CoRecursive: Coding Stories

Notes: The Universal Paperclip Clicker

Feb 4, 2026
A short, candid field note about reorganizing life to keep an AI tool running nonstop. The narrator describes a 24/7 coding setup with multiple VS Code windows and agent sessions acting like perpetual interns. They wrestle with compulsive automation, the universal paperclip metaphor for endless metrics, and how to tell real value from mere motion.
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INSIGHT

Learning's Half-Life Is Shrinking

  • Adam Gordon Bell notices learning's half-life is shrinking and questions what it means to invest in learning.
  • He asks whether fast-changing expertise yields lasting skill or just spinning effort.
ANECDOTE

Many VS Code Windows, Many Agents

  • Adam describes multiple VS Code windows and agents running like an always-on intern that he constantly checks.
  • He hears agent stop hooks and juggles sessions, which feels productive but chaotic and stressful.
ANECDOTE

Reorganizing Life Around The Machine

  • Adam explains he even planned to start agents before jumping in the shower and bought a stand to run them while he ran on the treadmill.
  • He found himself reorganizing life to keep the machine spinning and felt both exhilarated and stressed.
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