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I Still Don’t Really Know JSX. And I Don't Think It Matters.

I built a production-grade React app—and still don’t fully understand JSX. In the AI-assisted era, syntax mastery matters less than system design. You’re not the coder anymore. You’re the architect. The real skill? Knowing what to ask, how to judge, and when the output doesn’t fit.

Even the AI Is Confused

What My Stack Audit Revealed About Modern Dev

The Drift Beneath the Velocity

Week 2 of AI-assisted coding brought velocity — but also drift. This post explores the moment I realized I was managing AI agents like a team, and what that means for the future of software consulting.

Am I Ever Not Working?

If your value lies in how you think, are you ever really off the clock? Lately, I’ve been chasing AI workflows at all hours—and thinking through systems even when I’m not at my keyboard. This post reflects on the cost of always being “on,” and how to protect the infrastructure: you.

Skip the API: Building a Local ChatGPT Bridge for VS Code

Can you skip the API and wire ChatGPT directly into VS Code? Turns out, yes — with a little browser magic. This post breaks down how I thought about building a local-first bridge that replaces Kilo and avoids token costs, all powered by curiosity and a builder’s mindset.

From Copilot to Enforcer: The AI Maturity Spectrum for Developers

Or: What happens when AI stops just helping you code — and starts holding your system accountable

Tool-and-Die Thinking for the AI Age

How AI coding tools helped me beat the overhead wall — and build faster than I think.

Just-in-Time Software

Just like cloud killed the server rack, AI is killing fixed tools. I built a full E2E test system from scratch—faster, cheaper, tailored—using nothing but schema, rules, and AI prompts. Why buy tools when you can generate them just-in-time?

Who Reviewed the Reviewer?

This post is about that realization. About what happens when AI becomes the default reviewer, and starts learning from its own reflections. We’re not just debugging code anymore. We’re debugging the system that teaches itself how to review.

Tokens Are Dev Hours. Waste Is a Feature, Not a Bug.

With AI development, waste isn’t hidden in team velocity or burndown charts — it’s itemized on your invoice. That’s not a flaw. It’s a feature.

The AI Engineer Has Joined the Team. Now What?

AI isn’t just accelerating software development — it’s reorganizing it. This post unpacks what changes when you start designing teams, tools, and processes around a human–AI hybrid model. Planning shifts. Costs shift. Roles shift. The real question is: are we ready to shift with it?

From Fear to Flow: How Building a Tournament Manager App Taught Me to Scale with AI

I didn’t start with a strategy. I started with fear. Here’s how a grassroots volleyball app turned into my personal AI bootcamp—and the repeatable framework I built along the way.

My AI Engineering Team

I didn’t set out to build an AI team. I just started with ChatGPT prompts for Lovable AI. Over time, it evolved into managing a layered squad of AI tools—architects, coders, and reviewers—working together like a real dev team. This changed how I work and lead AI-assisted projects.

Getting Unstuck: Why We Start With a Sketch

Projects stall when we confuse blockers with priorities. This post explores the “desk-building” metaphor to help teams stop over-planning and start making progress — by sketching first, sorting screws later.