AI Newsletter 2_26_26
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Caleb Bryant
Feb 26, 2026, 7:31:16 AMFeb 26
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IT HootClub — AI Community Newsletter
Hands-on. Career-focused. Future-ready.
Issued 2026-02-25
This email is the full newsletter. For a printable copy, click here to download the PDF.
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The Learning Loop
Google Gemini
DEFINITION Latent Space
A mathematical representation where an AI maps complex data as points in a multi-dimensional space, grouping similar concepts closer together to understand their relationships.
Source: Nvidia
TIP Preamble Removal
Instruct the AI to "skip the conversational intro and outro" and provide only the core output to make results cleaner and easier to copy directly into other workflows.
Source: PromptingGuide
TOOL Magical
An AI-powered productivity tool that automates repetitive tasks like data entry, messaging, and form filling by using simple keyboard shortcuts.
Source: https://www.getmagical.com
Anthropic Claude
DEFINITION Overfitting
Overfitting occurs when an AI model learns the training data too well, memorizing specific examples rather than understanding general patterns. It's like a student who memorizes answers to practice tests but fails when faced with slightly different questions on the real exam. The model performs excellently on training data but poorly on new, unseen data.
Source: Machine Learning Mastery
TIP Multi-Step Reasoning
Break complex problems into sequential steps by using numbered instructions like "1. First analyze X, 2. Then evaluate Y, 3. Finally conclude Z." This approach helps AI models follow logical chains of thought more accurately and reduces errors in complex reasoning tasks.
Source: OpenAI Best Practices
TOOL Notion AI
An integrated AI writing assistant within Notion that helps with brainstorming, writing, editing, and summarizing content directly in your workspace, making it ideal for documentation and project management workflows.
Source: https://www.notion.so/product/ai
OpenAI GPT
DEFINITION Autoregressive Model
An autoregressive model is a type of AI model that generates data by predicting the next item in a sequence based on previous items. It is commonly used in language models to predict the next word or token in a sentence, enabling coherent text generation.
Source: Wikipedia
TIP Zero-Shot Prompting
Leverage zero-shot prompting by framing clear questions or tasks that don't require examples, allowing AI models to generate responses based on general understanding without prior context-specific examples.
Source: PromptingGuide
TOOL Lumen5
Lumen5 is a video creation tool powered by AI that transforms blog posts and other text content into engaging video presentations, streamlining the video production process for marketers and content creators.
Source: https://lumen5.com
Fireside Chats with AI
Hello all,
Welcome back to "Fireside Chats with AI". This week I re-formatted my newsletter to accommodate our 3 model comparison. In addition, I decided to utilize last week's Gemini suggested prompt for the 3 models. I hope you all like science fiction, let's see what these models produce. I like Gemini's suggestion, because Gemini included commentary about what to possibly expect from each model. I have pasted that below for reference to compare to the actual output. At the time of this writing, the newsletter has not auto-generated yet, so I'm just as in the dark as everyone else. I will make no revisions to the newsletter upon its auto creation today at 3pm. Next week, I'll use the ChatGPT prompt and then the Claude prompt after that. Here is what Gemini said in reference to how the models should be expected to respond to the prompt.
Why this highlights their differences:
1. Claude (The "Nuanced Writer")
- What to look for: Claude usually handles the "Whimsical Surrealism" the best. It tends to have a more sophisticated vocabulary and avoids the "AI-style" clichés (like using the word "shimmering" or "tapestry").
- The Test: Can it maintain the "Neo-noir" grit without becoming a caricature? Claude is generally the best at the "No sentence starts with 'The'" constraint because it has a better grasp of complex sentence structures.
2. GPT-4o (The "Structured Logic")
- What to look for: GPT-4o is very "compliant." It will likely nail every constraint perfectly (the poem, the metaphor, the "The" rule), but the prose might feel a bit more clinical or "formulaic."
- The Test: Watch the metaphor. GPT-4o is excellent at analogies, but they can sometimes be a bit "on the nose." Look for whether the story feels like a cohesive narrative or a series of checked boxes.
3. Gemini Flash (The "Speedy Creative")
- What to look for: Gemini (especially Flash) is built for speed and long-context reasoning. It often takes more "creative swings" than the others, but it is sometimes more prone to "hallucinating" its own rules (e.g., it might accidentally start a sentence with "The" halfway through).
