The AllTools Blog
Notes on tools worth trusting.
We test AI tools, shopping assistants, and calculators the same way we hold ourselves to standard — pros and cons, no affiliate steering baked into the verdict. A handful of posts, written when there's something worth saying.
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About This Blog
Not a developer, not an engineer — just someone who got curious about what AI can actually do. Here's why this blog exists, who it's for, and exactly how AI is (and isn't) used to write it.
About This Blog
Not a developer, not an engineer — just someone who got curious about what AI can actually do. Here's why this blog exists, who it's for, and exactly how AI is (and isn't) used to write it.
AI searchSEOGEOAI Search Myths, Checked: How Do You Actually Show Up?GEO and AEO promise a secret formula for getting mentioned by ChatGPT, Gemini and Google's AI Overviews. Seven popular myths checked against what Google and others have actually said, each rated Busted or Mostly false, plus what really does work.Read post →AI literacyparentingkidsWhen Is It Appropriate for Kids to Start Using AI?There's no single right age for kids to start using AI, and most already have. A parent's guide to what the evidence says, four stages from "you use it, they watch" to "mostly on their own", and four checks for when they're ready to move up.Read post →AI literacylearningAI toolsThe 10,000 Steps Problem: What AI Does to How We LearnCars made us less fit, so we invented 10,000 steps. AI may be doing the same to thinking. Early evidence on how AI affects learning, why it helps some people and not others, and how to choose your steps on purpose.Read post →AI toolsAI literacyprompting10 Things to Think About When Writing an AI Prompt"Prompt engineering" makes a simple thing sound like a specialist skill. A prompt is just a brief. Here are ten things worth thinking about before you hit enter, each with a weak prompt, a better one, and the one idea that separates them.Read post →AI toolsAI literacyproductivityWhy Working With AI Is Like Working With KidsAI behaves a lot more like a very capable kid than a computer — it doesn't know what you haven't told it, takes you literally, and learns faster from an example than an explanation. Here's how to use that.Read post →AI toolsAI literacyopinionAI: Enemy or Friend?People keep asking what I actually think about AI. The honest answer is that "enemy or friend" is the wrong question — it's closer to electricity than to a colleague.Read post →AI toolsmaking money onlinetrust & safetyWhat These “Make Money With AI” Videos Don't Tell You — Part 2: Platform ModelsPart 1 covered the content models where the hidden problem was findability. Part 2 covers YouTube, Etsy, and app stores — a different risk: building your income on land you don't own.Read post →AI toolsmaking money onlinetrust & safetyWhat These “Make Money With AI” Videos Don't Tell You — Part 1: Content ModelsMost of what these “I made $10k with AI” videos say is technically true — that's what makes them frustrating. Part 1 covers the content-driven models: Amazon KDP, affiliate sites, and AdSense sites.Read post →AI educationAI literacyexplainerDifferent Types of AI — and What Isn't AI, and Why That Doesn't Always Matter“AI” gets used for a chatbot, a sci-fi robot, and a video game villain in the same breath. Here's what actually separates the different types of AI — including the one entry on this list that isn't AI at all.Read post →AI adoptionproductivityAI agentsThe Different Stages of AI UsageSome people don't use AI at all, some use it daily, and a few seem to bend it entirely to their will. Here's a four-stage way of seeing where you sit — and what's possible if you ever want to push further.Read post →AI toolsshoppingtrust & safetyWhat to Watch Out for in AI-Assisted Shopping ToolsAI “pick this for you” tools are everywhere now — gift finders, shopping assistants, comparison bots. Here are three patterns worth checking before you trust one with a decision.Read post →