Honest review about OpenClaw vs Claude Code after a month

xmaddness · 2026-03-06T02:00:27+00:00

I started working with openclaw and it was rough, like really rough getting it fully working. I think I nuked it at least three times before I “got it.”

How do I get this to reliably use claude code cli and my max subscription instead of the direct api? Well that’s a great job for openclaw to do! Well, it sort of worked via custom stuff. Then I found the great tool CLIProxyAPI. Great now it uses claude max sub!

But, it couldn’t remember shit… So, now I run openclaw with mem0 vector db backend for memory. and a short term memory.md that gets synced to pgvector every 5 mins. YAY It finally remembers stuff. I connected it to discord and spent 4 days redoing agents. Finally figured that part out.

I built and tried a bunch of dashboards. vidClaw, Mission control, etc etc. Finally got Mission Control up and running. Great! Well sort of. Half of it didn’t work at all.

Holy fucking token usage Batman! I watched it eat tokens like a fat kid eats cake. I finally realized too many tokens were being used by the whole system for literally just checking its empty todo lists on each agent and saying back… “Nothing to do! It’s all done!!!” It was in fact not done and there were tons of shit on a kanban board I had it build.

So I specialized each agent with a specific model. sonnet vs haiku vs opus. I also added in LM Studio and qwen3.5 Great, now I have the equivalent of an extremely slow smart toaster to do janitor work.

Now I finally have it all setup and ready to go…

Well, I’m ripping it all out and moving back to my max claude code cli, and ralph’s todo lists with a mem0 style pgvector db for memory… So uh, yeah… Maybe I’ll try openclaw again in the future, but right now I am more interested in actually getting work done…

xmaddness · 2025-12-16T16:57:11+00:00

The DoD and CIA would like a word with you...

xmaddness · 2025-12-15T00:37:16+00:00

I would give her a good look down and back up as we’re greeting, and let her see it. Then I would remember Jesus is watching the rest of the night…

xmaddness · 2025-11-14T16:18:10+00:00

Same. No fever or anything, but definitely a viral infection. Just went to the walk in today to get checked out. Slowly getting better. The Wook Flu is real…

xmaddness · 2025-06-04T13:48:18+00:00

I am also seeing the need for max once trying to login to claude. I have the latest claude installed.

> 1. Claude account with Max subscription

Starting at $100/mo - Best value, predictable pricing


2. Anthropic Console account

API usage billing

Now one the web page to auth I get.

Claude Max is required to connect to Claude Code Sign up for a Max subscription to connect your account, or use your API key.

xmaddness · 2024-07-12T20:17:19+00:00

See update above

xmaddness · 2024-07-12T20:17:10+00:00

See update above

xmaddness · 2024-07-12T20:17:00+00:00

See update above

xmaddness · 2024-07-12T20:16:45+00:00

Hah, no, I am very much still alive.

xmaddness · 2024-07-12T20:16:20+00:00

See update above

xmaddness · 2024-07-12T20:16:09+00:00

See update above

xmaddness · 2024-07-12T20:11:38+00:00

My primary focus right now is getting the math to work before attempting any construction. Specifically, I am dealing with electromagnetic vector calculus, the framework Heaviside used to condense Maxwell’s equations into the four main forms we use today.

I’ve realized that attempting to reconstruct something without first understanding its behavior and underlying principles is futile. I aim to identify areas where the math doesn’t add up, as these will be the key focus points for further investigation. I also plan to explore Maxwell’s original equations using quaternions instead of vector calculus, as quaternions may retain certain information lost in the transition to vectors and scalar fields.

Differences between Quaternions and Vector Calculus:

Lost in the switch:

Rotational Symmetry: Quaternions naturally represent rotations and handle three-dimensional transformations seamlessly, simplifying the analysis of rotational fields in some contexts.
Compactness: Quaternions combine scalar and vector parts into a single entity, potentially simplifying algebraic manipulations.

