Blog

Thoughts on software engineering, architecture, and problem-solving.

Posts

Before

Monolithic switch — every tool coupled to every other.

  • Each new tool = touching the same function (high coupling)
  • Agent couldn't see runtime IDs — updates failed silently
  • No argument validation — bad args crashed at runtime
After

Clean registry + context injection. Agent as informed collaborator.

  • Tool Registry with Zod-validated handlers
  • XML context injection keeps agent aware of system state
  • Pure handler functions testable in isolation

Building an AI Agent Tool Pipeline in React: From Chaos to Collaboration

  • react
  • ai
  • architecture
  • gemini
·8 min read
Before

Conventional: save gradually, diversify from day one

  • Dollar-cost average into a 60/40 portfolio
  • Avoid leverage at all costs
  • Time in the market beats timing the market
After

Lifecycle: front-load equity exposure when young

  • Human capital is your largest asset in your 20s-30s
  • Leverage is a tool for time diversification
  • Cash loses 3% annually — sometimes debt is the rational choice

Lifecycle Investing: Why Your Biggest Asset Isn't in Your Portfolio

  • investing
  • personal-finance
  • lifecycle
·9 min read
Before

12 modal state fields in one provider

  • State explosion per modal
  • Callbacks threaded through state
  • useEffect watchers for flow control
After

Zero. Modals as async function calls.

  • Imperative promise pattern
  • Linear async/await control flow
  • Each modal testable in isolation

The Imperative Modal Pattern: Treating Modals as Async Operations in React

  • react
  • typescript
  • patterns
  • modals
·6 min read
Before

Tangled state scattered across the component tree

  • useState calls everywhere
  • Prop drilling 4 levels deep
  • Changing a dropdown broke undo
After

Four focused Context providers with clear domain boundaries

  • Each context owns its domain completely
  • 135 tests, all passing
  • New features no longer feel like defusing a bomb

Refactoring a Complex React Application's State Management with Context and TDD

  • react
  • tdd
  • architecture
  • state-management
·5 min read