Claude Won't Be There
Why you can't rely on AI to handle security - when things go wrong, you'll be in the incident call alone.
hjf's feed
Harry's code, bugs and quick hacks - A developer's journey through JavaScript, TypeScript, React, and modern web development
Latest posts
Right Now, I'm Alright
A reflection on finding happiness in the present moment and making conscious choices about how to live life. Why these are the good old days.
You Can't Buy The Finish Line (or the Skill to Reach it)
Talking about goals isn't enough: you need to actually do the work.
We Aren't At Endgame Yet
The current AI revolution isn't the endgame for software developers: it's actually a force multiplier that makes us more effective.
The Parable of the Novice Programmer
How a team of students with zero degrees and spaghetti code outperformed lecturers in Google Hashcode. A lesson in valuing outcomes over perfection.
RS Components Redundancies
Reflecting on the redundancies at RS Group—how leadership failed during a tough time, the impact on friendships and teams, and a tribute to the brilliant engineers I was lucky enough to work with. A sincere look at lessons learned and the sadness of seeing it all change.
On Code Reviews
Remote code reviews bring a unique challenge: how to deliver feedback that’s constructive without losing warmth. This post explores an approach that combines clarity and empathy to make code reviews feel supportive, not critical.
Are you ever “just an engineer”?
I never wanted to be “another engineer”, but that’s exactly my title. Work is better than ever. Although the journey looks like junior, senior, principal/manager, it’s so much broader than that.
Notes on software versioning
Software versioning isn't just an increasing number. I've put together some notes and thoughts on how we can track changes and releases usefully.
Efficiently Processing Large S3 Objects with AWS Lambda and Node.js
Reading large files from S3 can be a challenge, especially when you're constrained to a platform like AWS Lambda, and your language is Node. This post shows how you can overcome memory limitations and efficiently process data using streaming techniques.
Good Principal Engineering
How do seasoned engineers shape organizational standards and principles? Is a Principal Engineer just another level above a senior engineer? What makes them so different?
Nest.js for AWS Lambda with Bundling
Nest is an excellent, stable API framework for Node. Designed for general backends, it can be a challenge cramming everything in to a Lambda.
My Setup - 2022
The tools I use to get my jobs done in the way that I find efficient. It’s time for a better approach than /uses
I don't like TDD
It's a bit of a hot take, but you'll find there's a nice citrus undertone that tickles your keyboard
Truepill Redundancies
The AWS of pharmacy has just shut down it's UK operations. I've handed in my notice.
TypeScript Error Handling Sucks
Typed errors can be a pain in TypeScript. We can draw a bit of inspiration from Rust (and not Java!) to make expected errors easier to work with.
Extending Your Github Actions for a Monorepo
Github actions have a 'local' option with plenty of potential. This post illustrates how I added them to a monorepo
How to Paginate in Gatsby
Too much content! Gatsby doesn't easily let you paginate given it's build process, but you can hack it out with the right pointers
AI is Cool - How Do I Use it?
Some of the things that we can do with AI is awesome, and scary. I had 0 experience with AI - let's figure it out together.
Building Zoom in less than 100 LoC
I used WebRTC (Peer.js) to develop a small, distributed alternative to Zoom (for two participants). We can call, video chat and share screens.
Netlify DevEx is Seriously Underrated: Local Serverless Development
How to locally develop netlify serverless functions - with Gatsby!
How You Can Lose Weight via Pizza
You can game the system: Measure how much fuel you need in a day and stick to that.
Spotify Wrapped, Whenever
Hacking together my own Spotify Wrapped via their APIs. I love OAuth - the implicit grant lets you throw something together pretty quickly.
New Site, Who This?
I built this web sight all by myself. Welcome!
Basic Memory Management in Node: Advent of Code Day 3
I wrote a node program that took >100GB of memory. It didn't even use Electron.
Unplugged
I went offline. Unplugged. Ghosted. It was a terrible experience and I'd totally do it again.
Migrating to Hooks
How I (and why) migrated this mighty Gatsby site from Stateful Components to Functional Components.
React Progress Bars
How to implement a functional progress bar in any React/Preact website - like this one here!