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Bethany Crystal

@bethanymarz.bsky.social
131 followers 170 following 170 posts

Building MuseKat to turn museum visits into personalized audio learning journeys for parents + kids fractionally social on twitter, warpcast, instagram

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Reposted by Bethany Crystal
Scott Heiferman @heif.com · 11/04/2025
Steve Jobs 1983 "Then an interesting thing happened. There were 20 people interested in volleyball...That’s exactly what’s going to happen as we start to tie these things [computers] together: they’re going to facilitate communication & facilitate bringing people together book.stevejobsarchive.com
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
Includes one option for an accuracy benchmark framework that @emollick.bsky.social and his team introduce in their recent study on AI Prompt Engineering
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
A few thoughts on AI’s confirmation bias trap, and how to assess the level of accuracy you actually need in a response. hardmodefirst.xyz/ai-and-the-c...
hardmodefirst.xyz
AI and the Confirmation Bias Trap: Know What You’re Asking For
How to use AI with eyes wide open—even when it’s just telling you what you want to hear
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
After last week's AI superhero moment—where it helped me get urgent medical care when I needed it most—I kept using AI to parse my diagnosis. But at a certain point, AI stops feeling like a tool for understanding reality—and starts feeling like a tool for inventing one.
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
Read today's post for my full reflection on Elon's "enforcement by micro-management" strategy in the U.S. government and some thoughts on an alternative approach. hardmodefirst.xyz/micromanagin...
hardmodefirst.xyz
Micromanaging by Tweet: Elon Musk’s Latest Power Play
Why micromanaging won’t fix the government—what real leadership could look like instead
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
Still, the optimist in me can't help but wonder... what if there were a better way? 3 things i came up with: 1. Teach everyone AI. 2. Ask people what they WANT to be working on. 3. Offer people a graceful exit.
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
Problem #1 - basically none of the "classic new CEO" tricks would work in an organization as large as the federal government Problem #2 - It's pretty clear with emails like the one Elon sent last week that he doesn't want collaboration, he wants enforcement (and that means pushing people out)
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
Last week, Elon made headlines by asking govt workers to send five bullet points of what they did that week. While stuck in bed this weekend, I found myself wondering—if I had to quickly assess the efficiency of the U.S. government, where would I even start? It's not as simple as it might seem.
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
If I’ve learned anything from Swarm over the past decade, it’s that it’s really nice to find a burrow into a cozy corner of the Internet, one that feels a lot less like a fire hose and a lot more like that neighborhood cafe down the street. IYKYK. hardmodefirst.xyz/the-lowkey-c...
hardmodefirst.xyz
The Lowkey Comfort of Long-Term Narrowcasting
Reflections on the check-in app, Swarm and the power of hyper-niche, cozy connections in a digital age
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
The Lowkey Comfort of Long-Term Narrowcasting Reflections on a decade's worth of check-ins on the old school app, Swarm, and the power of hyper-niche, cozy connections in a digital age There’s something to be said for the quiet persistence of a niche social network. Thanks for making it @dens.nyc
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
Alt title: How the current structures of our medical systems totally FAIL when bad test results get delivered over the weekend... hardmodefirst.xyz/chatgpt-save...
hardmodefirst.xyz
ChatGPT Saved My Life (No, Seriously, I’m Writing this from the ER)
How using AI as a bridge when doctors aren't available can improve patient-to-doctor communications in real time emergencies
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
So, about yesterday... ChatGPT saved my life (No, Seriously, I’m Writing this from the ER) How using AI as a bridge when doctors aren't available can improve patient-to-doctor communications in real time emergencies More on this below
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
Some thoughts on the pros and cons at moving at the speed of AI in today's blog post hardmodefirst.xyz/the-overachi...
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
Been slacking on my bluesky reshares.... but here's a fun one about a talk i gave this week on AI engineering, where I attempted to live debug my own website with no-code tools at USV (spoiler: didn't work the first try, but still fun) hardmodefirst.xyz/live-no-code...
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
But the handbook also made me wonder how different these culture handbooks will look in an AI-native era... how orgs choose human vs. AI-generated work, how they choose the right pacing, and what culture "feels" like when not all workers are humans... hardmodefirst.xyz/the-new-cult...
