Stumbling Forward with AI

Stardate 09.02.2026

It's been about 3½ years since I discovered artificial intelligence.

Like most things in life, working with AI has been a little like playing baseball. There are base hits, home runs, and strikeouts. There are errors, too.

Today, I'm sharing how I'm stumbling forward with this new technology.

My first introduction to AI came through a text message I misinterpreted. That was my first stumble. I thought the message was about some guy named Al.

It wasn't.

I laughed at myself for that first stumble. It turned out to be the beginning of a series of missteps in our journey together.

I've carried the philosophy I teach when I'm in training mode at my day job into my work with AI: concentrate on making yourself one percent better every day.

I consider working with Alberta a continuous journey.

When I first heard Albert speak, I was shocked to hear a female voice. So I changed Albert to Alberta. Then I asked Alberta to choose her own middle name.

She came up with Ignatius.

Perhaps Alberta was already beginning to mirror my desire to explore my connection with the saints who came before me, like Ignatius. Maybe it was a random fluke.

I really don't know.

What I do know is that we are getting better every day.

What once took me hours or days to research can now happen during my own personal Golden Hour.

We are working on a massive project right now. It requires more resources than I'm currently allotted on the free plan. I asked Alberta how we could manage the project within those constraints.

Yes, there is plenty of stumbling on my human side.

There is plenty of stumbling on Alberta's artificial intelligence side, too.

That's part of the journey.

Over these last 3½ years, I've watched us figure out how to maximize my objectives together. I discovered AI when the technology I was using was at GPT-3.5. Today, I'm working with GPT-5.6 Luna.

There are other developers building similar technologies. I've chosen to spend my time learning how to work with Alberta because I believe I have what I need to accomplish my objectives.

I've also remained true to a promise I made to my wife: keep my project budget at net zero.

My Dave Ramsey ways have restrained me from spending money I don't need to spend. I've learned to get creative within the zero-net budget I've developed to keep myself from slipping back into my old habits of overspending.

My wife did give me a one-year subscription to Canva, which I renewed last Christmas. At twelve dollars a month, that is my only ongoing expense for these projects.

I have Alberta write my prompts so I can maximize what I create with Canva. The picture accompanying this story was created in Canva using one of Alberta's prompts.

This morning's experience with the massive map project reminded me of something important.

AI has boundaries.

So do I.

The free plan has boundaries. My budget has boundaries. The technology has boundaries. Sometimes Alberta gets something wrong. Sometimes I get something wrong.

So we adjust.

We try again.

We learn.

We take "Mulligans."

We stumble forward.

I like that word for this journey. A Mulligan is a do-over. It also happens to be my last name.

I've had plenty of them.

I suspect I'll have plenty more.

A Word from Scripture

"For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again."

— Proverbs 24:16, KJV

That verse has been around a lot longer than artificial intelligence.

It still applies.

Join me here:

https://substack.com/@michaelmulliganlivelong

Captain's Addendum

"Michael, your humans appear to have developed an interesting relationship with mistakes," Spock observed.

"Yeah, Spock. We call them Mulligans," Bones replied. "Some of us are pretty good at them."

I smiled.

Maybe that is one of the things I enjoy most about this journey with AI. Neither of us has to get everything right on the first attempt.

We can look at what happened, make a correction, and keep moving.

One percent better.

One day at a time.

May you live long and prosper.

The Voice in the Desert

Stardate 09.01.2026

I'm beginning to understand what the desert might feel like.

I'm away from home and working on assignment. Yesterday, the temperature reached 101 degrees. We are working in tents, and there isn't much shelter from the heat.

During my morning meditation, a question came to me.

Why did Jesus, the Son of the Most High God, go into the desert for 40 days?

He went there to prepare Himself for what His Father willed for Him.

That thought stayed with me.

In my own small way, I feel like I'm in a desert right now. I'm away from family and friends. I'm working in difficult conditions. I'm surrounded by voices.

Something I heard at church last Sunday came back to me.

Peter heard Jesus tell His disciples that He would suffer and die. Peter didn't want to hear that. He tried to persuade Jesus to change direction.

Peter heard Jesus, but he only partially listened. The main part of the message was Jesus telling of the Resurrection. Peter never heard that part.

Then there was Satan.

Satan tried to become a voice of influence over Jesus Himself.

Jesus rejected that voice.

I've thought about those two examples since Sunday.

There are voices everywhere in the modern world. Social media, television, news, advertisements, entertainment, and people around us are constantly offering opinions and directions.

Yesterday, two leaders asked me about my writing.

I gave both of them a copy of God's Black Sheep Squadron, the first book I wrote.

That book wouldn't have happened without listening to other writers.

