Making sense of AI: technical, everyday, & reflections.http://insightsiterations.com/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/my-claude-code-setup-for-building-anything/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/my-claude-code-setup-for-building-anything/I haven’t written a line of code in six months. I spent over two decades writing code — Python, C#, TypeScript, SQL. Wherever the job needed me, I figured it out. Now I spend my time reviewing code I…Thu, 23 Apr 2026 11:03:00 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/i-failed-a-coding-interview-and-it-doesnt-matter/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/i-failed-a-coding-interview-and-it-doesnt-matter/Here's a question I can't figure out: Am I a software engineer who codes, or a system designer who directs AI? Because the job market doesn't seem to know either. The Interview That Changed Everything…Mon, 13 Apr 2026 10:32:00 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/from-8-hours-to-47-minutes-12-proven-ai-coding-strategies-to-make-you-more-productive/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/from-8-hours-to-47-minutes-12-proven-ai-coding-strategies-to-make-you-more-productive/AI built a feature in 47 minutes, which would have taken 8 hours of work a few years ago. But here's what nobody tells you: without the right strategies, that same AI will waste three hours building t…Wed, 03 Dec 2025 15:27:00 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/4-ways-im-preparing-my-3-year-old-for-an-ai-world/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/4-ways-im-preparing-my-3-year-old-for-an-ai-world/MIT study reveals AI weakens critical thinking in young adults. Here's how I'm teaching my 3-year-old to use AI as a tool, not a crutch.Fri, 25 Jul 2025 19:26:00 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/3-essential-steps-to-take-before-leaving-your-job/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/3-essential-steps-to-take-before-leaving-your-job/Leaving your job? Three simple steps can transform an uncertain transition into a strategic career move—and most professionals overlook the most crucial one.Mon, 12 May 2025 19:26:00 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/can-dependency-injection-make-me-a-better-python-programmer/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/can-dependency-injection-make-me-a-better-python-programmer/While dependency injection is a must-have in Java and C#, its role in Python raises intriguing questions about when—and whether—to use this powerful design pattern.Sun, 16 Feb 2025 20:26:00 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/5-ways-to-boost-your-coding-productivity-with-generative-ai/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/5-ways-to-boost-your-coding-productivity-with-generative-ai/Discover five practical ways to leverage generative AI tools like ChatGPT to enhance your coding workflow and boost development productivity.Fri, 31 Jan 2025 20:26:00 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/4-lessons-from-a-30-year-career-in-5-minutes/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/4-lessons-from-a-30-year-career-in-5-minutes/Chuck spills the tea on 30 years of career lessons, revealing surprising truths about toxic coworkers, the myth of loyalty, and why your family should always come first.Tue, 27 Aug 2024 20:26:00 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/modifying-a-file-locally-without-updating-the-remote-git-repository/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/modifying-a-file-locally-without-updating-the-remote-git-repository/Have you ever needed to modify a file locally without committing the changes to the remote repository?Fri, 05 Apr 2024 20:26:00 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/pre-pandemic-and-post-pandemic-job-hunting/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/pre-pandemic-and-post-pandemic-job-hunting/Insight into pre-pandemic and post-pandemic job hunting.Sun, 20 Mar 2022 22:43:56 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/centralize-your-data-integrity/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/centralize-your-data-integrity/Centralize your data integrity to ensure consistency across your organization.Tue, 04 May 2021 19:17:37 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/give-a-safe-space-to-express-ideas/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/give-a-safe-space-to-express-ideas/When leading a team, it’s important to create an environment where everyone feels safe to express their ideas regardless of their experience level.Thu, 01 Apr 2021 18:58:09 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/scrum-is-overrated/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/scrum-is-overrated/Scrum is overrated. It's a good starting point for teams that have never worked together, but it's not the end all be all.Tue, 16 Mar 2021 16:49:00 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/a-binary-search-implementation/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/a-binary-search-implementation/The binary search algorithm quickly searches a large array of numbers, it’s often referred to as divide and conquer.Wed, 02 Dec 2020 05:52:00 