Welcome to My Blog

Welcome to my blog! This blog is a space where I document my professional growth, explore various side projects, delve into my diverse interests and hobbies, and share the lessons I learn along the way.

Join me as I navigate the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, artificial intelligence, search engine optimization, e-commerce, and beyond, all while striving for continuous self and professional improvement.

Is AI Turning Books Into Open Source?

Is AI Turning Books Into Open Source?

Sep 23, 2026 | Artificial Intelligence & Automation, Reflections

I’m writing this from my raised-bed garden in West Lafayette, thinking about AI, copyright, and what happens to book publishing when the cost of writing a novel approaches zero. Are AI-generated books going the way of open-source software? Will marketing matter more than authorship? And can AI actually make creative opportunities more accessible? These are the questions behind my book-writing experiments, and I’d love for you to challenge my thinking.

What The Overstory Gets Wrong About Trees (And Why I Still Love It)

What The Overstory Gets Wrong About Trees (And Why I Still Love It)

Sep 22, 2026 | Reflections

Richard Powers’ The Overstory changed how I think about trees, fungi, memory, and the stories humans project onto nature. It also irritated me enough to help inspire Hold Without Taking, my speculative novel about a forest archive that remembers without understanding.

Two Models, Three GPUs: The Model Mattered More Than the Machine

Two Models, Three GPUs: The Model Mattered More Than the Machine

Sep 17, 2026 | Local AI Benchmarks

What matters more when running AI locally: the model or the machine? I tested two 8B models across three very different GPUs, from an RTX 4070 down to an RTX 2060, and the results surprised me. Faster hardware changed how long I waited. The model itself had a much bigger effect on what came out.

BookyAI Review: I Ran 500,000 Words Through It on Three Old Computers

BookyAI Review: I Ran 500,000 Words Through It on Three Old Computers

Sep 14, 2026 | Artificial Intelligence & Automation

I put BookyAI through far more than a one-chapter demo: hundreds of thousands of generated words, multiple computers, local Ollama models, cloud APIs, and an actual published book. After all that testing, I still think it is one of the most flexible longform AI writing tools I have used, especially if you want to avoid monthly credit systems and experiment with your own models.

Can AI Write a Book?

Can AI Write a Book?

Sep 10, 2026 | Artificial Intelligence & Automation, Case Studies, Local AI Benchmarks

Can a local AI model actually write a novel—and can it do it on hardware normal people already own? I’m benchmarking AI book generation across older GPUs, measuring speed, repetition, memory use, editing burden, and the surprisingly tiny cost of generating a 90,000-word book locally.

I Accidentally Predicted My AI Novel Two Years Ago

I Accidentally Predicted My AI Novel Two Years Ago

Aug 31, 2026 | Artificial Intelligence & Automation, Reflections

In 2024, I used AI to create personalized affirmations and self-discovery books. Almost exactly two years later, I used a local LLM to generate a 126,743-word novel inspired by that same project. Here is what changed in my AI creative workflow, and what didn’t.

Can AI Write a Novel in a Day? My BookyAI Experiment with The Affirmation Glitch

Can AI Write a Novel in a Day? My BookyAI Experiment with The Affirmation Glitch

Aug 18, 2026 | Artificial Intelligence & Automation, Case Studies, Local AI Benchmarks

Can AI really generate a publishable novel in a day? I used BookyAI, a locally hosted Llama model, AutoCrit, and Amazon KDP to create and publish a 126,743-word novel with almost no human rewriting. Here is what worked, what broke, what AI invented, and what I learned about authorship along the way.

What an 87-Year-Old Genealogy Mystery Taught Me About Research, Data, and Putting Your Work Into the World

What an 87-Year-Old Genealogy Mystery Taught Me About Research, Data, and Putting Your Work Into the World

Aug 9, 2026 | Reflections, VintageReveries

Solving an 87-year-old genealogy mystery became an unexpected lesson in research, data literacy, AI-assisted analysis, collaboration, and the value of publishing imperfect work. The breakthrough did not come from one perfect source, but from generations of people preserving pieces of the puzzle.

Website Content That Converts: Tips for Small Business Owners

Website Content That Converts: Tips for Small Business Owners

Jul 31, 2026 | E-Commerce & Systems Strategy

Transform your website content with essential tips that captivate audiences and boost conversions. Discover the secrets small business owners often miss.

How to Reframe Setbacks as Opportunities for Growth

How to Reframe Setbacks as Opportunities for Growth

Jul 10, 2026 | Reflections

By shifting our perspective on setbacks, we can unlock hidden opportunities for growth that transform challenges into powerful lessons and discover how to embrace this mindset.

The Role of Community in Business Success

The Role of Community in Business Success

Jun 30, 2026 | E-Commerce & Systems Strategy

Navigating community connections can unlock unprecedented business success, but what strategies truly foster these vital relationships? Discover the secrets to sustainable growth.

Content Creation Hacks for Busy Entrepreneurs

Content Creation Hacks for Busy Entrepreneurs

Jun 13, 2026 | Marketing Guides

Discover essential content creation hacks for busy entrepreneurs that can transform your routine! Are you ready to elevate your productivity?

Genealogy as Data Analysis: What Family History Research Has Taught Me About Bad Data, AI, and Finding the Truth

Genealogy as Data Analysis: What Family History Research Has Taught Me About Bad Data, AI, and Finding the Truth

May 25, 2026 | Reflections, VintageReveries

Genealogy is more than old records and family trees. It is data analysis, source evaluation, AI-assisted consistency checking, historical research, and the careful work of separating truth from bad data.

The E-Commerce Iceberg: Why Building an Online Store Is More Than Just “Plug and Play”

The E-Commerce Iceberg: Why Building an Online Store Is More Than Just “Plug and Play”

May 15, 2026 | Case Studies, E-Commerce & Systems Strategy

A behind-the-scenes look at building a custom WooCommerce site for Hobby Discs, including product taxonomy, cart stability, hybrid fulfillment, SEO, and why e-commerce requires strategy, not just design.

Balancing Creativity and Tech: My Favorite Tools

Balancing Creativity and Tech: My Favorite Tools

Apr 4, 2026 | E-Commerce & Systems Strategy

Being a solopreneur requires a bizarre balance of raw creativity and rigid systems. If I don’t use tech to automate the tedious stuff, I have zero energy left for the creative stuff. Over the years, I’ve built a tech stack that keeps my businesses (and my brain) functioning. Here is a look at the exact tools I am currently obsessed with.

The Power of Storytelling in Marketing: Practical Tips for Small Businesses

The Power of Storytelling in Marketing: Practical Tips for Small Businesses

Mar 14, 2026 | E-Commerce & Systems Strategy

People often tell me I talk a lot. I choose to take that as a compliment because they usually follow it up with, “…but you’re always interesting.”

I remember hearing once that a good politician from the Ozarks can tell a story about using the bathroom at a sketchy gas station, and somehow make it universally relatable—whether he’s talking to a millionaire or a farmer. That right there? That is the entire secret to marketing.

The Power of Self-Calibration (And Letting Go of 32 Vintage Fur Coats)

The Power of Self-Calibration (And Letting Go of 32 Vintage Fur Coats)

Feb 28, 2026 | Reflections, VintageReveries

2025 was a year of massive, earth-shifting changes, and my body essentially demanded a pause. For me, celebration isn’t about bubble baths or forced positivity. It’s about recalibration. It’s about taking a hard look at the baggage you carry, realizing you don’t need it to survive anymore, and letting it go.

« Older Entries