# crossroads (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 5 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover crossroads. Page: Feed: --- ## [When Confrontation Creates Its Own Constituency – Part I](https://leonvermeulen.substack.com/p/when-confrontation-creates-its-own) _2026-08-19 · LEON VERMEULEN · LEON’s Substack_ Once an economic system reorganises itself around confrontation, constituencies emerge that benefit from confrontation. ## [Sanctions Hurt Russia. But Europe Is Paying Too.](https://leonvermeulen.substack.com/p/sanctions-hurt-russia-but-europe) _2026-08-18 · LEON VERMEULEN · LEON’s Substack_ The balance sheet ignored: sanctions have costs for the countries imposing them too. ## [The Long Walk: Shipping Your Writing](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/writing) _2026-08-15 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ § July 2025 The honeymoon is over. The first draft was a thrill. Now, it's a tombstone in the ‘review’ folder. Here’s how you ship: 1. Slay the Enemy. Your enemy is fear. You feel it now. A tightness in your stomach, the knot in your throat. The whisper of the critic: “This sucks. Everybody will call you out on it.” This is the fear of shipping the imperfect. This is the final battle. 2. Find the… ## [Staring into the Void](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/void) _2026-08-15 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ Staring into the Void - by Myles Marino ## [Learning from the best traders](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/traders) _2026-08-15 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ Key lessons from the best traders like Soros, Druckenmiller, and Michael Marcus on what you can do to become a better investor ## [Investor and Operator Resources](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/tools) _2026-08-15 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ Curated collection of resources from great operators and investors including Warren Buffett, Peter Thiel, Jeff Bezos and more ## [Sum: Forty Tales From the Afterlives](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/sum) _2026-08-15 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ My thoughts on David Eagleman's book exploring different concepts of the afterlife ## [Dirtbags can't sell](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/sales) _2026-08-15 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ The only sales guide you will ever need: successful sales is the practice of radical empathy ## [Net-nets in Private Markets: RockRose Energy Case Study](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/rockrose) _2026-08-15 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ How RockRose Energy acquired Marathon Oil's UK business and got paid to do it. ## [Book Notes and Big Ideas](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/read) _2026-08-15 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ Key insights and big ideas from books I've read on investing, business, philosophy, and more ## [Save with community-voted codes (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/BnWsnuBUdxbN) _2026-08-15 · **Sponsored**_ Search thousands of community-verified coupon codes — 100% free, no account needed. ## [Anatomy of an Outage](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/outage) _2026-08-15 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ How we diagnosed and fixed a critical authentication token expiration issue in our mission-critical software ## [KSPI - Myles Marino](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/kspi) _2026-08-15 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ Content coming soon. ## [How I Lost 20 Pounds by Learning to Hate](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/how-i-lost-20-pounds-by-learning-to-hate) _2026-08-15 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ From January to July, the number on my scale dropped from 225 to 205. The secret wasn’t a punishing gym routine or a keto calculator. It was a targeted strike against a single enemy: my daily ritual of cracking open a morning Dr. Pepper and an afternoon Coca-Cola. That habit was the soundtrack to my day. The hiss-crack of the can, the sugary rush, the inevitable crash. Breaking a ritual woven so… ## [Richmond Spots and Interview Q&As](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/host) _2026-08-15 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ Collection of Richmond's favorite spots and Q&As with investors Zack Oliva and Mohnish Pabrai ## [I build a guestbook so you can say hi to me using PHP](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/guestbook) _2026-08-15 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ A technical breakdown of the new guestbook feature, detailing the PHP backend, JavaScript frontend, user flow, and a quick fix for a common file permissions issue. ## [First Ave Networks: One of Ted Weschler's Best Investments](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/first-ave) _2026-08-15 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ First Ave Networks is one of Ted Weschler's best investments. In this case study, we explore how it achieved 1236% returns in eleven years. ## [ECC Capital Corporation Investment](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/ecro) _2026-08-15 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ ECC Capital Corporation is a coal mine value investing play with potential