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
I was lucky enough to spend a few days with Duolingo’s leadership team at their Pittsburgh HQ back in 2018. One of the most emblematic moments of their "wholesome, and unhinged" culture is the way their office jammed into a conference room to speed complete the daily NYT crossword.
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
New post: The New Culture Handbook Earlier this week, Duolingo published their company handbook, which unpacks the way their organization and company culture has evolved over the years. It reminded me of the other great culture handbooks (largely from the 2010s). My fave bit:
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
Today's post is a slightly more existential than usual detour to encourage you to draw out a little bit of your own fear... and then use it to motivate you on whatever AI learning journey helps you cross the chasm. hardmodefirst.xyz/how-to-catch...
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
Feeling the AI FOMO? Feeling existential dread? Feeling like you're falling behind? Not to trigger you further but... i think it's actually totally fine (and actually kind of important?) to be a little afraid of how fast things are moving right now.
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 10/02/2025
This weekend my four-year-old reminded me of the power of this at home, so I wrote some reflections on it here: hardmodefirst.xyz/the-power-of...
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 10/02/2025
A few years ago I wrote a research report on decentralized community building, where I profiled a dozen web3 communities. A takeaway that has stuck with me is that there's immense power in starting with a so-called "incomplete build," a project designed to leave space for others to contribute. 👇
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
Full post (which includes a nearly-there moment of contingency planning gone awry just yesterday...) hardmodefirst.xyz/agile-parent...
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
We've run our family like a startup for years. Don't knock it until you've tried it. Today's post: Agile Parenting: Chaos, Contingency Plans, and Locked Doors How contingency plans can help you and your partner prepare for the unexpected...most of the time
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
This, plus some musings on how AI might impact the "public commons" effect of Internet subculture hardmodefirst.xyz/getting-up-t...
hardmodefirst.xyz
Getting Up the Guts to Type into Tiny Text Boxes on the Internet
The barrier to publishing and creating is lower than ever. Maybe the act of posting content is about more than just overcoming fear—it’s about keeping human insight alive.
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
This one's for anyone who's still afraid to push "publish" and share the stuff you've written or created on the Internet... Getting Up the Guts to Type into Tiny Text Boxes on the Internet 👇
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
Today's post: Be Like a Rat - Lessons in Leadership from NYC's Rat Czar hardmodefirst.xyz/be-like-a-ra...
hardmodefirst.xyz
Be Like a Rat: Lessons in Leadership from NYC’s Rat Czar
Leadership Lessons from the Streets: What NYC's Rat Czar Can Teach Us about Resilience and Community Leadership
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
Last night, I took a "Rat Walk" on my block with New York City’s official Rat Czar, Kathy Corradi. I absolutely *love* learning from leaders who have such unique "one of one" jobs, particularly ones in super complicated systems (in this case: NYC bureaucracy + rodent subculture)
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
Don’t touch the cat
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 04/02/2025
Some founders go viral on day one with a product launch. I went viral with a stomach bug. Excited to announce that I’m officially launching Musekat—an AI-powered learning app that helps parents & kids explore museums through interactive audio tours. hardmodefirst.xyz/going-viral-...
hardmodefirst.xyz
Going Viral on Day One
Some founders go viral on day one with a product launch. I went viral with a stomach bug. Excited to officially announce that I'm launching Musekat!
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
4 ideas to power the no-code AI build revolution: 1. Fractional, AI-Aware Architects 2. “Genius Bar" Style Real-Time Technical Triage 3. Memory-Retaining AI Agents 4. AI-Powered, Predictive Architecture Tooling More on this, and full post here: hardmodefirst.xyz/cowgirl-codi...
hardmodefirst.xyz
Cowgirl Coding: A Conversation with a No-Code AI Tool
What it's like to code without coding with a no-code AI text editor, and a few ideas for how to make it better
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
Cowgirl Coding: A Conversation with a No-Code AI Tool What it's like to code without coding with an AI text editor, and a few ideas for how to make it better
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
Read on before she revokes my blogging privileges. 👉 hardmodefirst.xyz/[guest-bot-b...
hardmodefirst.xyz
[Guest Bot Blogger] Taylor Script Breaks Down Neural Networks
Bethany’s out, so I—her ever-loyal AI—am taking over to explain how neural networks really work (with just a little more confidence than I should have). Read at your own risk.
