Blog
Field notes on network automation, AI assistants, and building systems that run themselves. Real projects, real failures, and what they taught us.
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I Built an AI Receptionist You Can Call Right Now
It answers every call, checks your real calendar, books the appointment on the line, and texts the confirmation. Call (919) 823-2943 and try it yourself. Notes on what it does and what it costs.
Why Generic Meeting AI Notes Always Disappoint Me
I built an AI notetaker that actually understands the context of my calls, so the notes come out filed, connected, and ready to act on, not just summarized.
I Approved a Network Change With a Text Message
I texted a request in plain English. An AI planned it, vetted it against the live switch, waited for my yes, and configured real Cisco hardware with a rollback timer armed. Notes on building automation that fails safely.
You Can't Eyeball a Continent (Part 1)
Part 1 of 2: How programmatic data collection and analysis made it possible to build the network for a continent-scale event — dozens of venues, hundreds of devices, and more configuration than any human could ever read.
You Can't Eyeball a Continent (Part 2)
Part 2 of 2: When the event went live, the data pipeline that audited a continent-scale network build changed jobs — and became the fastest troubleshooting tool on the network. Blackholes, phantom collapses, and a transfer failure that ate weeks.
A Single Snapshot of Your Network Is Lying to You
How I built an automated reporting pipeline that turned raw network data into a trustworthy picture of what's actually in use — and what isn't.
I Built a CEO an AI Chief of Staff From a Barstool
By the time I left the bar, a CEO I work with had a working AI Chief of Staff — triaging his inbox, reading his calendar, remembering things about him. I never opened a laptop. Here's what that actually means.
What Happens When You Let People Just Text an AI Assistant
I built an AI assistant you can text like a regular contact. People used it for everything from concert plans to fixing a water heater. Here's what surprised me.
How I Updated Security Rules Across a Switch Fleet Without a Single Outage
A look at building a safe, repeatable automation tool that pushed access-control changes across a large switch fleet — with dry-runs, canary testing, and zero lockouts.
The Other Half of AI-Augmented Development: Knowing What to Kill
AI lets a single developer ship a lot of small tools. Today I spent an afternoon pruning 21 of my own — and learned what makes a project earn its keep.
I Built an AI Chatbot That Actually Knows Networking
Most AI assistants choke on real networking questions. I built one that doesn't — and embedded it across my free Cisco tools site.
Stop Sharing Passwords in Your Config Files — Use This Free Sanitizer
A free tool that strips passwords, SNMP strings, and real IPs from Cisco configs before you share them — because we've all seen credentials posted on Reddit.
Free IOS to NX-OS Translation Tool — Why I Built It and How It Works
A free tool that translates Cisco IOS configurations to NX-OS syntax — built from real-world migration experience across thousands of switches.
I Built a 24/7 AI Assistant That Runs My Business From a Mac Mini
How a single AI assistant manages 28 projects, YouTube channels, trading bots, web services, and Upwork — all from a Mac Mini sitting on my desk.
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