When the Computer Became New Again
A beige Windows 3.1 PC, the internet, and a Chrome extension shaped my life in technology. AI brought the wonder back.
J. R. Swab
Personal blog of @jrswab
Latest posts
Many Migraines Make Screens Unusable. I'm Testing E-Ink
I get at least one migraine a month. The screens I work on all day make them worse. Here is my plan to test whether e-ink displays can keep me working through one without making it worse.
How AI Exposed Bad Writers
AI makes bad writing easier to produce and harder for bad writers to recognize. Good writing still depends on editing, taste, and humanity.
The Brain Needs Euphoric Fatigue
AI removed the slow drip of mental effort from coding. Without it, your brain atrophies. Here's how reading and writing replaced what implementation used to give me.
You are Mandated to Create Technology
The Genesis mandate to subdue the earth includes building technology. The Church sat out social media — we can't sit out AI. Your code is Kingdom work.
Picking the Right AI Models for Agent Orchestration
How I built a multi-model AI stack that saved 95% on inference costs without sacrificing quality. The right models for planning, orchestration, and worker tasks.
God Is Not Surprised by AI
Christians are wringing their hands over AI. Here's why they shouldn't be — and why the church needs to be the first one in the room.
I Haven't Written Code in Two Months
A senior engineer stopped writing code, leaned into AI, and became more productive than ever. Here's what actually changed.
Why Do They Want To Get Rid of Software Engineers?
The push to replace software engineers isn't always a technical prediction. Sometimes it's a reaction to the leverage we hold.
The Code Is Already in the Model
The code you need is inside the LLM. Your job is writing a spec tight enough that the right program is the easiest one to generate.
Not Everyone Can Be the Expert
Software teams work because people go deep on different things. Trying to make everyone an expert on everything is a fundamental waste of time.
The Wizard's Toolkit
The tools change, the magic stays the same. Reflections on 20+ years of coding and what it really means to be a developer.
Give Your AI Agent Slack Access Without Building an App
Let your AI coding assistant read and respond to Slack messages using browser credentials. No app creation or OAuth required.
I Thought OpenClaw Would Choke on My Research Project. It Didn't.
OpenClaw loads a lot of files by default. I expected context rot on a multi-step research task. After many turns with Claude Opus 4.5, I was only at 61k tokens. Well within the dumb zone.
Why Every Note-Taking System Failed Me (Until I Built One That Works Automatically)
After twenty years of failed note-taking systems, I built SlipBot: an AI agent that eliminates organizational friction by automating metadata, source matching, and knowledge graph management.
Why Your Best AI Agent Gets in a Tailspin (and How To Fix It)
Learn how to leverage AI coding agents effectively for production code. Discover the proper workflow using sub-agents, specifications, and implementation plans to avoid the Ralph Wiggum loop trap.
Stop Drowning in Legacy Code: Your AI Agent Survival Guide
Learn how to effectively use AI coding agents in brownfield codebases. Discover research strategies, planning techniques, and stacked PR workflows that prevent vibe coding and produce quality results.
Why the "Done For You" Approach Is Harming Your Progress
Learn why relying on pre-configured setups and "done-for-you" solutions prevents real understanding and limits your ability to build custom solutions. Discover the value of investing time in learning fundamentals.
How To Build a Modern Web App in a Day
Build and deploy Go web applications in hours, not weeks. Complete with HTMX, templ, TailwindCSS, and automated OpenBSD deployment pipelines.
Why You Need To Ditch VS Code
Discover how moving from VS Code to terminal-based development improves your programming skills. Learn why GUI-based IDEs limit your growth and how mastering CLI tools makes you a more capable developer.
LSQ v1.0.0: Terminal-Based Logseq Journaling
LSQ reaches v1.0.0, bringing stable terminal-based journaling to Logseq users. Learn about the core features, configuration options, and what's next for this command-line tool.
How To Use Logseq from Your Terminal
Learn how to manage your Logseq journals directly from the terminal using lsq. This guide shows you how to install, configure, and use this command-line tool for efficient note-taking without leaving your terminal. Perfect for developers and terminal enthusiasts.
