Freelance Software Developer and Architect
Minneapolis
MN
USA
clintmcmahon@pm.me
+1-612-314-5384
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This is a blog about software engineering, consulting, coffee and other things that I find interesting.
I read Peter Bloem's post about the ten rules for keeping your critical thinking while using AI to code. I don't follow all of them but it's a great list to keep in mind so you don't forget how to think when you are using agentic coding.
The brewing cheat sheet from the back of the 2026 journal
For years I've been trying to find a single roast to become my house coffee. I've had some really great roasts, and I end up chasing those flavors. When the bag is gone I try to find more of it again.
I got my first programming job in 2000 from a job fair at the Minneapolis Convention Center after a thousand emailed resumes went nowhere.
Umbraco 13 reaches end of life on 14 December 2026 and has been security-only since December 2025. Your three options, what the upgrade to 17 involves and how long it takes.
Hotter water for a high elevation washed bean, and a cold brew batch that worked
I'm going all in on vibe coded side projects this year. So far I have a handful of applications that I've built that I never would have had time to build in the past.
I signed into the NYTimes.com cooking site and without me clicking anything got signed up for three of their cooking email newsletters.
Flat and watery on the first pour, but the potential is right there under it
Carried this one home from a Nordic cafe in Pioneer Square and it is the best espresso of the year
Today is the first big smoke day of 2026. The past five years we've had some brutal streaks of smoke days from all the smoke coming south from Canada and northern Minnesota but this one is extra bad.
Days of dialing without finding the sweet spot, and a thought about what that costs
Today's Record High is a website I created that tracks the record highs and lows for major weather stations and cities across the United States.
Too much of a fruit bowl for me, though it found its audience in the house
Opened a week early at three weeks off roast and it held up fine
The questions to ask a software consultant in an initial conversation that separate real experience from a good sales pitch.
I created a Google Form and Google List to try and create a community Instagram directory of folks out shooting with Ricoh GRs.
A well roasted bag that is just not my flavor, picked out by someone paying attention
AI gave me two different brew recipes for the same coffee in two separate chats. When I pushed back it changed its answer — not because I was right, but because I pushed. That's why I can't trust AI.
Never found the setting for this one, and I am not sure the bean was the problem