Introduction

This book is a practical, control-oriented guide to exploring and using artificial intelligence. It is intended for practicing developers, indie builders, and teams interested in local-first AI stacks.

The quarterly Hotplate offers a snapshot of the current landscape. The 2026 Q4 edition highlights long-running open-source agent harnesses, MCP as a default integration layer, persistent memory, and self-hosted agents. It reflects a preference for tools readers can run and control on their own hardware or an affordable server.

Use this book as a living toolkit: consult the chapters for practical orientation, and follow the linked source materials and quarterly snapshots as the landscape changes.