#148 – Cookie, Claude Bot, and the “Run It on a Pi” Rule

Show Notes

This episode covers a wide range of real-world tech experiments, AI tools, and the line between helpful automation and “maybe don’t give that full access yet.”

We start with money talk (not advice). Damashe shares that he finally opened a Fidelity account and bought his first stock, while Michael talks about using watch lists and trade notifications. They also explore how accessible investing apps are getting, including audio charts and VoiceOver support, plus where accessibility still falls short.

Claude Bot and AI with real power A big chunk of the episode focuses on Claude Bot, an open-source tool that lets you interact with an AI through messaging apps like Signal, WhatsApp, and more. The idea of giving an AI access to your computer is exciting… and a little terrifying. This leads to the show’s unofficial safety rule:

> If an AI tool can take actions on your system, run it on a Raspberry Pi or other isolated setup first.

They break down risks like prompt injection, why connecting AI to email and calendars can be dangerous, and why curiosity should always be paired with caution.

AI for everyday life: meet Cookie On the more practical side, Michael shares a cooking app called Cookie. It reads recipes out loud, lets you ask questions like “What’s the next step?” and even suggests ingredient substitutions. It was not originally built for accessibility, but turned out to be incredibly useful for blind cooks. A great example of AI being used in a focused, practical way.

Smarter notes and personal workflows Damashe talks about using AI with DevonThink to automatically organize documents, and why he’s eyeing Drafts with new automation features. The goal: speak a quick note and have it turn into structured data, lists, or tasks without manual sorting.

Social apps, open source, and platform politics There’s also discussion about:

• A new accessible Mastodon and Bluesky client
• Mastodon instances blocking apps built with AI assistance
• The tradeoffs of open platforms where each server sets its own rules

Linux curiosity returns More blind tech users are experimenting with Linux on the desktop again. The hosts are curious what’s improved, especially with screen readers, and ask listeners to share their experiences.

And yes… Todoist check-ins They wrap with progress (and setbacks) on staying consistent with task tracking.

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