[CPU] My Plan to Bring Back LockerGnome
Yes, for realsies.
Greetings, Programs!
Remember the early days of LockerGnome? We were a community, figuring things out together. The mission was always the same, whether on the first newsletters, the forums, Gnomedex: using technology to foster genuine human connection. To help people help people. That’s how I got hired to host ‘Call for Help’ on TechTV!
Today, we're all facing a new frontier: Artificial Intelligence. It's powerful, exciting, and an absolute firehose of disorganized information. We're trying to use it for our jobs, our hobbies, and our daily tasks, but we’re drowning in scattered Discord servers, endless Reddit threads, and half-baked "top 10" lists.
In this new world, I believe human curation isn't just important - it's essential for anyone who wants to use AI effectively. We need a way to manage the chaos. A way to find the signal in the noise.
This is why I’m rebooting LockerGnome. This time, the name will finally make perfect sense. Our new mission is to build the essential tool for anyone using AI, a place where we can help each other refine, save, and share what actually works.
I built that prototype this weekend. It’s working code now, but there are a *lot* of kinks that need to be worked out before I can start bringing aboard beta testers (especially since it was ‘vibe coded’ and there are still a few missing pieces and disconnections).
I’m not a developer and doing this is already proving to be costly, but… I wanna try.
At the heart of this are "Lockers" - your personal and public collections of proven prompts. The 'Locker' is your secure place to store what works. The 'Gnome' is you and the entire community - the human intelligence that curates it. I suppose y’all are still “Gnomies” together.
This is for everyone trying to navigate AI for their personal and professional lives. Here’s how we solve the problems you’re facing right now:
Problem: "I had a prompt that worked perfectly last week, and now I can't find it."
Our Solution: The core of the new LockerGnome is "Lockers." This is your personal, searchable library. A feature to save, organize, and tag the prompts that give you the best results so you never lose good work again.
Problem: "I don't know who to trust. Most shared prompts are low-quality or don't work."
Our Solution: We're making reputation front-and-center. Upvotes, successful collaborations, and challenge wins all contribute to a user's reputation score. You'll instantly see who the trusted experts are in any category and benefit from their curated "Lockers."
Problem: "I have a prompt that's 90% there, but I'm stuck."
Our Solution: A dedicated "Prompt Enhancement" feature. It's a Q&A section where you can post a prompt you're struggling with and get concrete suggestions from the community to get it over the finish line.
Problem: "I want to showcase my AI skills for a project or to my boss."
Our Solution: Your user profile is your public portfolio. It will display your stats, your best work, and your public "Lockers," creating a tangible way to demonstrate your expertise and experience.
Problem: "A prompt is useless if I don't understand why it works."
Our Solution: Every prompt will have a dedicated discussion section. This is where the community provides context, shares results, and discusses the nuances of why certain phrasing or parameters work, so we can all learn faster.
Problem: "A great prompt for GPT-4 is useless for Midjourney. How do I keep them straight?"
Our Solution: We're building a platform that understands the tools you use. You can filter, search, and build 'Lockers' specific to the AI models you rely on every day, ensuring you always have the right prompt for the right job.
Problem: "I'm in a rut and want to try something new."
Our Solution: We'll have community-led "Challenges." Anyone can start a challenge on any topic, and anyone can participate. It’s a fun, low-pressure way to experiment with new ideas, learn from each other’s approaches, and break out of your creative comfort zone.
This is Where You Come In.
I’m reaching out to you, my longest supporters, because you understand the value of a community built on helping others. I am building this with a classic, bootstrapped "Community-First" principle. No venture capital.
To do this the right way, and build the tool we all need, I need your help:
Upgrade Your Membership(s): Your direct support is what will fund this vision and keep it independent. I know that’s not practical for everybody, but I’m still trying to build this tool *for* everybody. You can upgrade your status on Patreon, YouTube, Twitch, Discord, or SubStack.
Sign Up for the Beta (If I can get it to that point): We need passionate early adopters to help us test the platform, provide crucial feedback, and plant the seeds of this new community. Be the first to get your hands on the new LockerGnome and help shape it from day one. When it’s ready. I’m working on it, obviously. That’s the whole point of me sending you this update.
Collaborate on the Code: The prototype is alive (but private), and I feel the code is about 80% of the way to MVP status. It’s being synced to a private GitHub repository that I built on Loveable this weekend. While I think I get this over the finish line myself (which will definitely cost something apart from a lot more time), I’d rather partner with an experienced developer from our community to launch a better product, faster. If you have the skills to help accelerate development, this is your chance to make a direct impact.
The mission has always been to help people navigate technology by building authentic connections. That mission is more vital now than ever. Let's tame the chaos and build the go-to destination for using AI effectively. Together.
Here’s a mockup of what the front page might look like, eventually (at least, as far as elements are concerned, not a specific design):
Thank you for everything. I can’t wait to keep going with this… with you.
This may become a longer-term project than I’d hope, but at least I’m trying. You know, as opposed to sitting here and guessing what anybody wants. I tried that and I simply can’t read minds.
Instead, I’ll try to bring “LockerGnome” back for the modern era.
So, What Did I Make for You Last Week?
iPhone Simulator (that also hilariously works on mobile)
Rain Simulator (because you’d rather be in Seattle)
Mathimation (because math can be visual, too)
Canvas Connect (for the times you don’t wanna Zoom)
Weather or Not (because the world doesn’t have enough weather apps)
Glass Case of Emoji (I still have no idea why I made this)
QR-D2 (because you can’t always trust other QR code generators)
Circlaud (for an immersive, soothing audio experience in-browser)
Do these tiny tools add up to anything useful? Well, at least I feel useful - and creative. That I can share such creations with the world? I suppose that’s priceless, but… time is the most valuable thing we have, so I’d rather not waste it on something that was senseless.
I’m having fun! Isn’t that reason enough to do anything?
I can’t be the person I was in 1996 when all of this started. I can’t be the person I was in 2006 or 2016, either. However, I can still be the best “me” for 2026.
Yours Digitally,
Chris, I think this sounds like a great idea. I loved the original LockerGnome and got lots of good information and tips there. But I don't think the new iteration will help me much because I'm not using AI for much. I've played with it a little but I don't find it to be especially useful for the kind of work and play that I do. So I certainly wish you all good things in this new project, but I'm doubtful that I'll reap any real benefits from it. I'm too old-school, I guess.