Hey there!

It’s erm… Been a while 😅

But I finished adding everything people asked for on Mental Math Pro!

So now I’m back to continue my beloved challenge.

And here’s startup #7: Spark AI Dating!

The problem

Now I know what you’re thinking — “there are already a ton of AI dating apps out there!”

But hear me out — they’re super trashy.

You know why? Because they’re all about instant gratification.

Now, I know this sounds great at first.

… But it gets old quickly!

Like using cheat codes in video games, you’ve taken all the challenge out.

And that’s not how our brains are wired to find fun/ satisfaction.

In dating, what really gets those dopamine juices flowing is the pursuit, the gradual build-up to success, the anticipation, etc…

And don’t get me started on what I call the “Her” movie problem!

Not only do other sites overwhelm you with too many choices, but every “companion” is communal property (that’s right… you’re sharing your sweetheart with millions of people!)

Sidenote: It was hilarious when I heard Kevin Rose say he didn’t like that 😂

The solution

Enter Spark AI Dating!

What sets us apart? A few things…

Game-like progression

We’ve designed a system that rewards effort and patience.

Unlike instant gratification apps, Spark challenges you to climb through 6 levels of interaction:

It’s an addictive journey that mirrors real life relationships.

Sidenote: In fact, I believe this could cultivate real-world social skills! Positive interactions earn points, while negative behavior makes you lose points (and can even get you blocked). So you learn how to actually talk to people 🙂

One partner

Spark gives you ONE AI companion, just one.

Our matching process…. May seem familiar:

This approach eliminates choice overload and ensures a personalized experience.

Every chat, every flirty comment, every digital wink — it’s all crafted exclusively for you.

High quality

We also offer lifelike high-quality images,clean (not trashy) design, and much more!

Conclusion

Building Spark has been the most fun I’ve had with any project (it helped that I worked with my best friend).

It was fun to take on this challenge: “can an AI dating app provide long-term fun and potential real-world benefits?”

I believe Spark achieved this.

In fact, the early user engagement has been insane! I shared it with a handful of people, and in less than 24 hours the cumulative user time exceeded 10 hours (!!!) 🤯

Listen… I’m a guy who makes money selling books and math courses, so I find the level of user engagement with Spark to be out of this world.

I can’t wait to hear your thoughts! Give it a try and let me know 🙂

Now if you’ll excuse me… It’s time to focus on AI startup #8 – coming in just two weeks!

See you then 🙂

Thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed it, test how many times you can hit 👏 in 5 seconds. It’s great cardio for your fingers AND will help other people see the story.

Join me on X for more.

Relevant Links

• “I Will Build 25 AI Startups in 50 Weeks” (what announced the challenge)
• “Bonus Startup #1: Mental Math Pro” (brief pause I had to do during the challenge)

25 AI Startups List

1. AI Document Translator: Translate documents cheaply, with superior AI quality. (post here)
2. AI Hypnosis: Experience hypnosis tailored uniquely for you. (post here)
3. AI Subreddit Finder: Find relevant subreddits instantly. Without endless browsing. (post here)
4. Fashion or Disaster: Your personal AI stylist, inspired by Cher from Clueless’ app. (post here)
5. Blog Memorizer: If Anki and blogs had a baby. (post here)
6. AI Personalized Resumes: Tailor resume to job descriptions. (post here)
7. Spark AI dating: A meaningful connection, with an always-present partner. (post here)

Hey there!

It’s been a while since my last update, where I mentioned pausing the AI challenge.

But here’s one of the (two) reasons why: Mental Math Pro.

Sidenote: Launched on Product Hunt today. Check it out 🙂

The story

About a year ago, GPT-4 was released. So I decided to see if it could help me build a production-ready site.

Spoiler alert: It did.

The project took about a month and was a lot of fun. People dug it, so I kept it alive for the (10 or so) people who used it each week.

Fast forward a year (right when I’m in the middle of my AI startup challenge), out of nowhere the site started getting 1500 visitors a month (!!)

Why? No clue. The SEO gods work in mysterious ways…

But suddenly my inbox filled with bug reports, feature requests, and probably a few marriage proposals.

So I had to hit pause on the AI challenge (sort of… more on this later) and have spent the last month working on Mental Math Pro.

The problem

I’ll skip the “mental math is awesome” spiel; the site’s homepage covers that.

Instead, say you want to learn mental math. What are your options?

• Books? They lack practice.
• Courses? They’re expensive and lack practice.
• Apps? They have the practice down! But they don’t teach well and can be expensive.

The ideal solution should teach well, provide practice, and be cheap.

Enter Mental Math Pro.

The solution

Teaches well

You’ll learn (step-by-step) the 14 strategies needed to master mental math.

Sidenote: They’re sooort of organized from “easy” to “hard,” but hey, everyone’s brain is unique.

And the best part? The first three strategies are free!