How To Install a Matrix Server (Synapse) on OpenBSD
After much trouble shooting for several days I finally got this working. :sweat_smile: This setup uses Openbsd 7.1 and will use a reverse proxy via relayd.
How to Run Syncthing as a Daemon on OpenBSD
How to Run Syncthing as a Daemon on OpenBSD
How To Extract Kindle Notes From The Web
How To Extract Kindle Notes From The Web
Install OpenBSD Sets From A USB Install Device
Install OpenBSD Sets From A USB Install Device
How To Enable Middle Button Scrolling For The Lenovo X220 On OpenBSD
How To Enable Middle Button Scrolling For The Lenovo X220 On OpenBSD
How To Mine Wownero: Junkie Jeff Hard Fork
Learn how to mine Wownero directly with Wownerod, Xmrig, or Xmrig-Proxy after the July 4th, 2021 "Junkie Jeff" hard fork.
How to Get Keyboard Key Names on Linux
How to Get Keyboard Key Names on Linux
The Virtues Of An Effective Programmer
Discover the key virtues that make an effective programmer, inspired by Larry Wall's wisdom: be lazy industriously, impatient patiently, and hubristic humbly.
How To Safelist An Email Address
Learn how to safelist (whitelist) an email address in Gmail and Yahoo to ensure important emails reach your inbox instead of spam.
How To Get Your First Programming Job
A practical approach to landing your first programming job by having recruiters come to you and maximizing your interview chances.
Here's Eric Raymond's Secret to Be a Better Coder
Eric Raymond explains why computer science education alone can't make you an expert programmer.
Top 10 Keys To Being A Superior Programmer
Learn the ten essential things every new programmer should know: from understanding concepts over languages to embracing failure as part of the coding journey.
Create A Quick and Easy Caesar Cipher
A Caesar cipher is the most simple & widely known encryption method. Once you know the bytes of a few key letters the logic is very simple.
You Need To Stop Using HTML Email
HTML email is bad and should be considered harmful. Keep in mind that by plain text I don't mean you shouldn't encrypt your emails; use PGP.
Email Lists To The Rescue!
I use email lists to send updates on new videos and blog posts so I don't have to play to the algorithms on the platforms I create within.
How to Write an ISO to USB on Linux with DD
sudo dd status=progress if=name-of.iso of=/dev/sdx
How To Create a Linked List Using Golang
Learn how to create a linked list from scratch using Go, including push and pop methods for stack implementation.
Peer-To-Peer: Our Only Hope
Peer-to-peer has been around a long time and is decentralized in nature. Yes, this is decentralized without the need for a blockchain.
Scripting Server Customization & Setup
Automate server setup and customization with Bash scripts. Learn how to save time by scripting your dotfiles, symlinks, and package installations.
How To Use Instagram On Your Computer
Learn how to post to Instagram from your computer using Chrome or Firefox developer tools without needing a mobile device.
I Removed Google From My Primary Device
My experience running Android without Google services using LineageOS. Learn about app compatibility, alternatives, and whether de-Googling is right for you.
Breto; A Multi-UI Status Bar
Breto is a small project I wrote to display the time and date in DWM. It's written in Go and the name means 'shelf' in Esperanto.
How To Search A Sorted Matrix With Go
We break down the algorithm of searching a sorted matrix for a specific number. Once you see it you'll never forget the solution; I promise.
Is Vscode Truly Open Source?
For years I wrote code in a terminal via Neovim but chose to give VSCode a spin. However, it's not as open source as I originally thought.
Achieve SOLID Design in Go
The following information is a compilation of Wikipedia and the 2016 speech by Dave Cheney. If I missed anything or am incorrect message me.
Hiking Shenandoah
The past week I got to spend with my in-laws in the mountains of Virginia. Our rental home was just outside of Shenandoah National Park on another mountain with a wonderful view.
Tech For Bloggers
Technology and apps that help bloggers write more effectively, edit efficiently, and backup their content safely.
My Testimony of Salvation
J. R. Swab shares his personal testimony of salvation, from growing up in a Presbyterian home through dabbling in the occult to finding true faith in Jesus Christ.