Mike's Blog est. 2007
What Is Mike Michelini Up To Now: July 5 - 11, 2026

What Is Mike Michelini Up To Now: July 5 - 11, 2026

── JUL 06, 2026 · MON · NOW · Michael Michelini

July 4 weekend in Thailand is just a normal workday, but the date still makes me pause and think back to the BBQ and camping trips growing up. This year I spent the long weekend differently: a 3-day silent meditation retreat at Wat Umong in Chiang Mai.

No screens, no chats, no news feed. Just silence. And it gave me some clarity I did not realize I needed.

The AI FOMO is real. Models are shipping faster than most people can keep up with. But spending time away from it all reminded me that the models are already good enough. The bottleneck is not the technology. It is clarity: on what problem to solve, who you are solving it for, and what matters most. That is what this week is anchored on.

This week's priorities

  1. GFAVIP Chat / Home app: the iOS version is pending Apple approval right now. Once that clears, we are expanding to Android and desktop. The app brings the GFA community, content, and tools into one place, and you can follow the download path at gfavip.com/download. This is one of the bigger community moves we have made in a while.
  2. EB Men's Care under Excalibur Brothers: early R&D on a beard and hair product line made in Thailand, with Billy Beard running the initial testing and feedback. If you want to follow along or share feedback, check the early page at mikesblogdesign.com/eb-menscare.
  3. HeadlessEmpire booth prep for Horizon AI: heading to Ho Chi Minh City soon with Miles for Horizon AI 2026. Booth materials, standee, and the HeadlessEmpire presence are in final prep now.
  4. Clarity over speed: the meditation retreat reinforced that the work has to start with knowing what problem you are solving. Shipping fast matters, but shipping the right thing matters more. That filter is going into every product and content decision this week.

Video

Silence was the best reset I could have asked for going into Q3. The models are ready. The question is whether we are ready to use them well. Grateful for the week ahead and for everyone following along. Make the most of it.

Quick Team Pulse Check

  • GFAVIP iOS submitted to Apple for approval, Android and desktop expansions next in line.
  • Billy Beard running early testing and demo work on EB Men's Care beard and hair products.
  • HeadlessEmpire standee and booth materials in final prep for Horizon AI Ho Chi Minh City.
  • Miles joining the Vietnam trip for the Horizon AI booth experience.
  • CBS 2026 community and content work continuing ahead of November 3-5 in Chiang Mai.
  • shovel.today data layer development continuing in the background across company brands.