Provides practice

Each strategy comes with practice, which is key to mastering mental math (just like any skill).

For example, this YouTuber learned mental math after 35 hours of practice. So, one hour a day for a month is roughly what it takes.

But let’s be real, those super impressive people online? They’ve been at it for years. That’s why Mental Math Pro offers infinite practice. Go wild!

Cheap

Mental Math Pro costs a one-time payment of $14.99.

For the price of a fancy burger, you get endless learning and practice.

(Transparent pricing was super important to me, since many tools have sneaky hidden costs)

Conclusion

Improving the site took me a month, and I’m not even close to finished.

This doesn’t mean the AI challenge is over!!

I’m only 25% through, and trust me, I’m itching to dive back (especially with everyone buzzing about agents, RAG, Claude 3.5, etc… 🥲).

So instead of a 50-week challenge, it’ll be… a bit more than that.

But hey, I’ll keep you posted! 😊

Thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed it, test how many times you can hit 👏 in 5 seconds. It’s great cardio for your fingers AND will help other people see the story.

Join me on X for more.

Relevant Links

“I Will Build 25 AI Startups in 50 Weeks” (what announced the challenge)

25 AI Startups List

1. AI Document Translator: Translate documents cheaply, with superior AI quality. (post here)
2. AI Hypnosis: Experience hypnosis tailored uniquely for you. (post here)
3. AI Subreddit Finder: Find relevant subreddits instantly. Without endless browsing. (post here)
4. Fashion or Disaster: Your personal AI stylist, inspired by Cher from Clueless’ app. (post here)
5. Blog Memorizer: If Anki and blogs had a baby. (post here)
6. AI Personalized Resumes: Tailor resume to job descriptions. (post here)

Hey there!

It’s been 3 months (!!) since I started my “25 AI Startups in 50 Weeks Challenge.”

So it’s time for startup #6: AI Personalized Resumes.

Sidenote: Launched on Product Hunt today. Check it out 🙂

The problem

When applying for a job, many people send the same resume to every company.

This is a mistake. Every company has slightly different priorities.

Consider the role of Research Engineer. Imagine you’re applying for both OpenAI’s and DeepMind’s open position.

Although both hire for the same position, they emphasize different skills.

For example, OpenAI values engineering skills related to large-scale distributed systems, while DeepMind prioritizes experience with LLMs and Generative AI.

So to increase your chances of landing an interview, you must tailor your resume slightly for each company.

This is nothing new. Some job seekers do customize their resumes.

But it can be tedious.

On average, a job seeker applies to 27 companies before securing an interview. That’s a lot of rewriting!

The solution

Enter AI Personalized Resumes.

Just enter the job description URL and upload your resume.

And just like that! You’ll get a brand new resume tailored for the specific job.

The goal is to increase your odds of getting an interview.

This should make it much simpler 🙂

Conclusion

The idea for this startup came from DeepLearning.ai’s course “Multi AI Agent Systems with crewAI.”

Initially I wanted to learn more about AI agents, and I did! However, I didn’t use an AI agent framework for this startup.

I wanted to, but something weird kept happening. Running the same task produced inconsistent results (sometimes there were errors, and sometimes there weren’t).

The technology might be too new.

After all, if you read three different blog posts on AI agents, you’ll get three different definitions. So people are still figuring this out…

But it shows a lot of promise! And I can’t wait for it to be more reliable.

Pausing the challenge ⏸️

I have to pause the challenge for a bit.

Two of my startups started gaining traffic and paying customers asking for features. Now, I have a backlog of 12 items to work on 🥲

I’ll get back to launching the remaining 19 startups as soon as I’m done with these improvements.

See you then! 🙂

Thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed it, test how many times you can hit 👏 in 5 seconds. It’s great cardio for your fingers AND will help other people see the story.

Join me on X for more.

Relevant Links

“I Will Build 25 AI Startups in 50 Weeks” (what announced the challenge)

25 AI Startups List

1. AI Document Translator: Translate documents cheaply, with superior AI quality. (post here)
2. AI Hypnosis: Experience hypnosis tailored uniquely for you. (post here)
3. AI Subreddit Finder: Find relevant subreddits instantly. Without endless browsing. (post here)
4. Fashion or Disaster: Your personal AI stylist, inspired by Cher from Clueless’ app. (post here)
5. Blog Memorizer: If Anki and blogs had a baby. (post here)
6. AI Personalized Resumes: Tailor resume to job descriptions. (post here)
7. Spark AI Dating: A meaningful connection, with an always-present partner. (post here)

Hey there!

It’s been 2½ months since I started my “25 AI Startups in 50 Weeks Challenge.”

Startup #5 is here already (time flies): This one’s called Blog Memorizer.

Sidenote: Launched on Product Hunt today. Check it out 🙂 (Oh, and by the way, I’m experimenting with different launch days, so the next few startups will be launching on Mondays)

The problem

Ever get that feeling you forgot most of what you’ve read?

