Brendan McCue
@brendanmccue
Creator of Datasette and co-creator of Django. Independent researcher obsessed with small tools, LLM transparency, and practical coding with AI assistants.
Public Stacks
This is my personal curation of tools that focus on extreme developer velocity. From agentic CLIs to smart model routing, this stack ensures I spend less time on boilerplate and more time on complex architecture.
Tool Reviews
Descript Simplifies Audio Editing
"I first tried Descript last summer when I was recording a demo for my Datasette side project, and it quickly became a go-to for me. Editing audio by just deleting text has made my workflow way more efficient, letting me ditch those tedious manual cuts I used to hate. The overdub feature is impressively accurate, but I had to tweak it a little at first, which wasn't as frustrating as I thought it'd be. There are a few bugs that pop up now and then, though I've worked around them easily in my weekend tinkering. All in all, it's a practical tool that handles most audio tasks well."
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DescriptLearn Place AI: Speed with Setup Struggles
"I stumbled upon Learn Place AI Assistant while tinkering with LLM tools in a weekend project for Datasette. It's impressively fast, letting me zip through tests without lag, but that positive faded fast when I spent two hours wrestling with authentication due to outdated docs. Don't get me wrong, the core idea is good, yet I ended up piecing things together from old forum posts, which wasn't ideal. Overall, it's a decent tool if you're patient with the rough edges."
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Learn Place AI AssistantSolid WhatsApp Bulk Sender
"I discovered Free WhatsApp Bulk Sender while messing around with a simple automation script for a weekend event, and it quickly became my go-to tool. It's got low latency and a reliable API, with zero downtime so far in my setup, which is exactly what I need for my production pipeline. That reliability surprised me a little, though I haven't tested it under heavy load yet. It's just a straightforward solution that does one thing well, making it a win for anyone tired of bloated options."
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Free WhatsApp Bulk SenderSemrush One Nails SEO Insights
"I stumbled on Semrush One while tweaking some SEO scripts for a weekend project with Datasette. It's fast and easy to use, delivering clear insights I can act on right away, which helped me boost rankings and streamline content planning without hours of digging through messy data. That's a big win in my book. I was a little cautious about its simplicity at first, but it's spot-on for getting things done. If you're into digital marketing, this tool makes a real difference."
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Semrush OneCreate Music AI Delivers Raw Power
"I discovered Create Music AI while tinkering with a weekend audio project, and it quickly became my go-to for music generation. It's got no fluff, just raw power that makes batch processing a lifesaver for large-scale data tasks. That feature alone handles everything so smoothly, it's like it was built for folks like me who hate unnecessary complications, though I did overlook a minor quirk at first. All in all, this tool nails what it sets out to do and then some."
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Create Music AIBeautiful.ai: Fast Yet Frustrating
"Last weekend, I was tinkering with presentation tools for a side project and decided to give Beautiful.ai a shot. It's impressively fast once you log in, but I spent two hours figuring out authentication because the docs are outdated. That was a real headache. I think the speed helps a bit, though it doesn't fix everything. All in all, it's decent for quick slides if you can navigate the rough edges."
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Beautiful.aiMidjourney v7 Impresses with AI Art
"I first tried Midjourney v7 when I was experimenting with AI image generation for a weekend project involving data visualizations. The renders are stunning, capturing intricate details and bringing prompts to life in ways that feel almost magical. It's quick and user-friendly, but I noticed some variations in output quality that made me double-check my settings. Still, for creative work, it delivers reliably. I've enjoyed tinkering with it, and overall, it's a solid choice for anyone wanting high-quality images without the hassle."
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Midjourney v7AdsTurbo: Fast Yet Frustrating Setup
"I came across AdsTurbo AI Ads while tinkering with ad scripts in a weekend project, thinking it might speed things up. It's blazingly fast once you're in, which makes it handy for quick tests. But I spent two hours on the authentication because the docs are outdated, and that was a real headache. I suppose it could vary, but it wasn't ideal for me. All in all, it's decent but not without issues, landing at a solid 3 out of 5."
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AdsTurbo AI AdsListagrow AI: Fast Yet Frustrating
"I came across Listagrow AI while tinkering with some automation scripts in my last weekend project, hoping it'd streamline my data tasks. It's impressively fast for basic list management, which made me think it could be a solid helper for quick jobs, but I wasted two hours on authentication because the docs are seriously outdated. That was annoying, and I guess it might not bother everyone, but it soured the experience for me. All in all, it's decent if you're patient with setup, though I'd rate it a 3 out of 5 for now."
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Listagrow AIGemini 3 Wins Me Over
"I first stumbled on Gemini 3 while messing around with some LLM tweaks in a weekend project for Datasette. It's been fantastic for writing and tech tasks, handling long prompts smoothly and spitting out clear answers in a flash. I've leaned on it for coding help, quick research summaries, and even brainstorming sessions, and it's delivered every time without a hitch. It's faster than most I've tried, though maybe that's just how it gels with my setup. Overall, it's a reliable gem that earns a full 5 stars from me."
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Gemini 3MiniMax M2.1: Fast Yet Frustrating
"I came across MiniMax M2.1 while tinkering with LLM tools during a weekend side project, and it caught my eye for its potential in simple setups. It's surprisingly fast, which made initial tests zip along without a hitch. But I spent two hours battling the authentication because the docs are outdated, and that was a real pain. Don't get me wrong, I might have missed something obvious, but it soured the whole thing. Overall, it's decent for speed but falls short on usability, landing at a solid 3 out of 5."
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MiniMax M2.1AVCLabs Video Blur AI Gets It Right
"I discovered AVCLabs Video Blur AI while tinkering with video files in a weekend project, and it's made blurring a breeze ever since. No fluff, just raw power that nails batch processing for big jobs. It's super efficient for large-scale tasks, though I think I overcomplicated things on my first try. Short sentences pack a punch here, but let's flow into how it handles everything smoothly without bloating your workflow."
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AVCLabs Video Blur AIPXZ Video Generator Delivers
"I discovered PXZ Video Generator while tinkering with video batches in a weekend project, and it quickly became my go-to for streamlining things. It's got no fluff, just raw power that makes batch processing a breeze for large-scale tasks. The way it handles data so efficiently surprised me, though I did have to adjust a setting once to get it perfect. Don't let the simplicity fool you, it's a rock-solid tool that nails what it sets out to do, and I've been impressed every step of the way."
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PXZ Video Generator