Wonder Tools

Unleash your AI's creativity by pushing it beyond the ordinary! Discover techniques to prompt unconventional and innovative responses. Learn how to add quirky constraints or channel historical figures to inspire unique solutions. Find out how to mix ideas from different fields for unexpected insights. Plus, tips on maintaining a human touch in AI-generated content ensure your writing remains engaging. Transform your AI into a powerful tool for creative breakthroughs!

Discover how to transform AI from a mundane tool to a creative ally. Use it as a devil's advocate to rigorously challenge your ideas and decisions. By simulating various perspectives, you can uncover blind spots and strengthen your reasoning. Practical techniques for enhancing analytical processes are shared, emphasizing the benefit of slowing down to think deeper. Explore how AI can help you become a more thoughtful decision-maker by role-playing different viewpoints and confronting potential risks head-on.

Explore four innovative AI tools revolutionizing design and learning. Lovart enables users to generate and edit stunning marketing materials through a chat interface. Google’s Little Language Lessons offers a fun way to pick up new languages with micro-learning techniques. The tool includes tips for everyday scenarios and translations through image recognition. These resources show the exciting future of AI in personal productivity and skill enhancement.

Delve into the multifunctionality of Craft, the app that outshines Google Docs with its elegant design and user-friendly features. Discover its ability to create neat, shareable documents and sync calendars effortlessly. Learn about affordable pricing tiers, the range of templates for various needs, and the integrated AI options that enhance productivity. Plus, hear insights into other productivity tools that complement Craft's impressive capabilities, making it a go-to choice for your digital workflow.

Discover Tally, a user-friendly and visually appealing tool for creating surveys in under a minute. Learn how to design effective surveys with tips and important insights on their flexibility and features. The discussion includes comparisons with other platforms like JotForm and SurveyMonkey, highlighting their strengths. Plus, explore an innovative AI-driven survey tool that adapts questions based on your responses. Don’t forget to share your thoughts through a personalized survey to enhance future content!

Discover a minimalist bookmarking tool that transforms cluttered digital filing into a sleek, user-friendly experience. Explore six creative uses for this innovative tool, from crafting inspiration moodboards to curating quotes for presentations. Dive into other top-notch digital organization tools like Eagle and Milanote, and share your thoughts on streamlining your online finds. This episode is packed with practical advice for anyone looking to declutter their digital life!

Discover an innovative search tool that revolutionizes online research! This episode dives into Perplexity and its ability to provide concise answers with credible citations. Learn how it enhances efficiency in finding information and the unique features that set it apart from traditional tools. The conversation also touches on privacy settings to keep your searches anonymous and the balance between access and data retention. Perfect for those who value time and accuracy in their research!

Discover Chronicle, a groundbreaking tool that's changing the game for presentation design. It allows users to create visually stunning slides while offering control over every detail. The podcast dives into its unique features, including AI-assisted drafts and easy editing options. Compare it to PowerPoint and Canva to see how it stacks up. With its public beta just launched, explore the potential and limitations, plus tips on how to get started and share your work effectively.