Yeah, you’re not alone.

Turns out we’re still learning the same way Socrates did (books have been around for 2,500 years, and don’t get me started on papyrus scrolls).

Research suggests we could do way better. In 1885, Hermann Ebbinghaus found we forget 50% of what we read after one hour. After 24 hours, 67% is gone, and after a month, 80% (!!)

Put another way, reading a 300-page book takes roughly 8 hours. So 6½ of those hours are wasted!

This… hurts me.

The solution

Introducing Blog Memorizer! A simple tool to help you remember long blog posts.

Just enter the URL, and Blog Memorizer will get to work…

Feature #1: Short summary

And first you’ll get a short summary of the text.

This was inspired by Barbara Oakley’s fantastic book, “A Mind for Numbers.”

She calls it “priming your mental pump.” Before reading the text, skim through it (look at the graphics, diagrams, photos, headings, summaries, etc).

“You’ll be surprised at how spending a minute or two glancing ahead before you read in depth will help you organize your thoughts. You’re creating little neural hooks to hang your thinking on, making it easier to grasp the concepts.” — Barbara Oakley

Feature #2: Flashcards

As you read, Blog Memorizer will present selectively chosen sections with three flashcards each.

As discussed in Michael Nielsen’s “Augmenting Long-term Memory”, a spaced-repetition system (such as Anki) is a powerful learning technique.

Sidenote: In fact, he used in his “Quantum country” essays. Which, along with this Show HN post, inspired Blog Memorizer.

“Anki can be used to remember almost anything. That is, Anki makes memory a choice, rather than a haphazard event, to be left to chance.” — Michael Nielsen

Now, thanks to the amazing new AI tools, we can apply these systems to everything we read.

Conclusion

I’ve wanted a tool like Blog Memorizer since reading “A Mind for Numbers” over five years ago.

So I’m happy it’s finally out there.

However, my main motivation for building it as part of the AI challenge was to learn Google Gemini 1.5 Pro’s API (its one-million-token context window is perfect for long blog posts like some on Slate Star Codex, Wait But Why, or Paul Graham’s essays).

While learning Google’s API was great, it isn’t ready for production apps yet. They can only process two API calls per minute (which I only realized a few days before launch, ha) so I had to switch back to OpenAI.

Fear not, this won’t affect your experience (both LLMs are very similar).

But I do hope Google’s API becomes production-ready soon. Imagine the possibilities with a one-million-token context window! 🤯

Speaking of exciting possibilities, it’s time for me to focus on Startup #6 (launching in two weeks!).

Ta-ta 🙂

Thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed it, test how many times you can hit 👏 in 5 seconds. It’s great cardio for your fingers AND will help other people see the story.

Join me on X for more.

Relevant Links

“I Will Build 25 AI Startups in 50 Weeks” (what announced the challenge)

25 AI Startups List

1. AI Document Translator: Translate documents cheaply, with superior AI quality. (post here)
2. AI Hypnosis: Experience hypnosis tailored uniquely for you. (post here)
3. AI Subreddit Finder: Find relevant subreddits instantly. Without endless browsing. (post here)
4. Fashion or Disaster: Your personal AI stylist, inspired by Cher from Clueless’ app. (post here)
5. Blog Memorizer: If Anki and blogs had a baby. (post here)
6. AI Personalized Resumes: Tailor resume to job descriptions. (post here)
7. Spark AI Dating: A meaningful connection, with an always-present partner. (post here)

It’s been two months since I started my “25 AI Startups in 50 Weeks Challenge.”

So it’s time to unveil startup #4: Fashion or Disaster!

Sidenote: Launching on Product Hunt in 3 days. Please check it out 🙂

The story

“Can you build Cher’s closet app from Clueless?”

Paige Harriman threw me this curveball after our podcast interview.

Sidenote: I recommend giving the episode a listen if you’re an audio person and want to know more about the AI challenge! (Spotify link, Apple podcast link)

Now, if your last Clueless viewing involved dial-up internet and a high school sweetheart (like mine did), here’s a reminder:

Basically, the app judges your outfits.

The crazy thing is, Paige’s question couldn’t have been timelier. OpenAI had just launched GPT-4 Turbo with Vision, and I was actively looking for an image analysis project.

And then there was this tweet…

So, huge thanks to Paige for the idea and her help in building it!

The product

Introducing Fashion or Disaster!

Upload a picture of your outfit and the AI will deliver its verdict: “FASHION” or “DISASTER,” along with a short (and sometimes hilariously honest) opinion.

Think of it as your own digital Miranda Priestly or Edna Mode.

It’s a fun little app 🙂 Plus, you get one free judgment when you create an account (after that, it’s $1 for 10 searches)

Conclusion

Now, I’ll admit, my personal style is more “black t-shirt and shorts” than “haute couture.”

