I build AI tools and write about
making AI actually useful.
I'm a software engineer and founder based in Austin, TX. I'm building Basic Memory — a local-first AI memory platform — and I spend most of my time at the intersection of AI, infrastructure, and real business problems.
This is where I write about what I'm learning, what's working, and what isn't. No hype. Just the actual work of making AI do useful things.
Notes from the build.
Weekly posts about AI, MCP, building products, automating businesses, and the stuff nobody's talking about yet. I write from the trenches, not the sidelines.
- Something Big Is Happening (and I'm in the Middle of It) February 27, 2026
Matt Shumer says most people will be blindsided. Geoff Huntley says dev costs less than minimum wage. Here's what it looks like from the builder's seat.
- Deep vs. Wide February 20, 2026
AI made engineering 10x faster. The rest of the business stayed at 1x. That gap is the problem nobody's talking about.
- An Hour, a Neighbor, and a Business That Didn't Exist Yet February 14, 2026
My neighbor is starting a coaching business. We got his website, lead form, and automated email working in about an hour.
- I Built a Remote Control for My Mac (and It Runs Through Claude) February 7, 2026
How I bridged the gap between cloud AI and my local machine with MCP, WebSockets, and a measured approach to letting AI touch my computer.
- Why I'm Building in Public (Finally) February 6, 2026
On imposter syndrome, pushing past comfort zones, and why being authentically human online matters more than ever.
Most of what's written about AI is either breathless hype or academic theory. I'm interested in the middle ground — what happens when you actually try to make AI work for real people with real businesses. That's what I write about.
I learn by shipping.
Basic Memory
A local-first AI memory platform. LLMs forget everything between conversations — Basic Memory fixes that. Your knowledge stays in Markdown files you own, organized into a semantic graph that any MCP-compatible AI can read and write to. Co-founder. Open source.
Hexnut
AI phone receptionist for home services. Plumbers and HVAC techs lose thousands in jobs they couldn't answer the phone for. Hexnut picks up 24/7, qualifies leads, and books appointments so they can stay on the job.
Open Source
I contribute to and maintain several open source projects. Basic Memory itself is AGPL-3.0. I also built el_kube (Elixir on Kubernetes), VS Code extensions for Ruby, and various other tools on GitHub.
I also help businesses figure this stuff out.
Everything I write about and build — I do it for clients too. If your company is trying to make AI work and you need someone who's actually done it, let's talk.
AI Integration
Custom AI workflows, MCP server development, LLM integration into existing systems. I build AI that plugs into your business — not just a chatbot on your website.
Infrastructure & DevOps
Cloud architecture, CI/CD, Kubernetes, scaling systems. I've done this at companies handling billions of requests and at startups running lean.
Fractional CTO
Technical leadership without the full-time commitment. Architecture decisions, team process, tech stack evaluation, and strategic direction.
Small Business AI
AI phone systems, automated scheduling, CRM integration, lead capture. I help home services and small businesses automate the stuff that's eating their time.
A bit more context.
I'm a software engineer who's spent my career building across the full stack — enterprise systems, adtech infrastructure at scale, cloud platforms, and now AI tooling. I've held roles from senior engineer to SVP of Technology, at companies ranging from startups to Six Flags. Currently I'm a Principal Engineer at Olea Edge Analytics and co-founder of Basic Memory.
The thread through all of it: I like solving hard problems where technology meets real business needs. I got into AI not because it's trendy but because it's the most interesting problem space I've encountered — and because most of the tooling is still terrible, which means there's a lot of room to build things that matter.
I live in Austin with my family. When I'm not writing code I'm running a D&D campaign or falling down rabbit holes about quantum physics and consciousness.
Career timeline →
Co-Founder, Basic Memory
Local-first AI memory platform. Open source. MCP-native.
Principal Engineer, Olea Edge Analytics
Edge computing and analytics for water utilities.
SVP of Technology, vCreative
Led product development, platform ops, security, and engineering.
Senior Engineer → Senior DevOps, Simpli.fi
Scaled adtech infrastructure. Billions of requests.
Six Flags, ClickMotive, D.R. Horton, Improving
Enterprise dev, architecture, consulting.
Let's talk.
Whether it's a consulting engagement, a collaboration, or just nerding out about AI and MCP — I'm always up for a good conversation.
Reach out on LinkedIn or find me on one of the platforms below.