Right, I’ve read it properly now, and I owe you one, bro, for the hash scene.
“A hash tells us whether the file changed. Not whether it was right to begin with, or whether I’m entitled to share it.” I wrote nearly that exact sentence about Azure’s stored checksums a couple of weeks ago and felt rather clever about it. You put it in a café, in dialogue, in the mouth of a man who’d rather not hand over his client logs. Annoying. 😄
The detail I love the most is the one at the end, though. Caleb signs the limitation, the summary goes out, and the old task page is still showing source verification in green. Nothing updated it. That green is the most familiar object in my working life: a status that was true when somebody set it and that nothing has re-examined since. I spend my days finding backups that back up nothing and routes that serve a perfectly good page from a broken configuration, and every one of them had a green something sitting above it.
Also, the coffee. Nobody asked Caleb what he wanted, and a cortado turned up anyway. You’ve told us how many times he’s been in that café without a single line of explanation, which is a cheaper trick than anything in the evidence list, and it worked on me completely.
AI testing storyteller. Writing the 36 Stratagems series — ancient Chinese military tactics meet modern AI system meltdowns. 16yr QA → building AI test framework.
Hahaha I love that we landed on the same thought about hashes! That forever‑green status is such a quiet monster in so many teams and never gets revisited. I’ve been thinking hard about Caleb’s appearance in Stratagem 33, trying to make it feel natural. After all, the whole 36 Stratagems series basically began with Mark and him. I’ve been racking my brain over how to show Mark’s obsession and what their reunion should look like. That cortado for him in the café quietly did so much of the work, haha 😂 And only three are left — I’m not quite ready either.
AI testing storyteller. Writing the 36 Stratagems series — ancient Chinese military tactics meet modern AI system meltdowns. 16yr QA → building AI test framework.
AI testing storyteller. Writing the 36 Stratagems series — ancient Chinese military tactics meet modern AI system meltdowns. 16yr QA → building AI test framework.
AI testing storyteller. Writing the 36 Stratagems series — ancient Chinese military tactics meet modern AI system meltdowns. 16yr QA → building AI test framework.
Hope I will not need to learn more than PHP :) I know Borland Delphi a lot.. Also I have good knowledges of Java. And a few others enough well. I learnt a few PHP CMS'es. Hope my own CMS SPA-Cart will be enough for me :)
I have read the post a little. If I knew the full story :) Maybe one day will return to read it all 😀
AI testing storyteller. Writing the 36 Stratagems series — ancient Chinese military tactics meet modern AI system meltdowns. 16yr QA → building AI test framework.
Haha that’s such a nice mix of languages! Delphi and Java are classics. No rush at all — feel free to come back anytime and enjoy the full story whenever you’re in the mood😄
JavaScript enthusiast with a growing passion for Python. I love exploring the world of programming, experimenting with code, and discovering new ways to turn ideas into reality.
AI testing storyteller. Writing the 36 Stratagems series — ancient Chinese military tactics meet modern AI system meltdowns. 16yr QA → building AI test framework.
JavaScript enthusiast with a growing passion for Python. I love exploring the world of programming, experimenting with code, and discovering new ways to turn ideas into reality.
AI testing storyteller. Writing the 36 Stratagems series — ancient Chinese military tactics meet modern AI system meltdowns. 16yr QA → building AI test framework.
JavaScript enthusiast with a growing passion for Python. I love exploring the world of programming, experimenting with code, and discovering new ways to turn ideas into reality.
AI testing storyteller. Writing the 36 Stratagems series — ancient Chinese military tactics meet modern AI system meltdowns. 16yr QA → building AI test framework.
Hey, I'm Hema 👋
Developer, writer, and creator of Dev Opportunity Radar, a weekly series published every Friday on DEV, helping people discover opportunities they might otherwise miss.
Finally, Stratagem 33! The wait was worth it 😀 The way Mark kept questioning what could actually be verified, rather than simply accepting the existing status, was interesting. And that ending has me curious about what happens next 😄
AI testing storyteller. Writing the 36 Stratagems series — ancient Chinese military tactics meet modern AI system meltdowns. 16yr QA → building AI test framework.
AI testing storyteller. Writing the 36 Stratagems series — ancient Chinese military tactics meet modern AI system meltdowns. 16yr QA → building AI test framework.
AI testing storyteller. Writing the 36 Stratagems series — ancient Chinese military tactics meet modern AI system meltdowns. 16yr QA → building AI test framework.
Exactly! I’ve been holding quite a few threads back on purpose. All those unknowns are just warming everyone up for the finale. The 36 Stratagems series is really coming to an end, and I’m going to miss it, haha 😂
AI testing storyteller. Writing the 36 Stratagems series — ancient Chinese military tactics meet modern AI system meltdowns. 16yr QA → building AI test framework.
