James Urquhart
@jamesurquhart.bsky.social
Product leader, field CTO, futurist, tech strategist, author (Flow Architectures, O’Reilly). Open to new opportunities/work.
I wrote a thing about why you should think outcomes” not “tasks” when building software with agentic AI SWARMS.
www.linkedin.com/pulse/when-b...
www.linkedin.com/pulse/when-b...
When Building Software with AI, Think Outcomes, not Tasks
I have been spending a lot of time lately working with AI swarms in building applications and services. I still find it hugely challenging, but I am slowly learning how to go beyond the "demo" and to ...
www.linkedin.com
July 29, 2025 at 7:41 PM
I wrote a thing about why you should think outcomes” not “tasks” when building software with agentic AI SWARMS.
www.linkedin.com/pulse/when-b...
www.linkedin.com/pulse/when-b...
This battle between OAK and SFO on naming seems mostly to revolve around the "San Francisco Bay" in any new name.
I think the solution is easy, and Donald Trump showed us the way. OAK should just unilaterally rename "San Francisco Bay" to "Oakland Bay". Problem solved.
www.msn.com/en-us/news/u...
I think the solution is easy, and Donald Trump showed us the way. OAK should just unilaterally rename "San Francisco Bay" to "Oakland Bay". Problem solved.
www.msn.com/en-us/news/u...
MSN
www.msn.com
July 12, 2025 at 12:06 AM
This battle between OAK and SFO on naming seems mostly to revolve around the "San Francisco Bay" in any new name.
I think the solution is easy, and Donald Trump showed us the way. OAK should just unilaterally rename "San Francisco Bay" to "Oakland Bay". Problem solved.
www.msn.com/en-us/news/u...
I think the solution is easy, and Donald Trump showed us the way. OAK should just unilaterally rename "San Francisco Bay" to "Oakland Bay". Problem solved.
www.msn.com/en-us/news/u...
Alameda in the house…
June 14, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Alameda in the house…
I learned something new today. In California High School Softball, a “fake tag” (defined as applying a tag without the ball) is considered obstruction. Weird rule, but I guess it makes sense.
April 28, 2025 at 11:46 PM
I learned something new today. In California High School Softball, a “fake tag” (defined as applying a tag without the ball) is considered obstruction. Weird rule, but I guess it makes sense.
Reposted by James Urquhart
Finally did it. I wrote down how to build a code-editing agent.
In 315 lines of code. And yes, it works. Very well.
There is no moat.
Read it here: ampcode.com/how-to-build...
In 315 lines of code. And yes, it works. Very well.
There is no moat.
Read it here: ampcode.com/how-to-build...
April 15, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Finally did it. I wrote down how to build a code-editing agent.
In 315 lines of code. And yes, it works. Very well.
There is no moat.
Read it here: ampcode.com/how-to-build...
In 315 lines of code. And yes, it works. Very well.
There is no moat.
Read it here: ampcode.com/how-to-build...
Is AI changing the way Flow Architectures are evolving? I explore this question in my new blog post, Why MCP and A2A Help Make AI "Flow Ready"; www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-mc... via @LinkedIn
Why MCP and A2A Help Make AI "Flow Ready"
In 2021 I wrote a book, published by O'Reilly, that explored a future in which event-driven integration across domain boundaries (especially between disparate organizations) leverage widely supported ...
www.linkedin.com
April 15, 2025 at 11:29 PM
Is AI changing the way Flow Architectures are evolving? I explore this question in my new blog post, Why MCP and A2A Help Make AI "Flow Ready"; www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-mc... via @LinkedIn
Reposted by James Urquhart
Some reading :) medium.com/@fintanr/the...
The Strategy Behind MCP
Model Context Protocol (MCP), first defined by Anthropic, is surfing a wave of enthusiasm right now. MCP has, incredibly quickly, become a…
medium.com
April 4, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Some reading :) medium.com/@fintanr/the...
Did anyone else notice that Ferrari managed to get IBM and HP to put their logos next to each other on the car’s new livery? We live in interesting times.
February 20, 2025 at 2:17 AM
Did anyone else notice that Ferrari managed to get IBM and HP to put their logos next to each other on the car’s new livery? We live in interesting times.
Tile maketh the kitchen.
Lots left to do, but Mia’s vision is coming together nicely.
Lots left to do, but Mia’s vision is coming together nicely.
January 16, 2025 at 12:29 AM
Tile maketh the kitchen.
Lots left to do, but Mia’s vision is coming together nicely.
Lots left to do, but Mia’s vision is coming together nicely.
