Author: dan

If you build on AWS long enough, you’ll eventually face the same question: Where should we store secrets and configuration? Keeping stuff in a local env file or applications.properties means either those files are going to get checked in, or even worse, casually shared between engineers. And what if your builds are made in a…

Executive Summary On-demand cloud workstations unlock powerful, cost-efficient computing for engineering teams. But as organizations scale beyond a handful of machines, a new challenge emerges: consistency. Manually configuring Windows systems through portals, scripts, and remote desktop sessions introduces drift, delays, and operational risk. This paper explores how Terraform and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) transform Azure-based…

Executive Summary Engineering teams increasingly need access to powerful computing resources, but not always on a continuous basis. Many modern workloads — from large builds and simulations to data processing and 3D rendering — are intense, short-lived, and highly variable. In these cases, traditional rack-mounted servers often lead to low utilization and high fixed costs.…

File extensions matter more than we like to admit. They’re not just a technical footnote — they’re a shared language. When you see .jpg, you expect an image. When you see .py, you expect Python. When you see .md, you expect Markdown. And that’s exactly the problem. Right now, the vogue in AI tooling is…

Over the last several days, we’ve been trying to solve what initially felt like a very reasonable problem: Can we use an AI assistant as a reliable, step-by-step installer assistant to a human for a moderately complex toolchain? On the surface, this seemed like a perfect use case for AI. The setup process is linear.…

Most people think “AI” means neural networks, training data, and a lot of math. Tic-Tac-Toe is a great counterexample. You can build a perfect Tic-Tac-Toe AI without learning, randomness, or guesswork—just logic, structure, and a clear way of evaluating outcomes. This post explains how an AI Tic-Tac-Toe engine works conceptually, without code, using plain language.…

If you’ve been following agentic AI systems like Codex-style coding agents, you’ve probably seen references to things like agents.md, skills.md, or “tool catalogs.” At first glance, these can look like extra ceremony — more files, more config, more abstraction. They’re not. They’re the reason agentic systems work at all. This post explains what agents and…

What Is n8n? If you haven’t heard of n8n yet, don’t worry — it’s nowhere near widespread adoption yet. But it’s coming fast. n8n is an open-source workflow automation platform that lets you connect APIs, services, scripts, and humans into long-running, stateful workflows. Think of it as a developer-friendly alternative to tools like Zapier, but…

If you spend any time doing remote development over SSH—especially with tools like VS Code Remote—eventually you hit the same annoyance: You know SSH keys are the right answer,you know passwordless login is possible,but the setup always feels more manual than it should. For years, I handled this by copying keys around by hand, editing…

Using AI to accelerate development is amazing—agents can write code, open pull requests, fix bugs, and keep your project humming. But giving your AI the same permissions you give trusted human maintainers is a silent disaster waiting to happen. Here’s the simple truth: your AI should always log into your repository with an account that…

Most software projects drift. Scope expands, priorities shift, and half the time you finish features you never meant to start. Over the last year, I’ve been experimenting with a workflow that keeps the project laser-focused: combine GitHub Speckit with an AI assistant from the very beginning — before a single line of code is written.…

Introduction Jsonmaker lets you create your own private, customizable bookmark library right inside your WordPress account. Each folder in your library can generate a live JSON feed, which can be synced directly into your Chrome bookmarks using the Subscribed Toolbar extension. This guide will show you how to: Register an account Log in and access…

The Subscribed Toolbar Chrome extension lets you turn any compatible JSON feed into a live, auto-updating bookmarks folder. In this guide, you’ll learn how to: Install the extension Open its settings Connect it to an example JSON feed Confirm that the bookmarks appear in Chrome To keep things simple, we’ll use this working example feed…

Logline: A love story set against the tumultuous backdrop of the Beatles’ breakup and the rise of Wings, charting Paul and Linda McCartney’s enduring partnership as they navigate fame, family, and the challenges of a life lived in the public eye, culminating in Linda’s tragic battle with cancer. Synopsis: Act I: The Fall and the…

In the last post, we built a budget-friendly cloud development workstation on AWS—something powerful, secure, and cheap enough to run for about the cost of a couple coffees a month. This follow-up shows how to create the same experience on Azure, with the same goals: No public IP Secure remote access VSCode Remote for daily…

Master Sifo-Dyas stood alone on the observation balcony above Kamino’s endless storm-washed oceans, watching rows of white-armored soldiers march in perfect synchronicity. To the Kaminoans, they were a triumph of biology. To Sifo-Dyas, they were a fragile shield against a future only he had glimpsed. His visions had grown sharper—blinding flashes of metallic swarms blotting…

Ever wished you could upgrade your laptop by just renting a faster one in the cloud? With AWS, you can. In this guide we’ll walk through setting up a secure, budget-friendly Ubuntu development machine on AWS, complete with NICE DCV for a graphical desktop and VS Code for your day-to-day work. Why build a cloud…

I run Ubuntu 24.04 on an older HP Envy 17, and for months I’ve tiptoed around a maddening bug: every time the laptop went to sleep, it would wake up straight into airplane mode. The Wi-Fi hardware light glowed orange, NetworkManager insisted the radio was off, and the only way out was a full reboot.…

Sync Your Bookmarks Everywhere (Without Google Workspace or Browser Lock-In) If you’ve ever switched between browsers, machines, or even just work and home setups, you’ve probably felt this pain: “Where are my bookmarks again?” Chrome syncs… but only if you’re signed into Google. Firefox has its own cloud. Safari lives in Apple’s walled garden. Edge?…

(and How to Do It Right with Google Workspace) When your organization is growing — whether it’s a nonprofit, community group, or small business — how you handle email addresses can make a surprising difference in efficiency, continuity, and security. Many teams start by giving each person their own address under the organization’s domain —…