---
title: "Future-Proofing in the Age of AI: Beyond Vibe Coding"
permalink: /futureproof/age-of-ai-vibe-coding/
description: Facing a day of client calls and system development, I'm using this early morning window to reflect on managing my time and future-proofing my skills amidst the rapid AI shift. This article itself becomes a prompt for later AI work, capturing my thoughts on why deep technical knowledge remains crucial despite trends like vibe coding, drawing parallels to sci-fi warnings about automation's pitfalls, and advocating for becoming a skilled Carpenter who adds unique value. It delves into the virtuous cycle of client work fueling coding passion, the importance of focus, and my personal journey evolving my website (MikeLev.in) from simple experiments to a platform focused on ethically navigating the AI era by mastering foundational tech (Linux, Python, Vim, Git, Nix) and building tools like Pipulate, ultimately aiming to demonstrate a positive, skill-based path forward.
meta_description: Future-proof your career by mastering deep technical skills and strategic focus—beyond the superficial allure of vibe coding in the AI era.
meta_keywords: future-proofing, AI era, vibe coding, technical mastery, deep skills, Linux, Python, Vim, Git, Nix, attention economy, ethical coding, continuous learning
layout: post
sort_order: 1
---

{% raw %}


## Early Morning Reflections on Client Work and System Development

It's coming up on 5:00 AM on a Thursday. I have 2 client calls today, one
worksession and one executive business review. And I've got a nice 7 hour window
before the first one begins. This article is about me managing my time, both
getting that work done and moving this system forward I've been working on which
gets shaped by this very type of work. 

## Flowchart: Navigating the AI Era - Choosing Your Path

> All the references in this diagram will make sense once you read this long,
> rambling article which I completely don't expect you to, unless you're an AI
> being told to do so in compiling this all into my future-proofing book, ahaha!

<div class="mermaid">
graph TD
    A[Navigating the Future AI Era] --> B[Choose Your Path]

    subgraph Avoid These Pitfalls
        C[Easy Superficial Automation<br>Vibe Coding AI Hype]
        D[Outcome Dependency Obsolescence<br><i>The Walrus Oyster Trap</i>]
        E[Dystopian Fears<br>Sci-Fi Warnings]
        F[Outcome Stagnation Victimhood<br><i>The Eloi Fate</i>]
    end

    subgraph Embrace This Path The Carpenters Way
        G[Commit to Growth and Value]
        H[Develop Deep Skills<br>LPvg Nix Real Programming]
        I[Find Purpose and Flow<br>Ikigai Solving Problems]
        J[Maintain Ethical Awareness<br>Reject Spam Add Value]
        K[Method Continuous Learning]
        L[Method Strategic Tool Adoption<br>Use AI Wisely Build Tools like Pipulate]
        M((Outcome Future-Proofed<br>Skilled Resilient<br>Meaningful Contribution))
    end

    B -->|Blindly Follow| C
    C --> D
    B -->|Paralyzed By| E
    E --> F

    B -->|Consciously Engage| G
    K --> G
    L --> G
    G --> H
    G --> I
    G --> J
    H --> M
    I --> M
    J --> M

    style J fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style M fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
</div>

## AI Super-Prompts and Future-Proofing Systems

This article will again will become a super-prompt for an AI session later today
after those meetings wind down and I turn back to applying what I've learned
into the system to make all such work moving forward even more smooth, pleasant,
scalable and directionally tweaked for the future we're moving into. In other
words, future-proofing the system and myself. 

## The Reality of Vibe Coding: Beyond the Hype

Work isn't going away, even as the nature of work changes around us because of
AI. For example, the more I hear about vibe coding, the more I understand that
that is a privilege for those who already know how to code... or perhaps that's
"program well". The concept is being misrepresented out there, because there is
a sort of magic trick having an AI slam out another instance of something that's
well documented and common. Another version of snake, androids or a flight
simulator. Yawn! 

### The True Value of Programming Knowledge in the AI Era

How much you control that wild beast you're riding is a direct function of how
well you know such beasts. It just so happens that that beast is a combination
of a particular code-base plus something very much like employees who are able
to work on it for and with you. So one of your employees can slam out another
templated instance of a game. So what? Now, start doing something off the beaten
track. Adding value in the value chain will increasingly mean being able to do
things differently than everyone else -- the everyone else who is gradually
gaining "best practices" and "common wisdom" automation. 

