Field Notes | Dylan MarinNotes on long-lived software, operational judgment, AI in the real world, and what messy systems teach you.https://nalyd.dev/My Homelab Is Where I Learn Things Before Production Teaches Themhttps://nalyd.dev/field-notes/my-homelab-is-where-i-learn-things/https://nalyd.dev/field-notes/my-homelab-is-where-i-learn-things/Three years and 50 containers later, my homelab has taught me more about ops discipline than half my day jobs combined. Here's what running your own production-minimum infrastructure actually looks like.Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTWhere AI Delivers Real Value in Logistics Ops (and Where It's Mostly Hype)https://nalyd.dev/field-notes/where-ai-actually-helps-ops-teams/https://nalyd.dev/field-notes/where-ai-actually-helps-ops-teams/Where RAG agents and workflow tools cut real friction in logistics ops, and where AI autonomy and generic assistants consistently fall short.Sun, 15 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMTDashboard Modernization Retrospective: PHP/jQuery to React — Lessons on Risk, Rollout, and Real Performancehttps://nalyd.dev/field-notes/dashboard-modernization-retrospective-php-react/https://nalyd.dev/field-notes/dashboard-modernization-retrospective-php-react/Retrospective on modernizing a legacy logistics dashboard from PHP/jQuery to React: incremental migration wins, underestimated risks, and patterns I now apply to reduce rework and protect operations.Thu, 30 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMTWhat Logistics Operations Taught Me About Building Reliable Softwarehttps://nalyd.dev/field-notes/logistics-operations-software-reliability/https://nalyd.dev/field-notes/logistics-operations-software-reliability/Crossing from hands-on logistics ops into engineering: why domain fluency, workflow trust, observability, and safe incremental change beat elegant architecture in high-stakes, messy production environments.Wed, 30 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMTWhat Legacy Logistics Systems Actually Taught Mehttps://nalyd.dev/field-notes/what-legacy-logistics-systems-taught-me/https://nalyd.dev/field-notes/what-legacy-logistics-systems-taught-me/After years modernizing messy PHP, jQuery, and COBOL-adjacent logistics platforms, I learned that the ugliest code often contains the most valuable business truth. Here's what greenfield engineers miss.Wed, 30 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMTWhy Domain Knowledge Matters in Full-Stack Roleshttps://nalyd.dev/field-notes/why-domain-knowledge-matters-full-stack-roles/https://nalyd.dev/field-notes/why-domain-knowledge-matters-full-stack-roles/How seven years in logistics operations made me a better engineer—and why domain expertise is undervalued in engineering hiring.Wed, 30 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMTFrom Logistics Ops to Engineering: How Domain Depth Accelerates Real Impacthttps://nalyd.dev/field-notes/ops-to-engineering-logistics-domain-expertise/https://nalyd.dev/field-notes/ops-to-engineering-logistics-domain-expertise/Lessons from transitioning from logistics operations to software engineering — why deep domain knowledge in supply chain accelerates problem framing, reduces failure modes, and builds dual credibility.Tue, 03 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMT