Exploring Ideas: A Blog on Technology, Startups, Food, and More
Welcome to my blog where I share thoughts and insights on technology, startups, and life in Atlanta. Browse through the articles below or explore by topic.
Who Holds the Keys? Calculating Bus Factor with GitPandas
May 13, 2025
Ever had that nagging feeling about “what if Alice from accounting gets hit by a bus?” Okay, maybe not exactly that, but the underlying concern is real in software projects too. What happens if a key developer leaves? How much knowledge walks out the door with them? This concept is often (somewhat morbidly) called the Bus Factor. In essence, the bus factor is the minimum number of team members tha...
Building Your Digital Vault: Secure Document Organization Made Simple
May 12, 2025
One of the most practical family office functions is maintaining a secure, organized repository of important documents. Ultra-wealthy families employ dedicated staff to manage thousands of documents, from tax returns to estate plans to investment statements. But you don’t need staff or specialized software to create your own digital vault—just a thoughtful approach and some basic technology. A wel...
Crafting Simple Chili Crush: A Spicy Homemade Condiment
May 11, 2025
Chili crush (also called chili crisp or chili oil) is a versatile condiment featuring crispy, crunchy bits of chili, aromatics, and spices suspended in oil. This simplified version delivers complex flavor with minimal effort, creating a customizable condiment that transforms everything from eggs and rice to noodles and roasted vegetables. Unlike many store-bought versions, this homemade chili crus...
PDCA Quality Control: Applying Plan-Do-Check-Act in Modern Industries
May 10, 2025
When organizations face high-consequence decisions under uncertainty—whether in healthcare, aviation, or nuclear power—the initial decision is just the beginning. How do these organizations ensure their decisions lead to desired outcomes while managing risks? How do they learn and adapt when lives or critical infrastructure are at stake? The PDCA Cycle (Plan-Do-Check-Act), developed by W. Edwards ...
Family Mission Statement: Foundation of Financial Clarity
May 9, 2025
When people are asked about their financial goals, most respond with numbers: “We want to retire with $2 million” or “We need to save $100,000 for college.” But many successful families—from billionaires to teachers—start with something deeper: a clear understanding of their core values and purpose. In the family office world, this understanding is typically captured in a family mission statement—...
Red Teaming: How to Stress-Test Your Most Important Decisions
May 8, 2025
The executive team sat around the conference table, confidence radiating from their faces. They tested the technology, confirmed market demand, and projected strong returns with their financial models—so they considered the new product strategy bulletproof. Then someone asked a simple question: “What are we missing?” The room fell silent. Despite months of planning, nobody had systematically tried...
Getting Things Done: High-Stakes Decisions Need Clear Minds
May 7, 2025
Picture this: You’re a senior analyst about to make a multi-million dollar investment recommendation, a corporate lawyer finalizing a critical merger agreement. In these high-stakes scenarios, the quality of your decisions can make or break careers, companies, and systems. Meanwhile, your mind is drowning in a flood of inputs: hundreds of unread emails, constant Slack notifications, endless meetin...
Coordinating Financial Advisors: Streamlining for Better Outcomes
May 6, 2025
One of the most powerful aspects of a family office is how it coordinates various financial professionals to work as an integrated team rather than in silos. This coordination eliminates dangerous blind spots and creates significantly better outcomes. The good news? You don’t need a full-fledged family office to implement this approach. With some simple strategies, you can get your existing adviso...
The ECF Rating System: The British Approach to Chess Ratings
May 5, 2025
We’ve covered some heavy hitters in our rating systems series so far: Elo, and the Glicko family. Now let’s explore something a bit more niche but fascinating in its own right: the ECF (English Chess Federation) rating system. While not as widely used outside of British chess circles, the ECF system offers some interesting design choices that make it worth studying. The Origin Story: A Very Britis...
Writing Tools MCP: A Toolkit for Better Writing
May 5, 2025
I just released a new tool that I’m pretty excited about: Writing Tools MCP, a Model Context Protocol server that provides text analysis capabilities to help improve your writing. What the heck is MCP? If you’ve been following AI development, you’ve probably heard of “tools” or “function calling” that let AI assistants like Claude or GPT interact with external systems. The Model Context Protocol (...
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