Author | Lightnews

Tony M

Tony M

@tonympdx.bsky.social

22 followers 17 following 53 posts

Systems and leadership, technology and AI, culture, experiences, literature, and things I find interesting. https://medium.com/@tony.m.pdx (If you are not a Medium member, you can find free links to my recent stories at https://tonym.carrd.co/)

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Tony M @tonympdx.bsky.social · Jul 31

Generators can be used to build structured, interruptible plans that AI can follow in agentic workflows. This story is a deep dive into composability, system boundaries, and how to stop chatbots from going rogue.

levelup.gitconnected.com/using-typesc...

#TypeScript #AIIntegration #SystemDesign

Using TypeScript generators in composable systems

What are generators and how can they stabilize AI-driven workflows?

levelup.gitconnected.com

Tony M @tonympdx.bsky.social · Jun 27

How do you describe intent in code?
Not what a component does, but why it exists.
I just published a piece on AI, architecture, and declared meaning, and am curious how you approach intent

levelup.gitconnected.com/demystifying...

#ai #frontend #components #intent #architecture

Demystifying intent in AI-driven workflows and systems

A guide to declared meaning in composable architecture

levelup.gitconnected.com

Tony M @tonympdx.bsky.social · Jun 18

OOP once ruled the frontend.

Then came jQuery, AngularJS, React, ES6, and TypeScript, and everything changed.

medium.com/gitconnected...

#DevLore #WebNostalgia #OOP #JavaScript #CodeCulture #Frontend

The influence of object-oriented programming in frontend development

A cultural history of the structure, standards, and abstractions that built the web

Tony M @tonympdx.bsky.social · Jun 8

“AI integration succeeds when systems are stable and well-designed” might sound obvious, but behind AI success in your system is thoughtful design.

📖 medium.com/generative-a...

#AI #SystemsThinking #DesignSystems

AI integration succeeds when systems are stable and well-designed

What AI performance reveals about system design

Tony M @tonympdx.bsky.social · Jun 5

Figma MCP server is great news. AI tools can now access Figma assets directly as a true, structured, machine-readable source of truth. Can't wait to try it and see what others build with it, too.

www.figma.com/blog/introdu...

#figma #designsystems #ai #mcpserver

Introducing our Dev Mode MCP server: Bringing Figma into your workflow | Figma Blog

Today we’re announcing the beta release of the Dev Mode MCP server, which brings Figma directly into the developer workflow to help LLMs achieve design-informed code generation.

Tony M @tonympdx.bsky.social · Jun 2

Where did all the code schools go?

medium.com/cocktails-an...

#CodeSchool #CodingBootcamp #SoftwareDevelopment

Whatever happened to code schools?

Inside the hype and reality of coding bootcamps

Tony M @tonympdx.bsky.social · May 20

Explore how AI is changing how we build systems, from design tokens to delivery pipelines. A blueprint for the new UI stack.

#typescript #bluesky #systems

How AI-integrated design systems and generative component libraries work

A blueprint for on-demand components that work with any framework or styling system.

Tony M @tonympdx.bsky.social · May 19

I use TypeScript for automation within a design system. How do you automate your system?

#frontend #designsystems #automation #techwriting #webdev

Using Typescript to automate communication within a design system

Connecting tokens and code is like a conversation between domains

Tony M @tonympdx.bsky.social · May 18

Is it time to rethink Agile? How would you improve an Agile workflow?

#designsystems #ux #automation #storytelling #software

There’s nothing wrong with waterfall

What agile gets wrong and why waterfall isn’t the problem

Tony M @tonympdx.bsky.social · May 17

Check out our latest story: Composable architecture is a team sport, not a tech stack

#webdev #frontend #designsystems #software

Composable architecture is a team sport, not a tech stack

Why team structure is the key to successful composable systems

Tony M @tonympdx.bsky.social · May 16

Explore how AI is changing the way we build systems, from design tokens to delivery pipelines. A blueprint for the new UI stack.

#frontend #typescript #culture

How AI-integrated design systems and generative component libraries work

A blueprint for on-demand components that work with any framework or styling system.

Tony M @tonympdx.bsky.social · May 15

Your design system showcase is like a "concept car." How do you show what your system can do?

#webdev #techwriting #typescript

Your design system’s concept car

Why a design system needs a flashy prototype

Tony M @tonympdx.bsky.social · May 14

Design systems are product operating systems.