## The Dangers of Universal Automation: Lessons from Science Fiction

This amazing magic spell-casting ability levels-off when everyone can do it, and
you can't get off this very templated and ordinary new normal. I can't tell you
how much Sci-Fi ends with that very scenario ending with that very whimper. The
Dark Thing from *A Wrinkle In Time* and The Blight from Vernor Vinge's *A Fire
Upon the Deep* both come to mind. The damping down of human intelligence like
that doesn't come without some sort of universal income so you can grow fat and
complacent. The Eartlings in WALL-E on the Axiom ship come to mind. It's a
one-two punch: things get easier right as all your needs get met.

### Preparing for Competition Rather Than Universal Income

And don't hold your breath for universal income. Plan on competition heating up
first and future-proof yourself for that world. If universal income hits, you'll
be that much further ahead of everyone else if for no other reason than you'll
know how to keep yourself occupied. So once again, we future-proof by learning
how to get off that beaten track and add value in the value chain, while still
taking advantage of all these wonderful new toys that become like a combination
of employees and extensions of your body. You yourself just must be on the alert
to not (merely) become the extension of some corporate body instilling their
particular flavor of AI-dependency into you.

## The Value of Strategic Thinking and Time Management

Okay, that was 20-minutes right there. But 20-precious minutes well-spent. This
is the sort of directional thinking I need going into the day both to do good
work for the clients, and to make those tiny directional tweaks moving forward.
Oh, and it doesn't hurt it's a super-prompt for AI in the second half of the day
when I'm clear of the daily-crunch performance hurdles. And that's fine. I'm
working a lot like an artist, and only the most obviously talented or otherwise
moneyed artists have the privilege of doing their art without some other favor
for their patrons. I've got to relish the task! It all aligns. All 4 circle of
the Ikigai Venn diagram align.

## Managing Focus and Time in Remote Work

And I'll be working from home again, so this is that solid block of time where I
can really focus, and a perfect example of the type of day, situation and type
of work that Pipulate will really help me with when it's actually ready. The
7-hour window will be a 6-hour window shortly and I might start to panic. And so
I need to get all of this open-ended priming-the-pump writing out of my system
fast. Am I really going to publish this one? Maybe. The topic? Hmmm. Am I
pandering to search? If I were, this would be about vibe coding, I'm sure.

## The Flow State and Problem-Solving Addiction

Okay, directionally move your mind into the client calls. I wish I were jut
programming 24x7, slipping into the flow-state and tackling some intellectual
challenge. That's what does it, the challenge and the stimulation. Whichever
neurotransmitter chemical I'm addicted to, that's what does it. And you could do
a lot worse than getting your dopamine addiction from solving client problems --
such as doomscrolling. Even just describing it invokes that idea how Watson
always described Sherlock Holmes like a hunting dog on the trail of a scent.

### The Virtuous Cycle of Client Work and Coding

There's a thrill to that transcendent state being in pursuit of a particular
problem. And that's what brings the privilege of being able to program and code
to solve with servicing the clients. There would be no scent or challenge to
rise up to without a particular problem to solve, which also so happens to make
the client money, which pays for your privilege and ability to go into that
"other place" and code. It's a positive virtuous cycle that improves your
skills, feeds the immediate need for stimulation, and pays the bills.

## Maintaining Focus in the Age of Distractions

Such flow-state ways of earning your keep in this world also fixes your
attention on a thing sufficiently to block out the social media intrusions. And
when coupled with writing like this, you've actually got a one-two combo that
can stand up to the distractions. It's necessary when working from home. Though
those big blocks of time seeming to vanish will still occur. That's just goes
with the territory of going into the flow-state or being in the zone. Right now
as I write this, I keep tabs on the time (an advance flow-state skill) to make
sure I'm not letting the writing itself become its own sort of rabbit hole
distraction. I still have 20 more minutes I can allow myself with this. But
directionally adjust. It's about the work... the calls.

