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Explore with me as I describe my experiences and thoughts on cybersecurity, technology, and random thoughts.
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Lets talk about the Composition Effect, and Why Employment Seems Weird
Something feels off about the job market, even when the data says otherwise. This post breaks down why. I explore the composition effect, wage growth by percentile, the impact of tech layoffs, and why AI and innovation cuts are reshaping the economy in ways we’re not measuring correctly. It’s a look at how headline numbers can miss what’s actually happening on the ground.

Ray Alner
4 days ago9 min read


I Used Claude Code to Create a Photo Import Script
After each shoot, I used to spend 15 minutes manually sorting photos. Lightroom’s import tool wasn’t cutting it. So I built a custom photo import script using Claude Code. It detects the SD card, organizes by file type, filters junk, and sorts by date. It even checks the copies and asks for shoot names. It’s not perfect, but it works. And it saves me time.

Ray Alner
Jul 284 min read


Life in Professional Limbo as a Doer
Underemployment is tough when you’re someone who’s used to building, solving, and delivering. In this post, I walk through how I’ve stayed productive and mentally sharp while waiting for the next big thing. From daily routines to passion projects, learning plans to creative outlets, this is a real look into how I’m navigating professional limbo, and maybe building something better along the way.

Ray Alner
Jul 236 min read


The Unspoken Cost Shift of AI
Companies are laying off developers and replacing them with "cheap" AI tools - but those tools are actually subsidized by VCs. A look at the hidden cost shift coming when AI pricing moves from market capture to profit extraction.

Ray Alner
Jul 93 min read


Can AI Reason? A Cool Experience I Had with Claude
Can AI Reason? I recently connected Claude up to Notion and there was an error. I asked Claude to decipher the error and come up with some solutions. All the while, it would test those solutions against the Notion page to see if it would work.

Ray Alner
Jul 84 min read


Fostering AI Adoption
A reflection on why AI feels overwhelming, why people give up too soon, and how employers can take the smarter path by empowering their team to work with AI.

Ray Alner
Jun 242 min read


AI and the Last 10 Percent
Businesses are turning to AI to cut costs and boost productivity. But what about the bugs, tech debt, and unfinished features that frustrate users every day? This post explores how AI can help us fix what we’ve left behind.

Ray Alner
Jun 233 min read


My Experience with Upwork in 2025
I’ve been looking to expand my experience into the gig economy. I decided to try out Upwork. Let me tell you how it went.

Ray Alner
Jun 125 min read


How AI’s Trajectory Mirrors the CGI Revolution
We’ve had experience with revolutionary tech. Remember CGI? We are following similar paths with AI as we did with CGI. Massive adoption, over-adoption, then settling into a balanced approach. Here’s how I think it will pan out.

Ray Alner
Jun 103 min read


Current Operating Systems are Dead in a Post AI World
The operating system we know and love today will not be sustainable in a post AI world. These OS’s are designed for offline first workloads, with much of the work we do on a day to day basis done in a browser. What would a post-AI OS look like?

Ray Alner
May 276 min read


Small Business HIPAA Security Risk Assessment
I was tasked with developing and maintaining HIPAA policies and procedures to improve compliance readiness.

Ray Alner
May 154 min read


Rethinking Software: From Features to Outcomes. Part 2
A look at how AI could shift software pricing from user licenses to feature-level value, encouraging leaner, outcome-driven tools over bloated all-in-one platforms.

Ray Alner
May 153 min read


Rethinking Apps: From Features to Outcomes. Part 1
A breakdown of how AI could simplify cluttered software interfaces by surfacing just-in-time features, improving usability, and shifting the way we think about how we use apps.

Ray Alner
May 153 min read


Microsoft Just Changed the Password Game. They just went Passwordless.
Microsoft finally went passwordless. Thats a huge pro for the security world. As more companies do the same, what are some good and bad things about going passwordless.

Ray Alner
May 123 min read


Apple’s Advanced Data Protection Ambitions Clash with UK Policy
The UK government's demand for a backdoor into Apple’s encryption led to the removal of Advanced Data Protection in the UK, weakening the future of securing users data in the future.

Ray Alner
Apr 204 min read


Stop Building Another AI Feature. Build a Better Integration.
Companies are all in on AI, but they’re doing it wrong. The future of apps will not be adding AI to their apps, but creating integrations.

Ray Alner
Mar 304 min read


What is Agentic AI?
So the question is: What is Agentic AI and why should you care about it? Well the answer is…

Ray Alner
Mar 55 min read


Apple’s Encryption and the UK Government Requesting Backdoors to ALL Apple’s User Data
The UK government recently sent a “technical capability notice” to Apple in an effort to gain a back door to all Apple’s user data.

Ray Alner
Feb 114 min read


DeepSeeks Wild Ride
DeepSeek shot up to number 1, then got torn down by the rest of the AI industry, bringing the market with it. Was the reaction warranted?

Ray Alner
Feb 42 min read


5 Predictions for 2025
Here we go! A new year a new post! Here’s some of my predictions for 5 areas in 2025.

Ray Alner
Jan 76 min read
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