Aug 22, 2026
What Qwen actually writes about my security cameras
A 24-hour audit of Qwen 3.8 descriptions for 2,180 Frigate events, with full clips, failures, a Gemma comparison, and the exact prompt.
Jason Vallery · Longmont, Colorado
This is my
personal site.
I write about systems I build, problems I am working through, and the parts of my life I want to put in public. That includes AI infrastructure, old web experiments, community work in Longmont, and whatever I am learning next.
Since 1996
building and publishing on the web
Systems
software, cloud, storage, and AI infrastructure
At home
Kubernetes, coding agents, controls, cameras, and a pool
In Longmont
family, community, and the place where I grew up
In progress
What I am doing now
Most of my current projects happen at home: writing, coding agents on Kubernetes, and a greenhouse control system with my son.
01
Writing
Problems worth writing down
I write when I have measured something, fixed something, or learned enough that I will want the details later.
Browse the writing → 02At home
A Kubernetes fleet for coding agents
One repository per pod, with GitOps, routing, observability, and explicit deployment controls.
See the system → 03With James
A greenhouse with a bounded AI loop
The model may tune parameters. The ESP32 still owns safety, actuation, and the record of what happened.
Visit Verdify ↗A longer arc · 1996–now
The technical work is one part of the story.
I started in university systems administration at fourteen, then moved through support, software, delivery, cloud, and storage. I spent eight years on Azure-side storage work for OpenAI and Microsoft AI. After Microsoft, I spent a shorter chapter at VAST Data.
At home, I run Kubernetes, build Verdify with my son, and write down the failures and measurements I know I will need again.
Read the full storyWriting
What I have written down.
The collection currently includes 42 articles: 35 technical pieces and 7 essays. Some solved an immediate problem; others captured what I believed at the time. I have left both kinds here.
Aug 20, 2026
Four mismatched GPUs, two replicas, one Qwen service
How two RTX 5080s and two 4070 Ti Supers became two Qwen 3.8 replicas with 65K vision, 98K text, and measured 58/42 routing.
Aug 14, 2026
The pool was leaving clues
How I used existing Home Assistant telemetry to estimate a 26,600-gallon pool and calculate filtration turnover without adding permanent sensors.
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