Patrick Tavares

• The Gen AI Plateau and the Failure of Autonomous Agents Jan 20, 2026

  ai agents large language model machine learning software engineering

  Have we hit the AI ceiling? Understand why prompt-only agents fail in production and why hybrid architecture is the only path to systems that actually deliver real-world value.

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• I'm Breaking Up With VSCode (But Not Yet) Jan 10, 2026

  development editors productivity

  I replaced VSCode with Zed for daily coding. Here's what works, what's missing, and why I'm betting on it.

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• They Built a Walking Snowman Robot That Doesn't Melt Down Dec 27, 2025

  control systems reinforcement learning robotics thoughts

  Disney Research engineered Olaf as a physical walking robot with asymmetric legs, thermal-aware reinforcement learning policies, and impact reduction rewards. Here's why the techniques matter beyond entertainment.

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• Size Doesn't Matter: Why Function Gemma Matters Dec 24, 2025

  large language models machine learning thoughts

  While the world fights over trillions of parameters, Google released a model that runs on a toaster and actually gets things done. Welcome to the era of Utility AI.

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• Are We Just Polishing the Razor? Rethinking Desktop UX Dec 16, 2025

  linux productivity thoughts ux

  Why Scott Jenson's talk at Ubuntu Summit convinced me that the era of copying Apple is over... and why that's a good thing.