pgvector vs Pinecone for Enterprise RAG: When Postgres Is Enough
Most RAG systems don't need a separate vector database. Here's when pgvector on Postgres is enough, and when Pinecone or OpenSearch earns its place.
pgvectorvector databaserag
Blog
Notes from the work.
Practical engineering writing from projects: connectivity, device platforms, cloud cost, migrations and the operational details that keep systems boring.
Oracle to Postgres Migration: Real Cost and When to Hire
Oracle support renews every year whether you migrate or not. Here's what moving to PostgreSQL really takes, and where projects stall.
oracle to postgresdatabase migrationpostgresql
AI Visual Inspection: Cloud Vision API or Edge Camera?
Image APIs now cost fractions of a cent per check. That changes where AI defect detection should run on your line, and where it still can't.
computer visionquality controlmanufacturing
On-Prem LLM vs Frontier API: When Self-Hosting Pays Off
Most companies shouldn't run an on premise LLM to save money. Here are the four cases where self-hosting does pay off, and the costs people miss.
LLMAIon-premise
AWS Mainframe Modernization Is Closed to New Customers. Here's What a Mainframe Exit Looks Like Now
AWS Mainframe Modernization closed to new customers on July 30, 2026. What changed, what current customers keep, and realistic mainframe exit paths now.
mainframeCOBOLAWS
Hiring an Industrial Automation Consultant: What a SCADA/PLC Integration Project Actually Involves
Hiring an industrial automation consultant? What a SCADA/PLC integration project involves, from assessment to commissioning, with costs and red flags.
automationSCADAPLC
OPC UA vs MQTT: Plant Data to the Cloud Without Replacing PLCs
OPC UA vs MQTT for plant-floor data: what each does, when to use which, Sparkplug B, Unified Namespace, and a secure, outbound-only edge gateway design.
IoTindustrial IoTOPC UA
Staff augmentation vs. consulting: when to bring in an outside engineering team
When an IoT, edge AI or cloud cost project stalls, should you hire, augment staff or bring in a project team? A buyer's framework for program leads.
staff augmentationIoT integration servicesedge AI
Army NGC2 is buying commercial apps: how a small software shop plugs in
The Army's NGC2 contract awards went to nine commercial app vendors. How the Commercial Solutions Opening works and where small software firms fit.
defenseNGC2Army
DHH's Campfire shootout, part 2: the Elixir port played by different rules
The Campfire repos show Rust could drop Redis and diverge from Rails while Elixir PRs doing the same were turned down. What a fair benchmark needs.
ElixirRustbenchmarks
Build vs. buy has flipped: when custom AI-built tools beat SaaS
AI coding agents made custom internal software cheap. When building beats another SaaS subscription, and when it turns into a maintenance trap.
build vs buyAI coding agentsfractional CTO
Fast isn't the same as reliable: what the Campfire reliability test shows
A reliability test of the Campfire ports: Rust is fastest at light load but drops most messages under heavy load. Rails and Elixir delivered every one.
ElixirRustreliability
How to become a software subcontractor for defense primes, from a San Antonio dev shop
How to become a government subcontractor for defense software work: registration, finding primes, CMMC, ITAR and what primes check before they hire you.
defensesubcontractingCMMC
How companies save millions leaving the mainframe, and why AI-assisted COBOL rewrites still need a plan
AI can rewrite COBOL, but translation isn't migration. How to plan a mainframe modernization that cuts cost: spec first, dual-run, one job at a time.
mainframeCOBOLmodernization
Faster ATO for small vendors: SWFT, continuous ATO and FedRAMP 20x explained
SWFT, continuous ATO and FedRAMP 20x all reward automated security evidence. What small defense software vendors should build in now.
ATOFedRAMPDevSecOps
398 commits vs 2: how to run a fair language benchmark with AI-written code
The Campfire Rust port had about 400 commits before the benchmark. The Elixir port had two. How to run a fair benchmark when AI agents write the code.
benchmarksRustElixir
The I-35 defense corridor: where software subcontractors fit in Austin and San Antonio
Counter-drone contracts in Austin, drones and secure software in San Antonio: the I-35 defense tech corridor and where software subcontractors fit.
defenseSan AntonioAustin
DHH's Campfire shootout: AI agents rewrote one app in Rust, Go and Elixir
DHH had AI agents port Campfire from Rails to Rust, Go and Elixir and found Rust fastest. What he actually claimed, and why it's worth taking seriously.
RustElixirAI coding agents
Elixir in fall 2026: gradual types, LiveView 1.2 and AI coding tools
Where Elixir stands in fall 2026: v1.20's gradual type system, Phoenix LiveView 1.2, and Tidewave for AI-assisted Phoenix development.
ElixirPhoenixLiveView
SBIR/STTR are back through 2031: what to do before the October 21 deadline
SBIR and STTR are reauthorized through 2031 and still running under the continuing resolution. What defense startups should do before the DoW deadline.
SBIRSTTRdefense
Same-SIM satellite IoT: what works today
Satellite IoT can now run on the same SIM as cellular. Why it's still hard, why many satellite offers don't connect, and what to ask first.
IoTsatelliteNTN
What actually sets your z/OS software bill
z/OS software cost is set by the busiest four hours of the month. How the rolling 4-hour peak works, and how to move the batch behind it.
mainframez/OSCOBOL
How we usually find 30–50% of a cloud bill in the first week
A field-tested playbook for cloud cost reduction. Where the waste actually hides, what to kill first, and how to put guardrails in so it stops coming back.
FinOpsAWScost reduction
Migrating clouds without the migration freeze
Cloud migrations stall when run as one cutover. How we run them as a series of safe, reversible steps, usually with zero production downtime.
migrationAWSGCP
Infrastructure-as-code that survives the team that wrote it
Most Terraform repos rot because of the architecture, not the tool. How to structure IaC so a new engineer can ship a safe change in their first week.
IaCTerraformOpenTofu
Kubernetes, the boring way
An opinionated default stack for production Kubernetes clusters that are easy to operate, easy to upgrade, and don't surprise you at 3am.
KubernetesEKSGitOps