#frontend #webdev #ux #designsystems

Design systems are product operating systems

Design systems should be the foundation of everything, not just design.

Tony M @tonympdx.bsky.social · May 13

Explore how AI is changing how we build systems, from design tokens to delivery pipelines. A blueprint for the new UI stack.

#ux #designsystems #techwriting #automation #systems

How AI-integrated design systems and generative component libraries work

A blueprint for on-demand components that work with any framework or styling system.

Tony M @tonympdx.bsky.social · May 12

Have we hit critical mass on design systems? Figma seems intent on being a dev tool now, AI is changing the game for everyone, and tools and workflows are more integrated than ever. Are design systems becoming obsolete?
#DesignSystems #SystemsThinking #Design #SoftwareArchitecture

Tony M @tonympdx.bsky.social · May 12

Hollywood elegance meets noir mystery in The Thin Man, and the iconic Nick and Nora glass we remember it for.

#storytelling #bluesky #typescript

The legacy of “The Thin Man” is in a glass

Nostalgia, noir, and the glamour of a sour world. The story behind the Nick and Nora glass.

Tony M @tonympdx.bsky.social · May 11

Declarative workflows aren't just dev patterns, they're a good idea for systems, too.

#ai #automation #systems #webdev #designsystems

Declarative design systems and workflows are like pizza

The difference between declarative and imperative, and why it’s important.

Tony M @tonympdx.bsky.social · May 8

Do design system component libraries still need components? Not handcrafted framework-specific components. The future is AI integration and build-time generated components. Read about it for free on Medium. Github links to a POC in the story.

medium.com/design-syste...

#DesignSystems #AI

How AI-integrated design systems and generative component libraries work

A blueprint for on-demand components that work with any framework or styling system.

Tony M @tonympdx.bsky.social · Apr 23

Design systems are product operating systems They're more than a design tool. They unify business domains, disciplines, and experiences. It's more than UI kits and component libraries, it's how products are built and delivered.

medium.com/design-syste...

#DesginSystems #SoftwareDevelopment

Design systems are product operating systems

Design systems should be the foundation of everything, not just design.

Tony M @tonympdx.bsky.social · Apr 22

Want a modular stack? Start with a modular org.
Composable architecture isn’t just tech, but how your teams work together.

Read what makes composability real (and what breaks it).

👀 medium.com/design-syste...

#designsystems #composable #architecture #teamtopologies #software

Composable architecture is a team sport, not a tech stack

Why team structure is the key to successful composable systems

Tony M @tonympdx.bsky.social · Apr 21

In a truly composable design system, components don’t just exist; they interact. Declarative thinking isn’t just about syntax. It’s about making your system legible at every layer.

medium.com/design-syste...

#DesignSystems #DeclarativeCoding #SystemDesign #SoftwareArchitecture

Declarative design systems and workflows are like pizza

The difference between declarative and imperative, and why it’s important.

Tony M @tonympdx.bsky.social · Apr 19

We know how TypeScript type widening and narrowing work, but what does it mean in practice, and how can you manage or take advantage of it? If it feels frustrating, you're not alone.

medium.com/gitconnected...

#TypeScript #FrontendDevelopment #LearningToCode

TypeScript type widening and narrowing: what it means, and why it matters

A beginner’s guide, and what to do when TypeScript frustrates you

Tony M @tonympdx.bsky.social · Apr 17

This is a new story on how K-pop integrated AI on purpose, at scale, without breaking the system.
🔗 generativeai.pub/k-pops-ai-re...

#AI #Kpop #DigitalTwins #FutureOfWork #GenerativeAI

K-pop’s AI revolution and what we can learn from it

How K-pop makes AI work in an already efficient system

generativeai.pub

Tony M @tonympdx.bsky.social · Apr 16

Design systems are declarative systems, and your workflow can be, too. What does that mean? Pizza.

Understand declarative systems and workflows (it's free for everyone).

medium.com/design-syste...

#DesignSystems #DeclarativeUI #FrontendArchitecture #UXEngineering #WorkflowDesign

Declarative design systems and workflows are like pizza

The difference between declarative and imperative, and why it’s important.

Tony M @tonympdx.bsky.social · Apr 10

Using third-party components in your design system is a great way to get up to speed fast. And you can make them composable with functional programming, Typescript, and a wrapper pattern. How are you using libraries in your system?

medium.com/design-syste...

#designsystems #mui #materialui

How I use MUI to build composable components in a design system

Integrating third-party components with functional clarity