ai3 min read
AI as a Tool, Not a Substitute for Thought
AI can amplify judgment or replace it. The difference is intentionality—which skills we delegate, which we strengthen, and how we spend the time we save.
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Thinking, documented. Writing on AI, engineering, integrations, and product craft.
engineering(8)
I Got Tired of Manual Code Reviews So I Built a Free Automated Security Pipeline
Pre-commit hooks, GitHub Actions, and SonarQube—three free layers that catch secrets, CVEs, and Django footguns without a sales call.
Read more →The "Lazy" Developer's Guide to Twilio Auto-Replies (No Server Required)
Send default SMS replies with Twilio TwiML Bins—no webhook server, no deploy. Welcome messages and acknowledgements straight from the Console.
Read more →How to Fix the NVM for Windows `NVM_SYMLINK` Activation Error
NVM_SYMLINK fails when C:\\Program Files\\nodejs is a real folder, not a symlink. Here is a guaranteed step-by-step fix for the activation error.
Read more →From MySQL to PostgreSQL: My Django Migration Story (and a Tool to Help)
How I moved a Django app from MySQL to PostgreSQL safely—and the open-source toolkit I built with dry-run, connection checks, and type mapping.
Read more →Leaving Breadcrumbs for Your AI: The Hansel and Gretel Approach
Instead of giant terminal prompts, leave @implement and @docs comment directives in your code—breadcrumbs your AI can follow right where the work lives.
Read more →My Pinch of Salt: Did AI and LLMs Kill the "First-Time Correct" Engineer?
We used to plan before we typed. Now we prompt, push, and patch. Are we trading craftsmanship for the fleeting high of a green pipeline?
Read more →Let's Be Real: It's Time to Ditch `any` for `unknown` in TypeScript
We've all reached for `any` as a quick fix, but it comes at a steep cost. Discover why `unknown` is the safer, smarter alternative that will save you from future headaches.
Read more →ai(3)
AI as a Tool, Not a Substitute for Thought
AI can amplify judgment or replace it. The difference is intentionality—which skills we delegate, which we strengthen, and how we spend the time we save.
Read more →Leaving Breadcrumbs for Your AI: The Hansel and Gretel Approach
Instead of giant terminal prompts, leave @implement and @docs comment directives in your code—breadcrumbs your AI can follow right where the work lives.
Read more →My Pinch of Salt: Did AI and LLMs Kill the "First-Time Correct" Engineer?
We used to plan before we typed. Now we prompt, push, and patch. Are we trading craftsmanship for the fleeting high of a green pipeline?
Read more →productivity(2)
Why `git pull` Says "Repository Not Found" (When the Repo Exists)
On a machine with more than one GitHub account, "Repository not found" usually means the wrong identity is cached—not a bad remote URL.
Read more →Leaving Breadcrumbs for Your AI: The Hansel and Gretel Approach
Instead of giant terminal prompts, leave @implement and @docs comment directives in your code—breadcrumbs your AI can follow right where the work lives.
Read more →windows(2)
My SonarQube Scans Were Crawling; Turns Out Docker on WSL 2 Only Had 1 CPU and 1 GB of RAM
A short, practical walkthrough of diagnosing slow SonarQube scans on Docker Desktop for Windows, fixing it with a .wslconfig file, and validating the change against Microsoft's official spec.
Read more →How to Fix the NVM for Windows `NVM_SYMLINK` Activation Error
NVM_SYMLINK fails when C:\\Program Files\\nodejs is a real folder, not a symlink. Here is a guaranteed step-by-step fix for the activation error.
Read more →cli(1)
Why `git pull` Says "Repository Not Found" (When the Repo Exists)
On a machine with more than one GitHub account, "Repository not found" usually means the wrong identity is cached—not a bad remote URL.
Read more →codereview(1)
The Cleanest Way to Handle Unused Variables in TypeScript
Don't disable the linter or ignore yellow squiggles. The humble underscore `_` signals intentional unused vars—and keeps `@typescript-eslint/no-unused-vars` earning its keep.
Read more →craftsmanship(1)
AI as a Tool, Not a Substitute for Thought
AI can amplify judgment or replace it. The difference is intentionality—which skills we delegate, which we strengthen, and how we spend the time we save.