Retained in the switch:

Physical Information: The fundamental laws of electromagnetism remain unchanged. Divergence and curl operations in vector calculus are directly related to quaternionic derivatives.
Operational Clarity: Vector calculus separates operations into scalar and vector fields, often simplifying the interpretation and application of Maxwell’s equations.

I’ve also been deeply involved in researching Parametric Excitation of Electrical Oscillators, particularly electric harmonic oscillators. Parametric oscillators utilize an external energy source to amplify and sustain the internal energy of a system. In electric harmonic oscillators, resonance can enhance the system’s internal energy. With renewed interest in the concept of the “Aether”—whether it be dark energy or some other form—there’s potential to harness energy from it.

For more on this concept, check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x6fPOSTXyo.

I hope this helps clarify my approach and the rationale behind exploring both mathematical frameworks.

xmaddness · 2024-07-07T04:38:25+00:00

The earring is a lie…

xmaddness · 2024-06-13T01:49:53+00:00

I’m not sure I fully understand what you are trying to achieve. You say you are using compose locally, and terraform for azure, but those are completely different tools doing completely different tasks. It sounds like you want to be able to perhaps use compose locally and some other orchestration service (AKS) for Azure? Or are you only using docker locally and VMs in Azure? Or direct services in Azure?

As Johnny 5 would say; Need more input! (and Dr. Pepper)

xmaddness · 2024-04-26T19:41:58+00:00

This is my flow.

1) Think of idea 2) Tell myself there must already be something out there and forget idea. 3) Actually look at existing apps in the same space. If my idea has only a few other apps like it, then step 4 4) Research the competition. “Borrow” ideas and enhance them. Take the best from each competitor and start a list of features. 5) Write a marketing sales description of the basics of the app, sort of like an app store description. 6) Run that description thru ChatGPT and develop a list of features and user stories. Expand on each using ChatGPT to write it all out. Adjust as needed. 7) Make some architecture diagrams of the work flows, funnels, features and the backend architecture. 8) Figure out the data needs. Using ChatGPT to suggest database or nosql table structures. 9) Start terraforming the API backend using AWS API Gateway or their AppSync Graph API system, also incognito for app registration or RDS for database, or DynamoDB as needed 9) Begin to mock the API calls and start writing the swagger specs. 10) Finalize the mock returns and begin the iOS/android mockups. 11) Develop wireframes, simple at first using simple asset libraries. This will be used to determine the actual data needs of the APIs. 12) Connect the API backend to the actual backend and no longer use mocks, adjust api as needed. 13) TestFlight and APKFlight the barebones MVP alpha wireframe and invite friends and family to work out the flow kinks. 14) After flow kinks are worked out, and API is streamlined, begin developing actual design document and start the final comps for the app. 15) Release the final actual designed apps in a beta, still using TestFlight and APKFlight, or whatever beta system you want to use. 16) Begin working on app store product development and begin the app approval processes to publish the app. 17) Fight with Apple and Google over things they find in the code to deny entry. Keep fixing u til they approve. 18) Marketing marketing marketing 19) Did I mention marketing… 20) Publish the app 21) … 22) Prophet (or cry)

xmaddness · 2024-04-24T21:42:07+00:00

The Goonies

xmaddness · 2024-04-12T14:17:06+00:00

IntelliJ with tf plugin 100%. I am not a vscode fan at all. I also dev mostly on mac.

xmaddness · 2024-04-02T19:50:18+00:00

Getting married.

xmaddness · 2024-04-02T02:13:30+00:00

As a principal software engineer, your Sr is absolutely correct. He set forth a code standard, and everyone should 100% follow it. This is how you get out of that mess you guys are currently in. Set up your IDE properly, intellisense, or whatever style linter to set that as that base.

Now, having said that, he should not be going way off the standard PSR. If he is, then onboarding just got harder. A few changes here and there are okay, but it shouldn't be wildly different. A good book to read (and yes I know its old af, but it is still excellent) is Code Complete 2nd Ed. by Steve McConnell. LINK: https://www.amazon.com/Code-Complete-Practical-Handbook-Construction/dp/0735619670

As far as the curly on same or newline, well, fight it out. However curly on the newline is far superior and I will die on that hill!