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/the-benefits-of-using-a-build-framework/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/the-benefits-of-using-a-build-framework/Continuous Integration (CI) and/or Continuous Delivery (CD) is the norm on software projects these days. There are many build servers such as Azure DevOps, TeamCity, Jenkins, and Cruise Control.Net.Thu, 26 Nov 2020 05:46:26 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/tools-and-resources-i-commonly-use-to-develop-software/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/tools-and-resources-i-commonly-use-to-develop-software/Below is a collection of tools, libraries, and resources I commonly use.Sat, 24 Oct 2020 00:11:20 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/grady-booch-on-architecture/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/grady-booch-on-architecture/A Series of Tweets from Grady Booch on software architecture.Sat, 05 Sep 2020 07:33:14 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/nvarchar-vs-varchar/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/nvarchar-vs-varchar/Each engineer defining a new string column decides: Do I use nvarchar or do I use varchar?Wed, 05 Aug 2020 21:14:29 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/changing-a-react-input-value-from-vanilla-javascript/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/changing-a-react-input-value-from-vanilla-javascript/Changing a React input value from vanilla Javascript is not as simple as you might think.Mon, 27 Jul 2020 18:38:31 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/when-to-use-the-fromservice-attribute/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/when-to-use-the-fromservice-attribute/The [FromServices] attribute allows method level dependency injection in Asp.Net Core controllers.Wed, 20 Nov 2019 21:25:00 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/c-8-nullable-reference-types/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/c-8-nullable-reference-types/Microsoft is adding a new feature to C# 8 called Nullable Reference Types. Which at first, is confusing because all reference types are nullable… so how this different? Going forward, if the feature is enabled, references types are non-nullable, unless you explicitly notate them as nullable.Mon, 04 Nov 2019 04:03:28 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/9-guidelines-for-creating-expressive-names/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/9-guidelines-for-creating-expressive-names/Naming is subjective and situational, it’s an art, and with most art, we discover patterns. I’ve learned a lot through the reading of other’s code. In this article, I’ve compiled 9 guidelines I wished others had followed when I read their code.Mon, 28 Oct 2019 04:12:13 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/with-or-without-curly-braces/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/with-or-without-curly-braces/There’s a heated debate around single statements and whether they should have curly braces or not.Mon, 14 Oct 2019 04:08:58 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/understanding-begins-with-expressive-names/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/understanding-begins-with-expressive-names/Understanding code is the first step to modifying it.Mon, 30 Sep 2019 14:43:33 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/codifying-the-secret-sauce/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/codifying-the-secret-sauce/Codifying the secret sauce is instrumental in writing maintainable and successful applications.Mon, 16 Sep 2019 04:15:08 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/garbage-collection-types-in-net-core/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/garbage-collection-types-in-net-core/Memory management in modern languages is often an afterthought. For all intents and purposes, we write software without nary a thought about memory. This serves us well but there are always exceptions…Mon, 02 Sep 2019 04:17:08 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/you-are-not-your-code/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/you-are-not-your-code/Your code reflects neither your beliefs, nor your upbringing, nor your character.Mon, 19 Aug 2019 04:17:34 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/the-5-different-meanings-of-the-question-mark-in-c/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/the-5-different-meanings-of-the-question-mark-in-c/In C# the question mark has 5 meanings as of C# 8.Mon, 05 Aug 2019 14:22:34 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/the-collection-comparer-finding-the-differences-between-two-collections/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/the-collection-comparer-finding-the-differences-between-two-collections/Have you had to compare two collections and execute some logic based on whether the item is in the source collection, in the comparing collection or in both? Yeah, me too, I needed to merge data from the UI and the database. I couldn’t find a good solution, so, I wrote a collection comparer.Mon, 22 Jul 2019 03:00:51 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/implementing-request-caching-in-asp-net-core/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/implementing-request-caching-in-asp-net-core/At