August 3, 2026

Weekly Digest - August 3, 2026

Three this week: a lesson about feedback loops learned the hard way, a fast new static analysis tool for PHP, and a free tool for catching broken podcast feeds. Scott submitted a PR with a couple...

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July 31, 2026

Mago: Blazing Fast Static Analysis for PHP

Check out my video on "Mago: Blazing Fast Static Analysis for PHP" at the php[architect] YouTube Channel. https://youtu.be/ZtAKnN6jWbE

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July 31, 2026

The Importance of Small Feedback Loops

A few years ago I submitted a pull request that felt pretty solid. A couple hundred lines of changes, some new business logic, a refactor or two baked in because I was already in there. I was proud...

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July 28, 2026

Weekly Digest - July 28, 2026

Three this week: a code review habit worth stealing, a checklist for catching podfade before it happens, and a conversation with the guy who built Firefly III. Before you assign a reviewer, review...

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July 24, 2026

The Code Review Habit That Makes Every PR Better

A few years ago I submitted a PR that I was proud of. It was a clean refactor with tests covering the whole change. My senior dev reviewed it within the hour and left exactly one comment: "Is this...

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July 22, 2026

Firefly III with James Cole

Check out my video on "Firefly III with James Cole" at the php[architect] YouTube Channel. https://youtu.be/Rmt4ULx_DV0 Find more episodes on our Introducing the Community Corner Podcast post.

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July 20, 2026

Weekly Digest - July 20, 2026

Three this week: a small fix for a big code review headache, an intro to loop engineering, and the real reason most podcasts fade out. A three-emoji system for tagging review comments: 🔥 for...

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July 17, 2026

Stop Guessing What Your Code Review Comments Mean

You've just gotten a code review back with fifteen comments. Some say things like "what about X?" or "have you considered Y?" and you have no idea whether you need to act. Are they flagging a real...

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July 17, 2026

Introduction to Loop Engineering: Building AI Agents That Run Themselves

Check out my video on "Introduction to Loop Engineering: Building AI Agents That Run Themselves" at the php[architect] YouTube Channel. https://youtu.be/pxnY6T98G14

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July 13, 2026

Weekly Digest - July 13, 2026

Three again this week: a new HTTP verb worth knowing, a Claude Code tweak that pays for itself, and a reframe on creative discipline. GET and POST both fall short for complex search because GET...

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