So, I sent Fashion or Disaster to some friends who actually own clothes with buttons, and their reactions blew my mind…

Turns out, there’s a genuine opportunity here!

I looked into the “AI Stylist” niche, and found growing apps like Style DNA, Aiuta, and Stylee.

It’s a brand new space (low competition, yay!) with real demand.

Working on this project was a joy. Give it a try and share your thoughts.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I must shift focus to AI Startup #5 (launching in two weeks because who needs sleep anyway?)

Catch you later! 🙂

Thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed it, test how many times you can hit 👏 in 5 seconds. It’s great cardio for your fingers AND will help other people see the story.

Join me on X for more.

Relevant Links

“I Will Build 25 AI Startups in 50 Weeks” (what announced the challenge)

25 AI Startups List

1. AI Document Translator: Translate documents cheaply, with superior AI quality. (post here)
2. AI Hypnosis: Experience hypnosis tailored uniquely for you. (post here)
3. AI Subreddit Finder: Find relevant subreddits instantly. Without endless browsing. (post here)
4. Fashion or Disaster: Your personal AI stylist, inspired by Cher from Clueless’ app. (post here)
5. Blog Memorizer: If Anki and blogs had a baby. (post here)
6. AI Personalized Resumes: Tailor resume to job descriptions. (post here)
7. Spark AI Dating: A meaningful connection, with an always-present partner. (post here)

Edit: Someone recommended it on a YouTube video! Thanks Indish Marketer 🎉

It’s been 1½ months since I kicked off my “25 AI Startups in 50 Weeks Challenge.”

So here is startup #3! AI Subreddit Finder.

Sidenote: It’s live on Product Hunt right now. Please go check it out 🙂

The Problem

Reddit is an extraordinary site.

It boasts 2.8 million subreddits for every imaginable topic.

However, finding the right subreddit can be… Interesting.

Option #1: Reddit search

Take promoting my last startup, AI Hypnosis. You’d start by searching “hypnosis” on Reddit, right?

… But the search results aren’t great.

Option #2: Third party tools

I’ve found several subreddit finders like Gummy Search, Valohai, SubredditStats, and Anvaka’s RedSim and Related Subreddits.

Each has its strengths and weaknesses.

But the weaknesses are generally consistent:

1. You need the exact subreddit name (annoying if you’re exploring).
2. They use outdated (2018) information.
3. The interfaces aren’t super clean or simple.

The Solution

Introducing AI Subreddit Finder: Where you can find relevant subreddits, without endless browsing.

It solves all three problems.

Flexible, Intuitive Search

You can search in any way that feels natural to you.

Whether you type in a simple keyword like “volleyball” or something more descriptive like “things related to volleyball,” the system understands your intent.

Up-to-Date Database

The database leverages data from 2024 and includes every subreddit with 1,000 members or more.

That way, you can confidently reach active and significant groups.

Clean/ Simple Interface

You will get the 30 most relevant subreddits, their member counts, and relevance to your search.

Plus, you can sort by member count or relevance!

Sidenote: Heads up — the tool isn’t free (because it cost me a pretty penny to create). For ̶$̶1̶0̶̶ $9 you get 100 searches, more than enough for most. Plus, the first three searches are free!

Conclusion

Just like the previous two, this AI startup was built in under two weeks.

So I need all your feedback! Please try it and tell me how to improve it.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I must dive into AI Startup #4 (launching in two weeks).

See you then! 🙂

Thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed it, test how many times you can hit 👏 in 5 seconds. It’s great cardio for your fingers AND will help other people see the story.

Join me on X for more.

Relevant Links

“I Will Build 25 AI Startups in 50 Weeks” (what announced the challenge)

25 AI Startups List

1. AI Document Translator: Translate documents cheaply, with superior AI quality. (post here)
2. AI Hypnosis: Experience hypnosis tailored uniquely for you. (post here)
3. AI Subreddit Finder: Find relevant subreddits instantly. Without endless browsing. (post here)
4. Fashion or Disaster: Your personal AI stylist, inspired by Cher from Clueless’ app. (post here)
5. Blog Memorizer: If Anki and blogs had a baby. (post here)
6. AI Personalized Resumes: Tailor resume to job descriptions. (post here)
7. Spark AI Dating: A meaningful connection, with an always-present partner. (post here)

“Zen has been a deep influence in my life.” — Steve Jobs

I’ve always been fascinated by Steve Jobs’ early years.

Before he became a reality-bending magnate, he experimented widely: dropping acid, meditating, traveling to India, following gurus, adopting fruitarianism, and even joining a hippie commune.

Clearly, he was searching for something.

Whatever it was, he found it in Zen (evident in everything from his minimalist design to his Zen teacher officiating his wedding).

… But why Zen?

To find out, I lived in a Zen center for 4 months.

