In a world where technology is increasingly conspiring to steal our focus and attention, my goal is to teach you how to be more productive with Apple technology. I want to help you achieve what is most important to you and enjoy your life at the same time using technology instead of becoming another one of its victims. Pretty much everything I make points at that North Star. I believe in this message so much that I’ve staked my livelihood on it.
The Gen3 AI Revolution
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Hi Friend, I've been spending a lot of time with Claude 3.7 Sonnet lately, and I wanted to share some thoughts on the new "Gen3" AI models. Claude 3.7 is trained with a massive leap in computing power compared to its predecessors. What's Different About These New Models?These new AI models aren't just incrementally better; they represent a significant jump in capabilities. There are two reasons for this:
My Experience with Claude 3.7 SonnetI've been using Claude 3.7 regularly. Most folks use programming tests to baseline the AI models. I don’t. Instead, I've found it to be an exceptional thought partner. One of my favorite workflows is to give Claude something I've written and ask it to pose thoughtful questions about the content. Those questions often spark new ideas or help me identify gaps in my thinking. For those of you who work alone without colleagues to bounce ideas off of, these more capable AI models can provide surprisingly useful feedback. It's like having a smart colleague who's always available to help you think through problems. As AI becomes capable of higher-order thinking tasks, there is a lot of room for us to be creative in how we put them to work. The Human in the RoomYou still need to be the human in the room. As smart as these models are getting, you're making a mistake if you believe they're actually thinking. They remain tools — increasingly powerful tools — but tools nonetheless. Your judgment, creativity, and ethical sensibilities remain irreplaceable. The most powerful approach is using these AI partners to amplify your thinking, not replace it. If you're curious about these Gen3 models, my recommendation is simple: experiment. Ask Claude to help you brainstorm solutions to a problem you're facing. Have it review something you've written and suggest improvements. Use it as a sounding board when you're trying to think through a complex issue. You might be surprised at how helpful these conversations can be, even if you're not using the flashy coding capabilities that get most of the attention. I'm cautiously optimistic about where this is heading. These tools are becoming genuine intellectual partners that can help us think better, create more, and solve harder problems. Used wisely, they have the potential to dramatically enhance what we can accomplish. Your pal, David |
David Sparks (MacSparky)
In a world where technology is increasingly conspiring to steal our focus and attention, my goal is to teach you how to be more productive with Apple technology. I want to help you achieve what is most important to you and enjoy your life at the same time using technology instead of becoming another one of its victims. Pretty much everything I make points at that North Star. I believe in this message so much that I’ve staked my livelihood on it.
The No List App Hi Friend, This week I shipped an app. It's called The No List, and while it might seem like a simple idea, I think it addresses one of the most important productivity challenges we face today. Let me back up a bit. For years, I've been interested in the idea of building my own app. Part of it was the challenge—could someone who spends their days writing about technology actually create some? Part of it was scratching a very specific itch that no existing app seemed to...
My First Draft of this Newsleter. Hi Friends, I very much have an analog side. Sometimes I find slowing down and writing things down helps me process thoughts a little better. That doesn't mean the things I write with paper and pencil necessarily stay that way forever, but quite often, it's an excellent first draft. As an analog explorer, I've gone down the rabbit hole over the years of fancy pens, including fountain pens. But several years ago, I found an old box of pencils and decided on a...
Hi Friend, Recently, we had a family celebration. The reason is irrelevant, but the means of our celebration was our usual. We went to Disneyland. We’re fortunate to live close, and two of the four members of my immediate family work for Mickey. So, we went to “the park,” where we shared a meal at a restaurant, rode the Pirates of the Caribbean, shared a delicious cookie, and stretched our legs by walking through the park before heading home. It was delightful. While eating our meal, there...