Friday Links: AI, LinkedIn, and the missing CS semester
27 Feb 2026 #mondaylinksHey, there.
Here are 4 thought-provoking links I found this week. Plus my reflections after a week off social media.
#1. AI makes code cheaper, but cheap code means not understanding what you’re building. “Use AI or stay behind” shouldn’t be the real mantra. It should be rely on AI and get left behind (4min).
#2. College and bootcamps don’t teach the skills you need for real-world coding. That’s why I wrote Street-Smart Coding, by the way. This week, I found an updated version of The Missing Semester, a free course covering text editing, version control, agentic coding, and other skills nobody else teaches.
#3. Do you want to see a blue shield on your LinkedIn profile? Think twice after seeing all the data LinkedIn and friends collect to verify us (12min).
#4. Now with cheaper code it’s finally time to tackle the real bottlenecks (3min). And no, coding and typing were never the bottleneck.
I spent last week away from social media, and it turns out I’m another dopamine junkie (4min), even with mindful use and a timer. Arrggg!
(Bzzz…Radio voice) This email was brought to you by… Street-Smart Coding, 30 lessons to help you code like a pro. From Googling to clear communication, it covers the lessons you don’t learn in tutorials. It’s now out on Kindle and paperback on Amazon.
Until next Friday. Keep coding smartly
Cesar