Section B · Dispatches
Writing
Essays on building software while the tools change underneath us: AI-assisted engineering, dependencies, and the parts of the craft that still take reps.
2026
Shipping Apps Is Still Hard
I used AI to build a private photo app for my family, and it was the fast part. Getting people to want it over WhatsApp is the part nothing helps with.
· 5 min read
Build Today, Learn Tomorrow: In Defense of the Slop Fork
I forked a React library, pointed AI at it, and had a Vue port working in an afternoon. It's a slop fork. It works. I'll take that trade.
· 3 min read
The Effort Didn't Disappear — It Changed Shape
AI removed the typing, not the skill. Getting to the first 60% is easy now, so the last 40% is the only part anyone notices.
· 4 min read
Replacing a 15MB Calendar Dependency With 76KB of Our Own
We paid for Bryntum Calendar, fought it on every style change, and shipped 15MB of it. The replacement is 76KB, and a rough Claude Code plugin of mine helped get us there.
· 6 min read