some point in an application’s development, usually, fairly early on, you realize the application is slow. After some research, the culprit is, unnecessarily retrieving the same data, and a light goes off, and you think: “I need some caching.”Mon, 08 Jul 2019 05:32:18 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/running-await-in-a-constructor/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/running-await-in-a-constructor/If you must run code in a constructor. I’d look for a different way, but if you must, here’s one way.Mon, 24 Jun 2019 04:19:00 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/stop-and-remove-all-docker-containers-and-images/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/stop-and-remove-all-docker-containers-and-images/This is shamelessly stolen from The Humble Developer.Mon, 18 Jun 2018 05:01:25 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/workaround-for-template-parse-errors-in-angular/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/workaround-for-template-parse-errors-in-angular/This was one of the more frustrating issues with Angular 2/4/+. It’s not an issue with Angular 2/4/+ per se, but with how webpack bundles the supporting HTML files.Mon, 30 Oct 2017 21:28:33 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/in-a-single-page-application-should-i-process-on-the-client-or-the-server/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/in-a-single-page-application-should-i-process-on-the-client-or-the-server/One of the selling points of the Single Page Application (SPA) was offloading work traditionally performed on the server onto the client. I feel the SPA has delivered on this promise.Sun, 27 Dec 2015 15:23:03 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/examining-the-case-for-switch-statements/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/examining-the-case-for-switch-statements/For nearly 50 years, the switch statement (also known as the case statement) has been an integral part of programming. In recent years, however, some are claiming that the switch statement has outlived its usefulness. Others go even further by labeling the switch statement as a code-smell.Sun, 06 Dec 2015 15:15:21 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/4-practices-to-lowering-your-defect-rate/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/4-practices-to-lowering-your-defect-rate/Writing software is a battle between complexity and simplicity. Striking balance between the two is difficult. The trade-off is between long unmaintainable methods and too much abstraction. Tilting too far in either direction impairs code readability and increases the likelihood of defects.Tue, 17 Nov 2015 15:13:55 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/ignorance-is-bliss-when-using-frameworks/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/ignorance-is-bliss-when-using-frameworks/In software engineering, there is a prevailing idea that an engineer should only use a framework when he or she understands the internal workings. This is a fallacy.Mon, 31 Aug 2015 15:11:53 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/8-must-have-extensions-for-brackets-io/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/8-must-have-extensions-for-brackets-io/Everyone has a favorite editor. I’ve tried them all. And I’ve found that Brackets.io best suits me. Unfortunately, there are gaps in the functionality of Brackets.io. With a robust ecosystem of extensions, I’ve found 8 extensions that complete Brackets.io.Mon, 17 Aug 2015 15:06:38 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/setting-up-continuous-integration-on-ubuntu-with-nodejs/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/setting-up-continuous-integration-on-ubuntu-with-nodejs/I went through blood, sweat and tears to bring this to you. I suffered the scorching heat of Death Valley and summited the peaks of Mount McKinley. I’ve sacrificed much.Sat, 15 Aug 2015 15:03:32 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/the-mind-state-of-a-software-engineer/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/the-mind-state-of-a-software-engineer/Have patience. Coding is discovery. Coding is failing. Be ok with this.Sun, 17 May 2015 14:55:19 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/index-fragmentation-in-sql-azure-who-knew/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/index-fragmentation-in-sql-azure-who-knew/I’ve been on my project for over a year and it has significantly grown as an application and in data during the year. It’s been nonstop new features. I’ve rarely gone back and refactored code...Sun, 26 Apr 2015 14:53:51 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/a-general-ledger-understanding-the-ledger/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/a-general-ledger-understanding-the-ledger/What is a general ledger and why is it important? To find out read on!Mon, 23 Mar 2015 14:46:02 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/proofing-a-concept-and-growing-the-code/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/proofing-a-concept-and-growing-the-code/In a recent conversation, a friend mentioned he creates proof of concepts and then discards them after testing their viability. I’ve done the same in the past. This time it didn’t feel