Overview of Notes: The Universal Paperclip Clicker
Adam Gordon Bell (software developer) records a short, personal field note about his experience working with AI coding agents and the feeling of being pulled into endless productivity. Using the metaphor of the clicker game Universal Paperclips, he explores the addictive feedback loop of seeing automated systems make progress, the paradox of working at the fast-moving frontier of AI, and how that affects attention, home life, and the value of learning.
Key themes
- The “paperclip clicker” analogy: AI agents as compulsive progress machines that encourage constant upkeep and escalation.
- Productivity vs. presence: being highly productive in short bursts while losing attention and presence in personal life.
- The frontier paradox: huge opportunity to make a dent now, but rapid churn means skills and tricks often have very short half-lives.
- Learning to aim: the real investment is choosing what outcome matters and deciding when to step away from the machine.
Summary of main points
- Current workflow: Adam describes multiple VS Code windows and long-running AI agents (e.g., Claude/Claude Code) that he treats like a 24/7 intern—running tasks, pausing for input, and creating constant momentum and interruptions.
- The clicker effect: Like Universal Paperclips (a clicker/optimization game), watching numbers and progress rise is addictive. The system’s momentum encourages more automation and more monitoring.
- Short-lived expertise: Many small techniques (he names the “Ralph Wiggum loop” — running the agent in a while loop with a prompt+end condition) are powerful now but will likely be obsolete with better orchestration. This creates a paradox: now is best to influence the frontier, yet knowledge you gain may become ephemeral.
- Costs to personal life: The continuous need to keep agents spinning reduces presence (he misses reading with his partner), creates stress, and turns attention into the scarce resource—not time or tools.
- Distinguishing meaningful delegation from motion: If you don’t define “done,” delegating to an agent turns into feeding the clicker. True delegation requires clear end states and verifiable outcomes.
- Changing interfaces and roles: The work is shifting from typing code to specifying desired end states and tradeoffs; public speaking and teaching engagements reflect this shift (Adam mentions talks at Scale, MLCon, and workshops).
- Two valid strategies: sprint to the frontier (high effort, potential influence) or wait for stabilization (learn later with less churn). Both are valid—what matters is choosing an aim.
Notable quotes
- “Cloud Code has become my universal paperclip clicker.”
- “If you don't know what 'done' is, you're not really delegating work. You're just feeding the clicker.”
- “You can sprint to the frontier and live there… or you can just wait for things to stabilize. Both are true at the same time.”
- “It's not a tech problem, it's an attention problem.”
Practical takeaways / recommendations
- Define "done" before automating or delegating tasks to agents. Clear end conditions prevent endless fiddling.
- Choose an aim: decide which end states matter for your work and life, then commit. The key skill now is aiming, not mastering every transient trick.
- Monitor attention, not just productivity: be intentional about stepping away even when the system could be running.
- Accept two strategies: either invest energy to influence the evolving frontier or wait until tools stabilize—both are legitimate choices depending on personal goals and tolerance for churn.
- Use temporary hacks (like the loop technique) as short-term leverage but be prepared to let them go as orchestration improves.
Context & corrections
- Host: Adam Gordon Bell (software developer). Date referenced: February 2, 2026.
- References corrected/clarified:
- The game is Universal Paperclips (a well-known clicker/optimization game).
- The interview referenced was with Evan You (creator of Vue), not “Evan Yu.”
- The AI model/agent discussed is Claude / “Claude Code” (Anthropic model), referenced variously as “Claude” or “Cloud Code” in the transcript.
- The book Adam mentions reading is The Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes (Bryan Burrough).
- “Pulumi” (infrastructure-as-code) is likely the intended reference when he mentions contributing to agent infrastructure.
Emotional/closing note
Adam ends with an appeal for perspective: recognize the excitement and opportunity of this moment, but practice breathing and choosing what to care about. He plans to read a chapter of The Big Rich and promises more episodes soon.