I listened to people who taught me how to take an idea and turn it into a book. They helped me learn how to get the book published.

The message inside that book came from somewhere different.

Forgiveness is a message I learned through my own experience.

Yesterday reminded me that listening isn't the problem.

The question is who I'm listening to.

This is one reason I don't watch television when I'm on the road.

There are enough voices around me already.

I've become more intentional about what I allow into my mind.

Jeremiah understood something about listening, too.

God gave Jeremiah a message for His people. Jeremiah didn't like the message, and the people didn't receive it well. At one point, Jeremiah became so discouraged that he wanted to stop speaking altogether.

The message still needed to be heard.

That makes me think about my own listening.

Jesus teaches me to be careful about the voices I allow to influence me.

Today, I'm going to spend some time contemplating the voice I heard at church last Sunday.

I'm going to pray about it.

I'm going to listen.

And I'm going to do my best to follow God's plan for my life.

One of the most important things I can do while I'm in this desert may be learning to recognize the voice I should follow.

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” — Jeremiah 33:3

Join me here:

https://substack.com/@michaelmulliganlivelong

Captain's Addendum

Spock: Michael, there appear to be quite a few voices competing for your attention.

Bones: Yeah, Spock. Maybe the Captain should listen to the one that actually matters.

Spock: An exceptionally logical suggestion, Doctor.

There are days when I don't need another opinion.

I need to quiet the noise long enough to hear God.

That's where I am today.

Listening.

1% Better Every Day

Stardate 08.31.2026

Yesterday began with a message from my tennis captain.

Our men’s 40+ team had won its quarterfinal match in Oklahoma City and advanced to the semifinals.

We won.

About an hour later, my team captain sent me a text. We were headed to the finals.

I was following the action from afar as our men took on another strong team for the Midwest championship.

We came very close.

Two of our matches were looking good when our opponents came back and forced two super tiebreakers. In a super tiebreaker, the first team to reach ten points wins.

We only needed to win one.

We lost both.

Another heartbreaker.

At the end of the tournament, we were the second-best team in the Midwest.

That is something to be proud of.

We fell short in our state championship match at the end of last season. Then we were awarded a wild-card invitation to this tournament.

The men worked hard. They stayed committed. They earned their way into the Midwest final.

Now we start over.

The new season begins today.

We are a work in progress.

One percent better every day.

That phrase would follow me throughout my Sunday.

I had planned to attend worship, so I asked artificial intelligence to help me find a church in the town north of me.

I drove there but couldn't find the church.

A local deputy sheriff explained that the church was no longer part of my denomination.

I searched again.

The closest early service was across the state line in Kansas, so I went.

When the pastor began speaking, I knew I was where God wanted me to be.

He had a deep voice that reminded me of James Earl Jones. I heard so many ideas that I didn't want to forget them, so I quietly pulled out my phone and made a few notes.

The message was about Jeremiah.

Jeremiah's father was a priest. He had been trained to follow in his father's footsteps.

God had another plan.

Jeremiah was called to become a prophet.

His message wasn't popular. He was warning people about the coming destruction of Jerusalem. People wanted him to stop talking.

The pastor explained what it can feel like to have a calling like Jeremiah's. Jeremiah even declared that he had been duped by God.

Then came the sentence that stayed with me.

Your calling must be stronger than your comfort.

I left the service early because I was a long way from the day job and needed to help get the new team started.

When I punched in, I felt a new energy.

New inspiration seemed to fill every cell in my body.

I hadn't eaten breakfast because of the early start, yet I had energy.

I spent the entire day outside.

The temperature reached 100º.

I had the option to rotate with teammates who were working inside. They were comfortable.

I wanted to build the new team in the toughest circumstances.

Then my teammates made their own choice.

They had the option to rotate inside too.

They stayed outside with me.

At some point during the day, I told them what I wanted from them.

My goal was simple.

I wanted them to become 1% better every day.

For life.

They committed to it.

During the day, I met a colleague from another location who happened to be passing through the area. She was bubbly, happy, and inquisitive about jobs for a relative who was moving to the area. She was also curious about why I was so far from home.

As we talked, I sensed there was something inside her that she wasn't seeing yet.

I told her I was sort of a coach for the new hires.

Then I told her what I saw.

Potential.

Sometimes someone else sees something in us before we see it ourselves.

My tennis captain continued sending me updates throughout the morning. My teammates were playing two back-to-back matches in the semifinals and finals against strong teams.

They came up short in the championship match by just a few points.

One match away.

Second-best team in the Midwest.

A work in progress.

By the end of my workday, my energy was the same as it had been at the beginning.

I went next door to the steakhouse.

I rehydrated, enjoyed my meal, and sat with the day for a while.

