Om

Writings

Thoughts on software engineering, product design, and the digital landscape.

I Cut My Site's Load Time from 15s to 3s with Surgical Suspense Boundaries

My hiring site was painfully slow. Every page waited for every database query before sending a single byte of HTML. Here's exactly how I fixed it with React Suspense, without rewriting anything major.

#nextjs#performance#react#suspense

YouTube Outage

yesterday’s global youtube interruption was a rare moment where the world paused. here is a technical breakdown of what likely occurred and how i am using these lessons at ibbe.

#engineering#system design#resilience#architecture

Why Ads in ChatGPT Could Undermine Trust (And How OpenAI Plans to Prevent It)

OpenAI recently announced they're introducing ads to ChatGPT's free and lower-cost tiers to expand access. Here's what OpenAI promises, why skepticism is warranted, and what a better model might look like.

#Technology#AI#Product Design#Opinion

We're Done Asking You to Subscribe

I'm building educational content at ibbe with one rule above all: learning comes first. That means zero "like share subscribe" nonsense, no phones for teachers, no marketing links in descriptions, and lectures that respect your brain's actual attention span. Every decision here exists because I sat through the opposite as a student and it sucked. This is what happens when you stop optimizing for metrics and start optimizing for understanding.

#Education#Philosophy#Design#Authenticity

Building a Valentine That Actually Means Something

Stop buying what everyone else is buying. Here's how to turn history into intimacy.

#Relationships#History#Gifting#Guide

The Founder’s Paradox: The Systemic Risks of Institutionalizing Idiosyncrasy in Scaling Ventures

This research report investigates the perilous inflection point where a founder’s personal operating system—the unique blend of habits, instincts, and biases that catalyzed a startup’s genesis—transforms from a competitive advantage into a structural liability.

#Management#Startups#Culture#Scaling

AI Makes a Pretty Good Beta Tester

Turns out AI's weird strengths line up perfectly with finding bugs

#AI#Beta Testing#Software Development#Engineering

The Invisible Excellence Trap: Why Your Best Work Goes Unnoticed (And Why That Might Be The Point)

I obsess over details most people will never see. I refine, iterate, perfect. Then I watch as users glide past my work, oblivious to the care embedded in every choice. This is the paradox of craftsmanship: when you do it right, it disappears.

#Craftsmanship#Design#Philosophy#Excellence#Work

why I choose to stay in this feeling

love leaves us exposed in ways nothing else can. when someone sees our unguarded self and then walks away, the ache settles deep. I'm exploring why moving forward feels impossible, why loyalty persists even when the story has ended, and what this vulnerability teaches me about the depth of real connection.

#Love#Vulnerability#Connection#Growth

The Internet Stopped Being Useful and Nobody's Talking About It

We broke search. The technology still works, but the entire point of it feels lost. Between AI slop flooding every corner of the web and zero-click answers that keep you trapped on Google, the internet's becoming a dead mall where nothing feels real anymore.

#Internet#AI#Search#Technology#Future

Why AI Coding Is Still Broken (And Why Your Job Is Safe)

After two years of using AI to code, I've watched it hit a wall that nobody wants to talk about. The tools are getting bigger, but they're getting worse at the one thing that matters: actually thinking like an engineer.

#AI#Coding#Software Engineering#Future of Work

The Soul of Gifting: A Guide to Giving a Piece of Your Heart

The perfect gift is a feeling. A captured memory. A mirror that shows the recipient exactly how much they matter.

#Relationships#Emotion#Guide#Philosophy

The Soul of a Brand: Why Human Creativity Still Matters

I will invest my money, my attention, and my loyalty in companies that view marketing as a craft, a promise, and an opportunity to connect. And I will walk away from any brand that treats advertising as something AI can handle while humans take a back seat.

#Marketing#AI#Design#Branding#Brand Soul

returning to the essential

we believe the mind is an architect, designed to construct its own reality. to step back from the digital current is to reclaim the primary role in one's own life. we prefer to invest our time with intention, favoring the deep restoration of scholē over the speed of the scroll. today, we choose to design a life that looks and feels like our own.

#Mindfulness#Intention#Digital Wellbeing#Philosophy

The AI Everywhere Rush: Are We Missing The Point?

Every single company is sprinting to adopt it. But is it actually solving user problems?

#AI#Innovation#Product Strategy#Technology

Leadership as a Service

leadership begins with connection. explore how the daily walk and shared conversations build a standard of trust and support.

#Leadership#Management#Team Building#Culture