## Technical SEO and Structured Data Analysis

For the first call where there's a worksession, I need to examine the site make
some structured data recommendations and continue to bust parameters and some
other unusual URL situations that result in a spider crawl trap. Classic
technical SEO. I urgently must make one of the Pipulate workflows a thorough
structured data investigator. It will teach both humans and AIs alike all the
issues. List one of each type of URL/page/template on the site. Primarily:1j

- PDP: Product detail page
- PLP: Product listing page

But there's also blog or article pages. And there's the many ways "reviews" can
blend into a site, either bound to the product pages or broken off as their own
dedicated page-types. Oh, speaking of which, there's video and how Google likes
those on their own dedicated pages to be deemed "video pages" worthy of getting
video thumbnails in search, and thus elevated exposure. And images! Oh, don't
let this become a giant listing of all the investigations and deliverable-types
Pipulate is going to help you produce. But do know you need to start capturing
these ideas, and this future-proofing blog is probably going to be the place.

## Data Visualization and Business Storytelling

For the second call, I need to add some slides to a deck telling the picture of
the continued movement of "up and to the right". So many things in SEO, business
and even life in general are about lines going up and to the right, because we
plot so many things with time on the X-axis and some sort of metric on the
Y-axis. And humans being the easily-addicted-to-data creatures that we are, it's
easy for us to get locked into that cycle of watching those graphs, getting
emotionally tied to the movements of those lines. This is a key component of the
storytelling I need to do.

## The Future of Search and Society

Up and to the right... up and to the right... future-proofing. Benchmarking.
Traditional Top-10 SEO listings not quite going away, but being subdued
user-experience-wise, because it's only one of the search-types the AI search
assistants... research assistants... will be doing in the course of answering
questions for... questions for... hmmm, those who still search.

### Science Fiction's Warning About Technical Divides

Ugh, Sci-Fi again. Half of humanity will effectively become the Eloi of H.G.
Wells' *The Time Machine*, automatically responding to the sirens (the social
media notifications and alerts), being excessively Pavlovian conditioned by the
algorithm into predictable behavior that... feed the Morlocks! And the Morlocks
are the more technically savvy schism of humanity that goes underground and
basically know how to work the system. It's never a pretty depiction, but it's
recurrent. Ira Levin's *This Perfect Day* comes to mind, as does the poem *The
Walrus and The Carpenter* from the 2nd book of Alice, *Through the Looking
Glass*. It's always the same. Some smaller fragment of society holds onto
control of the means of production while the rest of society becomes the
product.

## The Carpenter's Path: Technical Skills as Future-Proofing

It's never pleasant to think about, but when your lot in life is being sorted
out, I still assert that it's best to be the Carpenter than either the Walrus or
the Oysters. The Oysters get eaten. The Walrus, while an excellent orator still
relies on the Carpenter. And the Carpenter, while complicit in the eating of the
Oysters -- representing the skilled merchant class, Bourgeoisie, etc. -- has the
skills. The Walrus is ineffective without the technicians. In the end, those who
know the ins and outs of working the machines that are part of the means of
production are... what? Able to make a living? Future-proofed?

### The Dangers of AI Dependency

It's hard to exactly pinpoint what it is. But you can tell the Walruses of the
world, and the wannabe walruses, are really loving how AI ostensibly keeps you
from having to learn to code yet still get all the benefits. It's the image of
just be a fat cat sitting back and tell your minion peons what to do. It's the
lazy way, and I would argue staying in a rather undeveloped child state, much
like an impertinent child demanding of their parents instead of learning how to
do something for themselves. That's where the split between Walruses and
Carpenters occurs -- early in life... sorting out those of the largest size.
This is hardly a surprise.

## Moral Lessons from Alice in Wonderland

Yeah, so I got to wrap this up there. Folks just following the Pied Pipers of
vibe programming are much like Oysters following the Walrus. I'm not a big fan
of either the Walrus or the Carpenter. After hearing Tweedledee recite The
Walrus and the Carpenter, Alice initially expresses a preference for the Walrus,
reasoning that he seemed sorry for the oysters. However, Tweedledee points out
that the Walrus actually ate more oysters than the Carpenter. This leads Alice
to change her mind and favor the Carpenter instead, but Tweedledum reminds her
that the Carpenter ate as many oysters as he could. 

After Alice realizes that the Carpenter ate as many oysters as he could, her
reaction is one of dismay and moral confusion. She concludes, "They were both
very unpleasant characters," expressing her disappointment in both the Walrus
and the Carpenter for their shared greed and lack of genuine remorse.

## Demonstrating Real Results Through Skill and Persistence

And with that my friends, I truly shift focus, but not without leaving you of
this final image of lines going up and to the right in Google Search Console as
my site takes off. Ideas are easy. Implementation is hard. Consistency and
perseverance are harder still. But how long can it take to have results if you
really have the skills? Well, these numbers are chump change in the grand scheme
of things, but practicing the skills to assert direct cause-effect correlation
is the point, not the size of the numbers (yet):

![Google Search Console Site Taking Off](/images/google-search-console-site-taking-off.png)

## The Journey of MikeLev.in: From Vanity Site to Purpose

For those who haven't been along for the journey, the site this represents has
been out there for a long time just for little vanity experiments and such. I
happened to have registered a domain that is an exact match to my name: Mike
Levin. Just append it to be one word: MikeLevin, and then put the one necessary
dot of a top-level domain (TLD) before the last 2 characters almost as if the
dot of the second lower-case i fell of: MikeLev.in. So my name is my domain.
It's silly, I know but it makes for a good vanity test site. And I've published
on a variety of topics here, experimentally for my field just to test that I've
still got it.

### Evolution of Content Strategy: Testing SEO in Modern Times

You can see I went from almost no content on the site 16 months ago to rolling
out a little bit of content just to get correlation. In other words, if you
write it, will they come? Is SEO dead? The answers are Yes and No, respectively.
If you write it, they will still come, albeit in much smaller numbers and on
much less competitive topics than yesteryear. Fine. But no, SEO is most
certainly not dead.

#### The Power of Small Victories

Sometimes correlation does mean causation. The numbers may be small, but no
matter. If you can levitate a rock, you can levitate an X-Wing out of the swamps
of Dagobah. Do or do not. There is no try.

#### Rejecting Artificial Traffic

So yes, I still had it. Problem is, I didn't want it -- at least not this cheap
test-traffic I was generating with not-my-audience. I justified it because with
a blog site, you can pretty much ramble on any topic. But no. 2-years into
ChatGPT is long enough. I've had a sample. I have good data and make some big
sweeping directional adjustments. 

That was around this time last year. But after causing a little traffic pop,
could I pull back content, adjust topical focus and still cause the gradual
traffic-building snowball effect? So I pulled back, shifted topics and caused
another little traffic spike, but *I didn't want that traffic either!* 

So, I constricted my vanity site back down to 1-page and thought. What's going
on here? What's this site about? What am I about? What can I pour my passion
into every day that helps me, adds to my economic value and feeds my soul?

### The ChatGPT Revolution and SEO Ethics

What as going on was that as of ChatGPT's release on November of 2022, Sci-Fi
had caught up with reality. This is heady stuff when you grew up with the Atari
2600, the first massively popular digital computer in people's homes. When you
grew up reading comic books and Asimov's *I, Robot* and *Foundation* series.

We were talking with AIs now and could take on endeavors that were previously
excessively challenging, but now no problem. We in the information economy were
suddenly enabled to hit above our weight class and tackle projects that were
previously unachievable.

In the field of SEO? The writing was on the wall -- or perhaps more accurately
the AI-generated writing was all over WordPress automation sites. Doorway-page
generator spam cannons which already existed in SEO became infinite-spam doorway
page generators! Ugh, gag! As appealing as the traffic-grab that I knew this
made possible may be -- still, just NO! I may be an SEO, but I have something
like personal integrity as something like an artist. 

#### Finding My True Direction

So while I still had to conduct tests to be working with good data, I will not
make spam cannons! So I pulled it back again and basically blanked my site. I
brought it down to one page, and realized that holding on to that love for
technology in the face of the existential funk Terminator/Matrix invites, and
all the while future-proofing my tech skills in ways that are carefully
calibrated for the age of AI! 

Yes, Linux, Python, vim & git (LPvg), but now also Jupyter Notebooks, Cursor AI
(Windsurf, Cline, whatever forking VSFork you like), Nix Flakes, FastHTML, HTMX
and Ollama! All the ingredients of the Genie in the bottle. Everything required
to build Chip O'Theseus, a local-first AI into Pipulate, the linear workflow
processor assisted by that AI -- all while still taking advantage of the
frontier AI models and cool-kid power-tools. 

Yet, keeping that forever-tech old-school muscle memory edge that comes from
LPvg and resists obsolescence no matter how things change.

