Scott Milam Townsend

Married to the beautiful @celestetownsend, OSU alum. Named OSU's Bullet in the Sept 15, 2009, WSJ. I earn the respect I am given. ENFP. Podcaster, video editor

[Noah Kagan @noahkagan]

My $900 AI lawnmower lost to a guy named Alon.

I was paying about $100 a month for lawn care. Then I found an AI-enabled, self-driving lawnmower on sale for $900. The thing paid for itself. Hit a button, cut my grass, perfect lawn forever. A little money upfront for a problem I'd never think about again.

Hello Vibe Cutting!

I'm telling you this because it's what I'm seeing happen everywhere right now, including inside AppSumo.

AI shows up with a promise you can genuinely believe. Then the real cost, the implementation, the maintenance, and what it actually delivers turn out to be somewhat else entirely.

So it arrived and I told it to go cut. I figured. See you later, humans. No more need for you. 👋

Figured it would just look at my yard with its cameras and figure out the grass. Nope. First you have to map the lawn, supposedly can do it "automatically." The air quotes are for dramatic effect.

The mower drove all over the place. Then it ran out of battery and crawled back to charge. I tried to map more and it mapped the wrong part of the yard. I tried again, finally got it to map the right thing.

It cut. Sort of. There were patches it missed entirely. It left the clippings exactly where they fell instead of bagging them. It didn't touch the edges.

It did, however, find time to mow down a row of my wife's plants. She was not pleased. That was day one. Day two I learned it also has to sit in a specific spot to get GPS. Every problem I solved revealed the next one underneath it.

Here is the part that stuck with me. As amazing as the idea is, it's still only $100 to have a person do it, and do it better. Could the machine eventually beat that? Sure. Maybe.

My vibe cutting is the exact same gap I feel with vibe coding and AI right now. The promise is a button. Describe what you want, hit go, get a finished product. What you actually get is a thing that drives all over the place, runs out of battery halfway through and pisses off your wife.

The demo is magic. The implementation, the cost, and what it actually delivers are still a long way from the pitch.

Will it get there? Maybe. Will it stay too expensive to be worth it? Also maybe. I don't know yet, and anyone who tells you they do is selling something.

What I do know is that Alon comes by twice a month, cuts the grass, blows the leaves, does a better job than my robot, and I like seeing him. For now the button I keep hitting is the one that calls Alon.

I returned the mower, I'll see Alon on Friday!👯‍♂️

[Scott Milam Townsend @ScottMTownsend]

Took @noahkagan up on his #thedollarchallenge from his book, Million Dollar Weekend. I asked him for a dollar to invest in The Scott Townsend Show podcast. He did. Amazing!

[Scott Milam Townsend @ScottMTownsend]

New episode of The Scott Townsend Show 🎙️ We dive into growth, perspective, and what it really takes to get 1% better every day. Real talk you can apply right now. Take a listen and let me know what you think 👇 https://t.co/svNPKceSME #fitness #growth

[Scott Milam Townsend @ScottMTownsend]

New episode of The Scott Townsend Show 🎙️

Talked fitness, discipline, and what it really takes to stay consistent—even when it’s hard.
• Confidence is built, not given
• Progress isn’t linear
• Keeping promises to yourself matters
Listen here: https://t.co/svNPKceSME

[Scott Milam Townsend @ScottMTownsend]

Listening to "#251 One Less Day, One More Chance" at https://t.co/xcAnPTn9PG

[Scott Milam Townsend @ScottMTownsend]

this camera changes your psychology. https://t.co/Upy05FCPDq via @YouTube

[Scott Milam Townsend @ScottMTownsend]

We crossed 10,000 downloads for our podcast.

Appreciate everyone who’s listened, shared, or been part of The Scott Townsend Show.

[Scott Milam Townsend @ScottMTownsend]

winter in NYC (moving pictures) https://t.co/jEd5EZYmiS via @YouTube

[Scott Milam Townsend @ScottMTownsend]

I just published the 250th episode of The Scott Townsend Show on @buzzsprout! https://t.co/VJ4MqErxVE

[Phil Collins @PhilCollinsFeed]

Celebrating Phil Collins’ 75th Birthday today. Happy birthday, Phil! 🎉

📸 Will Ireland / Concord

[Scott Milam Townsend @ScottMTownsend]

Listening to "The UP Project - My Journey To Watching UP 50 Times" at https://t.co/34LRrSOpgf #up #thescotttownsendshow

[Scott Milam Townsend @ScottMTownsend]

Listening to "#245 Jacquelyn Berney - You Don’t Need To Chase Likes To Build Trust" at https://t.co/0fHtP7mVN5

[Scott Milam Townsend @ScottMTownsend]

Listening to "#224 Max Skinner - Naked Skydives, Serious Causes, Real Results" at https://t.co/Go6Ie9qVzY

[Scott Milam Townsend @ScottMTownsend]

Why I Left My Dream Job At Pixar https://t.co/PM8lUH290P via @YouTube

[Scott Milam Townsend @ScottMTownsend]

If you're feeling stuck, watch this. https://t.co/wsRkSgQ6ux via @YouTube

[Scott Milam Townsend @ScottMTownsend]

💬 "Just be a caring adult and let them know that you are."
— Sam McCullough, The Scott Townsend Show

A conversation about connecting with Gen Alpha and emphasizing presence over perfection.

📺 Watch the full episode https://t.co/Fz2yySR2Vf

#genalpha

[Scott Milam Townsend @ScottMTownsend]

A mustache starts the talk. Changing men’s mental health rules keeps it going. #Movember https://t.co/S4OXkAu0Ay

[Scott Milam Townsend @ScottMTownsend]

🎙️ Ep. #240 Wrenches, Mics & The Blue Collar Wave w/ Sam DeWitt — from a dining table mic to a full blue-collar podcast. Showing up > perfect gear. 🔧 Listen: https://t.co/THXwIxJ6QE #Trades #Podcast #livinthedream

[Scott Milam Townsend @ScottMTownsend]

Listening to "#238 Why Opening A Bottle Of Louisiana Hot Sauce Shouldn’t Feel Like An Extreme Sport" at https://t.co/uCWv8luZzi

[Scott Milam Townsend @ScottMTownsend]

the strange freedom of being a nobody. https://t.co/1QFPbYC6ty via @YouTube