Welcome back to Wrenches, Gadgets & Hacks! This is the sixth and final episode of Series 4, The Great Unknown. We stick with the vibe coding train, but take a quick side quest into hackathons and the early days of vibe coding before AI showed up.
This finale dives into the chaotic, creative, sleep-deprived world of hackathons and how they’ve evolved with AI-powered coding. Carl and John swap stories from past events, compare old-school maker culture with today’s AI-assisted workflows, and break down why hackathons are more inclusive than ever.
Be sure to stick around to the end, and learn about these points👇(just click the Click to Continue Reading and See Show Notes)
Welcome back to Wrenches, Gadgets & Hacks! This is the fifth episode of Series 4, The Great Unknown, and we’re still surfing the AI wave known as vibe coding. The vibes have finally evened out and now we’re looking at the reality of what vibe coding actually is.
This episode wraps up the Vibe Coding mini series by grounding everything in the spot where the hype meets the headaches. Carl and John dig into what sticks after the novelty wears off, what becomes part of a normal workflow, and what still manages to surprise them.
It is realistic, helpful, funny, and packed with the kind of practical insight that comes from actually using these tools instead of just talking about them. Whether you are tinkering with apps, wrestling with code, or trying not to vaporize your token budget, this episode will hit home.
Welcome back to Wrenches, Gadgets & Hacks! This is the fourth episode of Series 4, The Great Unknown, and we’re riding the AI wave known as vibe coding. But as this episode proves, the vibes aren’t always so rosy.
After exploring the good side of vibe coding, Carl and John dive into the messy middle, “The Bad.” This episode takes on the pitfalls that surface once the AI excitement fades and the real coding challenges begin.
They share stories from the trenches: apps stuck in loops, burned-through API credits, context limits that wipe out progress, and the harsh truth about tokens, budgets, and overly confident “helpful” code. From Gemini to Cursor, ChatGPT to Claude, the hosts break down what happens when the vibe breaks, and what you can actually learn from it.
Welcome back to Wrenches, Gadgets & Hacks! This is the third episode of Series 4, The Great Unknown, and we’re riding the AI wave known as vibe coding. In this one, it’s all good vibes and even better code.
The vibes are high as Carl and John explore the creative rush that happens when AI meets code. Building on the last episode, What is Vibe Coding?, this one dives into The Good, the excitement, tools, and wins that make vibe coding feel almost magical.
John shares his early experiments with Gemini, Cursor, and Grok, including that moment every coder knows too well: when the AI won’t stop rewriting your code in an endless loop. Carl talks about his own journey from JavaScript projects to a full vibe-coded Dynamo package, showing how quickly ideas can go from spark to something real.
The hosts compare tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and even Mistral’s Le Chat, swapping notes on which ones hit the right rhythm for learning and building. They also get into the DIY side of vibe coding, how AI lets you build custom apps for a fraction of the cost, and why sometimes “good enough” is actually perfect.
It’s a fun, honest look at the early wins and caffeine-fueled creativity of vibe coding before the reality (and the bugs) kick in.
Welcome to the second episode of Series 4 of Wrenches, Gadgets & Hacks! Yes, it’s been a minute, but we’re back with five great episodes to finish out the series, The Great Unknown, as we continue down the AI road with a focus on vibe coding.
What happens when coding meets pure creative flow? In this episode, Carl and John kick off the Vibe Coding mini-series by unpacking what it really means to “code with vibes.” From low-code nostalgia to full-blown AI coding buddies, they explore how tools like Cursor, Claude, and ChatGPT are changing the way we build fast, messy, and sometimes magical code.
They share real stories from the front lines: vibe-coding a Dynamo package, watching apps evolve live on stream, and hitting the “AI slop” wall when things look right but fail spectacularly. It’s honest, funny, and surprisingly relatable for anyone who’s ever shipped a prototype at 2 a.m. and called it “done.”
Whether you’re an AECO pro dabbling in automation or a curious coder chasing that hackathon high, this episode breaks down the hype, the hazards, and the human side of building with AI.
Be sure to stick around to the end, and learn about these points👇(just click the Click to Continue Reading and See Show Notes)
Welcome to the first episode of Series 2 of Wrenches Gadgets & Hacks! The theme of this series is “AI in the AECO and Beyond,” where we’ll explore all things AI, including General AI, Custom GPTs, Prompt Engineering, and much more.
We kick off this series with a bang as we have not one, but two great guests this episode:
Wrenches Gadgets & Hacks 