# Hard Mode First

> Lessons learned from a lifetime of doing things the hard way, the first time

## Recent Posts

- [Reality: To Follow](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/reality-to-follow): How AI is bridging the gap between our "fuzzy big ideas" and the friction of the real world.
- [Just In Time Software and Flow State Building](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/just-in-time-software-and-flow-state-building): Embracing "ugly" code and agentic mini-apps to run a hyper-optimized business.
- [localhost:3000 and the Power of the Hive Mind](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/localhost3000-and-the-power-of-the-hive-mind): A gathering of 11 "internet friends" reminded me that building with AI is better when you aren't doing it alone
- [A Negroni and a Sapporo: A Tale of Two Rooms](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/a-negroni-and-a-sapporo-a-tale-of-two-rooms): The future of AI won’t be built in a single room. It’s time to start crossing the street.
- [6 Excuses to Vibe Code This Spring](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/6-excuses-to-vibe-code-this-spring): Curious about AI no-code building for yourself or your business? Come to a Build First workshop this spring!
- [Pop-Up Software for Snowstorm Support](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/pop-up-software-for-snowstorm-support): How a weekend app helped our block mobilize 20 volunteers during the blizzard
- [How I Used Claude Code to Get Advice from My Simulated Future Self](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/how-i-used-claude-code-to-get-advice-from-my-simulated-future-self): An exercise in "manifestation-maxxing" with AI on my side
- [Introducing Co-Builds by Build First](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/introducing-co-builds-by-build-first): Small-batch software, built alongside you
- [How the Sausage Gets Made](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/how-the-sausage-gets-made): What fifteen years inside corporate breakups, VC boardrooms, and crypto chaos taught me about innovation
- [To Learn AI, Skip the Tour of the Kitchen](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/to-learn-ai-skip-the-tour-of-the-kitchen): If you want to learn AI, stop comparing tools and start building something real
- [Waiting for the Ceiling to Fall In](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/waiting-for-the-ceiling-to-fall-in): What it's like to live under systems that won’t slow down
- [The Learning Commons](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/the-learning-commons): How AI is collapsing the line between teaching, learning, and building
- [What ChatGPT Got Wrong When It Saved My Life](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/what-chatgpt-got-wrong-when-it-saved-my-life): A clearer line between pattern recognition, human judgment, and the limits of machine advice
- [Opting Out of Unicorn Economics](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/opting-out-of-unicorn-economics): Why the future of building in tech isn’t venture-shaped
- [From Software User to Maker: Why AI Hackathons Work](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/from-software-user-to-maker-why-ai-hackathons-work): Everyone is a developer now...so it's time to invite your whole organization to build
- [What Copycats Know About Learning](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/what-copycats-know-about-learning): What AI, imitation, and a Saturday morning with my kids taught me about learning in public.
- [The Operating System of You](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/the-operating-system-of-you): How AI turns messy thoughts into tools, and makes us all into makers and builders
- [Who Will Fund the Next Wave of Creators?](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/who-will-fund-the-next-wave-of-creators): AI has collapsed the cost of building...but not the cost of living.
- [Building Over Breaks](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/building-over-breaks): Why the biggest AI builds and breakthroughs aren’t happening during work hours
- [Introducing Scribblins: A Creative Co-Play Experience for You & Your Kids](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/introducing-scribblins-a-creative-co-play-experience-for-you-and-your-kids): My new app, Scribblins, is now available in beta on the Apple, Google Play, and Amazon App stores

## Blog Information

- [Homepage](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/): Main blog page
- [RSS Feed](https://api.paragraph.com/blogs/rss/@bethanycrystal): Subscribe to updates
- [Twitter](https://twitter.com/bethanymarz): Follow on Twitter

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- [All Posts](https://hardmodefirst.xyz/): Complete post archive
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