AI testing storyteller. Writing the 36 Stratagems series — ancient Chinese military tactics meet modern AI system meltdowns. 16yr QA → building AI test framework.
Right, I’ve read it properly now, and I owe you one, bro, for the hash scene.
“A hash tells us whether the file changed. Not whether it was right to begin with, or whether I’m entitled to share it.” I wrote nearly that exact sentence about Azure’s stored checksums a couple of weeks ago and felt rather clever about it. You put it in a café, in dialogue, in the mouth of a man who’d rather not hand over his client logs. Annoying. 😄
The detail I love the most is the one at the end, though. Caleb signs the limitation, the summary goes out, and the old task page is still showing source verification in green. Nothing updated it. That green is the most familiar object in my working life: a status that was true when somebody set it and that nothing has re-examined since. I spend my days finding backups that back up nothing and routes that serve a perfectly good page from a broken configuration, and every one of them had a green something sitting above it.
Also, the coffee. Nobody asked Caleb what he wanted, and a cortado turned up anyway. You’ve told us how many times he’s been in that café without a single line of explanation, which is a cheaper trick than anything in the evidence list, and it worked on me completely.
Three left. I’m not ready. 🤣
Hahaha I love that we landed on the same thought about hashes! That forever‑green status is such a quiet monster in so many teams and never gets revisited. I’ve been thinking hard about Caleb’s appearance in Stratagem 33, trying to make it feel natural. After all, the whole 36 Stratagems series basically began with Mark and him. I’ve been racking my brain over how to show Mark’s obsession and what their reunion should look like. That cortado for him in the café quietly did so much of the work, haha 😂 And only three are left — I’m not quite ready either.
Cheers🎉 @xulingfeng, I didn’t expect #33 to drop this quick.
Yaayyy!!! Will definitely settle down and read this one later in the day.
Meanwhile, my colleagues are currently going off about Microsoft outrage. Me I am just sipping my hot drink and watching everyone.
Haha, nothing beats sitting back and enjoying all the gossip! 🤣No rush at all, take your time😄
I have a lot of patience :)
Nice! Patience is a superpower. No hurry at all 🤣
🤣🤣🤣
Love how Mark treats every incoming signal as untrusted until verified out-of-band. 💖 Another fantastic piece, Lingfeng! 😄
Thank you! Verification out‑of‑band is the key here. The 36 Stratagems series is nearly over, and I’m kind of going to miss it 😄
Hope I will not need to learn more than PHP :) I know Borland Delphi a lot.. Also I have good knowledges of Java. And a few others enough well. I learnt a few PHP CMS'es. Hope my own CMS SPA-Cart will be enough for me :)
I have read the post a little. If I knew the full story :) Maybe one day will return to read it all 😀
Haha that’s such a nice mix of languages! Delphi and Java are classics. No rush at all — feel free to come back anytime and enjoy the full story whenever you’re in the mood😄
:)
Ohhhhhhh grateful 🤝😅
🤣Only the last three stratagems left! The 36 Stratagems series is almost done, haha 😂
Bad 😐 only 3 😑
Don’t worry, there’s a brand‑new series ahead. The hints have already been planted. 😏
Looking forward to it!😂🙌🏻
Please next time mention me.😊
Sure thing! I’ll tag you next time 😂
Finally, Stratagem 33! The wait was worth it 😀 The way Mark kept questioning what could actually be verified, rather than simply accepting the existing status, was interesting. And that ending has me curious about what happens next 😄
Glad you enjoyed it! I’ve kept a few threads open on purpose. It’s getting close to the end and I’m trying so hard not to spoil anything 🤣
bro can i chat with you?
😄Looking forward to your wonderful comments!
More questions than answers this time - a lot of "unknowns" in the post-mortem ... I think this is just the quiet prelude to a dramatic "finale" ! :P
Exactly! I’ve been holding quite a few threads back on purpose. All those unknowns are just warming everyone up for the finale. The 36 Stratagems series is really coming to an end, and I’m going to miss it, haha 😂
I'm sure everything is on purpose! Looking forward to see how you're gonna weave all that into a "grand finale" :D
I’m trying so hard not to spill any spoilers right now, haha — it’s such torture🤣
The Terminator (Schwarzenegger): "I'll be back ..."
The AI Terminator (xulingfeng): "I'm back !!" ;-)
P.S. still need to read this one, will give it some proper "love" :P
Nice Terminator spin! Can’t wait to see your “lo🤣ve” for it 🤣🤣