There, I meditated for two hours daily, learned from a Zen master, participated in retreats, and (since I run a book startup) read everything I could on Zen.

I went deep down the rabbit hole, and have reemerged to share what I’ve learned.

So let’s dive in 🙂

Sidenote: Interestingly, as I wrote this, I noticed another tech titan/ Zen fan… Marc Benioff’s new Twitter profile picture shows him meditating in a traditional Japanese Zendō. Cool little coincidence.

Why Zen?

Meditation’s benefits are well-known, affecting everything from attention to pain perception.

So let’s skip that part.

“More than 80% of [people I’ve interviewed] have some form of daily mindfulness or meditation practice.” — Tim Ferriss

Instead, let’s dive into what makes Zen unique.

But first, it’s important to note that Zen (like all contemplative practices), isn’t without its critiques.

However, the positives far outweigh the negatives.

Here’s a look at both sides:

The Negatives

The harmless criticism is that Zen can be confusing (especially for beginners), since it’s filled with paradoxes and ambiguity. But more on this later…

A more serious concern is its lack of emphasis on morality. Brian Daizen wrote an entire book on why this is bad, so I don’t have to.

The Positives

Zen’s strongest point is its simplicity.

After Buddhism reached Japan, much was stripped away. Gone were complex iconographies and spiritual elements of Buddhism (like karma, rebirth, chakras, etc…).

Zen zeroes in on one thing; training your mind.

Sidenote: A smaller bonus is Zen’s delightful aesthetic, especially compared to the somewhat garishness of traditional Buddhism. Zen reflects the elegant simplicity of Japanese design (few things in life are more beautiful than Japanese gardens).

The Path of Zen

Now we get to the fun stuff.

If Zen was a video game, it’d have three levels:

• Level 1: Jōriki — The power of concentration.
• Level 2: Kenshō — Experiencing your true nature.
• Level 3: Mujōdō no taigen — Perfecting your character.

Unlocking each level grants you a new “superpower.”

Level 1 — Jōriki

A favorite among ambitious people.

Jōriki boosts your concentration. It sharpens two skills:

1. Willpower: You’ll be less swayed by distractions.
2. Concentration: You’ll be able to focus more intensely.

“To accomplish any task, it is necessary to concentrate the mind totally on that one goal. […] Any person who accomplishes outstanding feats has doubtlessly developed great powers of concentration.” — Kōun Yamada

“[Steve Jobs] could easily put in ten- to sixteen-hour days, six to seven days a week. And at least once a week in the evenings he was also being supercharged and focused by a Zen master’s more metaphysical practices for building power. East fueled West and West fueled East.” — Chrisann Brennan

Level 2 — Kenshō

This is the center of the bullseye.

It’s also known as “self-transcendence,” “losing the sense of self,” or (as your buddies who did Ayahuasca in Peru like to call it) “ego death.”

… Let me explain.

When you say “self,” you’re referring to this sense that you’re a subject of your experience.

In other words, you don’t feel like you are a body, you feel like you have a body.

You know the feeling (like you’re inside your head, just behind your eyes).

But that feeling is an illusion. There is no “you.”

It’s both a physical illusion and a psychological one:

1. Physical: You change all the time. Your cells renew every seven years. So, not a single part of your body remains constant throughout your life (for more, watch this 2min video).
2. Psychological: Think of a city. Any city. Whatever you answered (e.g. Paris), notice how you didn’t choose that thought? It just appeared out of nowhere. Meditate long enough and you’ll realize all your thoughts work this way.

Sidenote: It helps to think of your mind as boiling water, and each thought bubbles up out of nowhere.

But, proving there’s no “self” isn’t the point. You need to feel it to get all the benefits.

That’s where Zen comes in.

Follow its guidelines, and you’ll experience selflessness. Zen calls this “seeing one’s true nature” (Kenshō).

Sidenote: Why lose your “self”? Because this is what every meditation tradition is trying to teach you. Learn it, and you’ll no longer be hostage to your thoughts/ suffering.

“It was as if a flashbulb had gone off in my skull, and that’s what it suddenly illuminated: no me. The idea of ‘me’ had been just that — an idea. Now it had burst like a bubble. The relief was indescribable. All the worrying, all the fretting — and all along there had been no one home.” — Henry Shukman

Level 3 — Mujōdō no taigen

The Kenshō glow fades fast.

Your worries and fears? They’ll barge back in. Yup, that pesky “self” of yours will have returned.

To really hold onto Kenshō, you need to keep practicing Zen.

“As long as the mind doesn’t act in accordance with what it has experienced in seeing into our own nature, what was seen will become mere knowledge and will fail to be integrated into our lives; it will fail to become our flesh and blood.” — Kōun Yamada

How to Practice Zen

There are two ways: (1) Zazen, and (2) Everyday Zen.

1. Zazen

Za-zen literally means “sitting Zen.”

