The Terminal Is My Playground Now

Why I’m rebuilding my energy — and my systems — from the command line.

Author

Daniel Avshalom
August 02, 2025

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🧠 Insight Block — Joy Is a Signal

Everyone’s playing with AI through UIs: Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, dashboards, agents.

But this week, I found a quieter playground:

The terminal.

Running Claude from the CLI inside Cursor reminded me what flow feels like.

Not because I shipped something big — but because things felt lighter.

Tasks that used to overwhelm me — building custom logic, generating structured output, automating workflows — now feel tangible. Not because they got easier. But because the friction is gone.

If I can understand it, I can solve it.

If I can write it, I can build it.

That shift didn’t come from a new framework.

It came from a blinking black box — and the spark that made me want to play again.

🧰 Vibe Tool — Claude in the CLI

This isn’t a tutorial.

And it’s not for everyone.

But if you feel energized by clarity, simplicity, and flow — this might be the door you didn’t know you needed.

Claude CLI inside Cursor has become part of my personal OS.

No dashboards. No toggles. Just:

  • Text

  • Files

  • Intention

It changed the way I work.

I’m not here to sell you on the terminal.

But if you’ve been feeling stuck, consider working in a space that feels more like a canvas than a tool.

🛰️ Field Notes — Programmatic ≠ Optional

This week I published a piece in Business of Apps about what I’ve seen firsthand:

“Why programmatic must be in every mobile UA stack”

Walled gardens aren’t going anywhere.

But their dominance is shifting.

  • CPLs are rising across Meta and Google

  • iOS privacy has broken attribution

  • Marketers are locked out of the full picture

Programmatic offers something different:

  • Reach across the open web

  • Transparent, auditable metrics

  • AI-powered optimization aligned with your goals

  • Cross-channel insights that reveal real lift

Programmatic doesn’t compete with Meta and Google.

It completes your stack.

If you care about scale, sovereignty, and smarter spend — this is the move.

🧃 Personal Sidebar — A Black Window, A Bright Mind

This week reminded me:

Curiosity is the work.

The command line isn’t magical.

But it is quiet.

It doesn’t try to impress you.

It just asks: “What do you want to do?”

That question brought me back to what I’ve been missing:

Flow without force.

Execution without overhead.

Joy without pressure.

I didn’t need a new goal.

I just needed a place to build — and breathe.

✅  What’s Sparking Your Curiosity

This week it was the terminal.

Next week? Could be something else entirely.

What’s calling your attention right now?

Where are you stuck — or secretly excited?

Hit reply.

I’ll help you find the right question, tool, or path worth exploring.