Why China Will Not Win the AI Race (Spoiler: It Already Did)
China is already way ahead in the AI race, more than the Western media make it look. This is an account from an actual visit there.
Dragos Roua
Personal development, productivity, running, and life lessons from a 20+ year blogging journey.
Latest posts
AI Can Follow You Everywhere Now. Unless You Outsmart It
"AI watermarking now traces Claude text back to you. Learn why it survives copy-paste, how it locks you in, and two ways to keep your writing untracked.
Singularity and the Chevalier in the Supermarket
We're not in the Singularity yet. The chevalier-in-the-supermarket test shows what real Singularity would feel like—and why AGI hype falls short.
[ Video ] Software Engineering Is Dead! Is It Really?
I m fortunate enough to have witnessed a few key moments in our recent tech history. One of them is web 3, the dot com revolution. Back then, having a website was considered peak flex (in modern slang). I see something similar happening with AI agents, now, it seems equally fashionable. And,...
The Poor Guy* Guide to Fable-level Vibe Coding for $80/month
See how to combine entry-level AI subscriptions and free models for Fable-level vibe coding, solid limits, and high productivity on an $80 monthly budget.
Introducing App Store Release Agent – Automating my App Store Pipeline
Publishing ten apps in four months sounds good. And it is good. It means the bottleneck is no longer building the app. With AI-assisted coding, small utilities, focused experiments, and niche apps can go from idea to App Store submission in days, sometimes hours. But there is a second part that can...
Vibe Coding for People Over 50
Pre-digital childhood gave you patterns younger developers never learned. Now AI removes the syntax barrier. Here's how to turn 50+ into your unfair advantage.
Switching from Claude Code to Grok – Same Interface, Different Model
I kept the Claude Code interface I like and routed Grok's model underneath it via proxy. Same workflow, video generation included, $35/month instead of $100. Here's how.
How To Manage AI Cognitive Overload – Lessons After 9 Apps Shipped in 4 Months
I shipped 9 iOS apps in 4 months with AI—and learned how to manage AI cognitive overload. Here are 3 actions that keep AI-assisted development sustainable long-term.
Running Local Private AI Models – How And Why
Running local private AI models is now realistic, affordable, and urgent. Here's what hardware to use, which open-source models are ready, and why you shouldn't wait.
Attention Harvesting – What You Do While Your LLM Works?
Harvesting attention isn't just for big tech. Learn how AI wait times created a new micro-pause — and why you should claim it before someone else fills it.
I Stopped Prompting My Agents, I Write Agentic Loops Instead – Here’s Why
I stopped prompting my AI agents and started writing loops instead. Here's what a 50-line Python audit loop taught me about trust, failure, and where humans still belong.
Leaving Claude Code (Opus 4.8) Behind – Switching to MiniMax 3
After using Claude (Opus 4.6 to 4.8) for roughly 5 months, I'm experiencing with MiniMax 3. A full month to decide which is best for coding.
The Price of Illusions – 16 Years Later
In 2010 I asked if you were living in an illusion. In 2026 that question is harder — the price of illusions, now that they have industrial infrastructure, have grown exponentially.
Are You The Best Version of Yourself? – Checking In After 16 Years
In 2010 the OS metaphor for self-improvement was an analogy. In 2026 it's literal — AI tools actually run as cognitive extensions. Here's what that changes.
The 2026 Definition of Success – 10 Years after I First Tried My First One
I had 9 definitions of success in 2016 and was split between all of them. 10 years later, here's what I actually learned about enough, alignment, and flow.
Frustration as a Growth Signal – Revisiting After 15 Years
I wrote 33 ways to overcome frustration in 2010. 15 years later: most of them work, but only for one type. The other type just needs acceptance.
Still Learning To Say No – 17 Years After First Writing About It
I wrote about saying no in 2009. The technique was right but incomplete. 17 years later, here's what I missed: the permission problem is harder than choosing your words.
The Ancestor Syndrome – Revisiting Inherited Money Beliefs 10 Years After
I wrote about the ancestor syndrome in 2016. Ten years of crypto cycles and economic shocks have tested that thesis hard. Here's what held up and what changed.
Life Has No Meaning – In 2026 I Still Think This Is Good News
In 2015 I argued that life's lack of inherent meaning is liberating. I still think so. But making that case in 2026 requires more honest scaffolding.
The Diamond Cutter, 12 Years Later — Buddhism as a Daily Practice
A 12-year test of The Diamond Cutter's Buddhist business principles. Which ones compounded into real results, and where the emptiness concept led me astray.
Vibe Coding for Senior iOS Developers – Guidelines after 10 Apps in 4 Months
10 iOS apps in 4 months, built solo with AI. Vibe coding for senior developers: specs first, two models, heavy verification, and marketing in parallel.
77 Reasons to Love Your Life — Why I’d Write This Differently After 17 Years
I wrote 77 reasons to love your life in 2009. The reasons haven't changed much. But the obstacle to actually enjoying them has, the world is way noisier these days.
7 Reasons to Enjoy Life More — 16 Years Later
In 2009 I gave 7 reasons to enjoy life. Sixteen years later: some held up, one needed honest revision, and one wasn't on the original list.