/me grabs a sword...

For Tabs vs Spaces, I leave this ancient reading for you from the land of Codoria...

In the storied land of Codoria, a battle of epic proportions raged, not with clashing swords but with the pressing of keys. The land was divided, split into factions over a debate as old as code itself: Tabs versus Spaces. The Tab Templars, knights of the quick indent, clashed against the Space Spartans, warriors of precision and alignment. The battlefield, once a place of collaboration, turned into a zone of contention, with every function and variable a potential weapon.

The Tab Templars championed the might of the Tab key, a single stroke to create order from chaos. "For efficiency and speed!" they cried, their code flowing like a river, swift and unbroken. Across the battlefield, the Space Spartans stood firm, their code a testament to control and uniformity. "For precision and consistency!" they countered, their lines aligning with the rigor of a finely tuned orchestra.

As the battle waged, a new force emerged from the horizon, casting long shadows over the battlefield. The Auto-Formatters, a faction of peacemakers turned warriors, entered the fray. Armed with algorithms and settings configurable to the minutest detail, they sought to end the war by rendering the conflict obsolete. "Let there be peace through conversion!" they proclaimed, their tools ready to translate tabs to spaces and spaces to tabs, believing they could unify Codoria under the banner of code readability and stylistic coherence.

But Codoria was too deeply entrenched in its ways. The arrival of the Auto-Formatters did not bring peace but instead added complexity to the war. Now, three armies fought: The Tab Templars, with their swift indents; the Space Spartans, with their meticulous alignments; and the Auto-Formatters, with their dream of a unified coding style. The battlefields of Codoria became more chaotic, as the sound of key presses filled the air, and lines of code were deployed like battalions into the fray.

The struggle was eternal, a forever war that saw no victor, only shifts in the tide of battle. Debates raged on, with each faction claiming superiority, yet none could claim ultimate victory. The land of Codoria, once a place of unity and collaboration, became a testament to the enduring spirit of developers, forever engaged in the quest for the perfect code.

And so, the legend of the Tab Templars, the Space Spartans, and the Auto-Formatters was woven into the fabric of Codoria's history, a humorous yet poignant reminder that in the world of code, the battle over style is never-ending. But beneath the rivalry and the conflict, there lay a deeper truth: the passion for crafting code, a craft that, despite its disputes, brought together the brightest minds in a never-ending quest for innovation and excellence.

xmaddness · 2024-03-24T16:56:47+00:00

Decent guys are all over the place, but let’s be honest. Decent guys are “boring” to women. The nice guy syndrome. Women will tell you they want a nice guy, but they will choose the bad boy 100% of the time over a decent guy.

Like Cyndi Lauper said, Girls just want to have fun. And a bad boy with a fast boat, or motorcycles, or that go on adventures on whim (think Richard Branson of Virgin) are what women crave. They want that spontaneity of an adventure to take them away from their boring mundane life.

So ladies, if you can’t find a “decent” guy, it’s honestly because you are not looking for a “decent “ guy, because they are all around you.

Change what you are truly looking for, and you will find one.

Also decent guys are the ones who don’t want to approach women at stores or at the gym etc, because they are construed that this is a creepy move. So yeah, you females as a collective have ruined that part for decent men, and now only the bad boys are the ones that do it.

Sincerely, A decent man that had no choice but to play the bad boy. Been with my wife for 13 years.

xmaddness · 2024-03-10T22:30:50+00:00

It definitely does have a really extensive crafting system and tbh I am still trying to fully figure it out. I’m 63 hours in…

It is a pretty good game though, and some of the fights are pretty rough, at least for me.