right. I cringed when he said he threw away to the code. Maybe my days as a business owner has turned me into a froogle goat, but it felt like he was throwing away value.Sun, 01 Mar 2015 14:43:09 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/securing-angularjs-with-claims/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/securing-angularjs-with-claims/At some point an application needs authorization. This means different levels of access behave differently on a web site (or anything for that matter). It can be anything from seeing data to whole area’s that are not accessible by a group of users.Sat, 14 Feb 2015 14:40:56 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/3-reasons-why-code-reviews-are-important/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/3-reasons-why-code-reviews-are-important/A great code review will challenge your assumptions and give you constructive feedback. For me, code reviews are an essential part in growing as a software engineer.Wed, 28 Jan 2015 14:34:04 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/5-steps-for-coding-for-the-next-developer/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/5-steps-for-coding-for-the-next-developer/Most of us probably don't think about the developer who will maintain our code. Until recently, I did not consider him either. I never intentionally wrote obtuse code, but I also never left any breadcrumbs.Thu, 01 Jan 2015 14:32:01 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/questions-to-ask-during-an-interview/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/questions-to-ask-during-an-interview/When I walk out of an interview, I want to know the position’s responsibilities, I want to know the environment and I want to know what I am expected to accomplish during my first week. Most of all I want to know if the company is a fit for me.Thu, 06 Nov 2014 14:22:19 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/implementing-transparent-encryption-with-nhibernate-listeners-interceptors/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/implementing-transparent-encryption-with-nhibernate-listeners-interceptors/Have you ever had to encrypt data in the database? In this post, I’ll explore how using nHibernate Listeners to encrypt and decrypt data coming from and going into your database. The cryptography will be transparent to your application.Mon, 03 Nov 2014 14:28:12 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/missing-management-delegation-icon-in-iis/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/missing-management-delegation-icon-in-iis/It’s critical this is done first. Web deploy may not install correctly if it’s installed with the Management Service icon missing. Check IIS for the Management Delegation icon, it’ll be under the Management section.Thu, 30 Oct 2014 14:20:36 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/calling-stored-procedures-with-code-first/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/calling-stored-procedures-with-code-first/One of the weaknesses of Entity Framework 6 Code First is the lack of support for natively calling database constructs (views, stored procedures… etc). For those who have not heard of or used Code-First in Entity Framework (EF), Code-First is simply a Fluent mapping API. Thu, 16 Oct 2014 14:19:11 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/git-cheat-sheet/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/git-cheat-sheet/Below are git commands I find myself using over and over.Wed, 01 Oct 2014 14:17:31 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/conditional-sql-parameters-with-nhibernate/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/conditional-sql-parameters-with-nhibernate/The problem is a the nHibernate’s `CreateSqlQuery` needs a complete sql string to be created, but you can’t create a string until you’ve evaluated the parameters. The only work around is to evaluate the conditional parameters to create the sql string to create the nHibernate session and then revaluate the parameters again to add them to the `nHibernate` query object. Wed, 26 Mar 2014 14:16:25 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/a-simple-guide-to-finding-your-next-job/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/a-simple-guide-to-finding-your-next-job/It’s time to look for the next job, eh? I feel for you. Finding a job sucks. It’s one of those things that everyone must do at some point. I equate it to looking for love. Every aspect of “you” is on display. When someone passes on you, it’s hard not to take it personally. Chin up my friend; we’ll get through this.Fri, 28 Feb 2014 14:05:28 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/crystal-reports-13-maximum-report-processing-limit-reached-workaround/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/crystal-reports-13-maximum-report-processing-limit-reached-workaround/In the Visual Studio 2012 version of Crystal Reports 13 there is a threshold that throttles concurrent reports, this also includes subreports, to 75 reports across a machine. This means if there are 5 web applications on a given server all opened reports across all 5 web applications counts toward the 75 report limit.Wed, 18 Dec 2013 14:03:21 