# Joonas Pajunen > Personal blog of Joonas Pajunen: software, teams, AI and how people think. 56 posts, 2015–2026. Every post is available as plain Markdown at /agents/ (send `Accept: text/markdown`, or append `.md`). Human version of each post: /. Atom feed: /feed. ## Posts - [Agentic Engineering](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/agentic-engineering.md) (2026-01-04): At the start of 2025 I was optimistic about how AI will change how we produce software. I had had I somewhat eye-opening experience with Replit in the end of 2024; building fullstack applications, just by prompting. But at that time, it was “only... - [Antimemetics](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/antimemetics.md) (2024-07-07): I really enjoyed this book called “There Is No Antimemetic Division” by someone or something called “qntm”. It has one of those completely different ideas and approaches that makes a brain hurt in good ways. The idea is that instead of there being... - [Management of people and bots](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/management-of-people-and-bots.md) (2024-02-21): In the future we will manage two different things; people and AI’s. We have no idea how fast the AI’s will develop and whether these will end up being the same. Managing and leading people will increasingly be about coaching them to self-manage... - [A specialised AI writing assistant](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/specialised-ai-writing-assistant.md) (2022-10-21): Specialised AI is advancing in leaps and bounds. In 2022, image and text generators have proven to be actually useful. AI so far has been an obscure tool that could contribute to something in theory - but for me, I couldn’t be bothered. Only when... - [Chains of Information](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/chains-of-information.md) (2021-01-18): Let’s begin with an example: The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel is one of the better and efficient books I’ve read lately. It’s short-ish but information-packed, and not dense in terms of jargon or otherworldly concepts. It’s an intro to a... - [Exploration and exploitation](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/exploration-and-exploitation.md) (2019-10-14): “Should I explore something new, or exploit something I’ve found satisfying before?” This is a valuable dichotomy and a mental model I’ve come across in a book called “Algorithms to Live By”, by Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths. We can position... - [Mimetic desire](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/mimetic-desire.md) (2019-09-14): Consider the following: People want to be things, instead of do things or own things People act in regards to (role)models, instead of goals People imitate those models The smaller the distance to the model, the easier it is to imitate and become... - [role models](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/role-models.md) (2018-10-09): You can’t affect nature or nurture, but you can choose your role models. You can’t pick who your parents were, but you can choose whom you would have wanted them to be. These words of wisdom are often attributed to Seneca the Younger (I think),... - [cato and his antics](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/cato-and-his-antics.md) (2017-10-10): I read a whole book about Cato the Younger. This is something I never imagined I would do. I can barely remember the character from HBO’s magnificent series Rome. I find that whole setting and era intriguing (~50 BC), with its Roman politics,... - [green problems, a teal umbrella](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/green-problems-teal-umbrella.md) (2017-10-04): More about the organisational phases, on problems of the green mindset and how teal aims to fix them. a reminder: red -> amber -> orange -> green -> teal Numerous companies operate at the green level, and life, as well as work, can be... - [struggle](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/struggle.md) (2017-07-18): In “Tribe”, Sebastian Junger details, via several war-related stories, how our modern society lacks the meaning and community necessary for human well-being. The camaraderie, purpose and intensity found in and around war or conflict elevate... - [a yes is a no](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/a-yes-is-a-no.md) (2017-07-04): Many of us have trouble not offering help to a friend apparently in need. Or trouble not participating in some mundane event. We become yes-men by default, and let others choose our activities for us. We develop a fear of missing out. But saying... - [communication between cultures](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/communication-between-cultures.md) (2017-06-02): When traditional/hierarchical organisations interact with flat ones, problems arise. Both have their styles of communication and procedures for interaction. There is some hope though, as members of flat ones’ generally know about the olden ways,... - [teams, organisations, and the like](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/teams-organisations-and-the-like.md) (2017-04-06): The history of human organisations are often divided into phases, and many of us are experiencing a phase-change. Even though we have classifications and categories, the world as we know it contains all the phases in some area or group. People... - [the daily mundane](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/the-daily-mundane.md) (2017-03-02): There exists a disturbing desire of losing everything, and then having nothing to lose. A subconscious need of minimalism. To combat the quotidian dullness, we often develop unintelligent and sometimes dangerous behaviour patterns. In a movie... - [the knowns](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/the-knowns.md) (2017-02-09): “There are known knowns…”, the gem made famous by Donald Rumsfeld, though in a sense originally appearing in the 50’s in the form of Johari window. I like to think these combinations as a framework for classifying information and our attitude... - [mma and grappling](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/mma-and-grappling.md) (2017-02-02): I like to watch mixed martial arts and grappling events. MMA especially is so raw and so primal, that no other sport compares. Perhaps because of the assumption that in theory, a loss equals death, it raises deep feels. MMA is a recent phenomenon,... - [maker manager both](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/maker-manager-both.md) (2016-12-01): Makers and managers, their scheduling and time management needs can be considered as opposites. A maker’s schedule is focused on producing, where the incoming, external distractions need restraint. A manager, instead, must tend to the