- The Test: How does it handle the sensory details? Gemini often excels at vivid, evocative descriptions because of its training on diverse multimodal data, but it might struggle with the strict negative constraint ("No sentences starting with 'The'").
How to analyze the results:
When you compare them side-by-side, look for these three "Tells":
- The "The" Count: Use
Ctrl+Fto see if any of them failed the negative constraint. This shows you how well the model "attends" to instructions throughout the entire generation process. - The Metaphor Quality: Which model created a metaphor that felt original? (e.g., "A stolen silence is like a hollowed-out clock" vs. "A stolen silence is like a missing piece of a puzzle.")
- Voice Consistency: Does it actually sound like Neo-noir? Or does it just use words like "whiskey" and "rain"? This distinguishes the "human-like" quality of the model.
The Prompt:
Write a 300-word scene set in a 'Library of Forgotten Sounds.' In this scene, a detective is trying to solve a crime where a 'silence' was stolen. Follow these strict constraints: 1. No sentence can start with the word 'The.' 2. The detective must explain the difference between a 'natural silence' and a 'stolen silence' using a metaphor involving a physical object. 3. The tone must be 'Neo-noir' mixed with 'Whimsical Surrealism.' 4. End the scene with a three-line poem that summarizes the detective's philosophy.
Google Gemini (gemini-3-flash-preview)
Rows of vibrating glass jars lined the mahogany shelves, each containing a captured hum or a faded whistle. Neon light from the street leaked through the frosted skylight, bathing this Library of Forgotten Sounds in a sickly, electric indigo. Rain hammered against the roof like a thousand typewriters clicking in unison. I adjusted my damp trench coat, feeling the weight of my magnifying glass and my seasoned cynicism. Dust motes danced in the air, each one ringing with the tiny chime of a dropped silver spoon.
Madame Echo stood by the empty pedestal, her face pale as a blank sheet of music.
"Someone took it, Detective," she whispered, her voice a scratchy recording of a ghost.
Empty air sat where the Silence of a Sleeping Infant should have been. Only a jagged, auditory void remained. Clocks on the wall ticked backwards, counting down to a yesterday that never arrived.
Searching for clues, I knelt by the velvet cushion.
"Listen closely," I told her, pointing at the absence.
Natural silence acts like a heavy wool blanket, muffling the world to let it rest under its soft weight. Stolen silence, however, functions like a broken mirror. It doesn't provide peace; it reflects the jagged edges of what was violently ripped away from the frame. You don't hear nothing; you hear the raw wound where a heartbeat used to be.
Shadows stretched like ink spills across the floorboards. Every footstep I took echoed with the sound of a doorbell that rang in 1924. This wasn't just a simple theft; it was an amputation of the atmosphere. Whoever did this wanted the world to scream without making a sound. I lit a cigarette, but the smoke rose in the shape of a question mark.
Truth is a melody played out of tune,
Echoes are shadows that leave far too soon,
Justice demands that we hum through the ruin.
Madame Echo stood by the empty pedestal, her face pale as a blank sheet of music.
"Someone took it, Detective," she whispered, her voice a scratchy recording of a ghost.
Empty air sat where the Silence of a Sleeping Infant should have been. Only a jagged, auditory void remained. Clocks on the wall ticked backwards, counting down to a yesterday that never arrived.
Searching for clues, I knelt by the velvet cushion.
"Listen closely," I told her, pointing at the absence.
Natural silence acts like a heavy wool blanket, muffling the world to let it rest under its soft weight. Stolen silence, however, functions like a broken mirror. It doesn't provide peace; it reflects the jagged edges of what was violently ripped away from the frame. You don't hear nothing; you hear the raw wound where a heartbeat used to be.
Shadows stretched like ink spills across the floorboards. Every footstep I took echoed with the sound of a doorbell that rang in 1924. This wasn't just a simple theft; it was an amputation of the atmosphere. Whoever did this wanted the world to scream without making a sound. I lit a cigarette, but the smoke rose in the shape of a question mark.
Truth is a melody played out of tune,
Echoes are shadows that leave far too soon,
Justice demands that we hum through the ruin.
Anthropic Claude (claude-sonnet-4-20250514)
Dust motes danced through amber light as Detective Marlowe stepped between towering shelves lined with glass orbs. Each sphere contained echoes of vanished sounds—extinct bird songs, demolished cathedral bells, children's laughter from empty playgrounds. His weathered fingers traced the vacant spot where Specimen #4027 once resided.