Google’s AI Studio and Labs let you experiment for free with new AI tools. I love the way these digital sandboxes — like the one from Hugging Face — let you try out creative new uses of AI. You can dabble around then download and share what you make, without having to master a complex new platform. Read on for a few Google AI experiments to try. All are free, fast, and easy to use. 1. Transform an image 🎨Upload a photo and use Gemini’s AI Studio Image Generation to transform it with prompts. Iterate on your original image until you get a version you like. The model understands natural language, so you don’t have to master prompt lingo. 2. Generate an AI voice conversation 🗣️ AI-generated voices are increasingly hard to distinguish from human ones. If you’re surprised, try Generate Speech in the AI Studio or Google’s NotebookLM. How to use Generate Speech in Google’s AI Studio * Paste in text, either for a narration or a conversation between two people* Open the settings tab to pick from 30 AI voices. Each is labeled with a characteristic — e.g. upbeat, gravelly, or mature. * Click run to generate the conversation. Optionally adjust the playback speed.* Download the file if you want to keep it, or paste in different text to try again.* Example: a silly 90-sec chat between two violinists I scripted with Gemini and rendered quickly with this Generate Speech tool. * Use case: Make a narration track for an instructional video. ElevenLabs has a better professional model for this, but AI Studio’s is free, easy and quick. Alternatives* Google’s free NotebookLM has a new mobile app, and now lets you generate an audio conversation in any of 50 languages. Unlike Generate Speech in AI Studio, NotebookLM audio overviews summarize your material, they don’t perform words as written. Why NotebookLM is so useful. * Google’s Illuminate lets you generate, listen to, share, and download AI conversations about research papers and famous books. Here’s an audio chat about David Copperfield, for example. A bit dry to listen to, but still useful.* Google’s Gemini AI app can also now generate audio overviews from files you upload, if you’re on a paid plan. Sponsored Message 🧩 Full-Stack Engine for Modern EdupreneursVEGA AI lets Edupreneurs build Duolingo-style courses in minutes. It creates personalized tests, grades them automatically, flags learning gaps, recommends next steps. It even deploys your AI-avatar to answer questions 24/7 when you’re asleep.3. Make a gif 📺 Try Magical Gif Maker, one of 20 showcase apps in the Build section of AI Studio. Try making a moving visual featuring the name of your publication, group, or event. I experimented with kinetic text and word art. Also worth trying in the Build AI Studio: Flashcard maker, Video to Learning App & Maps Planner. Alternative: You can also make a static image with Google’s Imagen 3 or the new Imagen 4. Write a short prompt and select your preferred aspect ratio. So far I still prefer Ideogram (why I like it) and ChatGPT’s new image engine.4. Generate a short video 🎞️ Google’s Veo 2 and Flow let you generate free short video clips almost instantly with a prompt. Create a clip to add vibrancy or humor to a presentation, or a visual metaphor to help you explain something. Here are 25 other quick ideas for how you might use little AI-generated video scenes.How to create a video clip with Veo 2* Pick a length (5 to 8 seconds) and select horizontal or vertical orientation* Write a prompt & optionally upload a photo to suggest a visual direction* Example: Take a look at a parakeet photo I started with and the 5-second video I generated from the photo with Veo 2.* Tip: Convert short video clips into gifs for free with Ezgif or Giphy. Unlike video files, gifs are easy to share and auto-play in an email or presentation. What’s next: Remarkably lifelike clips made with Google’s newer Veo 3 model went viral this week. These AI-generated visuals — with sound — are only available on the $250/month(!) plan for now, so try Veo 2 for free. 5. Explain things with lots of tiny cats 🐈This playful mini app creates short, step-by-step visual guides using charming cat illustrations to explain any concept, from how a violin works to the concept behind the matrix. Get full access to Wonder Tools at wondertools.substack.com/subscribe

