Essays on software, freelancing, and AIhttps://vdsabev.github.io/https://vdsabev.github.io/smoothing-the-path-with-ai/https://vdsabev.github.io/smoothing-the-path-with-ai/My favorite use of AI - not vibe-coding toy apps, but smoothing over the path - like driving a car down the highway instead of going on a cross-country hike.Tue, 28 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://vdsabev.github.io/the-economics-of-self-hosting-ai/https://vdsabev.github.io/the-economics-of-self-hosting-ai/Enthusiasts want to self-host models but can't justify the hardware. Marketplaces for spare compute could enable the economics for individuals, while privacy already makes it a no-brainer for companies.Tue, 28 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://vdsabev.github.io/cmless-seamless-blogging-with-github-issues/https://vdsabev.github.io/cmless-seamless-blogging-with-github-issues/I've tried to maintain a blog for years, but every tool had too much friction. So I made cmless: turn a GitHub repo into a blog with Issues as the CMS and GitHub Pages for hosting.Thu, 23 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://vdsabev.github.io/the-ai-casino/https://vdsabev.github.io/the-ai-casino/How variable rewards and prompt routing could be turning LLMs into digital slot machinesTue, 17 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://vdsabev.github.io/the-spiritual-cost-of-the-nanny-state/https://vdsabev.github.io/the-spiritual-cost-of-the-nanny-state/The shift from personal responsibility toward government paternalism and human self-domestication.Sat, 07 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://vdsabev.github.io/overtherapizing-mens-mental-health/https://vdsabev.github.io/overtherapizing-mens-mental-health/Talking about emotions isn't enough for men's mental health - finding meaning through Function, Family, and Faith offers a better path.Mon, 02 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://vdsabev.github.io/rich-storytelling-with-ai-world-models/https://vdsabev.github.io/rich-storytelling-with-ai-world-models/How AI world models like Genie 3 could revolutionize storytelling, democratize game development, and let creators build immersive worlds from imagination.Mon, 02 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://vdsabev.github.io/effective-code-reviews/https://vdsabev.github.io/effective-code-reviews/How to foster a culture of learning through code review.Tue, 26 Sep 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://vdsabev.github.io/on-alphabetically-ordering-css-properties/https://vdsabev.github.io/on-alphabetically-ordering-css-properties/And other properties, reallyWed, 02 Dec 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://vdsabev.github.io/writing-reliable-unit-tests-for-our-components/https://vdsabev.github.io/writing-reliable-unit-tests-for-our-components/Three common pitfalls when writing component unit tests and how to write more reliable tests that focus on the component's public interface.Sun, 08 Nov 2020 00:00:00 GMThttps://vdsabev.github.io/simple-naming-tips-for-event-handlers/https://vdsabev.github.io/simple-naming-tips-for-event-handlers/Helping our team (and ourselves) write more meaningful and robust code.Sun, 23 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://vdsabev.github.io/learning-form-management-in-react/https://vdsabev.github.io/learning-form-management-in-react/By building our own reusable component from first principles.Mon, 08 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://vdsabev.github.io/using-angulars-dependency-injection-sparingly/https://vdsabev.github.io/using-angulars-dependency-injection-sparingly/How excessive abstraction slowed down our unit tests to a crawl.Mon, 01 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://vdsabev.github.io/giving-credit-and-taking-responsibility-in-a-team/https://vdsabev.github.io/giving-credit-and-taking-responsibility-in-a-team/Whether we succeed or fail, it helps to know how to best represent our team in front of upper management or clients.Wed, 12 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://vdsabev.github.io/react-injecting-component-props-with-es7-decorators/https://vdsabev.github.io/react-injecting-component-props-with-es7-decorators/Experimenting with decorators to make writing and maintaining React components more ergonomic (subjectively).Mon, 20 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://vdsabev.github.io/dribbble-designs-in-code-part-2-editorial-exploration/https://vdsabev.github.io/dribbble-designs-in-code-part-2-editorial-exploration/This is the second in a series of posts on coding designs from Dribbble.Thu, 28 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://vdsabev.github.io/dribbble-designs-in-code-part-1-venue-landing-page/https://vdsabev.github.io/dribbble-designs-in-code-part-1-venue-landing-page/This is the first in a series of posts on coding designs from Dribbble.Thu, 14 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://vdsabev.github.io/how-i-foolishly-gave-up-my-google-account-password/https://vdsabev.github.io/how-i-foolishly-gave-up-my-google-account-password/I received a convincing phishing attack on my personal email and gave up my Google password. Here's how it happened, and how to be more careful about it.Fri, 06 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://vdsabev.github.io/the-simple-difference-between-rxjs-switchmap-and-mergemap/https://vdsabev.github.io/the-simple-difference-between-rxjs-switchmap-and-mergemap/Trying to figure out whether to use switchMap or mergeMap for a simple HTTP request? I only understood the difference once I tried it out for myself.Mon, 19 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMThttps://vdsabev.github.io/preparing-a-freelance-offer-from-0-to-100/https://vdsabev.github.io/preparing-a-freelance-offer-from-0-to-100/A step-by-step guide to preparing a professional freelance offer - from initial client conversations and market research through feature estimation, pricing packages, and presenting the final document.Mon, 23 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://vdsabev.github.io/exploring-unidirectional-components-in-mithril-part-2-redux/https://vdsabev.github.io/exploring-unidirectional-components-in-mithril-part-2-redux/Continuing the experiment from part 1, this time using Redux and the reducer pattern for unidirectional data flow in Mithril, and comparing it to Hyperapp.Mon, 09 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://vdsabev.github.io/simplify-your-layout-and-your-life-with-css-grid/https://vdsabev.github.io/simplify-your-layout-and-your-life-with-css-grid/Doing layout in CSS is really hard. After years of fighting it, here's how CSS Grid changed the way I approach design and made layouts far simpler.Thu, 31 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://vdsabev.github.io/exploring-unidirectional-components-in-mithril-part-1-hyperapp/https://vdsabev.github.io/exploring-unidirectional-components-in-mithril-part-1-hyperapp/An experiment in writing Mithril components with a unidirectional data flow, borrowing ideas from Hyperapp instead of the usual component classes.Fri, 18 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://vdsabev.github.io/how-to-price-your-time-and-work-as-a-freelancer/https://vdsabev.github.io/how-to-price-your-time-and-work-as-a-freelancer/A practical guide to pricing freelance services — moving beyond hourly billing toward value-based pricing.Mon, 24 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT