Blog
Original writing on the tech that's actually worth your attention: using AI well (especially for code), running models on your own hardware, weekend projects you can follow along, and the practices that hold up. Every piece is researched and sourced — no hot takes without receipts.
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What AI agents actually are (and what they aren't)
An agent is a language model running in a loop with tools. What that buys you, what the measured evidence says they can do as of mid-2026, and the failure modes demos never show.
Weekend build: an ESP32 temperature and humidity monitor with a web dashboard
A follow-along build: wire a sensor to a $10 ESP32, flash ESPHome, and get a live web dashboard on your network — no soldering, no C code, plus the honest limits of a cheap sensor.
Self-hosting 101: what's worth running on your own hardware in 2026
The hardware you actually need, why Docker makes it manageable, and the handful of services — Immich, Jellyfin, Home Assistant, Vaultwarden — genuinely worth running yourself.
Prompt patterns that actually work for coding agents
Six prompting patterns that reliably improve coding-agent output — specificity, plan-first, verification and the three agent reminders — each with a concrete before-and-after.
Using AI to write code: what actually works
AI assistants make good developers faster and careless ones slower. The workflows, review habits and guardrails that separate the two.
Running AI on your own hardware: local LLMs explained
What it takes to run a capable model on your own machine — the hardware that matters, the tools to start with, and what to realistically expect.
Weekend project: block ads on your whole network with a Raspberry Pi
A follow-along Pi-hole build: parts, setup, and what changes for every device in the house — no soldering, one evening.
How large language models actually work
Tokens, attention, training and why models hallucinate — the mechanics behind the chatbot, explained without the math degree.
Which AI model should you actually use? A practical 2026 field guide
The major AI models as of mid-2026, what each is genuinely good at, and a decision guide by task and budget.
Looking for evergreen how-tos tied to the tools? Those live in Guides.