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/considerations-when-throwing-exceptions/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/considerations-when-throwing-exceptions/There is an underlining philosophy in this system that nulls are bad. In most cases where a null can be generated an exception is thrown. At first I did not see a problem with this. I saw it as an architecture decision, an aesthetic, but as I interface with the code, it’s apparent to me it’s an architectural mistake.Thu, 21 Mar 2013 13:59:37 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/mastering-the-craft-essential-skills-of-a-senior-software-engineer/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/mastering-the-craft-essential-skills-of-a-senior-software-engineer/This post outlines the key technical and soft skills that distinguish a truly skilled senior software engineer.Wed, 31 Oct 2012 13:51:15 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/creating-a-generic-type-at-runtime/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/creating-a-generic-type-at-runtime/To use a runtime type with an IOC container like StructureMap to find a generic implementation, create the generic type using `MakeGenericType` and then retrieve the instance from the container using `_container.GetInstance(type)`.Tue, 22 May 2012 13:29:28 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/deploying-with-msdeploy-outside-of-visual-studio/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/deploying-with-msdeploy-outside-of-visual-studio/MsDeploy is a powerful tool for deploying web applications. Here are some command line examples for deploying with MsDeploy.Thu, 10 May 2012 13:27:41 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/understanding-time-discrepancies-in-distributed-systems/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/understanding-time-discrepancies-in-distributed-systems/While UTC provides a common time standard, assuming perfect synchronization between servers using UTC can lead to data inconsistencies and unexpected errors.Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:24:20 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/2-minutes-on-migrating-data/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/2-minutes-on-migrating-data/Migrating data is a pain. Use a tool.Thu, 22 Dec 2011 13:22:39 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/chronic-contractor/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/chronic-contractor/This developer is always looking for a gig. There is always something better. Chronic Contractors are expensive. Mileage per dollar varies.Tue, 14 Jun 2011 13:18:50 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/insecurinator-developer/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/insecurinator-developer/This developer refuses to find a better job.Sat, 11 Jun 2011 13:17:14 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/mini-me-developer/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/mini-me-developer/This developer follows the King of the Hill Developer like..Wed, 08 Jun 2011 13:15:29 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/king-of-the-hill-developer/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/king-of-the-hill-developer/Typically this developer has been in few organizations. They tend to be the smart frog in the small pond. When another smarter developer joins them, they try to subjugate them. Tactics include withholding information, passive put downs and excessive explaining.Fri, 03 Jun 2011 13:14:17 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/the-ego-interviewer/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/the-ego-interviewer/The Ego Interviewer is a person who uses the interview process to stroke their ego.Sun, 29 May 2011 13:12:12 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/boost-your-productivity-6-tips-to-coding-faster/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/boost-your-productivity-6-tips-to-coding-faster/Boost your coding efficiency by using familiar tools, focusing on the task at hand, and leveraging keyboard shortcuts and automation.Mon, 29 Nov 2010 12:59:58 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/code-refactor/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/code-refactor/Refactoring a large C# file to be leaner and easier to maintain.Fri, 22 Oct 2010 12:56:54 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/clever-vs-getting-things-done/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/clever-vs-getting-things-done/There is a fine balance between doing it right and delivering.Fri, 15 Oct 2010 12:52:56 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/crud-applications-and-the-business-layer-a-practical-perspective/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/crud-applications-and-the-business-layer-a-practical-perspective/While a business layer might seem beneficial, in CRUD applications, its value is often outweighed by the added complexity and maintenance burden it introduces.Sun, 10 Oct 2010 19:13:59 GMThttp://insightsiterations.com/posts/weighted-random-distribution/http://insightsiterations.com/posts/weighted-random-distribution/This blog post presents a method for generating random numbers, with the pitfall of the predictable nature of time-based random number generators.Wed, 06 Oct 2010 19:06:54 GMT