From the notebook
A working notebook on building products, scaling systems, and the tools I reach for when something breaks at 2am. Updated whenever I learn something worth writing down.
Real numbers from 30+ projects: Alita Robot (300K users on Docker/Oracle free VPS) vs Clickfolio (Cloudflare Workers + D1 + R2 at $0). Cost comparison, database trade-offs, DDoS horror stories, and a decision framework for when to pick which architecture.
Cloudflare Workers Serverless VPS Docker Side Projects Cloudflare D1 Supabase PlanetScale Cost Optimization Backend Architecture 2026
Upload a PDF resume, get a live web portfolio. I built clickfolio.me entirely on Cloudflare's edge stack, D1 for data, R2 for files, Queues for async processing, Durable Objects for real-time WebSockets, and Gemini for AI parsing. Here's every technical decision, including the ones I regret.
Cloudflare Workers D1 Durable Objects Next.js AI Gemini Drizzle ORM R2 WebSocket Full Stack Side Projects 2026 Edge Computing Better Auth Resume Parser
I built an open-source Telegram bot that grew to 300k+ real users, 200+ GitHub stars, and 300+ forks. Here's the brutally honest story of how—including the tactics I'm not proud of.
Telegram Open Source Go Python Growth Hacking Side Projects Developer Life 2026 Building in Public DevOps PostgreSQL Redis
Every logging tool felt like overkill—ELK's operational complexity, Datadog's pricing, Loki's LogQL learning curve. So I built Logwell: one Docker Compose, PostgreSQL-native, real-time streaming. Here's what I learned.
Logging Self-Hosted PostgreSQL SvelteKit Claude Code DevOps Side Projects Open Source OTLP TDD 2026 AI Coding Assistant Observability
July rewrote the leaderboard. Fable 5, GPT-5.6 Sol, Grok 4.5, Muse Spark 1.1, Kimi K2.7-Code, Cognition SWE-1.7, GLM 5.2, and MiniMax M3. What holds up for coding, agents, and cost.
AI Claude Fable 5 Claude Opus GPT 5.6 Grok 4.5 Muse Spark Kimi K2.7 SWE-1.7 MiniMax M3 GLM 5.2 Gemini DeepSeek V4 AI Models AI Comparison Coding 2026 Best AI Model
180K+ GitHub stars, security researchers panicking, $10–25/day in API costs. I spent two weeks with OpenClaw looking for a killer use case. The product isn't ready — the idea might be anyway.
AI OpenClaw AI Agents Moltbot Clawdbot Personal AI Assistant WhatsApp Telegram Productivity Security Open Source Developer Tools 2026 Peter Steinberger Moltbook
Everyone's talking about vibe coding like it's the future. After building a prototype in hours and then drowning in an unmaintainable mess, here's what the hype gets wrong.
AI Vibe Coding Developer Tools Claude Code Cursor GitHub Copilot Software Development Productivity 2026 AI Coding Assistant Best Practices
The authenticity paradox explained: why your online persona diverges from your real self. Psychology research + my experience with 500k users and daily metrics obsession.
Authenticity Psychology Social Media Personal Growth Developer Life Mental Health Identity Imposter Syndrome Developer Burnout
I've spent $50+/month on AI coding tools for a year. Here's what actually works, what's overhyped, and when to use each tool (including free local LLMs).
AI Claude Code Cursor GitHub Copilot LM Studio Coding Tools Developer Experience AI Assistants Productivity 2025 Best AI Coding Assistant 2026
I shipped 30+ side projects while finishing my MS in Computer Science at ASU. Here's the stack that let me build fast, deploy faster, and still sleep.
Side Projects Tech Stack Next.js Supabase Cloudflare TypeScript Building in Public Productivity 2026
Zero hosting costs, global edge deployment, and sub-50ms response times. Here's how I run divkix.me on Cloudflare Workers with Astro 7 and why you should consider ditching Vercel.
Cloudflare Workers Next.js Edge Computing Serverless Free Hosting OpenNext Portfolio Web Development Cost Optimization 2025
How I run powerful AI models locally on my M4 Pro MacBook with LM Studio. Privacy, speed, and vision models that can see images - all offline.
AI LM Studio Privacy Mac Qwen Local AI M4 Pro Vision Models ChatGPT Alternative Offline AI
How I built a class notification system that watches for open seats and instructor updates, so students never miss their dream classes due to constant refreshing.
Side Project Puppeteer Web Scraping Next.js Cloudflare Workers Supabase ASU College SaaS Full Stack