Java Snippet - Recursive Directory Deletion
Returns true on success, false on failure: ```java
public static boolean deleteDir(File dir) { if (dir.isDirectory()) { String[] children = dir.list(); for (int i=0; i<children.length; i++) { boolean success = deleteDir(new File(dir, children[i])); if (!success) { return false; } } } return dir.delete(); }
The Cutler.sg Newsletter
Weekly notes on AI, engineering leadership, and building in Singapore. No fluff.
Two Papers That Puncture the Hype
One paper shows frontier models degrade as context grows — even on trivial tasks. The other shows reasoning models hit a wall and think less as problems get harder. Read carefully, both point at the same engineering response.
The 30 Principles for Agentic Engineering — Part 5: Calibration and Reality
Principles 26–30. The calibration layer that catches what the rest of the framework would miss: a PR-noise budget, independent verification, model-swap regression discipline, the 15-tool-call rule, and protecting junior development.
The 30 Principles for Agentic Engineering — Part 3: The Harness
Principles 15–20. The harness configuration that keeps the kernel and lifecycle cheap: CLAUDE.md under 200 lines, hooks for real incidents, skills that auto-invoke, subagent isolation, pinning, and Stage 5 distribution.