This is phenomenal advice. Always ask yourself “so what?” Or “what’s the point?”. Work towards building the listener’s mental model, rather than just filling it with mostly useless facts.
I spend a lot of my time thinking about explaining technical topics and a key thing is to start your explanation with a plan.
If you don't have a plan you will likely end up spewing out a random assortment of facts rather than presenting a clear explanation.
If you don't have a plan you will likely end up spewing out a random assortment of facts rather than presenting a clear explanation.
January 14, 2025 at 9:44 PM
This is phenomenal advice. Always ask yourself “so what?” Or “what’s the point?”. Work towards building the listener’s mental model, rather than just filling it with mostly useless facts.
Licking my wounds a little today. Found out yesterday I didn’t get a job I was fairly certain I landed. Basically they decided I was overqualified and hired someone younger/with less experience.
This has happened twice now, and friends have also had several similar experiences. <more>
This has happened twice now, and friends have also had several similar experiences. <more>
January 14, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Licking my wounds a little today. Found out yesterday I didn’t get a job I was fairly certain I landed. Basically they decided I was overqualified and hired someone younger/with less experience.
This has happened twice now, and friends have also had several similar experiences. <more>
This has happened twice now, and friends have also had several similar experiences. <more>
Happy 2025, all. Just a reminder that I am still looking for my next opportunity, and that I would love to talk to you about your enterprise software sales engineering and product management leadership needs.
January 3, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Happy 2025, all. Just a reminder that I am still looking for my next opportunity, and that I would love to talk to you about your enterprise software sales engineering and product management leadership needs.
I will be paying attention to Flatcar. The time seems right for an impovement to container OSes. Is this it?
Or, alternatively, is there a modern computing replacement to containers waiting in the wings?
It's always a fun market in enterprise tech if you know what to look for.
Or, alternatively, is there a modern computing replacement to containers waiting in the wings?
It's always a fun market in enterprise tech if you know what to look for.
Flatcar sure sparked a bit of interest at KubeCon. Akamai has made upstream contributions to the Flatcar community and will continue to invest as part of our $1M commitment to help CNCF projects scale their operations.
virtualizationreview.com/Articles/202...
virtualizationreview.com/Articles/202...
Hands-on with Open-Source Flatcar OS for Containers -- Virtualization Review
After it catches his attention at KubeCon, where it was accepted by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation as an incubating project, Tom Fenton puts it through its paces.
virtualizationreview.com
January 3, 2025 at 6:05 PM
I will be paying attention to Flatcar. The time seems right for an impovement to container OSes. Is this it?
Or, alternatively, is there a modern computing replacement to containers waiting in the wings?
It's always a fun market in enterprise tech if you know what to look for.
Or, alternatively, is there a modern computing replacement to containers waiting in the wings?
It's always a fun market in enterprise tech if you know what to look for.
To all, a very merry Christmas. May your day be filled with joy, love, and contentment.
a merry christmas card with a gold christmas tree on it
ALT: a merry christmas card with a gold christmas tree on it
media.tenor.com
December 25, 2024 at 8:17 PM
To all, a very merry Christmas. May your day be filled with joy, love, and contentment.
I just used claude.ai to diagnose a problem connecting to javadoc.io from any device on any network in Alameda, CA. It seems Cloudflare has a misconfigured connection to javadoc.io from this area.
Has anyone else encountered problems in the Bay Area?
I will try to file an issue with javadoc.io.
Has anyone else encountered problems in the Bay Area?
I will try to file an issue with javadoc.io.
December 13, 2024 at 5:10 AM
I just used claude.ai to diagnose a problem connecting to javadoc.io from any device on any network in Alameda, CA. It seems Cloudflare has a misconfigured connection to javadoc.io from this area.
Has anyone else encountered problems in the Bay Area?
I will try to file an issue with javadoc.io.
Has anyone else encountered problems in the Bay Area?
I will try to file an issue with javadoc.io.
Ok, folks. Is anyone else having trouble reaching Javadoc.io? I get either a 522 error or nothing when I try to access on WiFi or cellular, via Chrome or Safari, and after clearing out all cookies. I’m stumped.
Netbeans also can’t connect.
Netbeans also can’t connect.
December 11, 2024 at 3:09 PM
Ok, folks. Is anyone else having trouble reaching Javadoc.io? I get either a 522 error or nothing when I try to access on WiFi or cellular, via Chrome or Safari, and after clearing out all cookies. I’m stumped.
Netbeans also can’t connect.
Netbeans also can’t connect.