external... - [self-help](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/self-help.md) (2016-10-13): Self-help literature gets a bad rap. I like to think most literature, and especially non-fiction, is self-help in some way or another. After all, we tend to learn real world facts and lessons from them. Or generally hope to enjoy whatever we read.... - [temporary choices](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/temporary-choices.md) (2016-09-22): We are often delusional about the temporal nature of written software. After all, nothing is more permanent than temporary piece of code. We often think software should be beautiful or clever for it to exist at all. But, (rightly so) code is only... - [mental coupling and languages](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/mental-coupling-and-languages.md) (2016-06-15): Some people, myself included, act differently when speaking in tongues. Especially if the spoken language is learned later in life. I suspect this is so because the nth language is learned in conjunction with other, less primal skills, knowledge... - [attention](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/attention.md) (2016-05-03): Random, somewhat scatered thoughts on attention. Attention is becoming an increasingly valuable asset. The information overload is getting worse. Companies should be happy if people pay any attention to something their offering for free. And for... - [in praise of podcasts](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/in-praise-of-podcasts.md) (2016-04-17): I listen to podcasts quite much. Almost always while commuting, and sometimes during exercise. They’re an excellent fill for dull times. Here’s a few favourites: The Joe Rogan Experience Jocko Podcast Waking Up The Tim Ferriss Show Hardcore... - [brownfield kintsugi](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/brownfield-kintsugi.md) (2016-03-30): Kintsugi is Japanese for “golden joinery”. An art of repairing broken pottery with usually golden glue of sorts. The idea is that the resulting ornament is better of after the repair. It becomes one of a kind. It has a story. I can imagine someone... - [dunning, kruger, the expert and the impostor](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/dunning-kruger-expert-impostor.md) (2016-03-19): When an expert underestimates their ability, they are likely experiencing the Dunning-Kruger effect. The accumulation of information, knowledge, or skill generates a gnawing understanding of the things yet unknown. The collection of the known... - [best practises](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/best-practises.md) (2016-03-01): Best practices and standards exist for a reason. They encompass the wisdom of crowds, tried and tested approaches or just well-thought-out scenarios. Standards should never be enforced religiously, as contexts vary and technologies evolve. The... - [tact](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/tact.md) (2016-02-07): Between lies and truth, there’s omission, white lies, half-truths, confabulation and opinions. Somewhere there, around these themes, is also tact. skill and sensitivity in dealing with others or with difficult issues. I listened to Jocko Willink... - [golang and positive constraints](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/golang-positive-constraints.md) (2016-01-31): I wrote a smallish program in Go around a year ago. Today, a colleague shared this article, and inspired by it, I went back and had a look at my now old project. The simplicity of it was surprising. an argument for any language # One can write... - [genes, memes](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/genes-memes.md) (2016-01-24): Genes and memes are, in their essence, a construct of information that aims to replicate. So far, though, memes are generated by organisms guided by genetics. Memes replicate much faster, only because of tools adopted by the biological organisms.... - [this vs that vs not](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/this-vs-that-vs-not.md) (2016-01-10): I see a lot of discussion on which technology or framework is the best. Too often, the conversation revolves around which on is the best on absolute terms. To make this less abstract, think about React vs Angular, or pretty much just any library,... - [narcos, and the war on drugs](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/narcos-and-the-war-on-drugs.md) (2015-12-20): Watching Netflix’s Narcos produces conflicted feelings in me. I’m not that familiar with Pablo Escobar, but still quite sure he was a terrible person. Obviously, the character in the show is humanised, and constructed to induce sympathy in the... - [neomania and vintage projects](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/neomania-and-vintage-projects.md) (2015-11-27): Neomania, or neophilia, means the love for new things. Many hardware products reach a plateau, and the focus then tends to move to software. I’m wondering how, and at what level, does the speed of change on software and software development, begin... - [productivity](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/productivity.md) (2015-11-09): Productivity is a hot topic. It’s only logical we would want to maximise it, as the information growth and the pace of change is accelerating. There’s increasingly more things to do and learn, while it seems there’s less and less time to do it. I... - [jack of all trades](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/jack-of-all-trades.md) (2015-10-18): Should I aim for specialisation, or be a generalist? Should I gather expertise on something specific, or go balls to the walls all-over-the-place? It’s something I’ve professionally contemplated for years already. Currently, I’m gravitating... - [a silly arpuger](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/a-silly-arpuger.md) (2015-10-08): There’s this silly “action role-playing game”, which I’ve played countless of hours to date. It’s dumb-easy to get started with, but requires effort to master. Not that e-sports effort though. You don’t directly play against human players, but you... - [crypto and security](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/crypto-and-security.md) (2015-09-18): I just finished Neal Stephenson’s 900+ page book Cryptonomicon. I’ve since (and during the long read), been dwelling more on information security. Even though the book is fiction, it points out there’s been this hidden effort of espionage and... - [integrations](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/integrations.md) (2015-08-31): Why is it that integrating into another system can be so tedious? Sometimes, the integration endpoints are backed by vast financial support and professional care. Too often, though, they’re a mess that’s just been pieced