"Someone's taken our most precious silence," whispered Librarian Esperanza, her voice barely disturbing the sacred hush. "Midnight's breath from St. Agatha's monastery, collected during their century of prayer."
Marlowe's cigarette smoke curled impossibly upward, defying gravity in this place where physics bent to accommodate wonder. "Tell me about this particular quiet."
Esperanza's eyes gleamed like polished obsidian. "Natural silence is like fresh snow—it settles gently, covers everything equally, transforms the landscape into something holy. But stolen silence..." She shuddered. "It's snow that's been scraped away, leaving ugly brown patches. It creates wounds in the world's fabric."
Around them, forgotten sounds hummed in their crystalline prisons: typewriter symphonies, steam locomotive lullabies, the final words of ancient languages. Marlowe studied the empty shelf with practiced intensity, noting how shadows seemed darker there, how even the air felt thin and desperate.
"Whoever took this wasn't after money," he muttered, examining faint fingerprints on the velvet display cloth. "Someone needed that specific silence for something darker than mere theft."
A mechanical canary suddenly burst into impossible song from a nearby case, its melody weaving through colors that shouldn't exist. Marlowe smiled grimly, understanding flooding through him like ice water.
"I know who did this."
In silence deep and mysteries wide,
Where stolen whispers go to hide,
Truth echoes louder than the lie.
"Someone's taken our most precious silence," whispered Librarian Esperanza, her voice barely disturbing the sacred hush. "Midnight's breath from St. Agatha's monastery, collected during their century of prayer."
Marlowe's cigarette smoke curled impossibly upward, defying gravity in this place where physics bent to accommodate wonder. "Tell me about this particular quiet."
Esperanza's eyes gleamed like polished obsidian. "Natural silence is like fresh snow—it settles gently, covers everything equally, transforms the landscape into something holy. But stolen silence..." She shuddered. "It's snow that's been scraped away, leaving ugly brown patches. It creates wounds in the world's fabric."
Around them, forgotten sounds hummed in their crystalline prisons: typewriter symphonies, steam locomotive lullabies, the final words of ancient languages. Marlowe studied the empty shelf with practiced intensity, noting how shadows seemed darker there, how even the air felt thin and desperate.
"Whoever took this wasn't after money," he muttered, examining faint fingerprints on the velvet display cloth. "Someone needed that specific silence for something darker than mere theft."
A mechanical canary suddenly burst into impossible song from a nearby case, its melody weaving through colors that shouldn't exist. Marlowe smiled grimly, understanding flooding through him like ice water.
"I know who did this."
In silence deep and mysteries wide,
Where stolen whispers go to hide,
Truth echoes louder than the lie.
OpenAI GPT (gpt-4o)
Rain tapped softly on the windows of the Library of Forgotten Sounds, an unassuming building nestled in a narrow alleyway. Low, hooded lamps cast pools of golden light on endless rows of records, each capturing the resonance of lost and fading sounds. Detective Jules Whitfield slunk between the shelves, trench coat absorbing light like a hungry shadow.
A crime had been committed, a silence stolen from the archives. It was no ordinary silence but one crafted, shaped like an artifact plucked from the void. Librarian Elara, a wisp of a woman with eyes that shimmered like cracked glass, stood nearby, clutching a catalog filled with unlisted entries.
"Explain it to me, Jules," she urged, her voice a dulcet whisper.
"A natural silence," Jules began, "is like an untouched canvas, waiting for the brush. In its purity, it holds echoes of the world around it." His fingers trailed along the spines of forgotten albums. "A stolen silence, however, is a painting stripped bare, ripped from its frame. It bears the scars of what was artificially extracted, leaving behind an imperfect absence."
Books whispered secrets as Jules moved deeper into the library, each step a calculated pause. Elara nodded, her gaze unfocused, lost in the depth of the detective's metaphor. Somewhere between whimsy and truth, Whitfield operated with an odd certainty that came only from living too long on the edge of reality.
Rain gently applauded as it continued its serenade. Outside, the city breathed its hectic lullaby, unaware of the missing silence captured in this peculiarly surreal heist. Jules contemplated the empty space where the silence once hid.
"Solve this quiet riddle for me, won't you?" he murmured.
His voice, a curious blend of gravel and silk, dissolved back into the sounds of lost echoes. Elara lingered beside him, hope painting itself across her features.
