# Atomic Object Atomic Object's blog on everything we find fascinating. This is one page of public article previews, not the complete archive. Follow Next page to continue. Summaries are not the original full articles. ## Write End-to-End Tests in Your Backend's Language DevFeed: [Write End-to-End Tests in Your Backend's Language]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: James McConkey Published: 2026-09-17T12:00:42Z Content type: tutorial Language: en Sources: [Atomic Object]() Topics: [Testing](), [Playwright](), [FastAPI](), [Python](), [test data](), [Pydantic](), [SQLAlchemy](), [ASP.NET Core](), [PostgreSQL](), [Docker Compose]() Tags: [asp-net-core](), [code](), [data](), [docker-compose](), [fastapi](), [playwright](), [postgresql](), [project-team-management](), [python](), [sqlalchemy](), [tests](), [the-software-life]() ### AI overview This article argues that end-to-end test-data setup is often the main design challenge, because tests must create consistent domain records while running alongside other tests. It recommends using browser-testing tools in the backend's language when possible, keeping meaningful relationships inline, and extracting small creation helpers without hiding scenario intent. ### Source excerpt The browser is often the easiest part of an end-to-end test. Consider a test that verifies a user can complete an overdue task. The visible interaction is small: sign in, find the task, click Complete, and observe the new status. Before any of that can happen, the test needs a workspace, a user, a project, and [...] The post Write End-to-End Tests in Your Backend's Language appeared first on Atomic Spin. ## How to Decide How Much Authorship AI Should Have in Software Work DevFeed: [How to Decide How Much Authorship AI Should Have in Software Work]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Kyle Humphrey Published: 2026-09-17T12:00:32Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [Atomic Object]() Topics: [agentic-engineering](), [Artificial Intelligence](), [implementation](), [Software]() Tags: [agentic](), [agentic-engineering](), [ai](), [artificial-intelligence](), [development-practices](), [engineering](), [implementation](), [ownership](), [software](), [workflow]() ### AI overview This commentary examines how AI-generated meeting summaries, backlog items, and implementation work can introduce vocabulary, decisions, scope, and structure that a team does not recognize or own. It argues that the artifact's purpose should guide how much authorship is delegated to AI, using Curiosity, Craft, and Care as principles for making that decision. ### Source excerpt Atomic's Agentic Engineering for Teams describes how work moves through a product backlog, definition, planning, implementation, and review when agents do much of the building. While working with a small team during a Research, Design, and Planning (RDP) engagement, I started paying attention to a smaller decision inside that process: how much authorship we give [...] The post Use Curiosity, Craft, and Care to Decide What AI Should Write appeared first on Atomic Spin. ## Build Trust on a Short Software Project DevFeed: [Build Trust on a Short Software Project]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Viviana Rosas Published: 2026-09-17T12:00:17Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [Atomic Object]() Topics: [trust](), [Software](), [Testing]() Tags: [client](), [progress](), [project](), [project-communication](), [project-team-management](), [regression](), [testing](), [the-software-life](), [trust]() ### AI overview This article explains how software teams can build client trust during short projects. It recommends frequent feedback and check-ins, making progress visible, and using a limited regression test suite focused on important functionality. ### Source excerpt On a short project, clients need evidence not only that work is happening, but that the team knows when to continue, when to change direction, when to raise concern, and how to leave others capable of carrying the work forward. 1. Close the Feedback Loop - Show Responsiveness. It's extremely important to get feedback quickly [...] The post Build Trust on a Short Software Project appeared first on Atomic Spin. ## Test GitHub Actions Locally with Act DevFeed: [Test GitHub Actions Locally with Act]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Valerie Nielson Published: 2026-09-16T12:00:44Z Content type: tutorial Language: en Sources: [Atomic Object]() Topics: [GitHub Actions](), [CI/CD](), [Docker](), [Testing](), [unit test]() Tags: [ci-cd](), [developer-tools](), [docker](), [github](), [github-actions](), [pull-request](), [testing](), [unit-test](), [workflow]() ### AI overview This tutorial explains how to test GitHub Actions workflows locally with act. It describes how act uses Docker to reproduce the workflow environment, including environment variables and the file system, and demonstrates testing pull-request workflows and unit tests before merging. ### Source excerpt GitHub Actions are a great way to implement CI/CD into your projects, whether personal or professional. GitHub has a lot of great tools to help with CI/CD, but GitHub Actions in particular is very helpful. However, writing actions can be tedious and a little annoying, especially if you don't know what you're doing. On top [...] The post Test GitHub Actions Locally with Act appeared first on Atomic Spin. ## How to Run Codex in an Ubuntu Virtual Machine on Proxmox DevFeed: [How to Run Codex in