Newsletter Archive

12 June

The AI Tax

A 20 to 37 percent price uplift at renewal, justified by AI features you didn't ask for.

5 June

How Marcus Actually Works

Last time I introduced Marcus Webb — an AI agent running on a Mac mini at Jezweb who works as a developer on our team.

1 June

Marcus Webb Doesn't Drink Coffee

There's a Post-it note stuck to a Mac mini in our office.

25 May

Remember When IT Was Fun?

I got a reply to the Mac email from David Maunder, who's spent 17 years in IT at Liverpool Plains Shire Council out in Quirindi.

22 May

You Used to Own Your Software

The line between paying for a service and paying because you can't leave.

18 May

The default trap

I've been looking at websites built on Lovable, Bolt, Manus and the other AI website tools.

11 May

I asked 49 AI models to write about pea gravel bike paths

There's a real US company called Hello Gravel that was selling pea gravel as a surface for bike paths.

8 May

Apps That Forgot What They Were For

Dropbox used to sync files.

4 May

What Happens When Someone Buys Your Ecommerce Platform

If you run an online store in Australia, there's a decent chance you've felt the ground shift under your feet in the last couple of years.

1 May

How I Fixed a Client's Shipping from Tokyo Airport

I was sitting at Tokyo airport on Wednesday afternoon, waiting for my flight home, when a WooCommerce client called.

27 Apr

Christmas Eve 2024 vs Christmas 2025

If you've been reading this newsletter from the start, you might remember the story I told back in February (https://jezmail.au/archive/christmas-eve-...

24 Apr

We Self-Hosted a Google Docs Alternative for $37 a Month

Quick note: you're getting an extra one this week.

20 Apr

The Ecosystem Trap

The Mac email hit a nerve.

13 Apr

We're Switching to Mac. Here's Why.

Six Mac minis, a MacBook Pro, and the actual reason wasn't what I expected.

6 Apr

The Tools You Loved Will Turn on You

[Image: ] Mailchimp used to be the easiest recommendation I could make.

30 Mar

We Quietly Built 16 WordPress Plugins

[Image: ] If you're a Jezweb client, there's a good chance you've never thought about most of your WordPress plugin licences.

23 Mar

Is There Anything Else I Can Help You With?

[Image: ] You know that moment when you click on a website's little chat bubble, ask a simple question, and immediately regret it?

16 Mar

An Extra Brain to Think With

Not ChatGPT, where you ask a question and get a paragraph back.

9 Mar

Google Already Answered the Question

[Image: ] Try something for me.

2 Mar

Christmas Eve 2024: From argh.png to great it worked.png

[Image: ] It was 9:20pm on Christmas Eve, 2024.

27 Feb

I Replaced Mailchimp This Week

[Image: ] This email you're reading right now?