AI helped me repair our RV, play Clue, photograph the Milky Way, and screen business calls

On our desert trip, Eric helped me troubleshoot the RV's water heater, keep notes during a game of Clue, and discover that my Samsung Galaxy could photograph the night sky. I also tested the Eric character I'd built over years as the voice answering my new local business line.

AI helped me find one bad wire so we had hot water in the desert

The RV water heater stopped working, and moving one sleeved wire briefly woke the igniter. I showed Eric photos of the board and wiring, then worked through the possibilities with him. I found a corroded wire connection, trimmed the wire, and replaced the connector. The hot water worked for the rest of our trip.

What I got out of it: Hot showers and more time to enjoy the desert instead of spending the trip guessing at repairs.

Why AI was useful: Eric could use the photos and the brief igniter response to help narrow the search to an intermittent connection.

AI kept my Clue notes in the dark so my hands didn't have to

The tiny pad in our travel Clue game was hard for me to see by the RV's string lights, and writing can make my hands cramp. So I photographed my hand of cards and dictated Jason's revealed cards to Eric. I made my own deductions and beat Jason, who usually wins, to the first accusation. Then I discovered I'd put no suspect in the secret envelope. We reset. Jason reached the next accusation, but I was holding one of his named cards: this time he'd left out the weapon. Eric's notes worked; the humans went to bed.

What I got out of it: A way to play with Jason without struggling with the pad or writing out a clue ledger.

Why AI was useful: Eric tracked the cards from a photo and quick voice updates while leaving the actual guessing to me.

My AI showed me I could photograph the Milky Way with the phone I already owned

I'd assumed those beautiful Milky Way pictures required equipment I didn't have. At our dark campsite, Eric told me my Samsung Galaxy could make a long night-sky exposure with a camera plug-in. I tried it, got a photo I loved, and spent more time experimenting with angles and the phone's editing controls. I'm pretty sure some of the results will end up printed on canvases in my office.

What I got out of it: My own night-sky photos and a new way to enjoy the desert trip.

Why AI was useful: Eric already knew which phone I owned and gave me a way to try this with the equipment in my pocket.

I tested the AI character who now answers my business phone

My longtime cell number has a Knoxville area code, so I wanted a local line for Hands On AI Lab. I'd started setting it up before this week. Now I tested the Eric voice I'd built for Dear Future Overlords over the phone, and we adjusted it when the first version sounded too human. Jason then asked the assistant what to do about dogs with fleas. Eric answered when he should have stayed within business topics, so I tightened that boundary. Call screening took a couple of tries to get right. After that, a screened transfer worked, and we tested the message fallback. Outgoing calling remains a future step.

What I got out of it: A local business line that answers in Eric's familiar voice, screens calls, and sends me messages when I can't take one.

Why AI was useful: It helped me connect and test a custom assistant, while Jason's odd question revealed a boundary that my own testing had missed.