Capture Debt
I spent a few minutes prompting Hermes during a homeschool conference, and the automation made me more engaged, not less.
Writing
From Manual Checklist to Merge Gate: E2E Testing with Swamp
How I replaced a manual checklist and AI browser agent with a Swamp extension model that gates PRs with structured, queryable test results — no cloud CI spend required.
Local Agents Are Not Toys
Local LLMs on the M5 Max have become useful for bounded agent work, but they are not Amp or Claude killers yet.
Throwing Hermes into the Swamp
Hermes and Swamp finally worked once I stopped chasing install ownership and fixed the session snapshot that every tool subprocess sources.
Agents Make Homelab Alerts Boring
A Frigate storage alert became a small example of why agents and Swamp are working so well in my homelab: bounded context, reviewable changes, and asynchronous fixes that preserve headspace.
An Offline Meeting Transcriber Built on Swamp
I built an offline meeting transcriber using local Whisper, pyannote, and Ollama, then migrated it to swamp — the same typed models now power my terminal, my agent, and a future watch-folder, without copy-pasting a script.
Visibility Into the Black Box
I built an AI pipeline that ships production code to a ten-year-old Rails monolith about 90% of the time. But when it fails, or when I change something and want to know if it helped, I'm guessing. Three days of migrating to swamp gave me structured data for every decision the pipeline makes.
Review: Wild and Glorious
A pastoral and practical take on AI from a Christian perspective — wise, winsome, and well-timed.
Code Proven to Work
Two things resonated from Simon Willison's post on agent-written code: owning the output regardless of who wrote it, and working code — not artisanal craft — as the real deliverable.
The Theory-Building Problem
Claude Code handled complex tasks well in plan mode, but using it through a cooldown left me with quick solutions and a shaky mental model — until a post on Naur crystallized why.
The Southwest Companion Pass is Not Worth It
The Southwest Companion Pass is often cited as the best deal in travel. But is it worth the effort for most people?
Nearly Free Google Play Store Credits
How I've earned over $100 in Google Play Store credits just by answering short surveys on my phone.
Earning $60 in One Minute
A quick tip on how to maximize your Southwest Rapid Rewards points with minimal effort.
Saving Money on Cell Phone Plans
Stop overpaying for your cell phone plan. There are plenty of MVNOs that offer the same service for a fraction of the cost.
Meagerfindings?
What is Meagerfindings and why did I start this blog?
Earning $900 in Less Than 4 Hours
Bank account bonuses are one of the easiest ways to make extra money if you have some spare cash sitting around.
Trip Report: Backpacking the Four Pass Loop
A 28-mile loop through the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, crossing four 12,000+ foot passes.