My Toolbox
I’m often asked exactly what tools I use when I build a website. Although my favorite tools are constantly changing, below is a list of what I am currently using.
Midjourney – Midjourney is an exciting new AI system that makes generating digital art incredibly easy. As someone with no formal art training, I’ve been amazed at what I can create with just a few text prompts. While there is a bit of a learning curve and the results aren’t always perfect, they provide a fantastic starting point for me to take into GIMP and refine further. Midjourney also offers a free tier so anyone can try it out without spending a dime. If you’re looking to begin generating AI-powered art, Midjourney is a great place to start. Check out Midjourney here.
GIMP – is one of my favorite free and open source tools for digital art and image editing. The name, GIMP stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program, and it’s been around since the 1990s. During that time GIMP has evolved into a powerful yet easy to use app that can rival paid options like Photoshop. I use GIMP for tasks like photo editing, and creating graphics and logos. GIMP is completely free and offers a ton of advanced features like layers, filters, and brushes that make it perfect for amateurs and those starting out. Check out GIMP here.
ChatGPT – is an AI chatbot that can understand natural conversations and respond with coherent, thoughtful answers on nearly any topic imaginable. I’ve been blown away by how fluently ChatGPT can explain complex concepts, summarize research papers, write poems, code basic programs, and more. While it sometimes gets facts wrong or hallucinates information, its overall conversational abilities are incredibly impressive. ChatGPT shows how far AI has advanced in grasping nuance, reasoning, and mimicking our unique human quirks. Although still crude compared to human intelligence, ChatGPT convincingly demonstrates the rapid pace of progress in natural language processing. I’m excited to see how tools like this will assist writers, educators, and other creators down the road. Check out ChatGPT here.
Claude – is an AI assistant created by Anthropic that has been carefully trained to have natural conversations and provide thoughtful recommendations across many topics. Claude’s knowledge comes from reading and summarizing a wide range of books, articles, and websites. While it doesn’t always get things perfectly right, Claude aims to improve itself through feedback. Its conversational abilities demonstrate rapid advances in natural language processing and reasoning and it is great at answering questions, explaining complex ideas, and even having friendly discussions. Although still limited compared to human intellect, Claude strives to be a compassionate, commonsensical companion. Although newer than ChatGPT, Anthropic designed it not just to be capable, but caring and fun to chat with. I’m excited to see how it develops in the future. Check out Claude here.
Originality.ai – Originality.ai is an AI startup that provides advanced artificial intelligence services for checking content creation for originality. By placing AI generated content into Originality.ai’s online interface you can determine the probability of whether or not the content looks to be AI generated. The program checks for repetitiveness, simplicity, and lack of nuance that can indicate AI generated text. Users receive a report highlighting any flagged sections. This allows creators to edit and improve their content before publication. Check out Originality.ai here.
SiteGround Hosting – is a popular web hosting company that provides many types of hosting services. Founded in 2004, SiteGround has data centers located in the US, Europe, and Asia. They are known for excellent uptime, fast speeds, and very good customer support. Their cPanel control panel allows for easy website management. SiteGround offers a wide range of hosting plans suitable for personal blogs all the way up to enterprise e-commerce sites. Overall, SiteGround is a reliable, high-performance hosting provider with lots of great features for WordPress and other CMS platforms. Check out SiteGround Hosting here