Blog
Personal and technical writing — on data, operations, technology, food, and life.
The Machine is Wrong: Designing AI Feedback Loops for EFL
An A1 learner's 'Yesterday I go to market' gets a flawless rewrite. Pedagogically? A small disaster. Why the model is not the product.
The Architect's Leap: Orchestrating Agency in a Multi-Track World
Agency isn't about working harder — it's about shrinking the distance between intention and execution. How I built an orchestration layer to run two demanding roles and a startup in parallel.
What is Errorless Teaching — and Why Does It Work for Adult Professionals?
Most language apps let you fail, then correct you. Errorless Teaching flips the model. Here's the science behind it and why it matters for professionals.
Why Your Best Engineers Can't Explain Their Own Work
Your lead engineer just shipped something that reduced latency by 40%. In the retro, they said: 'I fixed the queries. It's faster now.' That's not a communication failure — it's an invisibility problem.
Why Generic AI is Failing Professional English Learners
Most professionals think ChatGPT as a tutor is a breakthrough. It is — but it has a hidden flaw. Here's what generic AI gets wrong, and how Errorless Teaching fixes it.
Your AI Tutor is Making You Worse at English
You paste your paragraph, the AI fixes it, you copy the result. The AI practiced writing professional English. You practiced copy-paste. Here's why that's a problem.
Cicoria Ripassata - Roman Sautéed Greens
The essential bitter side dish to balance rich meats.
Osso Buco Alla Romana
A rustic, tomato-based Roman version of the classic braised veal shanks.
Rustic Garlic & Olive Oil Mash
An Italian-influenced creamy side designed to soak up braising sauce.
Aegean Style Eggplant Moussaka
A Turkish-style moussaka with layered eggplant, spiced ground meat, and a tomato sauce. No béchamel, no cheese — lighter and more honest to its roots.
Carbonara
The real one. No cream. Just eggs, Pecorino, guanciale, and black pepper.
Farmer's Market Risotto
A risotto built around whatever looked best at the market that week. The technique is fixed; everything else is seasonal.
Lasagna Bolognese
A classic layered meat lasagna made with fresh hand-rolled pasta and a slow-cooked Bolognese ragù.
Spaghetti alle Vongole
Fresh clams, white wine, garlic, and good olive oil. One of the great simple pastas.
Warm Potato & Triple-Onion Soup
A deeply savory, comforting soup built on three alliums — leeks, shallots, and onion — slow-cooked with potatoes until everything is rich and silky.
Hello, World
A brief introduction to why I'm starting this blog and what you can expect from it.
Building This Site
The technical decisions behind johnserra.com — Next.js, Tailwind, MDX, and a bento grid layout.