Hello and happy Tuesday! 👋
As part of our mission to educate people like you about AI and automation, today’s issue is packed with insight.
Make a brew and let’s jump in… 🫖
🔎 Preview: In today's issue
- 🤔 Has Claude Code brokered a new chapter
- 📺 Podcast from Bangkok: James reveals all
- 🐒 AI generated book success story
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Explain Like I'm 5
A brief history of software development and why Claude Code defeated the final boss
We've talked about Claude Code before but it's worth devoting more time to because it is a genuinely seismic shift in what non-coders are able to build.
Mckay Wrigley using Claude Code with Opus.4.5 (the most advanced model)
The traditional method of software development.
Building software is a lot more than just writing code for your app.
You also need to understand servers, dependencies, deployments, frameworks, packages, GitHub repos.
The majority of this is done through the command line, an unfriendly black box with its own baffling language (Bash), lots of errors, and the potential to wipe your entire computer if you paste the wrong command in.
The command line in the terminal window
For a lot of people learning to code, this was by far the worst part.
And the problem is, you could code the most beautiful app the world has ever seen, but if you couldn't use the command line, that app would never make it beyond the boundaries of your computer.
No-code platforms stepped in.
This is where full-stack no-code tools stepped in (like Bubble). They not only abstract away the code so you can build visually, but they also handle all of the servers, deployment, versioning, and cloud storage so you never need to think about it.
They completely eliminate the need to use the command line.
They Make Building Fun Again.
However, when you build on this kind of platform, you are reliant on the platform. If it goes down, you can't build. And maybe your app goes down too. For some people (but not all), this is a concern.
Vibe coding platforms entered the fray.
Taking a different approach, vibe coding platforms, like Lovable, Bolt.new, and Replit use AI to code entire apps based on your prompts. They also handle hosting, servers, and all the rest, so again you don't have to touch the command line.
And they also let you take your code and use it elsewhere.
Vibe coding in Lovable
It's magical.
But in many ways you're still dependent on the platform. If it changes its pricing or suddenly goes down, it will affect your app. Sure, you can extract your code, but then you'll need to learn a new platform.
Enter Cursor.
Cursor bridges the gap between the "toy" feeling of web-based generators and the power of a professional development environment.
When you open Cursor, it looks like a serious coding tool because it is one. But unlike the lonely experience of the past, you aren't staring at a blinking cursor on a blank line.
The Cursor interface (note the chat with the AI on the right side)
You are in a constant dialogue.
Cursor allows you to write natural language instructions like “Build me a landing page with a dark mode toggle and a newsletter signup form” - and watch as it writes the code, creates the files, and links them together in real-time. It possesses "codebase awareness," meaning it understands every file in your project, not just the one you’re looking at.
But there was still one final boss. One barrier that even Cursor couldn't fully hide.
The Terminal: The Final Boss.
Even with Cursor writing your code, you eventually had to open that little window at the bottom of the screen. You still had to install dependencies (npm install), manage version control (git commit), and deploy your app.
For many vibe-coders, the moment the AI said, "Now just run the migration script in your terminal," was the moment the panic set in. The terminal was still the "black box."
And then came Claude Code.
Claude Code doesn't just try to help you write code; it offers to be the developer.
Claude Code is an agent that lives inside your terminal. It is the first tool that looked at that terrifying, error-prone black box and said, "I’ll drive."
Instead of memorising Bash commands or fearing you’ll accidentally delete your hard drive, you simply type:
"Hey, run the tests, and if they pass, deploy this to Vercel."
And Claude Code does it. It navigates the command line, it reads the error messages that would normally make a beginner cry, repairs its own mistakes, and executes complex workflows autonomously.
Cursor can handle the code, but Claude Code can handle everything else.
The Seismic Shift.
This is the shift we are living through.
- Cursor gave non-coders the ability to write professional software.
- Claude Code gave non-coders the ability to operate the machines that run it.
We have moved from "No-Code" (hiding the code) to "All-Code" (generating all of it). The barriers of syntax, frameworks, and command-line interfaces have effectively dissolved. We no longer need to speak the computer's language; the computer has finally learned to speak ours.
The coolest parts for me are when you connect it to other platforms, like Cloudflare or Supabase, and then just ask it to set up your database or deploy your app... it just does it without you ever needing to look at them.
Or when you want it to use a third-party service, it will just ask you for your API key and then set up all the integrations for you.
The fact it can debug issues itself is also wild. That was always a killer when I was trying to learn to code! Now I just say "this part isn't working" and it will figure out why and fix it.
The last 2 weeks have been eye opening to me. Previously building apps in the terminal or even in Cursor, I would hit situations where i couldn't debug fully or take time to get there. This time it truly feels like you can be writing business requirements and getting results.
