AI Engineering Excellence

SIRMON.AI

let understanding = Understanding::from(&release_notes) .pressure_tested_by(&commit_history) .verified_against(&source_code);

A personal site for agentic development, enterprise cloud architecture, deep technical troubleshooting, and the occasional hard-earned opinion.


Escalation Engineer: I work in the blast zone between customers and engineering. I get the mess nobody fully understands... incomplete evidence, customer pain, bugs loose in production. ...It's quite possibly one of the most satisfying jobs in tech ...until it's not

25+
Years in Tech
7.5K+
Customer issues/escalations
1T+
Data Points Worked
SQL • Cloud • AI
Career Arc
Goose inspecting a router
Field Operations

Goose

Bloodhound, morale officer, and unsanctioned network sniffer, pentester.

Router Auditor Escalation Magnet Morale Positive

Meet Goose

Every serious operation needs one team member who ignores process, follows instinct, and still finds the weak point faster than everyone else.


Goose inspecting a router
Infrastructure Review Thorough, physical, and not covered by warranty.
Goose resting after inspections
Postmortem Mode Quiet reflection immediately after causing the incident.
Portrait of Goose
Executive Presence Strong opinions, limited documentation, excellent morale.
Goose looking deeply unimpressed
Design Review Instant feedback whenever a plan lacks rigor or snacks.
Goose making a very loud point
Incident Response Escalates fast, communicates clearly, accepts no false positives.
Goose stretched across networking equipment
a gentle reminder sometimes the best way to understand a system is to get in there and make a mess. The kind of messy, physical, instinct-driven understanding that no amount of documentation or remote work can replace..

People Worth Listening To

Smart people with useful things to say about AI, with a strong bias against nonsense.

This is the "less hype, more signal" section.

The GOAT

Scott Hanselman

The standard. Thoughtful, practical, and consistently worth the time.

Worth Listening To

High Signal

Solid channels when you want practical AI and tech coverage instead of a weekly identity crisis about the future of software.

Personal favorite: the "let it cook" series.

Honorable Mentions

Still Good, Minor Clickbait Penalty

Useful enough to keep in rotation. Every so often they catch me with a little clickbait, but the content is still solid.

Frontier Models

A practical snapshot of the model landscape I pay attention to: major closed frontier systems, serious open source contenders, and the emerging models that could matter next.

As of 2026, this is a working capability map, not a fan club.

Major Frontier Models

Closed Model Leaders

The models still setting the pace for general capability, reasoning quality, multimodal performance, and production mindshare.

Frontier-Level Open Source

Open Weights Worth Respecting

The open models that are strong enough to matter strategically, not just as benchmark curiosities.

Emerging Frontier Models

Watch Closely

The models and families that are not obvious incumbents yet, but could force a reshuffle with the next release cycle.

Maker Channels

The non-AI branch: the work I do, the craft I study, and the channels that keep the creative side sharp.

My Work

The Shark Artist

This one is mine. Chainsaw sculpture, art, and the hands-on side of the same brain that likes hard technical problems.

Chainsaw And Tree Work

Channels I Follow For The Craft

The most directly relevant lane for me as a chainsaw sculptor: saw work, tree work, field experience, and people who have clearly paid their dues.

Sculpture And Fine Art

Hands-On Art Channels

The broader studio side: sculpture, fabrication, realism, painting, and visual design work that rewards patience and repeatable craft.

Other Interests

Sharks, Music, And Adjacent Rabbit Holes

The less directly related but still very on-brand group: shark world, music, and other corners of the internet that keep things interesting.

Entertainment

Storytelling Channels

Pure entertainment, strong pacing, and the kind of long-form story channels that can quietly eat a whole evening.

Find Me Online

The useful links, without the fake consulting landing page energy.