Read more →devops(1)
I Got Tired of Manual Code Reviews So I Built a Free Automated Security Pipeline
Pre-commit hooks, GitHub Actions, and SonarQube—three free layers that catch secrets, CVEs, and Django footguns without a sales call.
Read more →django(1)
From MySQL to PostgreSQL: My Django Migration Story (and a Tool to Help)
How I moved a Django app from MySQL to PostgreSQL safely—and the open-source toolkit I built with dry-run, connection checks, and type mapping.
Read more →docker(1)
My SonarQube Scans Were Crawling; Turns Out Docker on WSL 2 Only Had 1 CPU and 1 GB of RAM
A short, practical walkthrough of diagnosing slow SonarQube scans on Docker Desktop for Windows, fixing it with a .wslconfig file, and validating the change against Microsoft's official spec.
Read more →git(1)
Why `git pull` Says "Repository Not Found" (When the Repo Exists)
On a machine with more than one GitHub account, "Repository not found" usually means the wrong identity is cached—not a bad remote URL.
Read more →github(1)
Why `git pull` Says "Repository Not Found" (When the Repo Exists)
On a machine with more than one GitHub account, "Repository not found" usually means the wrong identity is cached—not a bad remote URL.
Read more →identity(1)
Who are you?
Someone asked me a question I thought I could answer in a sentence. I gave them my job title instead.
Read more →integrations(1)
The "Lazy" Developer's Guide to Twilio Auto-Replies (No Server Required)
Send default SMS replies with Twilio TwiML Bins—no webhook server, no deploy. Welcome messages and acknowledgements straight from the Console.
Read more →javascript(1)
The Cleanest Way to Handle Unused Variables in TypeScript
Don't disable the linter or ignore yellow squiggles. The humble underscore `_` signals intentional unused vars—and keeps `@typescript-eslint/no-unused-vars` earning its keep.
Read more →nodejs(1)
How to Fix the NVM for Windows `NVM_SYMLINK` Activation Error
NVM_SYMLINK fails when C:\\Program Files\\nodejs is a real folder, not a symlink. Here is a guaranteed step-by-step fix for the activation error.
Read more →postgresql(1)
From MySQL to PostgreSQL: My Django Migration Story (and a Tool to Help)
How I moved a Django app from MySQL to PostgreSQL safely—and the open-source toolkit I built with dry-run, connection checks, and type mapping.
Read more →reflection(1)
Who are you?
Someone asked me a question I thought I could answer in a sentence. I gave them my job title instead.
Read more →security(1)
I Got Tired of Manual Code Reviews So I Built a Free Automated Security Pipeline
Pre-commit hooks, GitHub Actions, and SonarQube—three free layers that catch secrets, CVEs, and Django footguns without a sales call.
Read more →sonarqube(1)
My SonarQube Scans Were Crawling; Turns Out Docker on WSL 2 Only Had 1 CPU and 1 GB of RAM
A short, practical walkthrough of diagnosing slow SonarQube scans on Docker Desktop for Windows, fixing it with a .wslconfig file, and validating the change against Microsoft's official spec.
Read more →twilio(1)
The "Lazy" Developer's Guide to Twilio Auto-Replies (No Server Required)
Send default SMS replies with Twilio TwiML Bins—no webhook server, no deploy. Welcome messages and acknowledgements straight from the Console.
Read more →typescript(1)
The Cleanest Way to Handle Unused Variables in TypeScript
Don't disable the linter or ignore yellow squiggles. The humble underscore `_` signals intentional unused vars—and keeps `@typescript-eslint/no-unused-vars` earning its keep.
Read more →work(1)
Who are you?
Someone asked me a question I thought I could answer in a sentence. I gave them my job title instead.
Read more →wsl(1)
My SonarQube Scans Were Crawling; Turns Out Docker on WSL 2 Only Had 1 CPU and 1 GB of RAM
A short, practical walkthrough of diagnosing slow SonarQube scans on Docker Desktop for Windows, fixing it with a .wslconfig file, and validating the change against Microsoft's official spec.
Read more →