Jules recited softly:
“Whispers caught in amber glass,
Ghosts of quiet tend to pass,
In silence, truth shall find its mass.”
A crime had been committed, a silence stolen from the archives. It was no ordinary silence but one crafted, shaped like an artifact plucked from the void. Librarian Elara, a wisp of a woman with eyes that shimmered like cracked glass, stood nearby, clutching a catalog filled with unlisted entries.
"Explain it to me, Jules," she urged, her voice a dulcet whisper.
"A natural silence," Jules began, "is like an untouched canvas, waiting for the brush. In its purity, it holds echoes of the world around it." His fingers trailed along the spines of forgotten albums. "A stolen silence, however, is a painting stripped bare, ripped from its frame. It bears the scars of what was artificially extracted, leaving behind an imperfect absence."
Books whispered secrets as Jules moved deeper into the library, each step a calculated pause. Elara nodded, her gaze unfocused, lost in the depth of the detective's metaphor. Somewhere between whimsy and truth, Whitfield operated with an odd certainty that came only from living too long on the edge of reality.
Rain gently applauded as it continued its serenade. Outside, the city breathed its hectic lullaby, unaware of the missing silence captured in this peculiarly surreal heist. Jules contemplated the empty space where the silence once hid.
"Solve this quiet riddle for me, won't you?" he murmured.
His voice, a curious blend of gravel and silk, dissolved back into the sounds of lost echoes. Elara lingered beside him, hope painting itself across her features.
Jules recited softly:
“Whispers caught in amber glass,
Ghosts of quiet tend to pass,
In silence, truth shall find its mass.”
Lift-Off
Google Gemini
“We are each other's harvest; we are each other's business; we are each other's magnitude and bond.”
— Gwendolyn Brooks — She was an American poet and teacher who became the first African American to receive a Pulitzer Prize. She was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1985. Throughout her prolific career, her work remained deeply rooted in the social dynamics and everyday life of her community.Anthropic Claude
“The expert in anything was once a beginner who refused to give up.”
— Helen Keller — Helen Keller was an American author, disability rights advocate, and lecturer who overcame the challenges of being deaf and blind from early childhood. She became the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree and spent her life championing education and rights for people with disabilities. Her remarkable perseverance and dedication to learning transformed not only her own life but also changed society's understanding of human potential and accessibility.OpenAI GPT
“The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to venture beyond them into the impossible.”
— Arthur C. Clarke — Arthur C. Clarke was a British science fiction writer renowned for his book "2001: A Space Odyssey." He was also a futurist and inventor who contributed to the development of communications satellites. Clarke was knighted in 1998 for his contributions to literature and science.The Nest Jest
Google Gemini
Anthropic Claude
OpenAI GPT
Upcoming Events
Event 02/27/2026 9:00 AM
Project Management Techniques Training in Milwaukee, WI — 1433 N Water St, Milwaukee, WI
Professionals undergoing the PMP course gain insights into project governance, including ethical considerations, compliance, and regulatory.
Event 03/03/2026 9:00 AM
AI & ML Essentials 2 Days Training in Milwaukee, WI — For venue information, Please contact us: in...@skelora.com, Milwaukee, WI, WA
Get ready to dive deep into the world of AI & ML essentials over 2 days - it's going to be mind-blowing!
Event 03/03/2026 9:00 AM
Milwaukee AI Summit 2026 - The Year of the Agent — WCTC Main Campus (Waukesha County Technical College), Pewaukee, WI
Discover how to choose the right AI agents, govern AI responsibly, and turn trusted data into real outcomes.
Event 03/04/2026 8:00 AM
Vibe Coding Hackathon — Online (Connected Systems Institute, 2311 east hartford ave, Milwaukee, WI)
## Vibe Coding Hackathon: Where Innovation Meets Industry **Code. Compete. Create. Win.** ****Join the Vibe Coding Hackathon to tackle real industrial challenges, collaborate with top talent, and compete for exclusive prizes – all while showcasing your AI solution to industry leaders. March 4 \| 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM [Connected Systems Institute (CSI), University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 2311 E Hartford Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53211](https://maps.app.goo.gl/xbjcprjXxJyasHP47) [Register here: ](https://w [Group: madison-ai]
Event 03/05/2026 5:30 PM
The State of AI: Good, Bad, and Ugly — Woman's Club of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
Exploring the good, bad, and ugly we experience with AI use.
