Writings
Papers for finished thinking. Notes for captured thinking. Use the section links or open the full archives.
Papers
- Where Judgment Comes FromFeaturedEngineering judgment is not learned from frameworks or documentation. It is formed through experience where decisions carry real consequences.
- Building Systems That Cannot Be WrongLatest · NewIn regulated financial systems, correctness is not an optimization. It is the baseline. The architecture must reflect that.
- What Your Go Code Looks Like When the System Is UnclearNewThe shape of your Go code reflects whether the system behind it is understood. Not because the language enforces it, but because it leaves little room to hide.
- AI Does Not Replace Engineering JudgmentAI accelerates writing code, but it does not replace engineering judgment. The difference between human-in-the-loop and human-driven development determines whether systems scale or fail.
- Alignment Isn't Enough. The Model Has to Be Right.A shared mental model only helps if the model is correct. Teams can align around the same assumptions and still build the wrong system.
- When Tools Become the ProblemA good tool applied to the wrong problem makes the system worse. Not every decision is a process.
- AI in PracticeAI can generate code quickly. Building a real system with it exposes what actually matters.
- AI-Assisted DevelopmentAI accelerates development when it operates within clear constraints. Without structure, it produces output that appears correct but lacks cohesion.
- Simplicity Requires UnderstandingSimple systems are not shallow. They are the result of deeper understanding applied with restraint.
- Engineering JudgmentMost software problems are not caused by missing tools or frameworks. They are caused by poor judgment applied at key decision points.
- Architecture FirstThe idea of building quickly and figuring things out later is often mistaken for pragmatism. In practice, it delays clarity and spreads inconsistency.
Notes
- Determinism Is Not OptionalLatest · NewIf the same input does not produce the same result, the system cannot be trusted.
- Drift Is the Real Failure ModeNewSystems rarely fail because of a single mistake. They fail because small deviations are allowed to accumulate.
- Reconciliation Is Part of the SystemIf you cannot explain what happened, you do not control the system.
- Not Every Problem Is a ProcessTreating simple decisions as workflows introduces state, complexity, and failure modes that do not need to exist.
- Constraints Make AI UsefulAI becomes more useful as constraints become clearer. Without boundaries, output quality degrades quickly.
- Architecture Is a Decision DisciplineArchitecture is not documentation. It is the discipline of making and protecting consequential decisions.
- Simplicity Requires UnderstandingSimple systems are not shallow. They are the result of deeper understanding applied with restraint.
- Shared Libraries Create Hidden CouplingShared libraries often introduce dependencies that are harder to see than they are to manage.
- Overengineering Is a SignalOverengineering is rarely a sign of sophistication. It is usually a sign that the system is not well understood.