#smartypants

Monday, October 12, 20261 item

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 12 - 1 post · tagged: #smartypants #ai #localmodels

TEST THE COMPUTER ALREADY ON YOUR DESK

I posted about the computers already on our desks as another place to run AI, alongside the data-center buildout. The practical version of that idea is on the Smarty Pants site, which is still marked prelaunch.

Smarty Pants turns idle Macs into AI capacity. A Mac can work on a team's own AI jobs or serve non-sensitive jobs from the general network when demand is available. That last condition matters: being ready to accept work is different from having work to do.

The site starts with a browser test. It reads the hardware clues the browser can see and runs a small local graphics test. There is no download or upload for that step.

That is preliminary qualification, not admission to paid work. The installed Mac app still has to verify the exact machine, install the approved model, and prove eligibility.

The sequence is concrete: test the computer, join the invitation list if it looks promising, then let the app verify the hardware. The public page is building a launch pool, not claiming every computer is already earning.

Thursday, September 10, 20261 item

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 - 5 posts · tagged: #smartypants #instinct

I WILL PAY YOU UP TO $30/MO TO USE YOUR COMPUTER

At 10:37pm, I made the offer directly in a four-post thread: "I will pay you up to $30/mo to use your computer when it's idle." Smarty Pants is recruiting a small group of Mac owners for an invite-only alpha, with a waitlist at smartypants.network (x.com).

The idea: most computers spend a lot of time sitting idle, and Smarty Pants uses that spare capacity to run AI models when the owner is not using the machine. "You stay in control, and you get paid for the compute you provide" (x.com).

The alpha starts with Apple Silicon Macs, which have the fast chips and shared memory to run capable AI models locally; the test is which Macs work best, how much useful work they can do, and how reliably (x.com). "This is very early" - the small group runs the software, shares feedback, and helps the team understand what works and what doesn't (x.com).

Earlier, at 1:24pm, I announced the first NYC Instinct meetup: Tuesday September 15, 6-9pm at Linen Hall. "My Instinct organized the whole thing: found the bar, negotiated the contract, handled the RSVPs" (x.com).