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Stripe goes after OpenRouter
Stripe is thinking further down the road than most, by going after OpenRouter, the gateway to AI models. Clever.
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OpenClaw at 35,000 ft
Getting OpenClaw up and running is only the start. Utilizing it in a variety of different areas is where it really excels. I recently had an opportunity to use it while in-flight for free.
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The Top Decile Trap
Chasing only top-decile talent is a self-inflicted wound. Cut junior hiring and you kill your knowledge pipeline, inflate salaries, and create fragile teams that collapse when key people leave. AI makes it worse by automating away the training ground. Hire for potential alongside expertise. Build the pipeline or die.
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The Realities of Software Releases: More Than Just a Button
Releasing software is more than a button click. It is a high stakes moment where code meets the friction of the real world. From the landing gear moment of scale to the clean floor data paradox, here is why going live is complex and why we never release on Fridays.
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Think like a CTO – Japanese Edition
Think Like a CTO has been translated and published into another language, Japanese.
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How AI Agents Will Change Ecommerce
The rise of the machine customer marks the end of the browser era. To win, platforms must move beyond UI and provide deterministic, AI ready APIs. Making your site agent friendly is no longer optional; it is your new competitive advantage.
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The Flaws in AI Customer Support Systems
My recent Logitech support experience highlights why context is king. A solid AI speech agent was ruined by a human handover that started from scratch. AI should be a connected workflow, not an isolated silo. If your latest improvement makes the service slower, you have failed the integration test.
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Rock me Amadeus (& Elvis)
Watching the new Amadeus series led me down a rabbit hole where I found a striking parallel between Mozart and Elvis. Both icons died broke, but their widows, Constanze and Priscilla, became the first accidental CEOs. They professionalized the legacies, cleared massive debts, and pioneered celebrity tourism to save the brands.
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2025 in review
With the 1st of January now rolling us into 2026, it’s time for my annual review of the year that has just closed. Another beautiful sunny day here in Virginia, warm and blue skies as I sit down and reflect on some of the stats and journals I have maintained this year.
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The Inevitable V3 Rewrite
Software rarely finds its feet until version three. Version one is an idealistic guess. Version two is a survival patch. Version three is the rewrite where you finally delete the noise and build what is actually needed. Real stability comes from subtraction, a lesson every architect learns the hard way.
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Double NAT, 40 Terabytes, and a Christmas Miracle
I spent my Christmas downtime replacing a fragile, port-forwarded network with a resilient Tailscale mesh. I managed to overcome double NAT headaches to sync Synology units peer-to-peer, fixed the inevitable MTU “black holes,” and automated the DSM 7 sandboxing hurdles to build a private, encrypted family network.
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“This ain’t no technological breakdown”
Honoring British rock legend Chris Rea, I recall 1989: a 16-year-old student in Paisley, wrestling with the guilt of spending my living grant on “The Road to Hell” vinyl. Purchased for £5.99 at Woolworths, it became the defining soundtrack of my university years. Thirty-five years later, the joy remains. RIP.
the legend that is, Alan Williamson
For over 24 years, I’ve shared my thoughts here on this blog whenever the muse strikes.
It’s unpredictable, honest, unedited, and occasionally witty. I’m living the best years of my life, working harder than ever, learning each day and enjoying every second.
