Jason T Johnson

This is a metaphor for much of life. Pragmatism applies to everything. Simple code is the Yamaha; clever code is the fancy guitar. The old tried and true framework is the Yamaha; the trendy, bleeding edge framework is the fancy jade inlays — huge time investment with basically the same results.

Unofficial tagline: RailsConf Philadelphia — Inspiration, Conversation, and Perspiration

This past week’s #RailsConf2025 did a wonderful job of wrapping up an era and opening doors to a new one. I reflected on the PAST with old friends & colleagues, embraced the PRESENT moment with some amazing new friends, and we made all sorts of plans for the FUTURE.

How can you say that? They are model citizens.

Yep. I like fast-mcp.

For Rails, just install an MCP sever gem. They're all pretty bleeding edge right now, but I really like github.com/yjacquin/fas... so far. Then, add the basic config, write a few tools & resources, connect it to Claude Desktop, and start chatting.

I know MCP is very buzzwordy right now, but if you haven’t created an MCP server for your app, I recommend trying it out (just locally in development). There’s something really fun about conversationally interacting with your data with so little coding. You can set one up under an hour.

That data could be very valuable for training on a level of human nature that is much deeper than most publicly available content.

I don't have any unique insight, but I've definitely been convinced for a while now that the overly friendly tone and sycophancy of ChatGPT is specifically designed to get people to divulge deeply personal thoughts and information.

apperception | ˌapərˈsepSHən |
the mental process by which a person makes sense of an idea by assimilating it to the body of ideas he/she/they already possess

This was the title of my BFA Painting Thesis Exhibition. It now applies equally well to both my UX and AI work.

Context, Context, Context

In the interest of horror vacui, I will add something here to explain myself. Years (decades?) ago, I was quite active online. Then, there was a period of professional growth, but fallow in terms of public engagement. It now feels like time for a reboot. Let's discuss everything.