Daily one-pagers about AI, leadership, technology, and being human.

johnmaconline

I'm writing to think, learn, and remember in public. I'll be here everyday.

June 9, 2026 2 minute read

Real Magic

Do you know how your phone works?
Do you know how GPS works?
Do you know how Netflix works?

Not how to make it work. Not generally speaking. Not at some basic level.

Do you know the details? The circuitry, the RF signals, the semiconductor devices, the software. The weeds. Do you know how all of these actually work?

I don’t. Not all of it. And I’ve spent a good portion of my career working on various technologies in these applications.

This stuff seems like magic. Even to professionals in the field. But it’s not.

Which brings us to AI.

Your phone, GPS, and Netflix are complex, but deterministic. There is a definitive answer to “how does this work?” If you spent enough time and had enough capacity, you could theoretically, at least, figure it all out. If you did the same thing two times in a row with identical conditions, you’d get the same output. You can predict it.

AI doesn’t do that.

AI is a mystery, even to those who build it. Sure, they understand what they built and why it acts the way it does, and how to point it in the right direction. But they can’t predict the specific outcomes.

AI is real magic.

June 8, 2026 1 minute read

Augmented Reality

Human Leadership Technology

All of reality is augmented.

Even if you’re not wearing Meta glasses. Your perspective, personal experiences, and biology augment your reality.

Others might see it similarly, but not exactly the same.

That’s good news. Your augmented reality allows you to explore. To walk down roads others might not even see. To unearth questions and answers that only your perspective can.

Once you find that road, question, or answer, you can show others who see it similarly. Seeing it similarly doesn’t mean agreement. It means they understand what you’re seeing. They see it (once you show them). They might disagree. Even vehemently.

That’s OK. That’s where productive creative tension lives. That’s where leaning into the tension can produce better.

For those that can’t or won’t see it, there is little point in continuing. Disagreement lives there also, but not productively. That tension probably can’t be resolved.

Trust your augmented reality. Find those who see it similarly. Lean into the creative tension.

June 7, 2026 1 minute read

Tokenmaxxing Versus Token Budgeting

AI Leadership Technology

Right now, the CEO’s are saying, “Do more with AI! Go faster! More agents! Use as many tokens as you can!”

The investors are on board. “How much can we get done with less people? Can we build a $1B company with 3 people? I’ll keep investing in your token costs. Max it up!”

But the CFO’s are starting to wince. “We spent $1.5M on tokens last month. You — just you — spent $37k on tokens this weekend alone. What the heck were you doing? We can’t keep this up.”

I’m now convinced that the future of knowledge worker compensation negotiation contains a token budget. I don’t know when that happens, but I’m convinced it will.

In preparation, I’m starting to think about the following:

What should we be spending tokens on?
Which model for what task?
How do we budget and limit our autonomous agents’ token spend?
When should our autonomous agents use a deterministic toolset (ie, just code) vs an LLM?
How do we track our autonomous agent token spend?

There’s a future here in how, on what, and when we spend tokens.

But for now, max it up!

June 6, 2026 1 minute read

On Your Left

AI Technology The250

“On your left!” serves as a polite warning to the walkers on a trail.

It means, “I’m going faster than you and I’m about to overtake you. Please don’t do anything rash. Just stay on your course. Please let me by. If you don’t, I’m gonna run you over.” It’s the polite version of “Get outta my way!”

Are you figuring out how to get AI working for you?

If not, you’re probably hearing a million “On your left!”’s.

Those will soon turn to “Get outta my way!”

June 5, 2026 1 minute read

Buzzword Factories

AI Human Leadership

We all know buzzwords when we hear them.

Each profession and each level has its favorite buzzwords that make you roll your eyes. Each time you hear one, you lose a little respect for the person who used it.

LLMs are buzzword factories. They spew buzzwords and build word salads like it’s their job.

So tell them to stop.

I always tell my agents the following:

“Use plain and direct words. Never use jargon or buzzwords. You can assume the audience is professional and you can and should use technical terminology when appropriate.”

If you create written or presentation material, don’t use buzzwords. If you’re using AI to help you create that material, don’t let it use buzzwords.

Friends don’t let friends build buzzword word salads.

You’re the boss. Be the boss.

June 4, 2026 1 minute read

The Definition of Good

Human Leadership The250

You want to work for a good company, right?
You want to go to a good school, right?
You want to live a good life, right?

Yes, of course.

But what does good mean?

Does good mean top of a list like Fortune 500, Glassdoor, or US News & World Report? Does good mean test scores, funding, or demographics? Does good mean beliefs, bank account, or healthspan?

We talk at each other like we all know what good means. Like, “You know it when you see it.” What we find, however, is that your good and my good may not align, and we get confused. So we seek others whose good looks like ours.

Once we all congregate around our definition of good, we can get down to the business of working, learning, and living a good life. The right way.

Funny how the right way always seems to come with a leaderboard.

June 3, 2026 1 minute read

Halfway

Human The250

Are you halfway there or halfway gone?

Both, of course.

It’s up to you how you see it.

June 2, 2026 1 minute read

10 Years

Human The250

What can you do in 10 years? What will you be like in 10 years?

10 years is:

520 weekend
1040 weekend days
30 summer months
130 summer weekends
10 vacations
11000 meals
3600 showers
80 haircuts
3 years of sleeping
3 years of working
4 years of other stuff
3652 daily blog posts

10 years is a long time. Or is it?

June 1, 2026 1 minute read

Just Do What Your Told

AI Human Leadership

AI agents excel at doing what they’re told.

It’s basically what they’re built for.

But you? Is that what you’re built for?

You can, and maybe that will provide the status or the safety that you’re looking for.

But is that how you’ll make a difference?

Let the AI agents do what they’re told. You can choose, however, to do what you’re called to. Deep down.

Nobody ever made a change in this world by just doing what they’re told.

May 31, 2026 1 minute read

Does it Need to be Captured?

AI Human The250

Do the requirements need to be captured?
Do the meeting notes need to be captured?
Does this picture of your dog cocking its head need to be captured?
Does a video of the band from 100 rows back need to be captured?

Sometimes the answer is definitely “Yes!” Information, decisions, a moment, or a memory might all be good reasons to capture.

AI can help in some instances. But AI also makes it easy to capture too much.

Don’t sacrifice presence for capture.

johnmaconline

Real Magic

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Augmented Reality

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Tokenmaxxing Versus Token Budgeting

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On Your Left

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Buzzword Factories

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The Definition of Good

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Halfway

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10 Years

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Just Do What Your Told

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Does it Need to be Captured?

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