Notes on building software, solving everyday problems, and learning along the way. To try a small part of how I work, try the free templates.
How I built an interactive Halloween display using Raspberry Pis, camera-based visitor detection, AI-generated dialogue, and synchronized Grim Reaper sound effects—all managed through a dashboard with live controls and multi-character stories.
Read article: Building My AI Halloween Witch and Grim ReaperCoding agents make implementations easier to replace, which can help developers separate their work from their ego. They also make it easier to accept careless work. I’m trying to figure out where pride belongs when writing the code takes less effort.
Read article: Pride in Software When Code Is CheapAI is changing how we coordinate software development. I explore why parts of Scrum may become obsolete, why iteration still matters, and how task cards, guardrails, uncertainty, and risk could guide work shared by developers and AI agents.
Read article: AI Is Changing Scrum. We Still Need Iteration.AI may change more than how quickly developers write code. It could fundamentally change why we build applications, how long they exist, and what programming looks like.
Read article: Rethinking What It Means to Build SoftwareI've been experimenting with AI-driven paper trading to see whether multiple models can make better decisions together and whether financial news actually adds value. The latest changes introduce a third-model tie-breaker and a controlled comparison between strategies that use news and those that don't. The architecture is in place; the results haven't arrived yet.
Read article: Building an AI Trading Experiment: Model Councils, News, and the Search for an EdgeHow I mapped a three-button device to Brainwav’s room lighting, voice conversations, daily briefing, and music controls.
Read article: Giving Brainwav a three-button control surfaceTalking an idea through, deciding whether it deserves the work, and giving it a place in Brainwav when the answer is not right now.
Read article: A Good Idea Can WaitI wanted to build a 3D visualization of my knowledge system, but ended up with something more useful: a local 3D file explorer that handles real Markdown files, with editing,…
Read article: My 3D File ExplorerMy wife used Nimble to search for teaching jobs in Tennessee and Kentucky, and at some point that site stopped covering Tennessee. So I built my own version. I used Codex to…
Read article: Filtering stale postings out of my teaching-job search appHow AI is starting to fit into my Encompass and mortgage workflows.
Read article: Using AI for the Boring PartsBuilding Brainwav, OpenClaw, and the boundaries around a personal second brain.
Read article: Building a Second BrainI've got jedmay.com up and running again, this time through cloudflare for free!
Read article: Building My Website with Cloudflare, Codex, and AI AgentsLots happening at once
Read article: Balancing Act: Code, Chaos, and Cold RidesThe Dark Times
Read article: The Great Costura FiascoSoftware and the Ship of Theseus
Read article: Who Wrote This Thing Anyway?Best Practices for Starting Something New
Read article: Surviving the FirehoseLeaving one team, joining another, and learning how to set both up for success.
Read article: Saying Goodbye Without Burning BridgesFinding the balance between noise, silence, and real accountability
Read article: When Communication Breaks, So Does the WorkRest is crucial, but learning doesn't have to stop with downtime
Read article: Resting, Learning, and a Few AI RulesBuilding the Zettelkasten Virtual Voice Box
Read article: Building My Own Slip-Box (with Audio and AI)Delivering Value in a System That Slows You Down
Read article: Coding Through Red TapeStop Waiting for Problems to Be Handed to You
Read article: The Real Skill: Solving Problems Users Don’t SeeThriving in a Niche, Leading in the Age of AI
Read article: Leading When You Still Feel Like You're Learning