upside ## [Avoid Competition: A Sam Zell Case Study](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/compete) _2026-08-15 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ How Sam Zell's first real estate deal highlights the advantage of low-competition markets ## [The History of Clipboards and Computers](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/clipboards) _2026-08-15 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ The history of clipboards and computers from TECO to modern systems ## [Buying CareCloud Preferred As](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/ccld) _2026-08-15 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ The Preferred A's for CareCloud could be a good investment. ## [Web Coding With AI, Live (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/GTrpawEhoeps) _2026-08-15 · **Sponsored**_ Collaborative screen sharing with simultaneous remote control, open source. ## [When Brussels Dislikes the Message, It Buys a Better Messenger](https://leonvermeulen.substack.com/p/when-brussels-dislikes-the-message) _2026-08-15 · LEON VERMEULEN · LEON’s Substack_ One has to admire the efficiency of the diagnosis. People distrust us. Therefore, we require better communications. Problem solved. ## [Europe Is Preparing for War. Who Is Preparing for Peace?](https://leonvermeulen.substack.com/p/europe-is-preparing-for-war-who-is) _2026-08-14 · LEON VERMEULEN · LEON’s Substack_ Something disturbing is happening to Europe’s language of security. It is no longer merely becoming harder. It is becoming narrower. ## [Everything Is a Context Problem](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/context-problem) _2026-08-14 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ The bots weren't dumb. They just didn't know anything. They read our in-house notes and guessed at the answer. ## [Protected: Twelve Weeks of Star Magic](https://stardrenched.com/2026/08/12/twelve-weeks-of-star-magic/) _2026-08-13 · Francesca · The Fairy Queen’s magic spells_ There is no excerpt because this is a protected post. ## [Human Transition Reflection - Two China’s AI Classroom: When Education Becomes National Strategy](https://leonvermeulen.substack.com/p/human-transition-reflection-two-chinas) _2026-08-09 · LEON VERMEULEN · LEON’s Substack_ What capabilities will the next generation require if artificial intelligence becomes a foundational technology of economic and national life? ## [Europe at the Crossroads - Part III Can Europe Become an Industrial Power Again?](https://leonvermeulen.substack.com/p/europe-at-the-crossroads-part-iii) _2026-08-06 · LEON VERMEULEN · LEON’s Substack_ From Defensive Regulation to Economic Offensive ## [New Fairy Witch Ritual](https://stardrenched.com/2026/08/06/new-fairy-witch-ritual/) _2026-08-06 · Francesca · The Fairy Queen’s magic spells_ Whatever reason you are stuck, here’s magic to clear the path and reach your goal. Continue reading → ## [Europe at the Crossroads - Part II The Draghi Report: Europe’s Last Chance?](https://leonvermeulen.substack.com/p/europe-at-the-crossroads-part-ii) _2026-08-04 · LEON VERMEULEN · LEON’s Substack_ Why Europe Understands the Problem but Struggles to Act ## [The EU’s Gamble with the Well-being of its Citizens](https://leonvermeulen.substack.com/p/the-eus-gamble-with-the-well-being) _2026-08-04 · LEON VERMEULEN · LEON’s Substack_ Life beyond the current heat waves ## [Europe at the Crossroads - Part 1 Can Europe Survive a Trade War with China?](https://leonvermeulen.substack.com/p/europe-at-the-crossroads-part-1-can) _2026-08-03 · LEON VERMEULEN · LEON’s Substack_ Why Europe’s Industrial Challenge Begins Long Before Tariffs ## [Prime Noise-Cancelling Picks (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/5xIoKI6pZngN) _2026-08-03 · **Sponsored**_ Browse Prime-eligible, 4-star-and-up noise-cancelling earbuds with fast shipping and deals ## [When Democracies Begin to Fear Questions](https://leonvermeulen.substack.com/p/when-democracies-begin-to-fear-questions) _2026-08-01 · LEON VERMEULEN · LEON’s Substack_ Across Europe, a series of developments has raised uncomfortable questions about the relationship between national security and freedom of expression. ## [The Real Bottleneck in AI-Native Quality Is Trust!](https://danashby.co.uk/2026/07/29/the-real-bottleneck-in-ai-native-quality-is-trust/) _2026-07-29 · Dan Ashby · Dan Ashby_ Part 2 of 4: Rethinking the quality operating model for AI-native engineering I ve seen and heard about how this has been playing out in different organisations, with different tools and different teams. A team adopts an AI testing tool and they claim to be doing the leg-work properly: they get it integrated, they point it \[ \] ## [Transformer Engineers: Charlie Munger's First Deal Almost Broke Him](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/te) _2026-07-26 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ How Charlie Munger's worst business taught him the one lesson that made Berkshire Hathaway possible. ## [The Mistake Is in the Magnitude](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/magnitude) _2026-07-20 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ The crowd can decipher the direction of a mega-trend. Where nearly everyone goes wrong is in estimating its magnitude. ## [Quality Isn’t an Activity… It’s a System!](https://danashby.co.uk/2026/06/29/quality-isnt-an-activity-its-a-system/) _2026-06-29 · Dan Ashby · Dan Ashby_ Part 1 of 4: Rethinking the quality