Living as a Digital Nomad: Revisiting a 16 Year Old Primer
I wrote a digital nomad primer in 2010. Here's what it got right, what COVID changed, and how AI expanded what one person can build — 16 years on.
7 Things To Do when the Shit Hits the Fan
In 2011 I wrote this list from inside a disaster. Here's what held across 15 years of crises — personal, professional, and the kind you don't see coming.
How I Actually End My Day in 2026 – Compared to 2011
In 2011 I wrote 33 ways to end your day. In 2026, the phone colonized the bedroom and a baby changed everything. Here's what I kept and what changed.
77 Things I Still Want to Do, 13 Years Later — and What I’ve Crossed Off
I listed 77 things worth doing in 2013 just because I could. Marathons, travel, building apps — here's what got crossed off, what expired, and what's new.
7 Kung Fu Panda Lessons, 16 Years Later — Po Actually Became a Master
In 2010 I pulled 7 lessons from Kung Fu Panda. Sixteen years later: what held up, what needed revision, and which one turned out to be the whole thing.
The Right Tool for the Job in 2026: What AI Changes About the Wrench Problem
In 2018 the wrong tool was obvious — you could see the mismatch. In 2026, AI made it invisible. Here's where the granularity problem actually went.
15 Years of Motivation: From Tiny, Genuine Sparks to Burnout
The "get and keep" model of motivation breaks down fast. After 15 years: what three methods actually lasted, what leads to burnout, and what actually works in 2026.
The First 6 Months of Blogging After 17 Years Of Blogging
I wrote a blogging retrospective after 6 months. Twenty years later: the advice held, the meaning changed, and the economics flipped completely.
Steadily Fluid after 10 Years: How Does it Feel to Live with the Paradox
Stability and fluidity aren't opposites — they're prerequisites for each other. Here's what 17 years of living that paradox actually looks like from the inside.
Technology, Ideology, and What Actually Happened Since 2018
In 2018 I bet that technology would outpace ideology as the force reshaping society. Eight years later — AI everywhere, authoritarianism still rising — time to check the work.
17 Years of Social Networks Later: What Actually Replaced What
In 2009 I framed social networking versus real life relationships as a match. Neither team won. What happened instead was stranger — and more useful to understand.
100 Ways To Live A Better Life: 17 Years After – What Actually Worked
I wrote 100 ways to live a better life in 2009, then 100 subposts, then watched it float on the internet for 15 years. Here's what I learned from all of it.
3 Lifestyle Design Blueprints I’ve Lived, Plus A 4th One That Works Best These Days
In 2009 I mapped 3 lifestyle design modes. After 17 years inside all of them, here's what held up, what broke, and the fourth mode the original post missed.
Raw Food in 2026: What I’d Tell My 2009 Self About Eating Better
I tried a raw food diet in 2009. Here's what actually stuck 17 years later, how the advice holds up against modern nutrition science, and what I'd experiment with today.
Boredom Is a Feature, Not a Bug
In 2009 I wrote about escaping boredom. In 2026, boredom turns out to be a feature, not a bug — and the attention economy's entire business model depends on you never finding that out
The Action versus Reaction Trap: Why I Had It Half Right in 2009
In 2009 I said acting is always better than reacting. 17 years later the picture is more complicated — and more useful. Here's what I got wrong and what still holds.
25 Things To Do In Your Life – Then and Now
I wrote 25 life goals in 2009 framed as alien advice. Sixteen years later — what happened, what I let go, and what the 2026 list looks like instead.
Everything I Built That Fell Down (And What I Learned About Building Anyway)
In 2011 I wrote about keeping fragile structures standing. Since then several of mine have come down. Here's what the falling actually taught me about building.
What Tango Actually Taught Me About Relationships (A Decade Later)
I wrote about tango crushes in 2013. A decade of dancing and teaching later, here's what those emotional entanglements actually were — and what they revealed.
Answering My Own 33 Self-Interview Questions — 17 Years Later
33 self reflection questions answered honestly, 17 years on. What changed about fear, regret, identity — and which questions aged perfectly, which didn't survive.
Then and Now – a 30 Day Blog Challenge
I've been blogging for 20 years. For 30 days I'm revisiting the posts that shaped this blog — and writing honestly about what changed. Here's the full map.
Assess, Decide, Do + Substrate = Long Running, Self Improving Agents
The same architecture that labs use for long-running agents maps exactly to Assess-Decide-Do. I'm building on that — and introducing Substrate, a concept I haven't seen in the literature.
A Week with AIGernon, my Personal AI Assistant
Sam Altman says one-person unicorns are 1–2 years away. The bottleneck isn't AI capability — it's orchestration. Here's how I use AIGernon to manage that gap.
5 AI Predictions for the Next 5 Years
From instant translation reshaping Europe to space data centers overtaking Earth compute — 5 AI-driven predictions for the next 5 years, and why making them matters.
AIGernon Running on Zo Computer
Michael Grady built a production AI system for neurodivergent professionals using my Assess-Decide-Do framework and AIGernon on Zo Computer. Here's what he shipped.
Claude Mythos, the Anthropic IPO and the Apocalypse that Never Was
Claude Mythos may indeed by a good model, but there's a lot of fear mongering around it. Maybe it's connected to the upcoming Anthropic IPO?