Notes

Articles & notes

Reflections on technology, systems, automation, and leading technical work — on a personal site, written as I learn.

Architecture·11 min

How the Smartzig Tools architecture was chosen

Why this lab runs as one Next.js host, Firebase Hosting in front of Cloud Run, localized routes, and a monorepo — without pretending every problem is a micro-frontend.

Jul 15, 2026
Practice·10 min

Vibe coding: risks, and how this lab mitigates them

Fast AI-assisted iteration is powerful; without guardrails it erodes tests, security, and ownership. Here is how this repo keeps velocity without surrendering discipline.

May 15, 2026
Career·9 min

Professional identity online: portfolio, presence, and backlinks

How you show up in search and in hiring loops is partly under your control. Practical moves: own a canonical site, align profiles, and earn links that point to your name with context.

Mar 15, 2026
Engineering·8 min

Governance in a small lab: CI and review without bureaucracy

You do not need a program office to benefit from repeatable checks. How this monorepo keeps quality and security visible in Git and CI instead of in meetings.

Jan 15, 2026
Architecture·6 min

Why Micro Frontends Are the Future of Scalable Products

Exploring how breaking applications into focused, independent modules creates better software and better teams.

Nov 15, 2025
AI·8 min

Building AI Agents That Actually Solve Problems

The difference between AI hype and AI value — designing agents with clear purpose and measurable outcomes.

Sep 15, 2025
Product·5 min

The Single-Responsibility Principle Applied to Products

How the best tools do one thing exceptionally well, and why that matters for user experience.

Jul 15, 2025
Engineering·7 min

Design Systems as Competitive Advantage

Building consistency at scale through thoughtful design token architecture and component governance.

May 15, 2025
Leadership·9 min

From Engineer to Engineering Leader: Lessons Learned

Reflections on the transition from individual contributor to leading teams and shaping technology strategy.

Mar 15, 2025
Architecture·6 min

Cloud-Native Thinking for Small Teams

You don't need a massive infrastructure team to build resilient, scalable applications.

Jan 15, 2025