Field Notes
-
AI & Software Development: Should We Be Scared?
It was November when I first got worried AI was coming for my job. Nine months and a lot of tokens later, here's where I landed — what AI actually changes in firmware work, what it doesn't, and why your job is safe.
-
Data Faults — The Bugs That Hide in Plain Sight
Your C is correct, the compiler is correct, and the product still fails in the field. That's a data fault — the interrupt fired at exactly the wrong moment. I break one down to three instructions of disassembly and show why volatile didn't save you.
-
Keeping Your Data Out of AI Training
If you're worried about your code and product data feeding someone's model, you're right to be. A practical look at what actually leaks, what the settings really mean, and how to use AI without handing over your IP.
-
Automated Firmware Testing with AI
Testing is the weak spot in a lot of embedded projects — manual, brittle, hardware-dependent. Here's where AI helps close that gap, and where it still needs a human.
-
AI Comparison with PCB Symbols and 3d Models
I had six different models make me PCB Footprints and 3D models (STEP) using nothing but the datasheet and the same prompt. These are tasks that are time-consuming and can make or break a board layout.
-
Token Usage
How I run 4.5 billion tokens a month for hundreds of dollars — and why context management, not raw spend, is the real lever.
-
Welcome to Field Notes
A quick hello, and what I'll be writing about here — connected product development, firmware, hardware, and what AI actually changes about the work of shipping.