Life with a Twist of Lemon

Dear Listener,

In this episode, we kick things off with a mystery: why did Jon unfriend Stan on Facebook? Turns out it was an inbox zero situation gone wrong, which leads us into Stan's philosophy on "lists vs buckets" - a productivity mindset shift from being a meticulous list-walker to becoming a free-flowing bucket person.

We recap our Thanksgiving experiences: deep-fried turkey vs smoked turkey, store-bought pie vs homemade rhubarb with lattice top (temped to perfection, of course), and the eternal debate over whether Cheesecake Factory cheesecake counts as a Thanksgiving dessert.

As we approach the new year, we dive deep into habits vs goals. Stan shares his habit-tracking journey from reading 15 minutes daily to his two-and-a-half year streak of morning Apple Fitness Plus workouts. Jon points out that Stan's self-discipline is "pretty rare" - though Stan insists he's not a fitness nut, just someone who doesn't want to die young.

Finally, we resurrect the wine tasting app project with help from Claude, just in time for the Wall Street Journal wine advent calendar. If you want to join us as a TestFlight user, reach out!

Thanks for listening,

Stan Lemon & Jon Kohlmeier

Dear Listener,

In this special Thanksgiving bonus episode, we tackle the most important question of the holiday season: what makes Thanksgiving truly Thanksgiving?

Stan argues that pie - not turkey - is what defines the holiday. Nobody sits down and says "yum, turkey's my favorite," but pie? That's what we're all really here for.

We debate the merits of various pies (rhubarb reigns supreme for Stan, with pumpkin as a solid backup), discuss whether chocolate pie and cheesecake pie are actually pies or cakes in disguise, and take a firm stance on lattice tops versus crumble crusts. We also settle the age-old question: are McDonald's apple pockets actually pies? (Spoiler: they're delicious, but no.)

Jon learns that Stan has a deep freezer primarily dedicated to frozen rhubarb for pie-making purposes, and we both agree that calling things by their proper names matters - even if it doesn't change how delicious they are.

Happy Thanksgiving, and may your pie be plentiful.

Thanks for listening,

Stan Lemon & Jon Kohlmeier

Dear Listener,

This week we dive deep into the AI wars with Google's new Antigravity IDE hitting the scene. Stan walks through his experience testing this VS Code-based editor with built-in agent capabilities that can actually resize browser windows, detect UI issues, and iterate on fixes autonomously.

We compare the big three AI coding assistants - ChatGPT's Codex, Claude, and Gemini Code Assist - and discuss how each is positioning itself in the developer tools space. Jon shares a cautionary tale about Codex going completely off the rails with an overly complex canonical URL solution, reminding us all that you need to be skilled enough to validate AI-generated code.

In a move that shocked his entire family (his daughter thought it was a terminal illness announcement), Stan purchased his first Windows PC in years. We talk about the nostalgia of his first coding laptop with an AMD Athlon 4 processor, and his curiosity about Windows Subsystem for Linux and modern Windows development workflows.

Plus, we kick off the episode with an emergency strap wrench situation involving a jar of filthy cherries that nearly derailed Manhattan night.

Thanks for listening and we'll talk to you soon,

Stan Lemon & Jon Kohlmeier

Dear Listener,

In this first episode back after our hiatus, we dive into software subscriptions, AI-powered tools, and the ever-quickening pace of the tech world. Stan shares his experience juggling services like Claude, ChatGPT, and Grammarly, and what it’s like trying to manage so many overlapping tools. Jon talks about his AI workflows, including how he uses them for his annual resume refresh and building a master version that ties everything together. We’re both excited about how modern platforms make it easier than ever to experiment, iterate fast, and bring creative ideas to life.

Thanks for listening and we'll talk to you soon,

Stan Lemon & Jon Kohlmeier