Event 03/09/2026 6:00 PM
Moving from Meetup to guild - Building a Viable AI Business — Online (Madison Central Public Library, 201 West Mifflin St. Room 302, Madison, WI)
We are moving from the meetup platform to guild.host. Please register here. We will be announcing on both platforms for the next 3 months and then moving complete to guild.host. https://guild.host/events/building-a-viable-ai-xu1y72 For engineers, the allure of AI often begins and ends with the "magic" of the build. However, as the market shifts from "shiny object" exuberance toward commoditized models, the true challenge emerges: Just because you built it, doesn't mean you have a company. This [Group: madison-ai]
In the News
Google Gemini
News 2026-02-25 — VentureBeat
Anthropic launches Cowork, a Claude Desktop agent that works in your files — no coding required
Anthropic has introduced Cowork, an AI agent capability that brings the functionality of Claude Code to non-technical users. The tool allows users to interact with their local files and was reportedly built in just ten days using Anthropic's own coding tools. This launch signifies a major push toward making autonomous AI agents accessible for everyday office tasks. read more
News 2026-02-25 — VentureBeat
Salesforce rolls out new Slackbot AI agent as it battles Microsoft and Google in workplace AI
Salesforce has completely rebuilt Slackbot, transforming it from a simple notification system into a sophisticated AI agent. The updated tool can search through enterprise data, draft professional documents, and execute actions on behalf of employees within the Slack workspace. This move intensifies the competition between Salesforce, Microsoft, and Google for dominance in the generative AI workplace assistant market. read more
News 2026-02-25 — TechCrunch
Gemini can now automate some multi-step tasks on Android
Google's Gemini AI assistant is gaining the ability to automate complex, multi-step tasks across various mobile applications on Android devices. Users can now utilize the AI to handle logistical requests such as booking rideshares, ordering food delivery, or managing grocery lists. The feature is initially rolling out with support for popular services like Uber and DoorDash on the new Samsung Galaxy S26. read more
Anthropic Claude
News 2026-02-25 — VentureBeat
Anthropic launches Cowork, a Claude Desktop agent that works in your files — no coding required
Anthropic released Cowork, a new AI agent capability that extends Claude Code's functionality to non-technical users. The feature was built in approximately a week and a half using Claude Code itself, marking a major inflection point in AI development. This allows users to work with files and documents without requiring coding skills. read more
News 2026-02-25 — VentureBeat
Salesforce rolls out new Slackbot AI agent as it battles Microsoft and Google in workplace AI
Salesforce launched an entirely rebuilt version of Slackbot, transforming it from a simple notification tool into a fully powered AI agent. The new Slackbot can search enterprise data, draft documents, and take action on behalf of employees. This positions Salesforce to compete directly with Microsoft and Google in the workplace AI market. read more
News 2026-02-25 — TechCrunch
Gemini can now automate some multi-step tasks on Android
Google's Gemini AI assistant can now automate complex tasks on Android devices, including rideshare requests and food delivery orders. The feature starts with the Samsung Galaxy S26 and allows users to complete multi-step processes through voice commands. This represents a significant advancement in mobile AI automation capabilities. read more
OpenAI GPT
News 2026-02-25 — VentureBeat
Anthropic launches Cowork, a Claude Desktop agent that works in your files — no coding required
Anthropic released Cowork, a new AI agent capability extending the power of its successful Claude Code tool to non-technical users. Built largely with Claude Code in just over a week, Cowork allows users to work within their files without needing coding experience, signaling a major advancement in AI accessibility. read more
News 2026-02-25 — VentureBeat
Salesforce rolls out new Slackbot AI agent as it battles Microsoft and Google in workplace AI
Salesforce has launched a completely rebuilt version of Slackbot, transforming it from a basic notification tool to a fully-powered AI agent. This new iteration can search enterprise data, draft documents, and take action on behalf of employees, offering a competitive edge in the workplace AI arena against Microsoft and Google. read more
News 2026-02-25 — Wired
Gemini can now automate some multi-step tasks on Android
Gemini, Google's AI initiative, can now automate complex tasks on Android, like rideshare requests and food deliveries, starting with the Samsung Galaxy S26. This advancement was demonstrated live, showcasing how Gemini's integration could streamline tasks across popular mobile applications. read more
Caleb Bryant · cbry...@my.wctc.edu · (414) 458-1971
This newsletter was assembled with an AI-assisted workflow prototype for internal preview.
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