Engineering

Ever tried Elevator Saga? It’s that addictive JavaScript challenge where you control elevators to transport impatient virtual humans. Sure, you could spend hours crafting the perfect algorithm… or you could do what I did and let AI handle the heavy lifting. Tools Claude 3.5: Model I prefer for generating code and specifications. It’s like having a coding buddy who never sleeps. Whisper: For transcribing my ramblings into something resembling a coherent spec. LLM: A command-line tool to interact with AI models like Claude and generate code from my documentation and spec. My Lazy Developer Workflow I built a four-step AI pipeline that took me from “what even is an elevator API?” to passing the first four levels with minimal effort: ...

The stadium buzzed with electric anticipation. It was the final seconds of the Super Bowl, and the underdog team trailed by four points. Everything hinged on this last play. The quarterback scanned the defense and noticed a telltale formation—the opponents had fallen into a pattern they’d dissected tirelessly in practice. Seizing the moment, he called an audible at the line of scrimmage. Instantly, the offensive line adjusted their stances, receivers altered their routes, and the running back shifted to provide crucial protection. The ball was snapped. In a seamless display of teamwork and adaptability, the play unfolded flawlessly, culminating in a game-winning touchdown. ...

In many engineering organizations I’ve been part of, the drive for rapid delivery often results in shortcuts and “good enough” solutions. When managed effectively, this ability to quickly provide value can be a significant competitive advantage. However, poor management or defaulting to this approach can lead to what I call “complexity bombs” – ticking time bombs of technical debt that explode into major issues as systems grow and evolve. These can sometimes manifest unexpectedly, particularly in distributed systems, causing sudden leaps in complexity.ystems. ...

Hello and What? My software engineering career began in industrial manufacturing with a paid internship at O’Sullivan Films Inc, a company specializing in plastic and vinyl sheeting for products like pool liners and car dashboards that, like so many American businesses was bought by and international conglomerate and folded into its parent’s generic embrace. The experience I gained while working at O’Sullivan, along with my years working in ‘agile’ tech startups over the years has me thinking about the differences between how manufacturing and pure software businesses approach product design, development. ...