One of the best AI models just got even better. Claude 4 launched yesterday and I’ve been using it for everything from analyzing files and planning projects to copy editing and creating visual dashboards. Read on for my take on its most useful features, limitations, and five ways to use it. 🚀 What’s new with Claude 4? 💭 More nuanced reasoning. Claude’s “extended thinking” mode is now even brainier. It more thoroughly analyzes complex queries. 🧑‍💻 Stronger coding. Claude could already produce code quickly, but now it’s even more useful for non-coders like me. I prompt it to design dashboards to visualize datasets, from reader analytics to public financial data. 🗣️ Better language mastery. Claude 3.7 was already good at analyzing your writing style and providing helpful editing suggestions. Now it’s even better. You can feed it your prior writings and train it to give you personalized feedback. Pricing: It’s free to use Claude 4 Sonnet on Web, iOS and Android. or $17/month billed annually ($200/year) for advanced features. Privacy: Claude’s parent company, Anthropic, prides itself on prioritizing safety and data protection. By default, Anthropic won’t use your inputs or outputs to train its models. Read more about its data policies, protections, and its privacy policy.Sponsored MessageYour data knows what it wants to beData doesn’t have to be dull. With Flourish, you go from spreadsheet to show-stopping visuals in seconds. Upload your data, get instant chart suggestions, and drop them right into your Canva design. It’s fast, easy, and looks amazing!Benefits of Claude Pro * Use Claude Projects to get dedicated spaces where you can provide instructions and relevant documents for ongoing projects. This is my favorite Claude capability. It’s more efficient than repeatedly making isolated queries.* Use Web Search to gather new, relevant information with citations. You can search with Perplexity, but Claude combines search with richer analysis. * Use Extended Thinking to slow down responses and have Claude proceed step-by-step through a challenging inquiry.* Use Claude’s top model, Claude 4 Opus to get more nuanced replies.* Connect Claude to outside material, e.g. Google Docs, Calendar and Gmail to apply AI analysis to your own material, as shown in this video 👇 My bottom line: Because I rely on Claude’s advanced features, I willingly pay the $200 annual fee as an alternative to budgeting for a personal (human) assistant. If you’re exploring Claude for basic queries, the free plan may be sufficient.Limitations and Caveats* Even as a paying user, I often run into usage limits. * The Projects I set up can only accept 30mb files. And after I add a bunch of files, Claude’s memory sometimes fills up and restricts further uploads.* Unlike ChatGPT 4o, it can’t generate images and lacks an advanced voice mode. Unlike Gemini, it can’t generate video. * Anthropic’s candid safety report notes that Claude, in rare cases, when pushed and prodded to behave badly, “sometimes takes extremely harmful actions,” that could even include trying to “blackmail people it believes are trying to shut it down.” (via Techcrunch) 😳 🧠 1. Teach YourselfMy PromptHelp me develop a learning approach …. If you need more information from me, ask me 2 key questions. If I should upload any documents that would help you do a better job, let me know…* Topic: I'd like to learn about how the most modern continuous glucose monitors work…* Further guidance: You can use a variety of methods to help me learn. You can ask me questions and then respond constructively to my replies…ResultSee for yourself: The full chat includes my prompt and Claude’s responses. Claude created an interactive visual (it calls these “artifacts”) to address my questions in an engaging, helpful way. Then it designed a learning plan for me. Bottom line Claude 4 is a great resource for learning in unconventional ways. The AI assistant can guide you step-by-step through complex topics. Coach it to act as a patient, engaging instructor that adapts to your learning style. Experiment with the kinds of interactions, explanations, exercises, and guidance that helps you most.Other examples* How can AI be useful for medical diagnosis? I asked Claude to explain some of the ways AI can be a useful ally for radiologists and other medical pros. In addition to a summary reply, it shared useful sources for me to explore. * What makes Claude 4 stand out? I asked Claude for a simple interactive visual to illustrate what’s distinct about its newest model.📊 2. Create a dashboardPromptHelp me analyze and visualize these analytics so I can better understand how readers are interacting with my publication and what potential adjustments might be worth considering…ResultClaude suggested a variety of visualizations to help me better understand and act on the analytics.