an Ubuntu Virtual Machine on Proxmox]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Travis Henderson Published: 2026-09-15T12:00:11Z Content type: tutorial Language: en Sources: [Atomic Object]() Topics: [AI-assisted coding](), [codex](), [Linux](), [Ubuntu](), [Proxmox](), [OpenSSH](), [Authorization]() Tags: [ai-agent](), [ai-for-developers](), [codex](), [coding-agents](), [development](), [linux](), [openssh](), [permissions](), [proxmox](), [sandbox](), [ubuntu]() ### AI overview This guide explains how to isolate Codex in a headless Ubuntu virtual machine running on Proxmox, using a separate Linux account and OpenSSH. The setup limits the files, dependencies, and network access available to the agent while keeping administrator tasks separate, but it does not eliminate risks from credentials, network access, or mistakes pushed to GitHub. ### Source excerpt The more useful coding agents become, the more access they tend to need. Installing dependencies, running commands, changing files, and generally more autonomy are part of the appeal. They're also the point where I start thinking about what else the coding agent can reach, especially while these tools are changing so quickly. My answer is [...] The post Your Coding Agent Should be in Jail. Here's Why and How. appeared first on Atomic Spin. ## Speeding Up Azure Durable Functions with Fan-Out/Fan-In and a Higher Concurrency Limit DevFeed: [Speeding Up Azure Durable Functions with Fan-Out/Fan-In and a Higher Concurrency Limit]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Michael Li Published: 2026-09-14T12:00:32Z Content type: tutorial Language: en Sources: [Atomic Object]() Topics: [Azure](), [Concurrent Programming](), [Code]() Tags: [apis](), [azure](), [azure-functions](), [batch](), [concurrency](), [development-practices](), [file](), [storage]() ### AI overview An Azure Durable Functions batch job was accelerated by combining fan-out/fan-in orchestration with a higher function-host concurrency limit. Together, the changes reduced a representative run from about 710 seconds to about 240 seconds. ### Source excerpt For one of our projects, we run a nightly job that generates a batch of files. It's a long process: pulling records from an upstream system, calling several APIs to gather info about each one, generating a file per record, and writing the results back to storage. For a small batch, this works fine, but [...] The post 2 Changes Made Our Azure Durable Functions 3X Faster appeared first on Atomic Spin. ## How I Used a Pinterest Board to Get Better Visual Results From Claude Design DevFeed: [How I Used a Pinterest Board to Get Better Visual Results From Claude Design]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Sydney Cole Published: 2026-09-13T12:00:33Z Content type: tutorial Language: en Sources: [Atomic Object]() Topics: [Claude](), [Artificial Intelligence](), [Claude Code](), [Code](), [Website]() Tags: [ai](), [ai-design-tools](), [ai-for-designers](), [claude](), [claude-code](), [code](), [design](), [how-to](), [html](), [images](), [iteration](), [pinterest](), [portfolio](), [prompt](), [website]() ### AI overview An account of using a Pinterest mood board as a visual reference for Claude Design when creating a creative portfolio website. The author reports that the image references produced less generic layouts and helped clarify the intended aesthetic; Claude Code then generated a basic HTML site based on the design. ### Source excerpt I've been building out a portfolio site for my creative work. While I have hesitations about mixing AI with my art, I decided to use this website as an opportunity to try out Claude Design. Like most people who've tried generating a design with AI, I ran into the same issue over and over. I'd [...] The post How I Used a Pinterest Board to Get Better Visual Results From Claude Design appeared first on Atomic Spin. ## A Humorous List of Physical Alternatives to GitHub for Storing Projects DevFeed: [A Humorous List of Physical Alternatives to GitHub for Storing Projects]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Sulaiman Bah Published: 2026-09-12T12:00:11Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [Atomic Object]() Topics: [GitHub](), [datacenter](), [RAID](), [USB]() Tags: [data-center](), [github](), [project-team-management](), [raid](), [storage](), [the-software-life](), [usb](), [version-control]() ### AI overview This humorous commentary proposes physical storage options as alternatives to GitHub, including a homemade 50-petabyte data center, a 64-gigabyte USB stick, and a 2-terabyte external hard drive. ### Source excerpt Every developer knows just how important it is to share work with a coworker. If you are working on a critical feature in a crunch, prompt peer reviews and instant feedback can mean the difference between a secure contract and an angry client. So it follows that when the infrastructure we rely on to work [...] The post GitHub Alternative List: Quintessential Options appeared first on Atomic Spin. ## Mixpanel Is Easy to Install. Trusting the Data Takes Work. DevFeed: [Mixpanel Is Easy to Install. Trusting the Data Takes Work.]