Field notes
Written from real builds, not theory.
What we have learned shipping AI agents, MVPs, automation, and MCP servers into production — the trade-offs, the failure modes, and the parts the marketing pages skip.
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N-09
An AI just helped disprove the Jacobian conjecture (an 85-year-old open problem)
On 20 July 2026, Anthropic mathematician Levent Alpöge posted a hand-checkable counterexample to the Jacobian conjecture, found with Claude Fable. Here's what it is and why it matters.
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N-08
n8n vs Zapier vs custom automation: how to choose
n8n vs Zapier vs a custom build, compared on pricing model, licensing, control, and the point where each one stops being the cheap option.
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N-07
How to build an MCP server: a practical guide
A hands-on guide to building a Model Context Protocol server: the core primitives, transports, a minimal build, and the mistakes to avoid.
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N-06
Agentic workflows: the patterns that actually ship
A practical guide to agentic workflows: the five building-block patterns, when to use a workflow versus a true agent, and what breaks in production.
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N-05
Technical due diligence: what buyers and investors miss
What technical due diligence actually checks before an acquisition or investment, and the failure patterns that a thin review reliably misses.
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N-04
AI agent development frameworks: an honest field guide
A practitioner's guide to AI agent frameworks (LangGraph, CrewAI, OpenAI Agents SDK, provider SDKs) and when you don't need one at all.
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N-03
AI audit tools: what they are (and what they aren't)
AI audit tools for governing AI systems, the frameworks they map to, and why this is a different thing from AI used in financial auditing.
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N-02
What is an MVP in software development?
What an MVP actually means in software development, where the term came from, and why the common reading of it wastes months and money.
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N-01
Retool alternatives: when to buy, and when to build
A build-vs-buy guide to Retool alternatives for internal tools, including the open-source options and the point where a custom build wins.
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These notes come from real projects. Tell us what you are building and you will talk to the people who will build it.