David Scott Bernstein, The Passionate Programmer

The biggest AI advantage isn’t better prompts. It’s better relationships. The more your AI understands how you think, the more valuable your collaboration becomes. That’s the idea behind Episode 2 of my new Thinking with AI series. youtube.com/watch?v=AsnlhK…

AI didn’t eliminate programming. It revealed what programming was really about. The code was never the point. Thinking was. My first Thinking with AI episode is live. youtube.com/watch?v=cEoxTg… #AI #SoftwareDevelopment #Programming

After years of studying design patterns, I discovered something surprising: The patterns were never the point. The goal was to learn to see. The final episode of Discovering Design Patterns is now live. youtube.com/watch?v=mq9-P5… #DesignPatterns #SoftwareDesign #Architecture

A new developer sees conditionals. A senior developer sees variation. The goal was never to memorize patterns. The goal was to learn to see. New episode: Why Great Developers See What Others Miss youtube.com/watch?v=POX4go… #SoftwareDesign #DesignPatterns #Programming

The forces changed. That’s often the signal that a design needs to evolve. New episode: When One Pattern Isn’t Enough youtube.com/watch?v=zZiUY0… We explore Template Method, Strategy, Abstract Factory, and why patterns naturally work together. #DesignPatterns #SoftwareDesign

Mediator doesn’t remove complexity. It gives coordination a home. New episode: Why Your Code Feels Like a Mess (Mediator Pattern) youtube.com/watch?v=g0Nqea… #DesignPatterns #SoftwareArchitecture #MediatorPattern

Polling asks: “Did something change yet?” Observer says: “I’ll tell you when it happens.” That tiny shift changes the architecture completely. New episode: Why Polling Breaks Your Architecture (Observer Pattern) youtube.com/watch?v=I21p0m…

New blog post: AI Is Revealing How We Think - passprog.com/ai-is-revealin…

“The same input means different things in different states.” That’s the REAL insight behind the State Pattern. Not “remove conditionals.” Not “use polymorphism.” Meaning itself changes with context. New episode: Why Your Code Breaks When State Changes youtube.com/watch?v=tOSNqP…

When actions become objects: behavior gains identity. And once behavior has identity: systems can reason about behavior structurally. That’s one of the deepest ideas in object-oriented design. New video: youtube.com/watch?v=EEJztV…

Patterns don’t solve problems. They define how variation behaves. If your design feels wrong… it’s usually not the pattern. It’s the variation. New video youtube.com/watch?v=BsJapN…

We’re not just creating objects. We’re making decisions. And when those decisions spread across your system… things get out of control. That’s where Factory comes from. New video: youtube.com/watch?v=WD5CKA…

New Blog Post: Why AI Exposes Our Weakest Design Skills - passprog.com/why-ai-exposes…

If/else isn’t the problem. Where the decision lives… is. That’s the real reason Strategy Pattern exists. Once you see it, you’ll stop overengineering—and start designing. New video youtube.com/watch?v=AKGjOQ…

Happy Earth Day!

Duplicate code isn’t the problem. It’s the clue. It’s your system trying to express a concept it doesn’t yet have. Once you see that… design patterns stop being recipes and start being discoveries. New video youtube.com/watch?v=PIy1PC…

Most developers memorize design patterns. Senior developers see structure. The difference? They ask: “What’s the same?” “What’s different?” Discover the key skill for working with design patterns, watch the video! youtube.com/watch?v=mYIrxH…

New blog post: Design Signals: How to Spot Agency in Code - passprog.com/blog/

Tweet / X Emergent design doesn’t mean “skip design.” It means design safely while the system evolves. But it only works if you can refactor without fear. That requires tests. New video about Emergent Design: youtube.com/watch?v=5fumWi…

Design patterns aren’t solutions. They’re signals. Signals that reveal the forces inside a problem. If the force isn’t there → the pattern is wrong. New video: youtube.com/watch?v=ncUrf-…