Technically Working

#149 – Hiring Claude as a $100 Virtual Assistant

Technically Working

Show Notes

Episode 149: Hiring Claude as a $100 Virtual Assistant

Episode Description

This week, Damashe considers canceling his Claude subscription... only to immediately sign up for a more expensive plan to hire Claude as his virtual assistant. Meanwhile, Michael tackles a Stream Deck accessibility project with help from Claude Code, and the guys make potentially dangerous plans to unleash OpenClaw on their Mastodon bot. Plus: RSS reader workflows, notification rage-quitting, Bitcoin regrets, and why good help really is hard to find (whether human or AI).

Topics Discussed

AI Assistants & Claude (2:00)

Damashe's plan to use Claude as a $100/month virtual assistant

The $50 API credit offer (expires February 16th!)

Why AI hasn't taken jobs... yet

Claude Code living in the terminal

Stream Deck Accessibility Project (15:00)

Making Stream Deck usable for blind users on Windows and Mac

The power of profiles and context-switching

Integration possibilities with Bunches, shortcuts, and automation

RSS Readers & Workflows (6:00)

Net News Wire, Liray, and the eternal search for the perfect feed reader

Why preview mode matters

The Verge's Twitter-on-their-website approach

OpenClaw Plans (1:07:00)

Security concerns and Leo's removal

The bot that got itself a phone number and called its owner

Plans to unleash it on the @TW Mastodon bot

Building a kill switch (before the bot reads this transcript)

Good Help is Hard to Find (30:00)

Why reliable contractors are priceless

The 90-day test for employees who think the job is easy

Michael's subcontractor success story

Also Discussed

Cash App notification rage-quitting

Uber's marketing message problem

Bitcoin: "I would have sold it at $2,000"

Home Assistant Yellow module installation anxiety

Raspberry Pi 5 (16GB) for sale!

Links & Resources

Follow the bot: @[email protected] (before OpenClaw takes over)

Claude $50 credit: Redeem in settings before Feb 16th

Harper's blog: Early Claude Code adopter mentioned on TWiT

Net News Wire: Open source RSS reader

PineCast referral: 50% off first 4 months (link in show notes)

Show Stats

Total downloads: 29,312 (just 688 away from 30K!)

Episode 148: 45 downloads

Episode 147: 154 downloads

Help us grow: Subscribe a friend!

Contact

Email: [email protected]

Michael: @[email protected]

Damashe: @[email protected]

Use #TechnicallyWorking to join the conversation

Support the show at technicallyworking.show/tipjar

Episode 149 • Runtime: ~1:13:00

Support Technically Working by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/technically-working

Find out more at https://technically-working.pinecast.co

Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/technically-working/05cb5ac5-15af-4793-b9dc-33816faea911

Check out our podcast host, Pinecast. Start your own podcast for free with no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-431b7d for 40% off for 4 months, and support Technically Working.

More from Technically Working

Oct 20, 2026

Damashe's soloing again

Oct 11, 2026

Would you trust AI to buy an anniversary gift for your spouse? Michael did, and the results might surprise you.

Oct 6, 2026

Solo Report

Sep 27, 2026

Michael has been experimenting with Meta Muse, and what caught his attention is not just how it answers questions, but how it can actually go do things.

Sep 19, 2026

Episode Description

See all episodes →