2026.06.09
The web used to look like you
Half my high school year taught itself to code customising MySpace pages, and that freedom never had to disappear.
writing
Notes from the build log.
Essays on AI, software, cybersecurity, and the enterprise technology business, written from Sydney. The through-line is practical: what changes when small teams can build more of their own software, and what still needs human judgement.
2026.06.02
Why your AI gets worse the longer you talk to it
Long AI chats quietly degrade as they grow, even inside the stated limit. The cause is context rot, and a few plain habits fix most of it.
2026.05.26
Putting AI to Work, Responsibly
How I dropped a large language model into a regulated Australian financial advice workflow without letting it generate the answers, decide the outcome, or leave the audit trail.
2026.03.09
Should We Unleash Private Companies for Cyber Offence?
Argues that Australia should create a regulated legal framework enabling private cybersecurity companies to conduct offensive cyber operations against criminal threats.
2026.02.05
The Cyber Arms Race Just Accelerated. Again.
How advanced AI model releases represent a significant capability shift for both cybersecurity defenders and attackers, creating a dual-use dilemma.
2026.02.02
The Balkanization of Enterprise Software is Near
AI is dismantling the barriers protecting incumbent enterprise software vendors, enabling lean teams to build near-functional clones of major platforms in months.
2026.01.21
What Happens When a Non-Developer Takes AI Coding Tools Seriously
How a non-developer with a decade of IT industry experience built CityHenge, a fully functional mobile app, in two months using AI coding tools.
2025.12.10
Breach in the Archive: The Fall of the British Library
Examining the October 2023 ransomware attack on the British Library, and how accumulated technical debt created the conditions for a devastating breach.
2025.12.01
30% of IT Roles Were Vacant. Then the Ransomware Hit.
How organisational vulnerabilities including staffing gaps and inadequate planning created the conditions for a ransomware attack on a Scottish council.
2025.11.24
The Real Story Behind the BoM's $96 Million Website Bill
Why the Bureau of Meteorology's $96.5 million expenditure was about modernising decades-old critical infrastructure, not just building a website.
2025.11.17
Ransomware Poker: Australia Would Be the Easy Money at the Table
Australia's 96% ransomware payment rate, the highest globally, and why organisations continue funding criminal operations despite official guidance.