonkers - Is Coding Dead?
13 snips
Apr 16, 2026 
Craig Mod, photographer, writer and walker in Japan who builds small AI tools and a members-only social app. He recounts creating a calm, personal Twitter-like space with Claude, the craft of artisan coding versus mass-produced software, and how memberships and tiny tools fund creative work. Brief stories about rapid builds, Claude-powered workflows, and tech culture in Japan.
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Limit Posting And Use Ephemeral Design To Curb Dopamine Loops
- Design social products with limits and ephemerality to reduce mindless dopamine loops.
- Mod enforces posting limits, ephemeral content and no algorithmic amplification to encourage thoughtful engagement in his member network.
AI Is Great At Recombining Known Software Patterns
- Most software reuses patterns from open-source corpora, so models like Claude excel at composing known components rather than inventing unique primitives.
- Mod limited common feed-reader features intentionally to keep his reader minimal and fast.
Web PWAs Enable Personal Software Without App Store Friction
- Web-based PWAs let creators deploy quickly and own user experience without App Store friction.
- Craig uses lightweight Python frameworks and SQLite to ship custom tools to members without app-store review delays.