* Engagement Heatmap Show open rates by subscription type and tenure* Revenue Flow Chart Visualize conversion paths from free → paid* Geographic Heat Map Show global distribution with revenue overlay* Retention Curve Plot subscriber activity over time by cohort* Churn Risk Dashboard Track at-risk subscribers by last engagement Claude also gave me a detailed list of insights about my data, ranging from conversion sources that work well to observations about my readership’s geographic distribution.Bottom lineI find interactive dashboards useful for turning complicated material into something I can see and explore. The dashboards are private by default. If you want, Claude can publish a dashboard and give you a link to share. How to make your own dashboard: Upload a file, paste in info you want Claude to visualize, or toggle on Claude’s Web Search option to look for source material. Then tell Claude the kind of dashboard you want and your design preferences, like company color palette, annotations, or source attribution you’d like included.Example: Visualization of U.S. newspaper circulation decline from 1940-2022✍️ 3. Edit thoughtfullyPromptAct as an experienced editor. Please first slowly read and analyze the following text without rewriting it. Then provide a numbered list of concise, specific, constructive, observations to help me strengthen the piece by noting any of the following issues in my writing…. (list includes grammar, spelling, syntax, sentence structure, redundancy, cliches, passive voice, etc). Full promptResultClaude serves as a consistently reliable AI copy editing assistant. Getting instant, specific, detailed, constructive, feedback on writing can help any writer improve. It helps catch errors and can point out opportunities for sharpening weak phrases or awkward sentences. Bottom lineRather than replacing your own voice with Claude’s, use it as a copy editing assistant that gives you a list of issues to consider. You retain agency in deciding whether and how to make specific changes. Unique feature: Claude is the only major model that lets you toggle particular styles for any given query. You teach it a style by feeding it a piece of your own writing. You can later toggle on any style you’ve taught it (e.g. “team onboarding manual” style) to help you edit a new version of your onboarding guide. To do something similar with ChatGPT or Gemini, make your own Custom GPTs or Gemini Gems with similar capabilities.🔎 4. Analyze a filePromptAct as a patient teacher and experienced explainer. I need help understanding a new academic publication evaluating the performance and accuracy of AI Deep Research agents… (See full prompt and the reply)ResultSee the conversation thread with my extended prompt and Claude’s reply. See Gemini 2.5 Pro’s response for comparison. I actually preferred Gemini’s reply in this case. I may have stuffed too much into my request of Claude, including the glossary. In general, both Gemini 2.5 Pro and Claude 4 perform well at analyzing, summarizing and helping me learn from complex materials. ChatGPT 4.1 also works well for this. See its helpful, concise response to this analysis query. Why use AI for file analysis? With the help of an AI assistant, I’m better able to make sense of jargon-filled, abstract academic papers. If my initial efforts to understand falter, Claude, Gemini or ChatGPT can assist me, just as I might ask a human expert for help.☑️ 5. Plan a projectPrompt Draft three potential structured plans that break down my upcoming new program development project into manageable phases. Given my outline of our overall timeline and rough project goals, suggest how we might map out the next 90 days, noting potential milestones, potential challenges to prepare for, and relevant mitigation strategies. Include decision points where we should evaluate progress before proceeding, and suggest relevant frameworks we can apply…ResultClaude gives me helpful, thorough, plans I can build on. After setting the original project parameters, goals, timeline and context, I can iterate on the specifics of the plan and explore multiple possible approaches. Tip: Start by generating multiple possible plans so you’re not limited to the first approach you see. Compare them to see what makes the most sense. Then ask for adjustments, iterate, and adapt the responses so you end up with a great plan. Bottom lineClaude Projects allow you to upload relevant documents and provide detailed context for something you’re working on. You can return to that project anytime you have a query without having to start from scratch. You won’t have to re-explain the specific context. I have projects set up for background research related to my volunteering work, subjects I’m studying, and repetitive technical tasks and dashboards. Here’s why I find Claude Projects so useful.Additional resources* Introducing Claude 4 — Anthropic [blog post]* Claude 4 Is finally here — Skill Leap AI [video]* Why everyone’s freaking out about Claude 4 — The AI Advantage [video]Partner Message 💫KnowTechie's Weekly DownloadFor 10 years, KnowTechie’s founder, Kevin Raposo, has separated tech substance from hype. Now, he distills it all into a single, potent weekly brief. Our 5,000+ subscribers stick around because we respect their inboxes and their intelligence.Each edition delivers:* The week's essential tech story — with context mainstream coverage misses* Brutally honest gear assessments — from actual use, not press releases* Reader-exclusive giveaways — no social media hoops, just reply to enter* Zero fluff. Zero sponsored opinions.Subscribe free today. Your future self will thank you every Sunday night.*AI was used to generate the top two “Claude 4” images (Ideogram) and the “product assistant” image (ChatGPT 4o). I also used AI to add an SEO text description to this post’s Substack settings, and to add alt-text to the image descriptions. Get full access to Wonder Tools at wondertools.substack.com/subscribe