The AI tools we'd put on our own card.
We don't write listicles. Each issue is one curated stack — three to five AI tools we tested for a real workflow, what each one is best at, and what we'd skip. No "revolutionary." No "next-generation." Just the picks we'd put on our own card.
The stacks
Latest first- No. 01 · Creative StudioMay 28, 2026
The AI Creative Studio Stack for Solopreneurs: Images, Voice, Copy, Decks
The five AI tools we'd use to run a one-person creative studio, image generation, voice, copy, brand assets, and motion, for around $130/mo.
5 tools ~$131/mo Read → - No. 02 · Outbound EngineMay 28, 2026
The AI Outbound Engine: 5 Tools to Run Cold Outreach as a Two-Person Team
Five AI tools we'd actually use to run B2B cold outreach as a small team — personalization, enrichment, call notes, polish, sequencing. ~$186/mo.
5 tools ~$186/mo Read → - No. 03 · Video StudioMay 28, 2026
The AI Video Studio Stack: 5 Tools to Run a Solo Creator Studio Under $200/mo
Five AI tools we'd actually run to produce short-form ads, narrations, and explainer videos as a solo creator — what each one is best at, and what to skip.
5 tools ~$170/mo Read →
Field notes
All stories →- Jun 14, 2026
AI Tool Stacks: The Real Monthly Cost and Where It Leaks
AI tool stacks cost way more than advertised, often leaking thousands monthly through inefficient usage and redundant tools: here's how to fix it.
- Jun 13, 2026
Kickbacks.ai and the Trust Problem: When the Ad Metric Can't Be Verified
Kickbacks.ai pays developers for ad impressions in their AI spinner. The hard question nobody's asking during the hype: how does it know an impression was real?
- Jun 12, 2026
How AI Is Used to Research Stock Market Opportunities
A practical look at how investors use AI to research stocks: screening, document synthesis, and signal generation, plus where human judgment still decides.
- Jun 12, 2026
The SpaceX IPO and the AI Opportunity: What the Listing Actually Signals
How the SpaceX IPO connects to AI: the satellite-data, compute, and infrastructure opportunities a public space company opens up for investors and builders.
- Jun 12, 2026
Kickbacks.ai Puts Ads in Your AI Spinner: The Hype, the Product, and How to Try It
What Kickbacks.ai does, why developers are arguing about it, and a step-by-step guide to installing the VS Code extension and earning from it.
- Jun 12, 2026
Boardroom (facetheboard.ai): An AI Panel That Won't Flatter Your Startup Idea
A look at facetheboard.ai's Boardroom, a 15-minute AI panel that interrogates your startup idea and returns a scored pass or fail.