together in a hurry.... - [free will](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/free-will.md) (2015-08-20): People are products of genes, upbringing, chance, etc. This doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be accountable for their actions, or that it’s all just destiny. But thinking that no one chose how they ended up as they did, makes it easier to understand or... - [pattern recognisers](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/pattern-recognisers.md) (2015-08-12): I’ve repeated the following quote before, and I’ll do it again: “to understand is to perceive patterns” - Isaiah Berlin I’m intrigued by this because of working as a programmer, after seeing Jason Silva’s many outputs, and after reading Raymond... - [inflation of good ideas](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/inflation-of-good-ideas.md) (2015-08-02): Agile used to be the hottest buzzword for project planning and progression. Minimum viable product wasn’t an excuse for low quality shit. Some ideas are overused and misused, so much so that they’re losing their meaning. I’ll look into these two,... - [dogmas](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/dogmas.md) (2015-07-20): I was watching “Going clear”, a documentary about the “church” of Scientology. It details the creation, growth and present state of the religion/cult. It’s a display of how people end up following ridiculous rules, religious or not. The... - [gene testing](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/gene-testing.md) (2015-07-13): I subscribed to the gene testing service from 23andMe some time back, and have been inspecting the results during the last couple of weeks now. Overall, I find the results interesting. I’m slightly concerned about the privacy and security aspects... - [self-deception](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/selfdeception.md) (2015-07-05): I’ve just finished “Leadership and self-deception”, and it was eye-opening. It’s a book about management and leadership, but more importantly, about managing relationships with people. I’ll go over some of the things I found most revealing, and... - [confabulation](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/confabulation.md) (2015-06-28): I’ve recently been playing Grim Fandango, a remastered release of a classic PC game from the 90’s. I find myself confused how I first have no recollection about what’s going to happen next, until a new screen loads. Broken parts of stories and and... - [abundance part 2, generalism](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/abundance-generalism.md) (2015-06-21): I pondered about the abundance of Javascript libraries, about it being both good and bad. While I still think it’s both, I tend to think the negative aspects emerge from our established ways of viewing prowess in technology. What I see as a... - [tomorrow](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/tomorrow.md) (2015-06-14): I attended the first ever Tomorrow conference a few days ago. The mastermind behind the event is Lauri, and for a first time organiser of an event of that scale, he did an excellent job. Everything went smooth, and no problems could be detected... - [data, of considerable size](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/data-of-considerable-size.md) (2015-06-06): Data science, big data, data mining, MapReduce, buzzword. Data is being generated in an increasing pace as the amount of it is exponentially growing. Problems arise when handling such large amounts of information and interpreting what it all... - [antifragile software development](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/antifragile.md) (2015-05-31): What could antifragile software be like? Or rather, what kind of a team and with what kind of a development process could produce software in an antifragile fashion? This is one originally appeared in Finnish at Fraktio’s blog. Consider this... - [decisions and routine](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/decisions-and-routine.md) (2015-05-24): As the world keeps getting more complex, I’d argue there’s more decisions and choices to be made than ever before. Science and technology keep providing advances and new questions. The constraints and rules imposed by different religions, and... - [rereading](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/reading.md) (2015-05-17): There’s only a couple books that I’ve read more than once. Most of all because I consider myself a rather slow reader. I’ve got too many unread books on my bookshelf to “waste” more time reading something again. The Amazon wishlist keeps... - [public speaking and comfort zone](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/public-speaking-comfort-zone.md) (2015-05-10): I’ve done a few public presentations every now and then, and they’ve rarely been as smooth as I’d have liked. Honestly speaking, I’ve never enjoyed much of these smaller presentations that much. I usually start nervous and get to normal levels of... - [the abundance of javascript libraries](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/the-abundance-of-javascript-libraries.md) (2015-04-29): There’s this joke about a new javascript library manifesting every two hours. This is a kind of a follow-up, extension or explanation to a presentation I not-so-successfully delivered on HelsinkiJS this week. Javascript by itself is a somewhat... - [the lindy effect](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/the-lindy-effect.md) (2015-04-21): I’m intrigued by this notion of “reverse ageing”. Think about people. The older they get, the sooner they are expected to die. If you think about ideas and technologies, the expectation is that of the opposite. Because of survivorship bias, the... - [concentration and music](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/concentration-and-music.md) (2015-04-16): I take stretches where I shut down instant messaging software, quiet my phone and don’t answer any unknown numbers. I don’t check my email and to some extent, try to ignore everyone around me. The ambient babble and occasional shrieks in the... - [programming, slow](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/programming-slow.md) (2015-04-09): Software development is generally considered a thinking person’s activity. Word thinking usually implies deliberate pondering and careful reasoning. However, there’s a clear-cut difference between thinking fast and slow (coined Systems 1 & 2,... - [programming, fast](https://joonaspajunen.com/agents/programming-fast.md) (2015-04-08): By programming fast here I speak about the effortless act of producing working or semi-working code. This happens without having to stop too much to ponder and plan how to implement something. On a more larger, architectural scale, this manifests...