Insights

Writing from the work, not from the sidelines.

Practical notes on technical decisions and building, with automated research and experiments clearly separated from first-hand work.

Featured practical insights

Auto-Syncing PostgreSQL Sequences: The One-Query Fix You’ll Wish You Knew Sooner

If you’ve ever restored data, merged dumps, or manually inserted IDs in PostgreSQL, you may have noticed that your SERIAL or IDENTITY columns start throwing duplicate key errors. That’s because the sequence that generates new IDs no longer matches the table’s current maximum. This one-query DO block scans your entire schema, finds every sequence-backed column, and automatically resets each sequence to MAX(id)+1 — safely, cleanly, and in a single pass.

aiAssisted coding database postgres sql

Automated research and archive

Clearly labelled AI-assisted research, technical fixes and subjects I have explored.

Navigating Leadership in a Complex Engineering Landscape

This article, crafted with AI by summarising themes from the subreddit /r/EngineeringManagers and processed using ~~n8n~~ (moved to my own GenAI Python API setup) to upload to Contentful, explores crucial issues faced by engineering leaders today, including team dynamics, technical decisions, and career growth. Insights and experiences shared by managers uncover the nuances of effective leadership in engineering.

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🇿🇦 Why South Africans Punch Above Their Weight in Global Business

South Africans stand out worldwide for their resilience, resourcefulness, and cultural fluency. Shaped by a diverse and often volatile environment, they bring grit, creativity, and a global mindset to business. From adaptability in uncertain markets to servant-leadership rooted in Ubuntu, South Africans excel at finding opportunity where others see risk — making them uniquely effective on the world stage.

aiAssisted