operating model for AI-native engineering Here s a scenario I d suspect most engineering leaders reading this will recognise: An incident slips into production. Not a sev-1 or 2, more like a sev-3 that the team commits to resolving in their backlog rather than through on-call, the kind that generates \[ \] ## [Joel Greenblatt, the Activist](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/greenblatt-activist) _2026-06-22 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ In 1994, Joel Greenblatt launched his first and last hostile activist campaign at Alliant Techsystems — the same year he made an effortless 40% on American Express. ## [Costly Delusions and Self-Improving Engines](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/one-shot) _2026-06-16 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ Believing you can one-shot your LLM problems leads to frustration, wasted engineer time, and runaway spend. Here's the framework we use instead. ## [Muscle Memory](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/muscle-memory) _2026-05-26 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ When you rebuild an interface, you're not just changing the UI — you're breaking habits your users have spent years building. ## [What AI Actually Does to Legacy Software](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/maigration) _2026-05-22 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ How we used AI to migrate 282 hand-pasted payment buttons from a twenty-year-old system — what it got right, what it got wrong, and what only a human could decide. ## [The 50th Percentile Deadline](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/deadlines) _2026-05-13 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ Why Musk aims for deadlines he'll miss half the time, and how to apply the same principle to daily work. ## [The JustinBot: Devouring Our Support Inbox With AI](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/justinbot) _2026-05-12 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ How we built our own AI support bot to handle 80% of Tier 1 requests by giving it the full context of a user's account, not just our documentation. ## [I Let BearQ Loose on My Own App Through Two Lenses: Tester and Engineering Leader](https://danashby.co.uk/2026/05/07/i-let-bearq-loose-on-my-own-app-through-two-lenses-tester-and-engineering-leader/) _2026-05-07 · Dan Ashby · Dan Ashby_ Part 4 in The Autonomous Testing Tipping Point series If you ve been following along, you ll know we ve been exploring application integrity, the gap opening up between AI-accelerated development and our ability to test what we re shipping, and the broader implications for how we think about quality. In this one, I want to get hands-on. I ve \[ \] ## [Be Involved](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/be-involved) _2026-05-04 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ Reading the front page of the Wall Street Journal was never supposed to be a party trick. It was supposed to get you involved. ## [crossroads](https://bulltown.neocities.org/crossroads/) _2026-04-25 · bulltown.neo_ crossroads ## [Autonomous Testing has Landed: Welcome BearQ, by SmartBear](https://danashby.co.uk/2026/03/31/autonomous-testing-has-landed-welcome-bearq-by-smartbear/) _2026-03-31 · Dan Ashby · Dan Ashby_ So… It’s here the thing I’ve been hinting at across my past two articles. If you’ve been following my 2-part series about “The Autonomous Testing Tipping Point”, in both parts I talked a lot about the crossroads we’re at in our industry, between the existing world of quality and testing strategies that revolve around \[ \] ## [Building on Platforms](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/platform-risk) _2026-03-23 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ Platform apps are high-margin, stable, and could get nuked overnight. Here is how we think about the trade-off. ## [Speed Traps in the LLM-Era](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/speed-traps) _2026-03-22 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ How AI-assisted development tempts us into building the wrong things faster, and why taste matters more than ever. ## [How to See Everyone When You Travel](https://mylesmarino.com/posts/meet-in-groups) _2026-03-22 · mylesmarino1@gmail.com (Myles Marino) · Myles Marino_ Stop doing one-on-ones. Invite six people for bagels in Central Park and let the group take on a life of its own. ## [The Autonomous Testing Tipping Point (Part 2)](https://danashby.co.uk/2026/03/15/the-autonomous-testing-tipping-point-part-2/) _2026-03-15 · Dan Ashby · Dan Ashby_ Last week, in part 1, I set the scene: why testing is at a crossroads, what autonomous testing means as a spectrum (not a switch) across both teams and in AI systems, and how autonomy functions best. I also discussed why autonomy within these AI systems is important, in relation to removing friction that stops \[ \] ## [The Autonomous Testing Tipping Point (Part 1)](https://danashby.co.uk/2026/03/05/the-autonomous-testing-tipping-point-part-1/) _2026-03-05 · Dan Ashby · Dan Ashby_ I am increasingly getting the deep impression that software delivery teams are standing at a crossroads within the industry. On one side we have systems that are growing more complex, more distributed, and more interconnected than anything we’ve built before. On the other hand, we have delivery expectations that continue to accelerate even as budgets \[ \]