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Practical Applications and Tool Tips

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Arthur C. Clarke (Profiles of the Future, 1962)

While the core prompting principles (First Principles, Chain of Thought, Meta-prompting) apply universally, different AI tools excel at different tasks. Understanding their strengths will help you pick the right "copilot" for the job, making your workflow smoother and more effective.

Instead of focusing on specific product names, let's think about AI tools based on what they are best at:

General Conversational AI

e.g., ChatGPT, Google Gemini

These are your versatile, all-around AI assistants. They are excellent for text generation, brainstorming, creative writing, summarization, and general Q&A. They can hold natural conversations and adapt to various tasks.

Core Capabilities: Text generation, summarization, creative writing, brainstorming, general knowledge Q&A, language translation, code generation (basic).

Key Strengths: Versatility, conversational ability, broad knowledge base.

Use Cases:

  • Drafting Emails & Communications: Alex needs to send a polite email to workshop attendees about a schedule change. Alex can prompt Cortex: "Draft a concise email to workshop attendees informing them of a 30-minute delay due to unforeseen circumstances. Maintain a polite and apologetic tone."
  • Brainstorming Ideas: Alex is stuck on a topic for the next community garden meeting. Alex can ask Cortex: "Brainstorm 5 engaging and actionable topics for a community garden meeting, focusing on sustainability and community involvement."
  • Explaining Complex Concepts Simply: Alex needs to understand the basics of composting for a workshop. Alex can prompt Cortex: "Explain the process of composting in simple terms, suitable for someone with no prior gardening experience."
  • Creative Writing & Content Generation: Alex wants to write a short poem about the joy of gardening for a newsletter. Alex can ask Cortex: "Write a short, uplifting poem about the joy of planting and harvesting in a community garden."

Knowledge Management & Source-Grounded AI

e.g., NotebookLM

These tools specialize in working with your own information. Instead of browsing the web, they analyze documents, notes, and data you provide, giving you insights grounded directly in your sources.

Core Capabilities: Summarizing uploaded documents, answering questions based on your files, identifying connections across your sources, generating new content from your provided data, creating study guides or briefing documents.

Key Strengths: Deep understanding of specific, user-provided content; answers are directly traceable to sources; excellent for personal research and learning.

Use Cases:

  • Analyzing Personal Research: Alex has collected several articles on organic pest control. Alex can upload them to NotebookLM and ask Cortex: "Summarize the key organic pest control methods discussed in these documents and highlight any conflicting advice."
  • Synthesizing Meeting Notes: After a series of community garden planning meetings, Alex has many pages of notes. Alex can upload them and ask Cortex: "Identify all action items and assigned individuals from these meeting notes."
  • Preparing for Presentations/Workshops: Alex needs to create a workshop segment on soil health. Alex can upload relevant chapters from gardening books and ask Cortex: "Based on these uploaded texts, generate 5 key takeaways about maintaining healthy soil for urban gardens."

SENSE

While they provide sources, always apply your "SENSE" check (Chapter 5) to critically evaluate the information.

Smart Search & Research AI

e.g., Perplexity AI, Brave search

These tools combine the power of AI with real-time web search, providing summarized answers with direct citations to their sources. They are designed for efficient and verifiable information gathering.

Core Capabilities: Real-time web search, summarized answers, direct source citations, exploring related topics.

Key Strengths: Up-to-date information, verifiable results, quick overview of complex topics, excellent for initial research and fact-checking.

Use Cases:

  • Quick Fact-Checking & Verification: Alex hears a new gardening trend and wants to quickly verify its scientific basis. Alex can prompt Cortex: "What are the scientific benefits of adding coffee grounds directly to garden soil? Provide sources."
  • Summarizing Current Events: Alex wants to understand the latest regulations on urban farming in their city. Alex can ask Cortex: "Summarize the key changes in urban farming regulations in [Alex's city] over the last six months, citing official sources."
  • Exploring New Topics with Context: Alex is curious about hydroponics but needs a beginner-friendly overview. Alex can prompt Cortex: "Explain the basic principles of hydroponics for a beginner, and list 3 reputable online resources for further learning."