Where I've Been

It’s been so long since I’ve written something on here. It’s not that I haven’t been up to interesting things.

What I’ve been up to

• Self hosted small language models on my Mac
  • These are really cool and I think their utility is so underrated
  • For anyone looking to get started, check out LMStudio
• Set up Openclaw on my home server
  • It’s really cool. The fact I can have AI interact with my machine on such a deep level is amazing. It’s allowed me to automate so many parts of my life
  • I integrated it with my car, my email, my journal, it basically runs the show now
• Started using Opencode with Claude for my full time work
  • It’s been amazing. The code quality is great, the token management is great, plan mode and build mode actually do what they say they do and I don’t have to give it permission to do every little thing
• Tried out every single AI coding model the day they’ve come out for like the past year
  • Yeah Claude is the best
• And vibe coded a shit ton of projects
• I even convinced my job to pay for my Claude subscription

Why haven’t I written about any of it

If you can’t tell, there’s a recurring theme with everything I listed. It all centers around AI. As interesting as it all is, it can be exhausting and I don’t want to spend more time thinking about it than I already have. Furthermore, the constant fearmongering about “AI is going to take over every job that involves a computer” just isn’t great to consume on a daily basis.

For anyone out there like me who’s caught up in the cycle of things, or who’s young and worried about their future and feels like they have to be on top of every new tool that comes out, let me set you at ease. Is AI changing the world? Yes. Is it harder to trust the things you see online? Yes. Are artists cooked? They’ve always been. But is it really going to take your job, is it going to make all computer work extinct, is it going to make the skills we’ve all built up completely worthless? No, and especially not overnight.

I’m speaking mainly to programmers now.

Some companies will rush to integrate AI into their workflow, that’s a given. But they’re going to run into a brick wall. Observability and accountability. When you have a non-deterministic system (which is a major differentiator between AI and a compiler) you have to be certain that what you push out is… actually going to work the way you intended it to. And for that you need someone to check it. Which means that person A) has to have a comprehensive understanding of what the problem is and what the right solution for it is, and B) has a comprehensive understanding of what the code should be to implement said solution.

Markets are slow and real change takes time. Will the role of an engineer change? Probably. But someone still needs to be around to have a deep technical and practical understanding of the problems we face.

But overall, as cool as it is to experiment with and talk to my friends about, contributing to the online hype cycle, writing an article about every little thing that comes out, and filling you guys with dread is just not that interesting. I’ve also noticed that, in general, I’m just not that proud of anything I’ve done with AI. Yeah, it feels nice to build something, but when I don’t actually put my brain into it, it just feels detached from me. It doesn’t feel like a manifestation of my ideas. It feels cool for about 5 minutes, but it doesn’t feel real. It’s not interesting.

What I’ve actually been up to

Outside of all this AI stuff I’ve actually been doing some pretty cool things that I’m genuinely proud of.

• Started teaching myself piano
  • I even made this little website to help me learn my scales
  • You can listen to my music on Spotify or Apple Music
  • Album OTW
• Started going to the gym
  • Surprisingly, I actually feel really good after I go
• Started cooking a lot more and even meal prepping
• Started taking budgeting and saving seriously
• Gone to conventions and networking events and met some incredible people in my industry
• Started school
  • Starting a Comp Sci degree in 2026? Am I cooked chat?😭😭
• Started drinking water every day
  • I have to pee so much now
• Turned 21
  • Happy Birthday to me!!!
• Gone out to clubs, raves, and music festivals
  • AND I CROWD SURFED
• Traveled
  • I LOVE NEW YORK!!!!!!!
• Gone to church almost every Sunday with my lovely girlfriend
• Actually made incredible memories and implemented good habits

And all of that feels a lot more substantial than any of the AI stuff I’ve been doing. I might make one blog post about some AI stuff that’s actually interesting, but this isn’t an AI blog, this is the Jaden Arceneaux blog. And it took me a while to remember that.

At the end of the day, chill out, it’s not that serious. And it’s okay for things to be precarious, we’re in a recession for crying out loud. No one knows what’s going to happen in the future. But if you’ve read this far, you’re intelligent enough and focused enough to figure it out. I know it. It’s going to be okay. Do what’s right, be intentional, and the rest will work out. You need to have faith.

And don’t get caught up in one thing, having a well-rounded set of skills is more valuable than you can imagine.