Erik on Software

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Erik Gfesser

📍 Greater Chicago Area

Media Query Source: Part 54 - Reworked (US digital magazine); Can AI add value before digital transformation is complete?

* Reworked (US digital magazine) * Can AI add value before digital transformation is complete? * It's a good idea to define "AI" and "digital transformation" first * An entire business doesn't need to be digitally transformed before AI work starts The query responses I provided

Media Query Source: Part 53 - Tech Monitor (UK digital magazine); Vibe coding & low-code / no-code

* Tech Monitor (UK digital magazine) * Vibe coding & low-code / no-code * Vibe coding is a progression on low-code / no-code * Current vibe coding tooling is best for one-off applications The query responses I provided to Tech Monitor on June 4, 2025: Tech Monitor: I am writing a story on vibe coding in

Community Comment: Part 40 - Being bold & clear helps avoid the traps of enterprise architecture

* Enterprise architecture traps and how to avoid them * Be bold and direct when it comes to describing traps and cures * Ivory tower architectures are traps, but who actually creates architectures? * If you want to make progress, avoid usage of unclear or circular definitions The comments I provided in reaction to

Media Query Source: Part 52 - Forbes Vetted (US digital magazine); The best men's running shoes

* Forbes Vetted (US digital magazine) * The best men's running shoes * Shoe selection should focus on runners themselves * Know one's body and understand one's running patterns The query responses I provided to Forbes Vetted on April 21, 2025: Forbes Vetted: Runners, fitness coaches and physical

Community Comment: Part 39 - George Bernard Shaw's dictum extended to AI

* The "AI is going to take all our jobs" narrative is lazy * Shaw: "Those who can, do" * Shaw: "Those who can't, teach" * Gfesser: "Those who can't do or teach, use AI" The comments I provided in reaction to

Community Comment: Part 38 - Choose your words wisely, not just for LLM prompts but for life in general

* LLM models respond differently to "What are the top 5 running shoe brands?" * This is because "top" can mean different things depending on context * For example, the context can be "highest sales revenue" or "greatest popularity" * If the context is "best&

Media Query Source: Part 51 - CIO (US digital magazine); The cost of digital inefficiency: tens of millions of dollars

* CIO (US digital magazine) * The cost of digital inefficiency: tens of millions of dollars * Governance providing guidelines for approved software usage mitigates risk * However, care should be taken to minimize risks caused by overly rigid governance My responses ended up being included in an article at CIO (March 10, 2025)

Media Query Source: Part 50 - The Street (US financial news website); Context on Elon Musk replacing top tech officials at government agencies

* The Street (US financial news website) * Context on Elon Musk replacing top tech officials at government agencies * Corporate interests can be separated from customer needs * However, work that reflects this philosophy should not be assumed The query responses I provided to The Street on February 14, 2025: The Street: Do

Media Query Source: Part 49 - InformationWeek (US digital magazine); Effective ways to tame technical debt

* InformationWeek (US digital magazine) * Effective ways to tame technical debt * Technical debt involves weighing trade-offs between short-term and long-term goals * Collaboration is especially critical when the technologies used to build a product drive what the product can provide for customers The query responses I provided to InformationWeek on February 7,

Blog Note: Part 4 - Blog tagline has been updated

In addition to migrating this blog from Typepad to Ghost, additional changes are coming. For example, I'll be sunsetting some older posts which haven't aged so well along the way. In my recently refreshed LinkedIn profile, I mentioned that I've been a longtime writer