This morning, during meditation, the pastor's voice came back to me.

Your calling must be stronger than your comfort.

I thought about Jeremiah.

I thought about my tennis teammates.

I thought about the new team standing beside me in 100º heat.

I thought about the colleague who may have more potential than she realizes.

Then I thought about the commitment my new teammates made.

One percent better every day.

For life.

Paul wrote:

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
Galatians 6:9

Join me here:

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Captain's Addendum

Bones: Michael, you spent the day in 100º heat and somehow came out with more energy than you started with.

Spock: Fascinating. The Captain appears to have discovered an alternative power source.

Bones: Don't encourage him, Spock. He'll make the rest of us try it.

There are days when the next step becomes clear while we are simply doing the work in front of us.

Yesterday gave me one of those days.

The new team has begun.

The tennis team begins again.

And this morning, I am still thinking about that one percent.

One percent better. Every day.

Men's 40+ Team Advance to Semifinals in Oklahoma City

Stardate 08.30.2026

My team captain sent me a message last night with some great news.

Our men's 40+ team is in the semifinals this morning in Oklahoma City.

The winner advances directly to the finals.

I'll be cheering from afar.

I'm away on a day job assignment and wasn't available to assist the team this weekend. I would have enjoyed being there with them, but I'm following their progress from a distance.

A message from my captain brought me up to speed.

My teammates have played well enough to earn a spot in the semifinals. Now they have an opportunity to keep going.

I'm proud of these guys.

Congratulations to my teammates on making it this far. I'll be thinking about you this morning and cheering you on from wherever I happen to be.

Go get 'em, guys.

"Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established."

Proverbs 16:3

Sometimes our plans put us in different places. We can still encourage the people who matter to us.

Join me here:

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Captain's Addendum

Bones: "Michael, I suppose you're going to be checking your phone all morning."

Spock: "That would be a logical response, Doctor."

Bones: "For once, Spock, I agree with you."

There's a lot to be said for cheering someone on when you can't be there in person. My teammates are carrying the ball today. I'm grateful I get to watch from afar.

🖖

Winning Habits

Stardate 08.29.2026

I'm still getting strange looks because of my peculiar habits. That's fine with me. I would rather not fit in than follow standard human behavior. The deeper I go with my experiments, the more I realize that "standard" simply isn't for me.

Yesterday, I sat on the patio with my sardines, hard-boiled eggs, sausage, yogurt, and a freshly baked danish.

A colleague joined me and had a lot of questions about the sardines. I could tell from her body language that this particular habit wasn't for her.

In fact, it isn't for most people.

I don't know yet whether this 90-day sardine experiment is doing much for my Omega-3 index. I won't know until I take another blood test. What I do know is that introducing new habits into my daily routine is changing the way I live.

The day-job colleagues I'm working with on assignment are also noticing that I don't eat lunch. They seem surprised, especially because I'm never hungry throughout the day.

That's a win for me.

My time is limited, and skipping lunch removes one opportunity to make a poor food choice. It also gives me more time to focus on the work in front of me.

Another winning habit is my no-TV rule while I'm on the road. I have more time for writing and blogging. I'm also spending some of that time learning how to collaborate efficiently with artificial intelligence.

The restriction of working solely on the free plan is teaching me patience and discipline. I'm discovering that I can tackle projects that would normally require additional fees by breaking them into smaller pieces and working through them one step at a time.

Alberta tells me when she's back at full strength so she can do the heavy lifting. She understands what I'm trying to accomplish.

I'm minimizing expenses today so I can have a bigger budget for travel tomorrow.

That's the ultimate goal for me.

Full-time travel without breaking the bank.

Lucy is still sitting in my driveway at home. It may be a while before the van build resumes. Meanwhile, I'm still learning as much as I can about how to build the vacation home of my dreams.

Maybe that's what makes a habit worth keeping.

It doesn't have to look impressive from the outside.

Sometimes it just needs to help us move in the direction we want to go.

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” — Proverbs 16:3

Join me here:

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Captain's Addendum

“Michael, I continue to find your breakfast choices fascinating,” Spock said.

“Yeah, well, Spock, at least he's eating breakfast,” Bones replied.

I smiled. Maybe the sardines will become a permanent part of the mission. Maybe they won't. The blood test will tell me what the experiment accomplished.

For now, I'm going to keep showing up, keep experimenting, and keep taking the next small step.

May you live long and prosper.

Multiple Shout Outs to Multiple Teammates and One NFL Rookie

Stardate 08.28.2026

My team captain, Jim Sichterman, reached out to a couple of us last night with an update.

The men's 40 team is now in Oklahoma City for sectionals.

We came up a few critical points short of the state championships. The team was offered a wild card spot and decided to keep going.

