Thoughts and Flows

My name is Christopher

I am a software architect who enjoys the challenge of making big, complicated systems work better. I have spent the last 17 years focused on the backbone of enterprise SaaS, the parts of the software you do not always see, but that everything else relies on.

Most of my work involves taking older legacy systems and figuring out how to move them into the modern world without breaking anything.

I spend a lot of time thinking about:

• Security and Modernization: Making sure sensitive data stays safe and encrypted, inputs are sanitized and validated, and old logic gets translated into new, flexible architectures.
• Pragmatic Development: I’m a big believer in balance. I follow the "Choose Boring Tech" philosophy: use proven, stable tools and save our innovation for where it actually matters. Minimize risk, maximize reliability, and focus our energy on building things that deliver real value.
• The Agentic Future: The developer’s role has shifted from writing code to sculpting it. Like a bonsai gardener, you no longer grow the plant, but rather prune, wire, and direct it. You own the shape; the AI owns the growth.

My evening obsessions

• Linguistics: I am an armchair linguist. I’m fascinated by how we speak. You’ll usually find me diving into etymology lectures or spending my nights working on vocabulary in a new language.
• Abstract Games: I am drawn to games with simple rules and emergent complexity. I spend a lot of my downtime playing, designing, or implementing abstract games. You can find my game designs below.
• Skill Toys: I’ve never been good at keeping my hands still. What started with my mother’s old baton and years of spinning pens has grown into a deep love of skill toys. These days, if I’m not busy, I’m usually chasing a good flow with a begleri, kendama, yoyo, or one of my dozens of other skill toys.

Beautifully meaningless battles to share

Online play at https://play.abstractplay.com ⧉