When Docker Says 'not found' But ls Says 'it's right there': A glibc/musl Comedy of Errors

You know that moment when your computer is gaslighting you? When you run ls inside a Docker container, see your executable sitting there with perfect permissions, but when you try to run it, the shell just shrugs and says “not found”? Welcome to my Saturday morning. The Setup: A Simple Go + TailwindCSS Build I was working on a straightforward Dockerfile for a Go web app that uses TailwindCSS. Nothing fancy—just download the tailwindcss binary, make it executable, run it to process some CSS, and move on with life. ...

July 12, 2025 · 3 min · 500 words · Zac Orndorff<https://orndorff.dev>

The Factory Must Grow... And So Must Your Engineering Intuition

Factorio is more than a game; it’s a powerful tool for training your engineering intuition. Discover how it mirrors the challenges of software development and why you should be playing it.

April 21, 2025 · 9 min · 1728 words · Zac Orndorff<https://orndorff.dev>

Rethinking AI in Education: Veritasium and Cognitive Science

My Notes after watching Derek Muller’s talk on AI in education. As someone working in EdTech, especially focusing on what we can do with LLMs, you hear it constantly: AI is going to “revolutionize” education. Personalized tutors, instant feedback, access like never before – the whole pitch. But I caught a talk recently by Derek Muller – you know, the Veritasium guy – and he offered this really grounded take that hit home for me. It’s making me rethink the hype and actually consider the cognitive science underneath it all. ...

April 15, 2025 · 4 min · 709 words · Zac Orndorff<https://orndorff.dev>

AI Plays: The Elevator Saga

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: ...

March 20, 2025 · 3 min · 583 words · Zac Orndorff<https://orndorff.dev>

Software Engineering is a Team Sport: From Rookie to All-Star

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. ...

November 4, 2024 · 8 min · 1596 words · Zac Orndorff<https://orndorff.dev>