By using the Supabase MCP (here's a thread on popular ones) I've been able to create and maintain the database in a system that's intuitive. Then deploying to Vercel has been fast and free at least for my tests.
It still feels early and need to learn a lot more and be vigilant.
For example I'm a little jittery that i might just delete my mac by accident. 🫠
Where to start?
You need a Claude subscription. Matt suggests using Visual Studio (it's free) and opening the terminal from the top menu bar. This means you can see your files and ask chat questions. Then install Claude. Here's the commands you need. Also, in our office hours and slack group we can guide you
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🎯 Editor Highlights
11 Dec (Online) - Create With Members Office Hours
13 Dec (NLD) - AI Fixathon: 24h hackathon tackling UN SDGs
15 Dec (UK) - Rev Up Your Workflow: AI Agent Hackathon with Airia at the Williams F1 racing experience centre.
📺 PODCAST in Bangkok
James joins us from Thailand following a sold-out event that showcased some incredible real-world AI applications - from automating Instagram replies for e-commerce brands to replacing 170 Google Forms with a single dashboard for medical blood tests.
What We Cover:
- Jake's Make automation: AI agent responding to Instagram comments for e-commerce brands (with full product knowledge!)
- Stuart's vacation booking platform built entirely with Claude Code + Airbnb APIs
- Natt's game-changing solution: Replacing 170 Google Forms with one Xano - Claude Code dashboard for biochemistry lab
- Opal's 10,000+ member no-code Facebook group and Thailand's thriving builder community
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Tiny AI Tip
Instead of asking an AI “what do you think?”, ask it to simulate useful voices. For example: “What would a product manager, a privacy lawyer, and a data engineer say about this feature?” You’ll get clearer, more practical angles without fake certainty. Try role prompts to gather balanced views, then summarise and act. (Andrej Karpathy)
🔊 On your radar
Keep your finger on the pulse of what we think is hot in the space right now 🔥
⭐ YouTube banned them so Starter Story moved episodes to their own site
👉 Why it matters: relying on one platform is risky. Their fix was simple: host videos yourself, use a custom player with chapters, add a login wall, and tie it into your tool stack. This isn't for everyone but was a reminder for us about not relying too heavily on a platform. You can access all our videos inside our members area now.
⭐ Screenshots beat prompts for faster landing pages + 14 more bangers
👉 Why it matters: Instead of writing long briefs, drop a screenshot into an AI builder and let it infer fonts, colours, layout and icons. Spend half your time on the hero section, then build the rest in small passes. Use references, remix sections, and fix images manually. We learn't alot from this x thread.
⭐ Huggingface got Claude to fine-tune an open LLM
👉 Why it matters: You can now fine‑tune open models using a commercial model as the “teacher,” speeding up training and needing fewer human labels. This was interesting because it showcases the strength of the latest models that can do the most complex of tasks. We're sure there's no domain specific problems that are more accessible.
⭐ Anthropic launches Interviewer: a week‑long pilot on Claude
👉 Why it matters: It’s a guided interview tool that helps collect perspectives at scale. Think smart, open‑ended questions rather than tick‑box surveys. Useful for user research, community feedback, or lightweight discovery without a big research setup. If you try it, note early reports of strict safety refusals and occasional hiccups. Supposedly the answers were more open than if a human asks them...as they felt less judged.
PS...
If you want to learn more about AI and love a deadline we've partnered with 100 School's Agent Bootcamp. All Create With members get 20% off all bootcamps.
🐒 AI in the wild
Fun, interesting, or innovative ways real people use AI in their daily lives and work.
You probably already use AI to brainstorm ideas or draft emails.
But did you know you can use AI to build a portfolio of income-generating digital products whilst your kids nap
Reddit user HeatMom has built a side business publishing eBooks on Amazon KDP, earning $800 last month with almost no ad spend.
Instead of spending months writing each book herself, she uses AI to turn topic ideas into complete eBooks with covers in minutes. Her focus shifts from writing to strategy: finding topics people actually search for.
Her system:
- Identify practical problems (meal planning, toddler activities, organisation)
- Generate the eBook content and cover with AI
- Publish on Amazon KDP and share in Facebook groups she's already part of
The result 12 eBooks live across different niches, selling in the background whilst she handles school runs, cooking, and bedtime chaos.
Why it works:
Mums buying these guides don't care who wrote them. They care whether it saves them time and stress. Presentation and usefulness beat "perfect" writing every time.
🎯 Why this matters
This isn't about replacing creativity. It's about removing the bottleneck between having an idea and getting it to market. HeatMom treats each eBook as a digital asset, stackable month after month, compounding over time.
The barrier to publishing has collapsed. The question now is whether you have ideas worth sharing.
How are you using AI in your work? Tell us
We’d love to feature you next.
💭 Final Thoughts
Don't deny it?
See you next week!
With good vibes ✨
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