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Caveman AI Skill for Terse Replies

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Caveman AI Skill for Terse Replies

AI output is often too long, too polished, and full of filler. Our Software Architect, Russ, shares the Caveman skill, a practical way to strip AI responses back to what actually matters, with installation instructions and usage options for individuals and teams.

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Russ Painter

Software Architect, 8 West Consulting

Jun 08, 2026

 

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  • Getting Started with Datadog

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    Getting Started with Datadog

    Datadog is a key tool in our cloud engineering team's Well Architected Framework Audits which help organisations realise cost savings on their cloud environments, as well as map out a path to improved maturity in performance, reliability and security.

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    Joe Cook

    Senior Cloud Engineer, 8 West Consulting

    Jun 03, 2026

 

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  • Caveman AI Skill for Terse Replies

    ARTICLE

    Caveman AI Skill for Terse Replies

    AI output is often too long, too polished, and full of filler. Our Software Architect, Russ, shares the Caveman skill, a practical way to strip AI responses back to what actually matters, with installation instructions and usage options for individuals and teams.

    READ MORE
    Russ Painter

    Software Architect, 8 West Consulting

    Jun 08, 2026

  • Chrome Dev Tools AI Generated Code for Page Querying and Brainstorming

    ARTICLE

    Chrome Dev Tools AI Generated Code for Page Querying and Brainstorming

    Chrome 147 added AI code generation directly in the developer console, and it's more useful than it sounds. This article walks through practical examples of using it for DOM querying, data scraping, and quick rebranding proofs of concept without writing a line of code manually.

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    Russ Painter

    Software Architect, 8 West Consulting

    Jun 08, 2026

  • Comprehension Debt: How misusing AI can make you worse at your job

    ARTICLE

    Comprehension Debt: How misusing AI can make you worse at your job

    Using AI to move faster is useful. Losing the reasoning behind what it produces is a risk most teams underestimate. Our Software Architect, Russ, explores comprehension debt, what it is, why it applies across every role, and how to avoid it.

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    Russ Painter

    Software Architect, 8 West Consulting

    Jun 08, 2026

  • The Rediscovery of Deep Specification: How LLMs will Rewrite the Agile Playboo

    ARTICLE

    The Rediscovery of Deep Specification: How LLMs will Rewrite the Agile Playboo

    Agile moved us away from deep specification for good reasons. LLMs may have quietly removed them. Our Director of Engineering, Brendan Lawlor, makes the case that some assumptions shaping software development for 25 years are worth revisiting.

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    Brendan Lawlor

    Director of Engineering, 8 West Consulting

    Jun 08, 2026

  • Brooks’ Law Still Holds. But Something Else Changed.

    ARTICLE

    Brooks’ Law Still Holds. But Something Else Changed.

    Brooks' Law hasn't broken, but something fundamental has shifted. Our Director of Engineering, Brendan Lawlor, explores how LLMs are moving the bottlenecks in software delivery and what that means for engineering roles at every level.

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    Brendan Lawlor

    Director of Engineering, 8 West Consulting

    Jun 08, 2026

  • Supply Chain Defense for Modern Package Managers

    ARTICLE

    Supply Chain Defense for Modern Package Managers

    Modern software imports code from hundreds of strangers at build time, and AI-powered attackers are making that risk harder to ignore. Our Software Architect, Russ, breaks down the practical defences every engineering team should have in place across TypeScript, C#, Python, Kotlin, and Rust.

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    Russ Painter

    Software Architect, 8 West Consulting

    Jun 08, 2026

  • What I Actually Want From AI in Software Delivery: Read the Logs, Write the Fix, Let Me Approve

    ARTICLE

    What I Actually Want From AI in Software Delivery: Read the Logs, Write the Fix, Let Me Approve

    Code generation is only half the story. Our Software Architect, Mel Collins, makes the case for AI that stays in the loop after the code is written, reading logs, identifying root causes, preparing fixes, and handing the result to a human for approval.

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    Mel Collins

    Software Architect, 8 West Consulting

    Jun 08, 2026

  • IDE-Less Development with Codex

    ARTICLE

    IDE-Less Development with Codex

    Our Software Architect, Mel Collins, built a fully functional Android app in 5 hours using Codex, with no prior Android, Flutter, or Bluetooth protocol experience. A practical look at what IDE-less, conversational AI development actually looks like in practice.

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    Mel Collins

    Software Architect, 8 West Consulting

    Jun 08, 2026

  • CLEAR. Practical AI-First Design Principles for Real Codebases

    ARTICLE

    CLEAR. Practical AI-First Design Principles for Real Codebases

    AI tools have given architecture a second consumer alongside human developers. Our Software Architect, Mel Collins, outlines CLEAR, the practical framework for designing codebases where both humans and AI can reason effectively.

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    Mel Collins

    Software Architect, 8 West Consulting

    Jun 08, 2026

  • Agentic Coding in Practice: A Client Case Study

    ARTICLE

    Agentic Coding in Practice: A Client Case Study

    A real-world test of agentic coding on a production application for a dental insurance client, tracking every hour to measure what AI assistance actually delivers. The result was a 38.3% reduction in development time, with lessons on where human judgment remains essential.

    READ MORE
    Russ Painter

    Software Architect, 8 West Consulting

    Jun 05, 2026

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