Daily Reading List – June 15, 2026 (#805)

Sometimes you need to prove that you still got it. I don’t mean with coding and AI. I mean yesterday when I beat a couple of teenagers in a game of HORSE. Not random kids, as I’m not a psycho hunting nearby parks for chances to beat kids at basketball. A fun afternoon at a friend’s house turned into a “old men vs kids” moment and this old man stepped up. Who was then was overheated and needed a cold drink.

[blog] Skill Fatigue Is Real. Wonderful post. Christina calls out all the ways we can go down a slippery path by over-reliance on skills in the wrong places.

[article] Why AI hasn’t replaced software engineers, and won’t. Another excellent essay. Most of the “we laid people off because of AI” stories are garbage. And building software involves more than what agents do today, or maybe ever.

[article] 10 MCP servers to connect LLMs with databases. Good list, including our own open source MCP Toolbox.

[blog] Steren Giannini on Google Cloud Run: Past, Present & Future. This video and transcript is an excellent look at what goes into defining a new cloud service, and how it evolves.

[article] 3 Ways to Rethink Your Build-or-Buy Strategy. Buy when speed matters, and build when advantage lies in capabilities that strengthen through learning over time.

[blog] Introducing the Open Knowledge Format. This simple, standard format might help us organize scattered info in a way that humans and AI can digest.

[article] Essential books for product builders—part 2. Even more terrific books to consider buying if you want to improve skills around design and influence.

[blog] Simple formulas for concise writing. Smart people use simple words. Or so I’ve been told. I like this post for how to rewire your writing for conciseness.

[blog] Conway’s Law: Your Operating Model Matters More Than The AI Model. Plenty of truth in this. I believe it’s also true that a massive technology shift forces a change to the operating model.

[article] MCP solved tool calling. A2A solved coordination. What solves transport? HTTP-only isn’t likely the route forward. We’re still pushing for gRPC in MCP, and you’ll probably see the transport layer evolve and stabilize soon.

[blog] Read Sundar Pichai’s 2026 Commencement Address at Stanford University. For those smart enough to stick around, they heard a great talk full of optimism and genuine advice.

[blog] Vibe Coder vs Software Engineer. One isn’t “better” than the other. It’s a question of ownership and long-term intent.

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