About this site

I’ve been building, breaking, and maintaining technical systems for a long time.

Some of that work has been formal. Some of it has been experimental. Most of it has involved learning by doing — fixing things that didn’t behave the way I expected, and slowly developing an appreciation for boring, understandable solutions.

This site exists as a place to document that process.

Not just the finished outcomes, but the thinking around them. The decisions, the tradeoffs, the mistakes, and the parts that usually get glossed over once something “works.”

I’ve had blogs before. Many of them. Most faded out once the platform or expectations became heavier than the writing itself. This time, the intent is different.

This is a notebook.

You’ll find posts about technical projects, infrastructure experiments, and tools I’m learning or revisiting. You’ll also find reflections on work, systems, and the reality of building things that need to last longer than the initial burst of enthusiasm.

Over time, I’ve seen systems fail — technical systems, organizational systems, and human systems — in ways that cost real people real time, trust, and opportunity. Those experiences shaped how I think, how I work, and how I communicate.

I know my what I know in certain domains.
When I don’t, I say so — and I go find the people who do.

I’m not trying to teach everything. I’m not trying to convince anyone of anything. I’m mostly writing things down so I can think more clearly and keep track of what I’ve learned — without performing competence or softening truth to make it easier for others to hear.

If something here is useful to you, that’s a bonus.
If not, that’s okay too.

This site is first and foremost a place to think in public, in my own voice, at a pace that feels sustainable.

I’ve earned that.

For those who prefer a more conventional professional context:

For email:

hello [at] samstubbs [dot] com