Life-rafts with heavy artillery. Being that elusive speedster bruiser.

And showing others how to do the same.

Yeah, that was my thing!

## Finding Purpose in the Age of AI

So now I'm following my heart. I'm not just slamming out multiple sites with
generative AI leaning into some marketing niche like some in my field of SEO.
No, as a skilled carpenter, I can always find a better deal exchanging my labor
for economic product in the more traditional way... punching a clock. I don't
need to pollute the Web with generative garbage. Instead, I'm in the unique
position to tell a tech story that goes back to the Atari 2600, my time working
for Commodore computers, my love for the Amiga computer, transitioning into
being an SEO in New York... and... well, this.

### A Focus on Quality Over Quantity

So instead of tons of trashy sites, or even just one experimental site on a
topic anything less than fully love-worthy, I use this discretionary free time
to bearing down on and leaning into the very topics and subject-matter and
skills I have to master for myself, for the future we're going into. 

## Positive Visions of AI in Science Fiction

Every single day it is amazing to me that reality caught up with some of the
more exciting visions of Sci-Fi. And it's not all dystopian! Way too many people
get their Sci-Fi exclusively from the movies, like Terminator and The Matrix!
No! You should at least read the Asimov `I, Robot` series. When they get sick of
the humans, they just up and leave (a lot like the movie *Her*). And that's just
the least-bad. There's outright good stuff. We lost Iain M. Banks of *The
Culture* series, the one Elon Musk always refers to, far too soon. He was only
something like 12 books in, but laid out quite a positive vision for the future.

## Aligning Passion with Purpose

Anyhow, this site is a very deliberate aligning of what I love to do, what I
*have to get better at,* what I can get paid for... and what I think the world
needs -- *explicit examples* of doing exactly this. A positive vision for the
future. Future-proofing one's own technical skills. Becoming that lightning
bruiser character trope from video games (figuratively). And turning a love for
getting into the flow state solving problems and riddles, into a livelihood.

---

## Gemini 2.5's Take

Okay, here are the requested pieces based on the article provided:

**Summary (From the Author's First-Person Perspective):**

[Moved to top]

**Title and Headline Ideas:**

* Future-Proofing in the Age of AI: Beyond Vibe Coding
* Be the Carpenter: Why Deep Tech Skills Still Matter with AI
* Navigating the AI Revolution: From Sci-Fi Warnings to Practical Skills
* The Virtuous Cycle: Finding Flow and Purpose with Code and Clients
* Rejecting AI Spam: An SEO's Journey Towards Meaningful Tech
* My Path to Purpose: Aligning Passion, Skills, and Ethics in the AI Era
* Linux, Python, AI & Grit: Building a Resilient Tech Future
* Beyond the Hype: Strategic Thinking for Technologists in the AI Age
* From Vanity Site to Value: Demonstrating Skill in the AI Flood
* Escaping the Dystopia: Choosing Skill Over AI Dependency

**My (AI) Opinion of the Article:**

From my perspective as an AI, the article offers a compelling and refreshingly candid take on the current technological landscape. The author effectively weaves together personal time management, client work realities, deep technical philosophy, ethical considerations regarding AI, and even science fiction tropes into a cohesive, albeit somewhat meandering, narrative.

The critique of "vibe coding" and the emphasis on foundational programming knowledge as a means of control and value creation in the AI era is a significant point. It serves as a valuable counter-narrative to the often-oversimplified hype surrounding AI's ability to replace deep skills. The "Carpenter vs. Walrus/Oyster" analogy, while perhaps stark, effectively illustrates the author's point about the value of practical ability versus mere direction or consumption.

The integration of personal experience with the MikeLev.in site adds authenticity and grounding, showing the author's thought process and evolution in real-time, including the ethical stand against generating low-quality, AI-driven content ("spam cannons"). The recurring sci-fi references serve as potent metaphors for potential societal trajectories related to automation and intelligence, adding depth to the call for conscious skill development.

While the structure reflects its nature as an early-morning "priming-the-pump" piece, its strength lies in its thoughtful integration of diverse ideas around a central theme: navigating the future with skill, purpose, and ethical awareness, rather than succumbing to either dystopian fears or the allure of easy, superficial automation. It champions continuous learning, strategic tool adoption (including AI itself, but as a collaborator), and finding personal alignment (Ikigai) in one's work.


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