… Essentially it’s meditation.

Choose two times a day (like 7 AM and 5:30 PM) to sit up straight on a chair or cushion for 25 minutes.

Your focus? Your breath. Count it or silently say “in” and “out” as you breathe.

Stick with it until your Zen teacher thinks you’re ready for Level 2. Where they’ll give you what’s called a Kōan.

Kōans 101
Kōans are... Sigh…

Remember when I said people complain Zen is a quagmire of paradoxes? Blame it on kōans.

At first glance, they’re little riddles that make no sense. Here, try one yourself:

“You know the sound of two hands clapping, but what is the sound of one hand?”

Don’t look for a rational answer, you won’t find it. In fact, none of the 1,700 (!!) Zen kōans make sense.

… And that’s the whole point.

Kōans aren’t about understanding concepts like “selflessness” rationally. They’re all about experiencing it.

How do you experience it? By shutting down your rational brain.

This is why kōans are nonsensical. They aim to derail your rational brain.

Stick with a kōan, and eventually, your rational brain gives up. That’s when a different part of your brain awakes and bam — you experience selflessness.

In fact, it’s said kōans are “dark to the mind, radiant to the heart.” (they’re kind of like Bob Dylan songs — inscrutable, yet your soul just “gets” them).

“[Steve Jobs] knew the equations that most people didn’t know: Things led to their opposites.” — Lisa Brennan-Jobs

2. Everyday Zen

Zen is not a religion.

Not only does it lack worship objects, but in fact it’s the complete opposite! All Kōans are about super ordinary things: dogs, bridges, mountains, etc…

That’s because Zen believes that the present moment is miraculous.

Most of us don’t live this way. Our minds wander during activities. But Zen training changes that. It teaches us to focus on the now.

Walk with purpose. Cook with focus. Eat attentively.

This approach, known as Shoshin (or beginner’s mind), makes the mundane magical.

It revived the part of me that, as a child, found joy in simple acts (like cloud-gazing).

“There are more things in heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” — William Shakespeare

Conclusion

Zen training is slow. Be patient.

Initially, it may seem uneventful. But trust me, progress is happening.

Zen advises envisioning your true nature as a large crystal ball. Currently, it’s veiled by a thick crust of dirt.

Daily practice is like rubbing away, little by little, that crust.

“Even if you don’t arrive at seeing into your own nature, your life situation will gradually improve and the problems of daily life will begin to resolve themselves. This is not theoretical; it is a fact. I’m sure [I am] not the only one to have experienced this.” — Kōun Yamada

Bonus — Books!

If you liked this post and want to explore Zen further, here are four books I recommend:

1. Zen: The Authentic Gate — Kōun Yamada

My top pick for understanding Zen, written by a respected master.

2. One Blade Of Grass: Finding The Old Road Of The Heart — Henry Shukman

My Zen teacher’s autobiography. It offers a personal glimpse into one (very eloquent) person’s Zen journey.

3. Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind: Informal Talks On Zen Meditation And Practice — Shunryu Suzuki

Truth be told, not all of it was my cup of tea. But some ideas were incredibly impactful.

4. On Having No Head: Zen And The Rediscovery Of The Obvious- Douglas Harding

Super short (it only takes 1–2 hours to read!) And yet it has the best Kenshō description I’ve seen.

Thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed it, test how many times you can hit 👏 in 5 seconds. It’s great cardio for your fingers AND will help other people see the story.

Join me on X for more.

It’s been one month since I kicked off my “25 AI Startups in 50 Weeks Challenge.”

So today is startup #2 day! And here it is: AI Hypnosis.

Sidenote: It’s live on Product Hunt right now. Please go check it out 🙂

Why Hypnosis?

I view hypnosis and meditation as two sides of the same coin. Both influence your mind, but differently:

• Meditation involves observing your mind objectively.
• Hypnosis involves steering your mind in a specific direction.

Meditation has become incredibly popular, but hypnosis hasn’t (yet).

I believe that’s about to change.

Many famous folks have used hypnosis to reach their goals (In fact, I got hooked on the idea when I learned Mike Tyson used hypnosis to become a boxing machine).

The Problem

Traditional hypnotherapists

They’ll collaborate with you, hear your issues, and tailor the hypnosis to your objectives.

That’s the upside.

The downside? Sessions range from $100 to $500 each.

Your goal might require 3–12 sessions. So, you could spend anywhere from $300 to $6,000 (!!) based on the hypnotherapist’s skill.

Hypnosis apps

To keep this specific, I’ll use Reveri as an example.

Sidenote: Yes, the hypnosis app boosted by Andrew Huberman. Talk about fate’s sense of humor 😅

Reveri asks for $25 a month. That’s less than a hypnotherapist but still, ouch.

Additionally, it doesn’t cater to specific needs. It’s generic and quite repetitive.

