Books Reading

The Eye of the Bedlam Bride by Matt Dinniman — Finished
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Slogged through this one. The card-collecting monster hunt system just didn’t click for me — it felt like a departure from what makes Dungeon Crawler Carl great. That said, the ending redeemed it somewhat. The spider joining with Carl and the demon fights were genuinely epic moments. Just wish the journey there was more enjoyable.

The Wisdom of Crowds — Kindle by Joe Abercrombie — Finished
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What a way to end The Age of Madness trilogy. Abercrombie wrapped up nearly everything beautifully — the character arcs, the political chaos, the brutal consequences of everyone’s choices. If he ever returns to this world, I’ll be first in line, but if not, this was a satisfying conclusion to an incredible series.

King, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette — Finished
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Jungian exploration of the four archetypes of mature masculinity. Moore and Gillette break down the King, Warrior, Magician, and Lover energies, along with their shadow aspects. Practical insights on masculine development through dream analysis, meditation, and ritual. Very thought-provoking listen.

Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence by Max Tegmark — Listening
Tegmark’s framework of Life 1.0 (biological), 2.0 (cultural), and 3.0 (technological) provides a fascinating lens for thinking about AI’s future impact. Covers everything from technological unemployment to AGI development. Particularly relevant given how fast AI is moving right now.

This Inevitable Ruin by Matt Dinniman — Reading
Book 7 of Dungeon Crawler Carl takes us to the ninth floor: Faction Wars. Nine armies led by wealthy aliens, and for the first time, the crawlers have their own army of self-aware NPCs. The stakes are higher than ever — only one of Donut or Katia can leave this level. Back to form after book 6.

Games Playing

WoW Classic — The rank 14 grind on my warrior is coming along great. The commitment is real but making solid progress. Grand Marshal awaits.

Life Updates

December was wonderful. Spent Christmas with family, though it ended up being a three-part celebration. My parents got sick, so we had Christmas at home with my wife and kids first, then one with my brother, and finally one with my parents once they recovered. Three Christmases means three times the holiday chaos, but honestly it was nice to have more intimate celebrations with each part of the family.

Fixed the gate out at the farm this month. Next up: getting electricity and wifi run out there.

Tweets

We’re in a really great transition period in software engineering where agents can provide a ton of opportunity. It truly is the wild west right now.

10 years ago we did docker in docker. In 2026, we’ll do agent in agent.