Author: cahouser
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When Your Uber Driver Asks You to Lie to the Police
After we landed and collected our bags in the Guadalajara airport, I called the Uber. As the driver loaded our bags into the car, his face tensed. Under his breath, he muttered, “Pretend we’re friends.” Before I could ask him what he meant, a cop from the Guardia Civil sidled up to the car. The Guardia Civil, a federal law enforcement agency in Mexico, is known for enforcing customs and airport rules with an authoritative presence.
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You’re Not Using AI Enough
I was 16, freshly armed with a driver’s license, and ready to explore the world beyond my neighborhood. I’d like to say my newfound freedom led to wild, Ferris Bueller-style adventures, but the reality was far less cinematic. Instead, my first big solo mission involved a financial misadventure that would stick with me for years.
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Winning an Award and the Power of Relationships
This award didn’t happen because I was great (though I promise you, I was). The real reason is Rodrigo—my rock star business partner in Guadalajara.
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Don’t Leave Money on the Table: The Secret of Free Upside
Look at the fighter jet pictured below—specifically, the cockpit. Then look a little closer. The paint job is designed to cause confusion in a dogfight. We’re seeing the bottom of the plane. But the paint job depicts a fake cockpit, making us think we’re seeing the top of the plane. Mimicking the cockpit causes momentary […]
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A Casual Approach to AI: “Speech In, Text Out” (SITO)
The biggest change to how I use AI is something I call SITO: “Speech In, Text Out.” This approach makes it easier to make requests to GPT while simultaneously increasing the quality of outputs.
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The Secret Killer of Startup Ideas: Mexico Month Part 5
A simple mental model to increase your odds of success: When you’re building a business, you need to keep two lines aligned: one line represents what the customer thinks, and the other line represents what you think. These two lines are the foundation of your company’s success.
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Notes From a Fever Dream: Mexico Month Part 4
Rodrigo was a big fan of lucha libre—Mexican wrestling—but the rest of us were first-timers. I didn’t expect much beyond a quirky cultural detour. How exciting could it possibly be? A bunch of men in tights fake-fighting in cheap masks?
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Agave and Anarchy: My Day in Tequila: Mexico Month Part 3
He shared stories about his grandfather, who trained mules to carry the hefty piñas to the distillery. “He’d spend days getting them familiar with the route,” Emil shared. I’d never heard of using mules to automate business processes before.