Seth Black

AI, Python, and Startups

Essays, Articles & Guides

An illustration shows two humanoid robots in a room with a plain orange background and a pale yellow circle. One robot, standing, wears a white medical coat and has a stethoscope around its neck, appearing to be in the role of a doctor. It gestures towards the second robot, which is seated in a chair wearing a red garment, seemingly in the role of a patient. A potted plant is visible to the left. The image portrays a consultation between two robots, illustrating AI or robotics in a healthcare context.

The Doctor is in Silicon: AI Isn't Replacing Your Doctor, It's Upgrading Them

We've all seen the headlines: "AI is taking our jobs!" It's a narrative that's easy to buy into, especially when technology seems to advance at lightning speed. I'll even admit read on »

A sever hall with stacks of papers instead of servers.

The SEO Paradox: How AI Ended the SEO Arms Race

You know what's funny about the most recent AI revolution? It's actually pushing us to be more... human. I've spent decades watching the SEO world evolve from keyword stuffing to content farms to whatever the next "guaranteed page one ranking" trick happened to be. More recently, with AI churning out content faster than a caffeinated squirrel hoarding nuts, something unexpected has happened: authentic human expertise has become more valuable than ever. read on »

Cartoon illustration of a human brain with left hemisphere in gray and right hemisphere in beige, separated by a red exclamation mark, symbolizing cognitive alert, neural processing, or mental health awareness in machine learning and AI context

The Pitfalls of Appealing to Lizard Brains: Ethical Marketing in Tech Startups

In this thought-provoking post, a seasoned tech startup veteran explores the pitfalls of "lizard brain marketing" - strategies that bypass higher reasoning to appeal to primal instincts. While effective in the short term, these tactics can erode trust, invite regulatory backlash, and raise ethical concerns. The author advocates for sustainable marketing approaches that focus on genuine value, transparency, and ethical considerations, ultimately building more resilient and respected tech businesses. read on »

Magnifying glass examining resume with profile photo and circuit board design, illustrating AI-powered resume screening and machine learning in recruitment processes for tech startups

Navigating the AI Resume Revolution: Uncovering Authentic Talent for Startups

In this insightful post, a seasoned startup veteran shares five battle-tested techniques for navigating the AI resume revolution. From identifying unnaturally formal language to implementing practical skills assessments, these strategies help startups uncover authentic talent in an era of AI-generated applications. The author emphasizes the importance of embracing the human element in hiring while adapting to the changing landscape of recruitment in the AI age. read on »

AI-powered orchestra conductor on podium with robotic arms holding trumpets, illustrating machine learning in music, automation in performance, and artificial intelligence in creative industries

The AI Symphony: Why Orchestrating Specialized Systems Trumps AGI

The pursuit of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) may be misguided. Instead of creating a singular, omniscient AI entity, we should focus on orchestrating a symphony of specialized AI systems. This approach leverages current AI capabilities, allows for faster development and deployment, and mitigates ethical concerns associated with AGI. By embracing an AI orchestra rather than a single all-knowing entity, we can create practical, powerful AI tools that tackle complex real-world challenges while complementing human capabilities. read on »

Project Highlight

Mind Your Ink
Mind Your Ink

My friend Sarah and I have built the most awesome tattoo booking management platform. If you are a tattoo artist or a tattoo shop owner, you should check it out!

Python
Django
AWS
Tattoos

Black SEO Analyzer
Black SEO Analyzer

A professional command-line tool for comprehensive SEO analysis, designed for websites that need to be found in both search results and AI answers. It analyzes metadata, content quality, technical SEO issues, and performance metrics to keep your website visible in both traditional search and AI-generated responses.

Rust
CLI
SEO
Headless Browser
Performance Analysis

Running in Production
Podcasts

I chatted with Nick Janetakis from Running in Production about the software and hardware stack that has been running my website for the last decade...more.

fiscus
fiscus

I've been investing in real estate since the 2010s and realized that my property investment modeling system could be used by others, so I built it!

Python
Flask
MariaDB
ReactJS
NextJS
AWS
Vercel

The Bluetooth Candle
The Bluetooth Candle

C
Objective-C
Java
Rhino3d
3d Printing
Elbow Grease

Seth & Adriana
Seth & Adriana

Adriana and I got married, so why would I not personally design, draw, develop and code our wedding website?

Python
Django
Nginx
Sqlite
Photoshop
Illustrator

FindMeNoms
FindMeNoms

FindMeNoms is an easy way to "find tasty food around you wherever you are". This is a side project that was born out of my need for an app/website that would remember all of the tasty places that I have eaten at, or would recommend to someone, or have been recommended to me. Basically, Yelp wasn't cutting it, as I'd find myself falling down the rabbit hole of reading one-star reviews and laughing at how crazy people can be instead of actually finding food.

Python
Django
PostgreSQL
Redis
Memcached
Objective-C
Java
JQuery
Javascript
Ionic
Photoshop
Illustrator

Virtual Sales
Virtual Sales

This was a short-lived startup idea. The basic premise was, well, just watch the explainer video.

Python
Pyramid
MySQL
Memcached
RabbitMQ
Twilio
Javascript
JQuery

ADAM.WEB
ADAM.WEB

Document management for schools, doctor's offices, and pretty much anyone else who would give us money. Unfortunately it didn't work out too well. I did get a really cool logo out of it, though.

PHP
Nginx
PostgreSQL
JQuery
Javascript