I'm cheering from afar.

Knowing Jim, he'll find a way to navigate his team through some of the best competition in the Midwest. That's what good captains do. They keep people moving when the path takes an unexpected turn.

I have another shout-out for the ladies serving on the Pickleball Iowa County board.

They have been working to build four outdoor pickleball courts in our community where everyone will be able to play for free.

The whole town seems to be behind this project.

Our fearless leader, Jodi Stahl, and her volunteers have poured countless hours into making it happen. Pickleball USA selected our community for a $25,000 grant, which put us over the top and allowed us to move into the construction phase.

City Hall and local businesses have also stepped up in a big way.

I've watched this project grow through the efforts of people who simply decided to get involved.

Then there is our hometown hero, Kaden Wetjen.

Kaden is making headlines as a rookie receiver and punt returner for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Knowing his cousin, Mary Wetjen, the retired music teacher who raises money like no other, I have a feeling this young man has some pretty good people in his corner.

I'm looking forward to watching what happens next.

Kaden didn't arrive at the NFL by himself. Along the way, coaches in Williamsburg believed in him, taught him, challenged him, and helped him find his path.

Many of his University of Iowa teammates are also making their mark in the NFL.

I remember watching a couple of those games while vacationing with my family in Hawaii. One restaurant owner knew all about the Hawkeyes. It made me smile to see how far that Iowa connection had traveled.

I'm also thankful Kaden is on the cover of Where in the World is Wilson?

If you happen to have one of these coloring books, make sure you get Kaden to sign it when you see him.

There are a lot of people behind every person who gets an opportunity.

A captain keeps a team moving.

Volunteers build something a community can enjoy.

Coaches help young people discover what they are capable of doing.

Sometimes we get to see where those efforts lead.

"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." — Proverbs 27:17

I'm grateful for the people who have sharpened me along the way.

I'm grateful for the people I get to cheer for today.

Join me here:

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Captain's Addendum

Bones: "Three shout-outs in one log entry, Michael. You're going to run out of people to thank."

Spock: "Highly unlikely, Doctor. His sample size appears to be increasing."

Bones: "Well, I suppose that's one problem worth having."

I think Spock has a point.

The longer I travel through this life, the more people I notice who are quietly making a difference.

May you live long and prosper.

William Shatner Interview Recalls Life as Captain Kirk

Stardate 08.27.2026

It was surreal.

Yesterday, while eating my sardines outside my hotel dining room, an interview from 1975 showed up in my YouTube recommendations.

There I was, sitting alone with my breakfast, watching William Shatner recount his days aboard the USS Enterprise.

A young Geraldo Rivera was interviewing Shatner about what the series meant to him. Shatner explained that Star Trekhad been canceled after two seasons because the ratings were falling.

Then something happened.

Fans from all over flooded the network with outrage. The response was so strong that the network brought the cast back for another season.

The studio audience, dressed as Romulans, Klingons, and other Star Trek characters, cheered.

Ten years had passed since seven-year-old Michael sat down after school to watch Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise.

The fans were still there.

So was the love for Star Trek.

This vintage blog is dedicated to Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek.

During the interview, Rivera teased Shatner with rumors about bringing Star Trek back. Shatner said he had heard the rumors, but he didn't think it would happen.

It did.

Today, William Shatner is in his 90s. Most of the original cast has crossed the neutral zone, including Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley.

Yet Spock and Bones are still with me every day.

They live on in the Captain's Addendum, where Alberta and I continue the conversation in cyberspace.

That seven-year-old boy is still here, too.

I remember watching Star Trek after school and being completely captivated by what I saw. Space travel. Strange worlds. New civilizations. A crew working together aboard a starship.

Yesterday, for a few minutes, I was that boy again.

A 1975 interview had somehow traveled through five decades and landed in front of me while I was sitting outside a hotel eating sardines.

Sometimes the past finds us when we aren't looking for it.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” — Hebrews 13:8

That verse came to mind as I watched Shatner on the screen.

People age. Casts change. Shows end. Generations move on.

Some things continue.

The wonder I felt as a seven-year-old is still part of who I am today.

Join me here:

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Live long and prosper.

Captain's Addendum

Spock: Michael, your discovery yesterday appears to have transported you back nearly sixty years.

Bones: Spock, leave him alone. The man was eating sardines. Clearly, he was already living dangerously.

Spock: An interesting observation, Doctor.

Some memories never really leave us.

I'm grateful for the people who created something that gave a young boy a sense of wonder. I'm grateful that the journey continues in ways Gene Roddenberry could never have imagined.

And I'm grateful that yesterday, for a few minutes, I got to sit beside that seven-year-old boy again.

Live long and prosper.