Bernie Goldbach

Chill Work Desk

One of the problems with my current work desk is my laptop doesn’t recognise my face. And I have to share my bench seat with my cat.

Chill Work Desk

Enjoying my coworker as I enjoy sunshine

I have very polite coworker who combs through the things I’ve read and saved just before I open my computer. I appreciate the lightweight sycophancy when the AI’s routine comes up empty on a task so it politely recaps a relevant finding from a previous session.

Enjoying my coworker as I enjoy sunshine

Shopping with smart glasses

In 2023, we would go shopping with smart glasses because they often told us things we didn’t know just by reading the labels.

Shopping with smart glasses

Getting meaningful live updates from Scheduled Tasks with Claude

I am building an EducatorOS this summer, hoping to run into others doing the same. One of my core processes involves using Claude to update short courses that I run. During the summer of 2026 one of my focal points is “AI for Managers“ because that course’s framework will support EducatorOS.

Getting meaningful live updates from Scheduled Tasks with Claude

My four Playbooks

I have four analogue notebooks that I have mapped to online playbooks. My first playbook represents a place where I take notes, doodle, and set up checklists. When I have a pen in hand with this brown leather Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter playbook, I’m thinking with my hand. Occasionally, some …

My four Playbooks

Getting ahead with smart connections

After 20 years with a public profile on LinkedIn, I believe I have figured out a way to minimise noise here. In my case, it means figuring out how to make meaningful connections

Getting ahead with smart connections

Carefully using Fable 5 for the week

Anthropic is teasing me with Fable 5 but I’m only slow dancing with it. That’s because of its Burn Rate. Fable 5 relies on Adaptive Thinking and that feature is permanently turned on.

Carefully using Fable 5 for the week

Making videos programmatically

I’m reviewing AI course notes and including two ways of making videos programmatically. My favourite method uses an open-source pipeline called claude-shorts. It utilizes Claude Code to completely automate the longform-to-shortform translation without relying on an external SaaS subscription.

Making videos programmatically

First thoughts about AI Winter

I use my lens of “AI Winter” when reading vendor reports concerning the reach and capabilities of artificial intelligence. An abrupt “AI Winter” will occur by 2029, with reduced access to AI that will be driven by economic downturn and vendor failures.

First thoughts about AI Winter

Surely I could use Claude as a gardener.

It’s the Independence Day in America and I used part of the morning to cut loose years of unread emails in my Yahoo! I asked Claude to handle the job in a quick and dirty way while I did some yard work.

Surely I could use Claude as a gardener.

Developing age-friendly data literacy programmes with SOLAS

I’m at an education showcase with SOLAS, sharing how we train elderly people how to use AI on their phones. I’m running the free programme in community libraries throughout County Tipperary, Ireland. This AI just with your phone training programme leverages instructional material …

Developing age-friendly data literacy programmes with SOLAS

My blog could leak secrets

As I read the Sunday Times in my sun-split garden yesterday, the sound of a helicopter overhead took me back to room 1D377 in the Pentagon. I rode there several times by an Army helicopter.

My blog could leak secrets

Powering my Personal Context Network

I track daily activities and attempt to spotlight successes with the word #win. One of my biggest weekly wins is discovering some gem I wrote decades ago and having it resurface through Brian Petro’s Smart Connections plugin for Obsidian.

Powering my Personal Context Network

Local first then smart plugins

It’s been two years since I adjusted my laptop’s white space to a look similar to that spawned by IA Writer. More importantly, I’ve kept my focus on writing–both on my keyboard devices and on my phone.

Local first then smart plugins

Thinking clearer with visual dashboards

I am trying to visualise my work more precisely by auditing my routines several times a week. The main focal point is a colour-coded productivity doughnut

Thinking clearer with visual dashboards

Hoping Siri gets as smart as my Gemini

I’ve bought six iPhones in my life and expect to buy only four more. It looks like the next two that I buy will come with Gemini-powered Apple Intelligence–but probably only if I buy the iPhone in the States with an American address.

Hoping Siri gets as smart as my Gemini

Maxxing out and Pareto

I have slipped into Whoopmaxxing but don’t feel bad about it. That’s because I know I need to be pragmatic, not perfectionist. I try to operate with a grounded understanding of the Pareto Principle, which states that, for many outcomes, roughly 80% of the results come from 20% of the …

Maxxing out and Pareto

Affirming the need to break down complex spreadsheets

During the penultimate training session with the Ireland’s Research and Development Group, most of the 40 attendees wanted to extend their understanding of the use of AI to break down complex spreadsheets.

Affirming the need to break down complex spreadsheets

Otter in my thinking hand

I do a lot of thinking while talking to myself and I think that’s good. Today I have my Otter in my hand. I’ve been trying to tame my Otter. It behaves like a polite observer when it’s in my hand or in my shirt pocket.

Otter in my thinking hand

Leveraging my digital critic

I use several flavours of AI as my pocket crit. Today, Gemini is helping me synthesize a few important points. I’m microblogging them from my Obsidian vault so it’s easier for colleagues to join the discussion.

Leveraging my digital critic

Planning to meet like-minded at edtech2026 in Dublin.

I am headed to edtech2026 for the annual ITLA.ie conference, hoping to have a few meaningful chats with people who want to trade tips about productive workflows.

Planning to meet like-minded at edtech2026 in Dublin.

Telling stories with colourful dots

I learn from the data visualisations I get from my knowledge graph when it is depicted as colourful nodes.

Telling stories with colourful dots

Enjoying the Smart Connections dance on my phone

As a regular Obsidian user (on my phone, on my iPad Mini, and on my laptop), I enjoy the dancing screens that activate when I open Obsidian on my Samsung handset.

Enjoying the Smart Connections dance on my phone

Loving Throwbacks

Throwbacks are my meditation space.

Loving Throwbacks

During Coffee with Claude Time

I keep my laptop off at night which means when I boot up in the morning, I’m greeted by Claude wanting to share my coffee.

During Coffee with Claude Time