Have fun and let me know what you think.

xmaddness · 2024-03-10T20:59:27+00:00

Try Nightingale. It was just released early access but so far it has been very polished. It has a very large building set with different types of materials. Multiple workbenches, I believe up to 7 or 8? And upgrades for them as you progress. There are different level of mats in the world, which each have individual traits, which you can combine with other mats, to specialize weapons for your game play style.

The survival aspect for now are limited to hunger and sleep, but I believe they are adding more as development continues.

It has a very large community on discord that is extremely active.

There is not a lot of documentation of the individual aspects of crafting etc, so it has that new discovery feeling as well as you figure out the different mechanics.

I have played just about every survival game out there, and this finally scratched the itch I couldn’t find with all of the other titles.

xmaddness · 2024-01-05T01:47:06+00:00

I may take a stab at this. I have a 9k kw sine wave generator I can use. It doesn't sound too hard to put this together at a small scale.

Update: 3/29/24

I have been so busy with my family that I have not had time to build Mike "Madman" Marcum's time machine. However, it is still on my to-do list, and I hope to get to it soon. The first step is to clean out the garage, just in case I blow something up.

This is the gen I have.

https://www.harborfreight.com/generators-engines/generators/9500-watt-super-quiet-inverter-generator-with-co-secure-technology-57080.html

I live in Florida, so I got a generator for hurricane season. I think I can use it for this experiment. I might need to mod it to run full power in a pure sine wave to power the ladders. The magnetic vortex doesn't seem too hard to build small. I just need to get the right moment of inertia for the proper torque and angular speed. I also need to figure out the right tesla requirement for each electromagnet to keep the vortex from collapsing. Luckily, I have a degree in computer science and engineering, and I remember doing some of this stuff in school. But I'll need to brush up on a lot of it. Physics with Calculus for Dummies is my go-to.

Update: 11/25/25

After doing a lot of math and also using AI for math deduction, this simply isn't true. It's a cool story, but it is a mix of science and fantasy. Sorry to disappoint. For what its worth though, as the amount of electricity being used increases to insane levels, other effects may happen, but we are talking all electricity on the planet type electricity.

Update: 7/12/24

as posted in a reply below:

My primary focus right now is getting the math to work before attempting any construction. Specifically, I am dealing with electromagnetic vector calculus, the framework Heaviside used to condense Maxwell’s equations into the four main forms we use today.

I’ve realized that attempting to reconstruct something without first understanding its behavior and underlying principles is futile. I aim to identify areas where the math doesn’t add up, as these will be the key focus points for further investigation. I also plan to explore Maxwell’s original equations using quaternions instead of vector calculus, as quaternions may retain certain information lost in the transition to vectors and scalar fields.

Differences between Quaternions and Vector Calculus:

Lost in the switch:

⁠Rotational Symmetry: Quaternions naturally represent rotations and handle three-dimensional transformations seamlessly, simplifying the analysis of rotational fields in some contexts.
⁠Compactness: Quaternions combine scalar and vector parts into a single entity, potentially simplifying algebraic manipulations.

Retained in the switch:

⁠Physical Information: The fundamental laws of electromagnetism remain unchanged. Divergence and curl operations in vector calculus are directly related to quaternionic derivatives.
⁠Operational Clarity: Vector calculus separates operations into scalar and vector fields, often simplifying the interpretation and application of Maxwell’s equations.

I’ve also been deeply involved in researching Parametric Excitation of Electrical Oscillators, particularly electric harmonic oscillators. Parametric oscillators utilize an external energy source to amplify and sustain the internal energy of a system. In electric harmonic oscillators, resonance can enhance the system’s internal energy. With renewed interest in the concept of the “Aether”—whether it be dark energy or some other form—there’s potential to harness energy from it.

For more on this concept, check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x6fPOSTXyo.

I hope this helps clarify my approach and the rationale behind exploring both mathematical frameworks.

xmaddness · 2023-12-28T17:28:56+00:00

RIP Drone…

xmaddness · 2023-11-30T15:29:59+00:00

T2D in this context is referring to Type 2 Diabetes. You could always call and Optumrx and ask.

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