Field notes & essays

Engineering writing worth your time

In-depth, honest articles on custom software, CRM automation, HubSpot, integrations, and the judgement calls in between — written from real work, not summaries.

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LatestAI Engineering

Where AI Automation Actually Pays Off (and Where It's Theatre)

An honest, hype-free look at the jobs where large language models earn their cost — and the ones where reaching for AI is a mistake dressed up as progress.

14 August 2026 9 min read

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Performance

Making a Marketing Site Genuinely Fast (Not Just Fast on Paper)

A high Lighthouse score is easy to game and easy to lose. Here's how we build marketing sites that are fast for real users, and stay fast as they grow.

5 Aug 2026 12 min read

Custom Software

The MVP Trap: Building Just Enough Without Building Regret

"Minimum viable product" is good advice that's easy to misread in both directions. Here's how to build the smallest useful thing without building something you'll have to throw away.

29 Jul 2026 10 min read

Technical Consulting

What "Maintainable Code" Actually Means (and Why It Saves You Money)

"Maintainable" gets used as a vague compliment. Here's a concrete, non-technical explanation of what it really means — and why it's a financial decision, not an aesthetic one.

8 Jul 2026 9 min read

AI Engineering

If You Can't Measure It, You're Shipping Vibes — Evaluating LLM Features

Most teams ship AI features on gut feel — it looked good in a few tests, so it went live. Then a prompt tweak silently breaks something and nobody notices. Evaluation is what turns AI from a gamble into engineering.

30 Jun 2026 11 min read

Technical Consulting

The Quiet Advantages of Working With a Boutique Software Consultancy

Bigger isn't automatically better in software. Here's an honest look at what you gain — and what you actually give up — working with a senior-led boutique that scales through a trusted network, rather than a large agency.

24 Jun 2026 9 min read

HubSpot

Migrating to HubSpot Without Losing Your History

A CRM migration that arrives without its history is only half a migration. Field notes on bringing the past across intact — and on why the mapping, not the moving, is where the whole job actually lives.

10 Jun 2026 10 min read

Custom Software

Choosing a Database: Postgres, MySQL, Mongo, and When Each Fits

The database you pick early is one of the hardest things to change later. Here's a practical, non-dogmatic guide to matching the tool to the shape of your data.

27 May 2026 12 min read

Technical Consulting

Build, Buy, or Do Nothing: A Practical Guide to the Decision

Custom software is sometimes exactly right and sometimes an expensive mistake. Here's how to decide honestly — including when the answer is to build nothing, and why the best answer is usually a bit of both.

20 May 2026 11 min read

18 articles