Posts

Featured Post

I Built a DNS Expert Gem — Here's What It Actually Does

Image
Part of the "My AI Team" Series — Each post covers one specific Gem I use daily. See the full series overview. DNS is narrow, technical, and unforgiving. A misconfigured record can take down email delivery, break a website, or cause authentication failures that take hours to trace back to the root cause. I've been working with DNS professionally for over two decades. But I still built a DNS Expert Gem — because even experts benefit from a fast second opinion. What Is a DNS Expert Gem? It's a Gemini assistant configured specifically for DNS work. Record types, TTL strategy, zone file syntax, DNSSEC, SPF/DKIM/DMARC configuration, reverse DNS, split-horizon setups — it handles all of it at a technical level. The narrow focus is intentional. A general-purpose AI gives you general-purpose DNS answers. This Gem gives you precise, syntax-correct answers for specific DNS scenarios. Why I Built This Gem DNS mistakes have real consequences and long prop...
Post a Comment
Read more

I Built an Apple Device Expert Gem — Here's What It Actually Does

Image
Part of the "My AI Team" Series — Each post covers one specific Gem I use daily. See the full series overview. My household runs entirely on Apple. MacBooks, iPhones, iPads, Apple TV, HomePods, AirPods — the whole stack. Managing this across multiple people with different comfort levels means I field a lot of questions and troubleshoot a lot of issues. I built an Apple Device Expert Gem to handle the ones I can answer myself faster and better. What Is an Apple Device Expert Gem? It's a Gemini assistant configured as a knowledgeable Apple specialist with current knowledge of macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and the Apple ecosystem. You give it your device inventory and usage context, and it gives you answers calibrated to your actual setup rather than generic Apple support responses. Why I Built This Gem Apple's official support is good but slow. Community forums are inconsistent — useful answers buried under outdated threads. I wanted something that co...
Post a Comment
Read more

I Built a Network Engineer Gem — Here's What It Actually Does

Image
Part of the "My AI Team" Series — Each post covers one specific Gem I use daily. See the full series overview. I've spent 25 years in network infrastructure. I know this domain well. So this Gem works differently from the others I've built — I'm not using it because I lack the knowledge. I'm using it as a second opinion, a sounding board, and a way to move faster on tasks that are routine but still time-consuming. This is the Gem I trust most, because I can actually verify whether its answers are right. What Is a Network Engineer Gem? It's a Gemini assistant configured as a senior network engineer with deep knowledge of routing protocols, switching architectures, security policies, and network monitoring. You describe your environment once, and it works within that context for every question. For people without my background, it can explain network concepts clearly. For me, it works at a peer level — I can use shorthand, assume shared ...
Post a Comment
Read more

I Built a Personal Developer Gem — Here's What It Actually Does

Image
Part of the "My AI Team" Series — Each post covers one specific Gem I use daily. See the full series overview. My primary work is network infrastructure, not software development. But I write scripts regularly — automation, monitoring tools, configuration management. I'm competent in Python and shell scripting, less so in everything else. When I run into a problem outside my comfort zone, I want an answer that fits my context, not a tutorial written for a junior developer starting from zero. My Developer Gem knows that about me. What Is a Personal Developer Gem? It's a Gemini assistant configured as a senior developer who knows your stack, your skill level, and your coding style. You don't have to re-explain your environment every time. You just ask the question. For someone who codes as a secondary skill rather than a primary one, that context is the difference between a useful answer and a frustrating one. Why I Built This Gem The patt...
Post a Comment
Read more

I Built a Custom Portfolio Manager Gem — Here's What It Actually Does

Image
Part of the "My AI Team" Series — Each post covers one specific Gem I use daily. See the full series overview. I manage accounts across multiple brokerages. Keeping track of where things stand — allocation percentages, unrealized gains, rebalancing needs — requires more mental overhead than it should. I built a Portfolio Manager Gem to handle that overhead so I can focus on the actual decisions. What makes this Gem different from my Investment Advisor Gem is the integration. This one connects directly to a Google Sheets spreadsheet where I track my actual holdings. What Is a Portfolio Manager Gem? It's a Gemini assistant configured to analyze your actual portfolio data, not hypothetical scenarios. Because Gemini can connect to Google Drive, this Gem reads my portfolio spreadsheet when I ask questions — so it's working with real numbers, not examples. The Investment Advisor Gem helps me think. The Portfolio Manager Gem helps me track and act. W...
1 comment
Read more

I Built a Personal Investment Advisor Gem — Here's What It Actually Does

Image
Part of the "My AI Team" Series — Each post covers one specific Gem I use daily. See the full series overview. I follow the markets closely. I manage my own portfolio across multiple accounts and I've developed a clear set of principles over the years about when to buy, when to hold, and when to take profits. What I wanted was an AI that understood those principles and could think through market questions with me — not one that gave me generic "diversify your portfolio" advice. My Investment Advisor Gem does that. What Is a Personal Investment Advisor Gem? It's a Gemini assistant configured with your investing context — your strategy, your risk tolerance, your current holdings if you want to share them. Every question you ask is answered with that background already loaded. The result is a conversation partner that responds to how you actually invest, not how a generic financial chatbot assumes you invest. Why I Built This Gem Most...
1 comment
Read more

I Built a Personal Lawyer Gem — Here's What It Actually Does

Image
Part of the "My AI Team" Series — Each post covers one specific Gem I use daily. See the full series overview. I deal with contracts regularly — vendor agreements, software licenses, consulting arrangements, the occasional NDA. Most of the time I just want to know what I'm actually agreeing to before I sign, and whether anything looks unusual. I'm not a lawyer. But I have a Gem that reads like one. What Is a Personal Lawyer Gem? It's a Gemini assistant configured to read and explain legal documents in plain language. You give it context about your situation — your role, the types of contracts you typically deal with — and it applies that background whenever you ask a question. It doesn't give formal legal advice. But it helps you understand what a document actually says, flags clauses worth questioning, and helps you prepare better questions when the stakes are high enough to involve a real attorney. Why I Built This Gem Two situations...
1 comment
Read more