Blog

The last hurrah of human coding

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A reflection on Alex MacCaw's concept of 'vibe coding' for senior engineers and how it aligns with the need for structured, architect-led AI collaboration.

Shape your work, influence strategy

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A practical method for teams to shape their work, influence strategy, and bridge the gap between high-level vision and daily execution.

What a coffee shop can teach you about system design

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A summary of a great article by Raul Junco that uses a coffee shop to explain complex system design principles in a simple way.

Are you the best Chief Data Officer?

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A quick and fun game to test your skills as a Chief Data Officer, balancing data quality, reputation, and profit.

Using an LLM as a personal tutor for my systems engineering course

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A detailed look at my workflow for using a custom-prompted LLM to create effective study materials for a university course.

Finding leverage in the middle: Thoughts on domain engineering

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A look at Jack Danger's concept of Domain Engineering and why this often-neglected middle layer is crucial for long-term strategy and scalability.

Beyond the vibe: structuring AI-assisted development

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Discover how to move from chaotic 'vibe coding' to a structured workflow by applying advanced techniques for steering AI collaboration tools like Claude, Cline, and Cursor.

How extraversion shapes remote communication

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A look at recent research showing how introverts and extraverts have different communication needs in a remote workplace, and how leaders can adapt.

Not BYOD, but BYOS: Learning by building

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A fantastic collection of guides for learning technology by building it from scratch, and a reflection on why this method is so effective.

The small habits that define great managers

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A great article from First Round Review on the small, consistent actions that separate high-impact managers from the rest.

Security risks in LLM agents: Simon Willison’s insights

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A summary of Simon Willison’s recent posts on security risks in LLM agents, including the lethal trifecta, design patterns, and real-world vulnerabilities.

A practical toolkit for technology strategy

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Moving from high-level maps to ground-level execution by combining Wardley Maps, Pace Layering, and structured strategy frameworks.

A clear framework for the build vs. buy decision

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A reflection on a simple yet powerful rule for deciding when to build software versus buying it, inspired by an article from Entropic Thoughts.

Smart People Don't Chase Goals - They Create Limits

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Exploring how setting boundaries and constraints can be more effective than traditional goal-setting, especially in complex environments like software development.

Understanding MCP: A New Standard for AI Integration

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Exploring Anthropic's Model Context Protocol and its potential to transform how AI interacts with software tools.

Agents: Programming with feedback-driven LLMs

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How LLM agents become dramatically more capable when given tools to interact with their environment.