At Home with Tech

It’s not as complicated as it looks. Tech tips for your life.

Tag: Google Flow

August 30, 2026

Why I Created Three AI Spokespeople to Promote My Blog

Meet Mr. Tech, a robot and a time traveler. I invented them and then brought them to life in their own commercials below. But here’s their true purpose.

I had a mentor who once told me about her 80/20 rule when producing content. The rule said you should spend 20% of your time ‘creating’ and the other 80% ‘promoting’ what you made.

Leaning into the spirit of that 80/20 marketing rule, I’ve decided to spin up a few Gen AI characters inspired by my blog topics to help promote a few of my past posts. (And of course, by doing that, I’m instantly breaking that rule.)

So please meet my three AI spokespeople I created who are now starring in the below 30-second At Home with Tech commercials.  

The Time Traveler

Mr. Tech (You’ve seen him before.)

The Robot Teacher

My next step was to bring these freeze frames to life. But to accomplish that, I had to first wear the following hats:

  • Casting
  • Location Scout
  • Script Writer 
  • Talent Director
  • And Director of Photography
    (I occasionally used Claude for this.)

Once I provided the necessary creative direction and script, I put Gen AI to work creating video clips for my commercials. Here are the results.


This Time Traveler has a Mission to Save Time

My Blog Post:
How to Use Shortcuts on Your iPhone to Save Time



Mr. Tech Worries About Capturing the Sunrise on a Cloudy Day 

My Blog Post:
How Clouds Transformed My Boring Sunrise Timelapses
into Pure Magic



Robot Teacher Explains How to Unlock an Old Suitcase

My Blog Post:
Try this Luggage Hack If You Forget Your Lock’s 3-Digit Code



I Used Google Flow

So yes, I hope you watch my above AI commercials and then read my blog posts they’re promoting.

But truthfully, that’s not the main reason why I created them.

I gave myself this marketing assignment, because I wanted to learn more about how to make these AI spots.

For this project, I used Google Flow (Veo) as my Gen AI tool of choice. 

The Steps to Bring My AI Characters to Life

And while parts of my workflow generated cool, unexpected AI iterations, which I used for inspiration, much of my creative process still relied on this human’s creative vision. 

And because this astonishing technology is still highly imperfect, I found a clear need for an organized process that would lead me to an acceptable level of creative consistency and output.

So, I had to stick to the following steps:

  • Create the characters and their voices first
  • Generate their environments
  • Then put them together
  • Write the script and figure out each shot and length
  • Be ready to adjust certain shots if they’re not generating correctly
  • Don’t forget that each failed video generation drains your monthly credit allotment 
  • So allow yourself the flexibility to leave certain ideas behind
  • Give yourself enough time to account for platform generation delays
  • Simplify as needed

Though you can perform basic video edits on the Google Flow platform, I decided to bring my clips into Final Cut Pro for more advanced results.

I’m Learning a New Way to Communicate

None of this went especially quickly, and I found there were clear limits to what this ‘beginner’ could accomplish. What I ended up with wasn’t exactly what I envisioned, but it was close. It still feels remarkable that this is even possible.

And though there is some commentary out there about how AI may be taking away our need to ‘think,’ let me tell you, I had to do a whole lot of thinking with this. It was like trying to solve a puzzle that was regularly shifting on me. 

Sure, I traveled through several phases of frustration. But I also found the process entirely fun and invigorating. I was like a Star Trek ‘Q,’ creating realities from the whims of my imagination.

Of course, I know it’s only going to get easier. Not only because AI is constantly improving, but because this ‘organic’ is learning too.

Radical Change

As I travel through this new creative process to visualize my own ideas through AI, I hope you enjoy my silly AI spokespeople and find more of my blog posts.

The road ahead is far more serious.

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March 1, 2026

My Ode to the Fading Winter

There is an upside to this year’s brutal, wicked-cold winter. Simply that it’s coming to an end. And now it’s time to start looking for spring.

Yes, there are colder places on this planet with more extreme winter conditions right now. But let me just say as I don my weatherman’s hat from the greater New York City area… it’s been a brutal winter. 

Blizzard. Ice. Single-digit temperatures. Yeah, lots of fun.

I like to say it’s been “wicked cold.”

That line harkens back to a past life when I lived up in the Boston area and just about every winter was brutal. “Wicked cold” was simply… winter. 

But I’ve softened considerably across years of experiencing coastal Connecticut’s gentler winters. And now, it’s been something of a rude (re)awakening.

I will say, however, that shoveling all the snow hasn’t been quite as difficult. Why is that? Well, we’ve got the power of a high school sophomore on our team. And that’s made a huge difference. #TeamLester #grateful.

Power Up

I’m also grateful that we haven’t lost power across these winter storms. Sure, I charge everything up, including my portable power banks. But… as we all know, without a full generator back-up system, portable power banks will only cover you for so long.

Plus, I know we’ve got an exit strategy. #thankstofriends

Wicked Fun

But here’s the really good news. Wicked cold doesn’t necessarily have to mean wicked bad. Winter can be wicked fun.

  • Plus, I’ll always take the bite of brisk over summer humidity.
  • A fire in the winter fireplace is always a special experience.
  • And I’ve got admit, there’s a certain satisfaction that comes with surviving a certain amount of adversity.

And suddenly, spring is right around the corner.

Hello Spring?

Yes, it’s early, but I hope we’re close to that tipping point. Not to predict, but I see early signs beneath the retreating snow line.

And to celebrate this pending seasonal shift, I present to you yet another
Barrett poem.*

Ode to the Fading Winter

My weatherman’s hat is placed on my head, 
To report on single digits I dread. 
From cold New Yorks streets to the Norwalk shore, 
It’s wicked cold, like Boston days of yore. 
Though I’ve softened in the years in between, 
This brutal frost is a rude, chilly scene.

The shovel goes fast, I’m happy to say, 
With my high schooler’s strength to lead the way. 
Go #TeamLester! We have strength in the snow, 
Using three shovels and stacked in a row.
With an exit plan and friends close at hand, 
We’re weathering storms across frozen land.

But wicked cold days can be wicked fun, 
More than humidity and summer sun. 
Fire in the hearth and pride in the soul, 
When you’ve survived the freeze and reached your goal. 
The struggle stings, but the win is so sweet, 
As we clear ice and the slush on the street.

Now snow retreats and the sun starts to climb, 
We’ve reached the tipping point, it’s about time! 
The signs of the green are starting to show, 
Peeking from patches of melting white snow. 
Goodbye to the ice and winter’s sharp sting, 
I’m ready to say a “Hello” to spring.

*Editor’s note: I prompted the videos and structure of this poem into existence using a little GenAI assistance via Google Gemini and Flow. Thank you!
(My ice photos are still the real deal.)

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