A pragmatic playbook for designing SaaS applications on Azure that can genuinely idle at near-zero cost—without sacrificing operability, security, or a clean upgrade path.
#Azure
#Architecture
#SaaS
#Cost Optimisation
+1 more
Archives
All the articles I've archived.
2026 3
January 3
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- Reality Checks
From Vibe Coding to Agentic Engineering: What It Actually Means for Software Delivery
Published: at 07:00 AM11 min read
Vibe coding lowered the barrier to building. But what happens next (security, resilience, maintainability) is where engineering experience starts to matter. This is my take on the journey.
- Reality Checks
Tech Horizons 2026: Agentic AI, Hardware Realities, and What's Actually Coming
Published: at 09:00 AM10 min read
A pragmatic look at 2026's technology landscape: from agentic AI becoming mainstream to the hardware squeeze affecting gamers and hobbyists, plus what's really happening with robotics and language models.
#AI #Agentic AI #LLM #Robotics +2 more
2025 12
September 1
- Field Notes
Large Behaviour Models and the future of robotics: from Atlas to the home
Published: at 10:00 AM5 min read
Why Large Behaviour Models matter: a pragmatic look at what Boston Dynamics and TRI are doing with Atlas, and what it means for industrial automation and domestic robotics.
#Robotics #AI #Automation #Atlas +1 more
August 2
- Playbooks
From Lead Dev to Head of Software Development: Fast Tracks, Real Shifts, Practical Moves
Published: at 11:00 AM8 min read Honest reflections on moving from lead developer to Head of Software Development at 32. The shifts that matter, the traps I fell into, and practical playbooks for new leaders.
- Reality Checks
C# and the AI tooling renaissance: Practical libraries you should try
Published: at 10:00 AM9 min read A pragmatic tour of modern AI tooling for C# developers: Semantic Kernel, OpenAI.NET clients, LangChain.NET, ONNX, TorchSharp and vector stores, with practical snippets.
July 1
- Playbooks
Being Glue in Software Engineering: When Technical Leadership Becomes Your Superpower
Published: at 11:00 AM9 min read
Exploring the concept of 'glue work' in modern software development and how strategic positioning can transform invisible contributions into recognised technical leadership in an evolving landscape.
June 2
- Reality Checks
GitHub Copilot Tips and Tricks: The Instruction Directory Method
Published: at 11:00 AM10 min read
How to supercharge your GitHub Copilot agents with instruction directories and persistent context. The game-changing technique that transforms how AI agents understand and work with your projects.
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Exploring the value of building a personal brand in today's digital landscape and how it can enhance your career and professional relationships.
May 4
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An honest guide to setting up and actually using GitHub Copilot agents effectively in VS Code. No fluff, just the practical stuff you need to know.
#AI #GitHub Copilot #Agenting AI #AI Agents +2 more -
What are some of the key components in delivering successful outcomes for complex Software Development projects.
- Deep Dives
Building and Running Local Language Models in C# – Quickstart Edition
Published: at 11:20 AM4 min read
An opinionated, step-by-step guide to spinning up small language models on your own hardware with nothing more than C# and the .NET SDK.
#C# #.NET #LLM #LlamaSharp +2 more -
Blog Refresh 2.0 – Improvements (May 2025)
Published: at 07:00 PM5 min read A deeper look at the latest wave of performance, DX and CI upgrades that landed on the CTCO blog over the long weekend.
April 1
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From Coder to Leader: Reflections and a Look Ahead
Published: at 08:30 AM14 min read Reflecting on the experience of earning the Level 5 Diploma in Operations/Departmental Management (ODMA) with distinction and completing the ILM End-Point Assessment also with distinction. Discussing how modern leadership approaches — from adaptive and systems thinking to servant leadership — shaped personal growth, the relevance of these lessons in 2025's tech industry, and what the future holds for leadership in AI-augmented, distributed work environments.
March 1
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Learning to Run (and Crawl): Inside Boston Dynamics’ Atlas Reinforcement Learning Demo
Published: at 11:21 AM7 min read A deep dive into the latest Boston Dynamics Atlas demo powered by reinforcement learning – covering its RL architecture, physics simulation, zero-shot sim-to-real transfer, human motion retargeting, and the massive scale (150M+ simulations) behind it. Includes parallels to generative AI and leadership takeaways on fostering innovation, simulation investment, AI-based control, and the future of work with robotics.
2024 7
September 1
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Effective Prompt Engineering - A closer look at AI services, Data security and Effective Prompt Engineering.
June 1
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A more detailed look at integrating AI and ML capabilities within dotnet c-sharp applications and solutions, exploring libraries, frameworks, and practical applications.
#AI #LLM #SML #LlamaSharp +2 more
May 2
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Lets take a look at the various routes into Software Development that are available to those wanting to make this their career of choice.
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How I Got Into Software Development
Published: at 09:15 AM17 min read Let's begin with how I got into software development way back when.
January 3
- Field Notes
AI-Assisted Illustration: A Side Project in Reviving Public Domain Books
Published: at 02:30 PM5 min read What I learned from using AI image generation tools to create new illustrations for out-of-copyright books – the workflow, the limitations, and whether it's worth the effort.
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A quick look at why Astro became my framework of choice for content-focused sites, and the practical benefits I've seen since switching.
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A hands-on exploration of WinUI 3 – what works, what doesn't, and whether it's ready for your next Windows desktop project.
2022 2
December 2
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Fables for the Frivolous: AI-Assisted Re-Illustration
Published: at 10:34 AM3 min read Exploring the modernisation of a classic 1898 collection with AI-generated artwork, blending the charm of Guy Wetmore Carryl's fables with contemporary illustration techniques.
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Welcome to CTCO
Published: at 09:00 AM3 min read Embark on a reflective process with Coder to Corner Office (CTCO), a blog that chronicles a personal journey from software development to technology leadership.