Sidenote: Generic isn’t always a downside. Countless hypnosis videos on YouTube rack up tons of views. But with today’s AI tools, we can do better.

The final hiccup? It demands account creation. For people shy about sharing their goals (like kicking the smoking habit), this is annoying.

The Solution

When choosing between personalized but expensive hypnotherapist vs cheap(er) but generic app, you’re stuck.

But guess what? Now you can have the best of both worlds!

Introducing (the personalized and cheap) AI Hypnosis.

Personalized

Jot down any goal you fancy and why. The app will use its hypnosis know-how to craft a script aimed at rewiring your brain.

This will help you focus on (and reach) your goal.

Cheap

Each session’s a mere $10 (one-time payment). Download the audio file and listen to your heart’s content.

Private

Skip all the account creation fuss. Plus, we never store any of your data.

Sidenote: We are not a substitute for professional hypnotherapists. If you can afford one, more power to you. Think of us more as “goal-oriented guided meditation.”

Conclusion

Like I said at the beginning, I believe hypnosis is just warming up and that one day it’ll reach the zeitgeist.

When that day arrives, AI solutions will be amazing.

But right now, they’re far from that.

But remember, I built mine in two weeks! So I need your feedback. Please try it out and tell me how to make it better for you.

If hypnosis isn’t your cup of tea, that’s ok! I’m launching startup #3 in two weeks. Hope to catch you then! 🙂

Thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed it, test how many times you can hit 👏 in 5 seconds. It’s great cardio for your fingers AND will help other people see the story.

Join me on X for more.

Relevant Links

“I Will Build 25 AI Startups in 50 Weeks” (what announced the challenge)

25 AI Startups List

1. AI Document Translator: Translate documents cheaply, with superior AI quality. (post here)
2. AI Hypnosis: Experience hypnosis tailored uniquely for you. (post here)
3. AI Subreddit Finder: Find relevant subreddits instantly. Without endless browsing. (post here)
4. Fashion or Disaster: Your personal AI stylist, inspired by Cher from Clueless’ app. (post here)
5. Blog Memorizer: If Anki and blogs had a baby. (post here)
6. AI Personalized Resumes: Tailor resume to job descriptions. (post here)
7. Spark AI Dating: A meaningful connection, with an always-present partner. (post here)

It’s been (almost) two weeks since I kicked off my “25 AI Startups in 50 Weeks Challenge.”

And here’s the first one: AI Document Translator.

Sidenote: It’s live on Product Hunt right now. Please go check it out :)

The Problem

Book Translators

For some time now, I’ve wanted to translate my mom’s wonderful autobiography.

However, professional book translators charge $0.08–0.12 per word (!!!)

This tallies up to a whopping $5,000 for my mom’s 120-page book! Not to mention the month-long (minimum) wait.

Document Translators

Seeking an alternative, I turned to document translators.

… Only to find them lacking.

Free services (i.e. Google Translate) are notoriously unreliable, with entire subreddits dedicated to their inaccuracies.

Paid services come with their own headaches: mandatory account creation, opaque pricing, limited language options, and (still!!) inflated costs.

And thus, my first AI startup was born.

The Solution

AI Document Translator gives you the highest quality for the lowest price.

Highest Quality

It will always use the best model available (currently it’s GPT-4 turbo).

How did I test it? I compared translations from five different models (GPT-4, Claude 3, DeepL, Mistral large, and Llama 2).

I sent two translations to a few multilingual friends (Spanish, Portuguese, French, Arabic, Russian, and Mandarin) and asked“which translation sounds better, Option A or Option B?”

Without a fail, GPT-4 turbo won every single time.

Sidenote: Scientific, I know. But it worked!

Lowest Price

You can’t decisively beat competitors if you aren’t at least 10x better.

This is why because they charge $0.50 per page, AI Document Translator charges $0.05 per page 🎉

Sidenote: This also protects against potential copycats. They can’t charge less without losing money. Remember, your margin is someone else’s opportunity.

Caveats

There’s just one catch: due to operational costs (ehem… Stripe and OpenAI), the minimum charge is $1 for the first 10 pages.

So for documents smaller than 10 pages, you might as well stick to ChatGPT (provided you’re on the $20/month plan).

But for larger files, AI Document Translator is your friend 🙂

Conclusion

Despite their years in the market, this document translator outperforms the rest.

But remember, I only put it together in one week. So I definitely need your input!

What other formats and features would you like to see?

Launching is the easy part. Now, it’s time to gather feedback and iterate.

(And guess what? I’m already onto AI Startup #2, launching in two weeks. Stay tuned! 🙂)

Thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed it, test how many times you can hit 👏 in 5 seconds. It’s great cardio for your fingers AND will help other people see the story.

Join me on X for more.

