Colin Michaels

08/24/2026

One name turned into a much bigger universe.
The Dreadnauts started as a name mixing Jamaican dreads with astronauts. It grew into a four-member virtual reggae band, a nine-track album, videos, Project Sequencer, a website, merch tools, and a game storyline.
ChatGPT helped shape the concepts and lyrics; Suno helped produce the music. The real work was making every song, character, image, and tool belong to the same world.
These images show the journey.
Read the full behind-the-scenes story: https://colinmichaels.com/blog/how-i-brought-the-dreadnauts-to-life

08/23/2026

The hardest part of recovery was not always pain or exercise. It was fear, confidence, and learning to trust myself again after major heart surgery.

What helped you rebuild confidence after a difficult season in your life?

Read the reflection: https://colinmichaels.com/blog/the-hardest-part-of-recovery-wasnt-physical

08/22/2026

From LEGO SMART Play and DJI Avata 360 to smart glasses, creator gear, and a surprisingly useful tiny charger, these are ten 2026 gadgets that feel inventive instead of merely expensive.

Which one would you actually buy—and which one would become drawer clutter in a week?

See the full list: https://colinmichaels.com/blog/10-coolest-tech-gadgets-of-2026-so-far

08/21/2026

I discovered GOAT Guns in a vlog, immediately wanted the whole collection, and somehow turned that obsession into a retro commercial and a real test of my creative pipeline.

What product would tempt you into making a completely unnecessary commercial just for fun?

Watch the idea grow: https://colinmichaels.com/blog/goat-guns-are-ridiculously-cool-and-now-i-want-them-all

08/21/2026

08/20/2026

I tried ChatGPT Live and used voice conversation to move real work forward without stopping to write a perfect prompt. The biggest surprise was how naturally brainstorming could turn into a usable blog workflow.

Would you rather talk through an idea or type it out first?

See what happened: https://colinmichaels.com/blog/i-tried-chatgpt-live-why-beginners-should-care

08/19/2026

GPT-5.6 matters less because of a model number and more because AI is shifting from answering questions toward doing supervised work. I broke down Sol, Terra, Luna, Codex, the benchmark tradeoffs, and what regular builders should actually care about.

What job would you trust an AI agent to help with today—and what would you still keep completely human?

Read the breakdown: https://colinmichaels.com/blog/openai-gpt-5-6-codex-new-models-announcement

08/18/2026

Buying a drone is the fun part. Checking the takeoff weight, registration, Remote ID, airspace, and used-drone handoff is the part that keeps the first flight from becoming a problem.

Which drone rule do you see new pilots misunderstand most often?

Run the seven checks: https://colinmichaels.com/blog/before-you-buy-a-drone-7-faa-checks

08/17/2026

Launching a website is exciting. Then you open Google Search Console and meet a dashboard full of words you did not ask to learn. This beginner checklist covers indexing, sitemaps, URL inspection, and the early data worth watching.

What confused you most the first time you launched a site?

Use the checklist: https://colinmichaels.com/blog/what-to-check-in-google-search-console-after-you-launch-your-first-website