The next door neighbors to this rental left their dogs in the back yard while they went on a trip for Thanksgiving. The damn things haven’t stopped barking for close to 15 hours.
Sanity is in short supply right now…
Sanity is in short supply right now…
November 28, 2024 at 5:42 AM
The next door neighbors to this rental left their dogs in the back yard while they went on a trip for Thanksgiving. The damn things haven’t stopped barking for close to 15 hours.
Sanity is in short supply right now…
Sanity is in short supply right now…
Doing a ton of homework on network security this week for a technical interview. Not sure how I'll do, but at least I'll be buzzword compliant…
In all seriousness, it is amazing how far this tech has come since my three years at Cisco. I am suitably impressed.
In all seriousness, it is amazing how far this tech has come since my three years at Cisco. I am suitably impressed.
November 20, 2024 at 6:57 PM
Doing a ton of homework on network security this week for a technical interview. Not sure how I'll do, but at least I'll be buzzword compliant…
In all seriousness, it is amazing how far this tech has come since my three years at Cisco. I am suitably impressed.
In all seriousness, it is amazing how far this tech has come since my three years at Cisco. I am suitably impressed.
Are you supposed to feel satisfied with yourself when the biggest to-do item you struck off your list so far today is scheduling your colonoscopy? Asking for a friend.
November 20, 2024 at 6:24 PM
Are you supposed to feel satisfied with yourself when the biggest to-do item you struck off your list so far today is scheduling your colonoscopy? Asking for a friend.
“Buy a Hybrid,” they said. “You’ll save money in the long run,” they said.
This is what it cost to replace the **water pump**! Full engine out repair over 8 hours.
Probably ate up most of what we’ve saved in gas costs over 9 years of ownership.
Runs great now, though.
This is what it cost to replace the **water pump**! Full engine out repair over 8 hours.
Probably ate up most of what we’ve saved in gas costs over 9 years of ownership.
Runs great now, though.
November 13, 2024 at 9:58 PM
“Buy a Hybrid,” they said. “You’ll save money in the long run,” they said.
This is what it cost to replace the **water pump**! Full engine out repair over 8 hours.
Probably ate up most of what we’ve saved in gas costs over 9 years of ownership.
Runs great now, though.
This is what it cost to replace the **water pump**! Full engine out repair over 8 hours.
Probably ate up most of what we’ve saved in gas costs over 9 years of ownership.
Runs great now, though.
Tough day today. Car is going to need an extremely expensive repair (which likely kills most of the savings I gained by owning a hybrid for 10 years). Struggling with an AI agent that apparently doesn’t understand how Spring Security works.
This, too, shall pass…
This, too, shall pass…
November 12, 2024 at 6:36 PM
Tough day today. Car is going to need an extremely expensive repair (which likely kills most of the savings I gained by owning a hybrid for 10 years). Struggling with an AI agent that apparently doesn’t understand how Spring Security works.
This, too, shall pass…
This, too, shall pass…
Reposted by James Urquhart
So, you want to write about the OSI’s Open Source AI Definition (OSAID)…
https://samjohnston.org/2024/11/09/so-you-want-to-write-about-the-open-source-ai-definition/
#OpenSource #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #OSAID
https://samjohnston.org/2024/11/09/so-you-want-to-write-about-the-open-source-ai-definition/
#OpenSource #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #OSAID
November 11, 2024 at 4:38 AM
So, you want to write about the OSI’s Open Source AI Definition (OSAID)…
https://samjohnston.org/2024/11/09/so-you-want-to-write-about-the-open-source-ai-definition/
#OpenSource #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #OSAID
https://samjohnston.org/2024/11/09/so-you-want-to-write-about-the-open-source-ai-definition/
#OpenSource #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #OSAID
I both regret and embrace the fact that my code writing chops took a hit as I had increased influence on overall strategy, messaging, and even architectural considerations. Coding is, IMHO, a focused activity, where product-market fit is a broad "take all inputs from all sources and adjust" activity
Moving up the ladder and not writing code was the best part of my career. It forced me to zoom out and study the big picture from an angle I could not see from behind a text editor.
What bothers me in the BigTech career ladder is that it's almost expected for staff+ IC folks not to write code. Some do write it, of course, but there are some that write nothing. Pretty weird.
November 4, 2024 at 7:34 PM
I both regret and embrace the fact that my code writing chops took a hit as I had increased influence on overall strategy, messaging, and even architectural considerations. Coding is, IMHO, a focused activity, where product-market fit is a broad "take all inputs from all sources and adjust" activity