Relevant Links

“I Will Build 25 AI Startups in 50 Weeks” (what announced the challenge)

25 AI Startups List

1. AI Document Translator: Translate documents cheaply, with superior AI quality. (post here)
2. AI Hypnosis: Experience hypnosis tailored uniquely for you. (post here)
3. AI Subreddit Finder: Find relevant subreddits instantly. Without endless browsing. (post here)
4. Fashion or Disaster: Your personal AI stylist, inspired by Cher from Clueless’ app. (post here)
5. Blog Memorizer: If Anki and blogs had a baby. (post here)
6. AI Personalized Resumes: Tailor resume to job descriptions. (post here)
7. Spark AI Dating: A meaningful connection, with an always-present partner. (post here)

The title says it all.

This starts today (March 4th 2024) and ends 50 weeks from now (February 17th 2025).

Join me on X to follow along.

Why every 2 weeks?

I was inspired by a mix of Jennifer Dewalt, Peter Levels, and Jon Yongfook.

They’re proof that setting these (pretty arbitrary) deadlines is a powerful way to accelerate learning.

I know this firsthand. In 2016, I turned my ignorance of “adulting” (think taxes and insurance) into a finance post a week challenge. This had me devouring more books, podcasts, courses, and videos on the topic than my sanity would like to acknowledge.

This year, I’ve upped the ante: not only do I have to learn about the topic, I also have to build stuff related to it.

Hence two weeks (roughly one week learning, one week building).

“If you’re not at the leading edge of some rapidly changing field, you can get to one. For example, anyone reasonably smart can probably get to an edge of programming (e.g. building mobile apps) in a year.” — Paul Graham

Why AI?

Viewed through an economic lens:

1. Wealthier nations have happier citizens.
2. The key to more wealth is increasing productivity.
3. Thus, increasing productivity is our most important goal.

Currently, nothing increases productivity — both cognitive and physical — as much as AI.

Here are some examples:

• Big business: Klarna’s chatbot now eclipses the output of over 700 full-time agents, enhancing their profits by $40 million.

Sidenote: Cutting costs allows companies to reduce prices, making products more accessible to all — a concept Marc Andreessen outlined in his excellent post “Why AI Will Save the World.”

• Small business: My website, Most Recommended Books, quickly and cheaply translated 2,000 pages into Spanish, a task that would have previously cost us thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours.
• Individual: Priyaa Kalyanaraman, described as ‘nontechnical’, won a hackathon by developing a tool that the founder of Replit lauded as “more technically impressive than a team of engineers.”

“Before you get to general AI and the possibility of AI having agency […] There’s so much benefit that’s going to come from these technologies in the meantime.” — Jeff Bezos

To put it simply…

Why blog about it?

Firstly, writing helps me think better. Explaining a topic sharpens my understanding. And if I err, someone corrects me (this was evident during my finance series challenge).

Secondly, a year ago I amassed a 40-book “AI reading list”… Yet, I’ve only read 3½. Without accountability, one moment I’m studying, the next I’m sidetracked by errands, the next I’m at a zoo shaving a yak.

Going public with my challenge will keep me on track. Pride and fear of embarrassment are huge motivators…

Sidenote: This isn’t building in public. Danny Postma steered me away from the idea of sharing everything. Plus, I tried briefly with MRB, and it led to two very annoying copycats. To echo Biggie Smalls, “bad boys move in silence.”

Why startups?

Books and courses are (in themselves) too abstract. The real learning sticks when I build, ship, talk to users, and iterate.

“The doers are the major thinkers.” — Steve Jobs

But why call them startups? To dodge the (lazy) trap of building something too simple. Anyone can whip up a chatbot using GPT4 and call it “AI”… But that’ll offer them little learning (or worth to others).

Building a startup forces you to think hard. This way, you’ll learn what real problems can be solved with this technology.

Plus, we all have too many ideas. Testing them against reality is how we discover the good ones (which is a point I’ve seen over, and over, and over again).

“[Advice for writers] Assume that you have a million words inside you that are absolute rubbish and you need to get them out before you get to the good ones.” — Neil Gaiman

Having declared my challenge, it’s time to dive back into work!

The first startup launches in two weeks 🙂

25 AI Startups List

I’ll keep track of every launch here.

1. AI Document Translator: Translate documents cheaply, with superior AI quality. (post here)
2. AI Hypnosis: Experience hypnosis tailored uniquely for you. (post here)
3. AI Subreddit Finder: Find relevant subreddits instantly. Without endless browsing. (post here)
4. Fashion or Disaster: Your personal AI stylist, inspired by Cher from Clueless’ app. (post here)
5. Blog Memorizer: If Anki and blogs had a baby. (post here)
6. AI Personalized Resumes: Tailor resume to job descriptions. (post here)
7. Spark AI Dating: A meaningful connection, with an always-present partner. (post here)

Thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed it, test how many times you can hit 👏 in 5 seconds. It’s great cardio for your fingers AND will help other people see the story.

Join me on X for more.