Brian Dill

Pro-democracy, SQL/PowerShell/R dude, photog, Ps / Lr junkie, sci-tech geek.

[Ruben Hassid @rubenhassid]

Don't upgrade to the $100 Claude plan (yet).

These 21 hacks make the $20/month plan enough:

1. You upload PDFs raw. One page = 3,000 tokens.
Fix: Paste the text into a Google doc. Download as .md format. Under 200 tokens.

2. You build files inside Cowork too early.
Fix: Plan in Chat first. Move to Cowork only when you know exactly what you want.

3. You write 500-word prompts that reload.
Fix: Write 29 words instead: "I want to [task] to [goal]. Ask me questions using AskUserQuestion."

4. You say "redo the whole thing" to fix section 3.
Fix: "Only redo section 3. Keep everything else. No commentary. Just the output."

5. You send 3 separate messages for 3 tasks.
Fix: One message, three tasks. "Summarize this, list the points, suggest a headline."

6. You type "No, I meant," stacking on the history.
Fix: Click 'Edit' on your original message. Fix it. Regenerate.

7. You rewrite prompts from scratch every time.
Fix: Keep a prompt library. Same structure, swap the variable.

8. You use Opus for a simple grammar check.
Fix: Sonnet for quick tasks. Save Opus + Extended Thinking for deep work.

9. Your about-me file is 22,000 words (too long).
Fix: Trim to under 2,000 words. End sessions with "Write a session-notes .md."
Paste my .md file prompt: https://t.co/LyV7fegv4c

10. You never restart & keep stacking long chats.
Fix: When Cowork goes sideways, click "Restart the conversation from here" on an earlier message.

11. You never summarize before things get long.
Fix: Every 15-20 messages → summarize, copy the brief, start a fresh session.

12. You use Projects for recurring files.
Fix: Use Projects. Upload once. Every chat inside references it without re-burning tokens.

13. You dump 50 files into Cowork "just in case."
Fix: Only include what this task needs. Zero folders for quick tasks like email drafts.

14. You keep 3 topics in 1 chat. Claude re-reads all.
Fix: New topic = new chat. Always. Dead context is dead tokens.

15. You leave search & connectors on by default.
Fix: Default everything off. Turn features on per task, not per account.

16. You manually run the same report every week.
Fix: Use /schedule. "Every Monday at 7am, create my weekly briefing."

17. You let Claude Code explore your whole repo.
Fix: Be specific. "Build a bar chart from this CSV. Save as chart .png."

18. You skip Personal Preferences & waste setup.
Fix: Settings → Personal Preferences. Set your tone and style once.

19. You type lazy prompts like "make it better."
Fix: Speak your prompts with wispr .ai. Richer context in one shot.

20. You burn your whole limit in one morning.
Fix: Claude runs on a rolling 5-hour window. Split it.

21. You use Claude for things it can't do.
Fix: Know your tools. Images → Gemini.
Real-time search → Grok.

To download my exact .md files:

1. Go to https://t.co/psB7XxAv8w.
2. Subscribe for free. Open my welcome email.
3. Hit the automatic reply button inside.
4. Go to the Notion link in the second mail.
5. Copy-paste prompts, too.

[Brian Dill @bdill]

@tbonier The innumeracy of the general public will forever make them vulnerable to propaganda.

[Brian Dill @bdill]

@JoeKnappMM @Thomashornall The 21st amendment repealed the 18th amendment and that right (to buy/sell alcohol) was once again granted back to the citizens.

[Brian Dill @bdill]

@JoeKnappMM @Thomashornall When you say “it took a right away”. What is “it”? “It” (prohibition) was the 18th Constitutional amendment (our social contract) that revoked a right (to buy/sell alcohol). It is literally the thing you said couldn’t happen.

[Brian Dill @bdill]

@JoeKnappMM @Thomashornall LOL. Are you MAGA? Because that would explain a lot. The right to sell alcohol was the right that was revoked by prohibition. Then a subsequent Amendment granted that right (to sell alcohol) back to citizens

[Brian Dill @bdill]

@JoeKnappMM @Thomashornall Human rights are granted by social contract. In the US that is the Constitution. They can also be revoked (see prohibition)

[Brian Dill @bdill]

Spreadsheet: https://t.co/u5yeJ7gdt3

[Brian Dill @bdill]

Texas has more K-12 students than the following 13 states* COMBINED
VT, DC, WY, ND, AK, RI, DE, SD, MT, NH, HI, ME, PR, WV, NM, ID, NE, MS, NV, KS, AR, IA

*DC is one of the "states"

Data Source: NCES
File: Membership for 2022-2023
#rstats #nces

[Jeff Flake @JeffFlake]

I’ll be supporting @KamalaHarris for President and @Tim_Walz for Vice President. My full statement below.

[George Conway ⚖️🇺🇸 @gtconway3d]

shoot this into my veins please

[Brian Dill @bdill]

@DavidAllenSD @sweetser_kyle If you think Mr. "Two Corinthians" is a man of faith, then I have a bridge to sell you.

[Brian Dill @bdill]

@AmericanSandi @sweetser_kyle You owe your right to have your own bank account and your right to vote to progressives. Conservatives of the day wanted you to remain the property of your father or husband.

[Brian Dill @bdill]

Median home value over time for select counties in Tennessee

Update to include 2021 and 2022 (2020 is missing b/c of COVID)
#rstats #census #acs

[Brian Dill @bdill]

Median home value over time for select counties in Tennessee
#rstats #census #acs

[Steven Rattner @SteveRattner]

Note to those trying to blame down stock market day on VP Harris: Stock markets have gone up faster under D’s than R’s.

[Steven Rattner @SteveRattner]

Trump keeps talking about ramping up oil production, but it was under Biden that the US became a net exporter of petroleum & oil.

[Steven Rattner @SteveRattner]

Project 2025 shifts taxes from the wealthy to the middle class— a family of 4 earning $100K would suffer a $2,600 tax hike, while a family earning $5 million would get a $325,000 tax cut.

cc: @Brendan_Duke

[Brian Dill @bdill]

@MarshaBlackburn This is the result of COVID induced inflation. Inflation that is lower here than in the G7 countries.

[Brian Dill @bdill]

LOL Biden's war on oil. The US is producing more oil than any country EVER.

[Bob Wade @BobWade534726]

@SteveRattner @Morning_Joe And it didn't start inflation. It started after Biden went to war on oil which shot up prices on everything.

[Michael Podhorzer @Mike_Podhorzer]

1/ At long last, can we all stop pretending that Alito, Thomas, Barrett, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh are legitimate jurists? They are politicians who were effectively “appointed” to the Court by the Federalist Society, which has turned the Supreme Court into an unaccountable super-legislature.

Their mission is to repeal and replace the 20th Century—to destroy the guardrails protecting Americans from civil rights violations and corporate predations. #Immunity

[Steven Rattner @SteveRattner]

Trump’s claim that Biden only added “bounce back” jobs is simply not true — 6.2 million more Americans are employed relative to pre-pandemic levels. @Morning_Joe