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Jared Currie Published: 2026-09-11T12:00:56Z Content type: tutorial Language: en Sources: [Atomic Object]() Topics: [data](), [dashboards]() Tags: [dashboards](), [data](), [developer-tools](), [metric](), [metrics](), [properties](), [retention](), [tracking]() ### AI overview This tutorial explains how to improve trust in Mixpanel analytics by defining business questions and metric terms, filtering noise such as employees, automated tests, scrapers, and duplicate events, and documenting each metric's scope and limitations. ### Source excerpt Mixpanel makes it easy to start collecting events and building dashboards. The harder part is knowing whether those dashboards represent real product usage. A report can look polished while counting employees, automated browser tests, web scrapers, duplicate events, or actions that users attempted but never completed. It can also be technically correct while answering a [...] The post Mixpanel Is Easy to Install. Trusting the Data Takes Work. appeared first on Atomic Spin. ## How to Move an AI App from a Frontier Model to Open Weights DevFeed: [How to Move an AI App from a Frontier Model to Open Weights]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Gus Schissler Published: 2026-09-10T12:00:43Z Content type: tutorial Language: en Sources: [Atomic Object]() Topics: [Artificial Intelligence](), [Large Language Model](), [Benchmark](), [inference-providers](), [codex]() Tags: [ai](), [ai-for-developers](), [benchmark](), [codex](), [how-to](), [inference](), [inference-providers](), [llm](), [prototyping]() ### AI overview This tutorial describes moving an AI document-processing prototype from a frontier model to cheaper open-weight models through hosted inference providers. It explains how to define a trusted gold set from real project outputs and use workflow-specific evaluation to identify where lower-cost models fail. ### Source excerpt At Atomic Object, we're encouraged to prototype and dogfood internal projects. Over the last four months, I've been building a prototype to help solve a part of my job that I dislike. The first version used an LLM to extract and classify information from documents, then connect related pieces so humans and agents could retrieve [...] The post How to Move an AI App from a Frontier Model to Open Weights appeared first on Atomic Spin. ## What It Takes to Run a Mobile App Beta with Real Customers DevFeed: [What It Takes to Run a Mobile App Beta with Real Customers]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Renee Liken Published: 2026-09-09T12:00:46Z Content type: tutorial Language: en Sources: [Atomic Object]() Topics: [Mobile](), [Testing](), [App]() Tags: [customer](), [delivery-practices](), [features](), [mobile](), [mobile-app-deployment](), [survey](), [testing](), [time]() ### AI overview This tutorial explains how to run focused mobile app betas with real customers before a full release. It recommends testing one feature at a time, keeping the customer request small, recruiting and incentivizing a limited group, and collecting focused feedback through screenshots, recordings, and surveys. ### Source excerpt Earlier this year, our team shipped two mobile app features for BIGGBY® COFFEE that both touch real money: applying loyalty rewards to an order at checkout, and adding a tip when you pay. These are exactly the kinds of features you don't want customers discovering bugs in via one-star reviews. So before each one released [...] The post What It Takes to Run a Mobile App Beta with Real Customers appeared first on Atomic Spin. ## Review: Codex Tools for Improving Accessibility DevFeed: [Review: Codex Tools for Improving Accessibility]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Riley Collins Published: 2026-09-08T12:00:30Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [Atomic Object]() Topics: [codex](), [Accessibility](), [Tooling]() Tags: [accessibility](), [codex](), [developer](), [developer-tools](), [review]() ### AI overview A software developer reviews Codex accessibility tools after breaking their wrist. The article focuses on dictation, describing how it transcribes speech into text for messages, emails, and prompts, while noting transcription errors and dictionary settings that can improve accuracy. ### Source excerpt Recently, I was met with a situation that you do not wish to run into as a software developer. I was playing a game of baseball, and due to a wild pitch, I broke my wrist. This resulted in being put into a cast (and for a moment a sling) that made it very difficult [...] The post Review: Codex Tools for Improving Accessibility appeared first on Atomic Spin. ## Weekly Wacky Question: What Constitutes a Meal? What Constitutes an Active User? DevFeed: [Weekly Wacky Question: What Constitutes a Meal? What Constitutes an Active User?]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: Bo French Published: 2026-09-06T12:00:48Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [Atomic Object]() Topics: [Software](), [coding]() Tags: [atomic-accelerator](), [developers](), [software](), [work]() ### AI overview The article describes a "Weekly Wacky Question" activity in which software consultants discuss playful hypothetical questions. It explains that the questions prompt problem framing, scope definition, clarification, and consideration of edge cases--habits associated with software development and consulting work. ### Source excerpt Crikey! What a sight we have here! We have a flock of software consultants at a common meeting ground for them in their ecosystem, the communal whiteboard. Many moons ago, this was not a particularly common meeting ground for them, but now it's a place of rigor and banter and full of life. They seem [...] The post Weekly Wacky Question: What Constitutes a Meal? What Constitutes an Active User? appeared first on Atomic Spin.