Blog
Notes on building software.
Practical writing on fixed-price consulting, SEO for professional practices, AI-leveraged delivery, and building software that works.
June 30, 2026
Fixed-Bid vs. Hourly: Which Pricing Model Is Right for Your Project?
A plain-English guide to choosing between fixed-bid and hourly software consulting engagements. Which model fits your project, where each one hides risk, and the honest answer for most small-business work.
Fixed-bidConsultingSmall businessPricingJune 30, 2026
How SEO Actually Works for Professional Practice and Small Business Websites
A plain-English guide to search engine optimization for law firms, accountants, medical practices, and small businesses. What matters, what doesn't, and realistic expectations.
SEOWebsitesProfessional practicesSmall businessFebruary 28, 2026
AI Doesn't Write Bad Code. It Writes Convincing Code.
A working hypothesis after a month of putting Claude Code through its paces inside a structured mono-repo environment. AI performs dramatically better inside opinionated, well-documented systems. Without that structure, it amplifies chaos.
AIClaude CodeSoftware qualityEngineeringJanuary 4, 2026
The Three Clocks Framework: Designing Real-Time Systems
Every real-time platform runs on three clocks — user time, system time, and business time. Most teams only design for one. That's why systems feel fast but fail under pressure, or feel consistent but never scale.
ArchitectureDistributed systemsReal-timeEngineeringSoftware qualityDecember 31, 2025
Start With Good: Where Quality Actually Begins
A follow-up to Lister's Law. Good doesn't start with testing. It starts with understanding — the problem, the user, and why the work matters. Shift Left Quality in practice.
Lister's LawSoftware qualityShift Left QualityEngineeringOctober 31, 2025
Lister's Law: If You Don't Pick Good, You Don't Get Any
The classic Good / Fast / Cheap trilemma is wrong. After 37 years of shipping software, the harder truth is that Good isn't one of three options — it's the precondition for the other two.
Lister's LawSoftware qualityEngineering