I always look forward to Texas Linux Fest each year and the event just wrapped up in Austin. It’s such a great event because you can really connect with people who are doing some really interesting work and are willing to tell you all about it.

I submitted a talk for this year’s conference about engineering fears and AI with a Dune theme. The talk abstract was fun to write, but building the presentation itself was extremely challenging. How do you make a talk about fears of the unknown while also being upbeat and finding ways to keep the audience awake?

In a hurry? Here are the links you might care about:

The audience asked some great questions at the end about several important topics:

  • How do junior engineers level up in this new world?
  • Are there areas where AI should and should not be used?
  • What about the people who are completely and adimantly against anything AI-related in their work?

For all of these questions, I strongly believe that we will adapt lots of the things we’ve always done before. Many of the principles still apply but they might look a little different.

I did talk a bit about stoicism and I found that few in the audience were familiar with the ideals. If you want to read more about that, I highly recommend The Practicing Stoic by Ward Farnsworth. The book walks you through the simplest aspects of stoicism up to the more complex ones with tons of quotes from famous stoic thinkers along the way. It’s amazing to see so many things written in the second century that apply so well in 2026.

If you haven’t experienced the world of Dune, I highly recommend the new series of movies. However, they barely scratch the surface of what’s in Dune, the first novel in the series. It’s a long book! Audible’s audiobook version is a real treat with an excellent cast of narrators that make the story come alive.

Thanks to everyone who came to Texas Linux Fest and were so gracious with their time. I hope to see you next year!