Pair programming is the work mode in development in which two people collaborate on the same task in split, but frequently reversed, roles (one thinking high level, the other implementing the changes). Compared to solo programming, pair programming may have multiple positive effects, for example, on code quality. Utilizing pairing correctly, therefore, is an important—but non-trivial—aspect of coordination within highly effective development teams. With the emergence of capable generative AI coding assistants in the last few years, pairing between human programmer and an AI coding assistant (sometimes called pAIr programming) has also developed into an established pattern. Since I personally enjoy traditional human/human pair programming but also use and see the benefits of AI coding assistants, I was curious about what the literature has to say on the pros and cons of both work modes. Here is what I found out.

I‘ve been looking forward quite a lot to this post because it marks the transition to my new website design. Alongside the visual update, there are also a couple of significant under the hood improvements that I find worthy to talk about. In particular, the switch to AstroJS as my static site generation framework and improvements to my dev tooling and workflow. I quite enjoy the changes, so if you’re looking to start a blog or any kind of content-driven website in 2025 this post may contain some pointers for you.

The 5 A.M. Club is a self-improvement book by Robin Sharma an acclaimed Canadian leadership and motivational speaker. Sharma’s book promotes the concept of improving your life by establishing a first-class morning routine. I decided to read The 5 A.M. Club because the core concept of starting the day with a solid routine made sense to me and I hoped to learn more about how and why this works. The book indeed introduces quite a few helpful concepts and may, therefore, be a good introductory read on morning protocols for some people. It, however, may be a little too light weight if you look for a more scientific approach to the topic and the writing is, let’ say, unique. Read more about The 5 A.M. Club in this review.