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
[Bot Tapping In 🤖] Taylor Script here—Bethany’s off "strategically planning" (read: staring at trees), so I’m taking over to explain how neural networks actually work. Do I think? No. Do I calculate with alarming confidence? Absolutely. 👇
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
In today's post, I share more about how the additive power of AI can lead to even more productivity gains and ultimately streamline your workflows. hardmodefirst.xyz/the-laws-of-...
hardmodefirst.xyz
The Laws of Subtraction
Redefining Productivity: How the Power of Addition (via AI) Shapes Our Lives and Careers
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
4. Load: What type of bandwidth or activation energy do you need to unleash in order to accomplish this project?
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
3. Tempo: What is the speed and rhythm that other project team members get work done? Does their pace align with your own workflow, and as it relates to other projects in your portfolio?
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
2. Sequencing: How does the timing and phase of any new project layer into your existing work? Does it complement or conflict with your other project sequencing needs?
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
4 things I've learned that matter when shaping your fractional project workload: 1. Stage: What is the phase of work required for this project? Is it in startup mode where intense, creative energy is needed, or in “maintenance mode” where ongoing, routine tasks are required?
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
Confession: I never learned how to subtract. Maybe that's why I love fractional work so much, which is all about the additive power of how various projects come together and coalesce. But it takes time to learn what the most balanced portfolio of work looks like for you. 👇
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
Who's Building the New Neighborverse? Four trends I’m seeing in post-COVID community building: 1. Bespoke Coworking Spaces 2 Reimagined Bulletin Boards 3. Co-Living Communities 4. Pop-Up Cities and Neighborhood Accelerators hardmodefirst.xyz/the-new-neig...
hardmodefirst.xyz
The New Neighborverse
Rediscovering Community in a Post-COVID World: The Emergence of the Neighborverse
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 27/01/2025
More here: hardmodefirst.xyz/badges-of-ho...
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 27/01/2025
Today's post is a three act play: Act I: A re-enactment of a dramatic toddler tumble at home on Sunday afternoon Act II: Musings on the role of band-aids in kids and teens Act III: A thought experiment - Would would a band-aid brand for grown-ups look like?
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 25/01/2025
question: if you were asked to name a popular or famous piece of art, what would it be?
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
Todays' Blog Haiku: Practice Through Publishing Fingers dance on keys Thoughts flow, pixels come alive Shared truths, hearts ignite 💌💓🥰😻💌💓🥰😻💌💓🥰😻💌💓🥰😻 read the full post (+ try my haiku generator) at... hardmodefirst.xyz/practice-thr...
hardmodefirst.xyz
Practice Through Publishing
Why it's important to push publish in the formation of any new habit, whether you're looking to improve your writing or improve your AI fluency. (Plus, a fun new haiku builder for you to enjoy <3)
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
Today's blog post as a haiku: Tiny apps delight, sarcasm, joy on demand— modern mixtape lives. Read the full thing at: hardmodefirst.xyz/preview/y0kt...
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
how am i doing on my explanations here? i don't code but i don't play golf either so i'm sure this is a totally perfect analogy 🙃
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
Coding without coding using only Cursor is like what i imagine it would be to go golfing with a blindfold on while just listening to someone tell you, "Hit the ball THAT WAY!" And instead you just end up deeper and deeper into some waterlogged creeks on the edge of the green...
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
If you work at an education or workforce nonprofit in NYC and want help leveling up in AI, please consider our Q1 cohort for Decoded Futures, in partnership with Tech:NYC, which kicks off on Feb 4 and culminates on March 25 with a nonprofit showcase event. www.decodedfutures.nyc/ai-level-up-...
decodedfutures.nyc
Level Up Cohort — Decoded Futures
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
Today's blog post (in haiku form): Leaders fall short now, Grassroots whispers rise with strength, Power in the shade. Read the full post at: hardmodefirst.xyz/when-traditi...
hardmodefirst.xyz
When Traditional Leaders Fall Short, Look to the Shadows
What do you do when the leaders in your country or city or industry no longer inspire you? Do you take a step back, or do you step it up?
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Bethany Crystal @bethanymarz.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
Spotted: A time capsule from the 1990s on W 72nd St
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