Writing
Essays about software, AI, engineering organisations, delivery and the systems that become visible when the demo is over.
Archive
12 entries. Dates reflect publication or the current working version.
- Rebuilding On Ropes, from WordPress to a site that answers questionsHow I moved On Ropes off WordPress to a fast, hand-built site with three.js and ONYX1 enquiries, and ran its Microsoft 365, search and AI visibility.
- I built an AI office staff for trade businessesHow I built ONYX1 Office: six AI office roles for small trade firms that run on the owner's own machine, with an animated office view and scheduled routines.
- AI brain rot: what happens to engineers when the hard part becomes optionalWhat the evidence says about AI, deskilling and the next generation of engineers: cognitive debt, the apprenticeship gap, and what is worth still doing by hand.
- We may have already created a new kind of AGIThe original AGI vision imagined an artificial human. What emerged may be distributed, non-biological and organism-like. Have we already crossed a threshold?
- Leadership isn’t about knowing; it’s about navigatingLeadership is less about having every answer and more about setting direction, listening well, and moving through uncertainty.
- The momentum mindset: move, learn, adjust. Don’t wait for perfectTeams create clarity by moving early, learning from evidence, and adjusting before small problems become large ones.
- Not every engineer can deliver every projectSoftware delivery improves when leaders match people’s strengths and working styles to the demands of each project.
- Growing up during war and chaos: how a generation learned to live on the edgeA personal reflection on growing up in Sri Lanka during war, the 2004 tsunami, and the resilience and compassion those experiences shaped.
- Culture is how employees feel about Monday morningA workplace culture can often be understood through how employees feel about returning to work on Monday morning.
- Good vibes only: toxic positivity at workGenuine optimism makes room for difficult emotions; toxic positivity asks people to hide them.
- Diversity in tech firms: the challengesDiverse teams bring different perspectives to software work, but inclusion requires deliberate attention to communication, bias, culture, and management.
- Everyone here is so much smarter than me. I got here by luck.A personal note about impostor syndrome, self-doubt, and recognising the work behind our achievements.