Dan Shiebler

Ever had a complex Python function you wanted to quickly host as an API? Managing dependencies like databases, secret keys, or heavy utilities like audio processing libraries can be quite cumbersome. Typically, I handle this with a pattern involving: Docker: to manage and install dependencies AWS Parameter Store: to securely... [Read More]

When building systems to detect cyberattacks or fraud, technical expertise alone isn’t enough. Success hinges on adopting a detection mindset—a way of thinking that prioritizes skepticism, rapid iteration, and rigorous validation. A detection mindset ensures that detection engineers and data scientists remain vigilant, adaptive, and results-driven in their approach. Here’s... [Read More]

Software engineering is changing. From autocomplete to chat-based code generators to no-code platforms, AI tools arrived like a tsunami in 2024. It’s true that most software development work - especially for experienced engineers working on distributed systems and mature codebases - remains above the waterline. Smart autocomplete and agentic code... [Read More]

Asynchronous communication through tools like Email, Slack, and Docs has become central to how teams work. But how do we ensure clarity when we can’t rely on real-time feedback? Words and sentences can vary widely in meaning, and the bedrock of effective communication is shared context. In a conversation context... [Read More]

Suppose you are a payment processor handling thousands or millions of payments every day. Some small number of the payments that you process are bound to be fraudulent. How can you spot them? This problem - identify a small number of bad events in a sea of good events -... [Read More]