Page Summary

This page provides insights and articles on various topics, including AI, enterprise commerce, and digital transformation. Key articles cover leveraging Cloudflare Workers for serverless performance, the importance of AI in eCommerce, and building a Shopify App using Java and Spring Boot. The page also touches on data-driven decision making, digital transformation strategies, and branding and privacy best practices.

Insights

Straight talk on AI, enterprise commerce, and the decisions that matter.

Blog post management dashboard with 22 total posts, 21 published, and a list of post titles, statuses, and dates.
wordpress cloudflare

What I Replaced WordPress With

For years, justblackmagic.com ran on WordPress. It worked. It also slowly turned into a chore — the kind of background tax you stop noticing until you tally it up. A couple months ago I tallied it ...

April 28, 2026
Smartphone displaying a ChatGPT conversation with customer support phone number.
ai security

The Chatbot Gave Out a Scammer's Phone Number

A Delta customer hit the support chat in the airline's app this week to fix a name on a ticket. The chat told them the change had to be done by phone and handed over a customer service number. The ...

April 26, 2026
Leveraging Cloudflare Workers for Enhanced Serverless Performance
aws cloudflare

Leveraging Cloudflare Workers for Enhanced Serverless Performance

Leveraging Cloudflare Workers for Enhanced Serverless Performance In the evolving landscape of serverless computing, Cloudflare Workers emerge as an excellent, potentially superior, solution. As...

January 18, 2024
The Importance of AI for the Future of eCommerce
ai ecommerce

The Importance of AI for the Future of eCommerce

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the eCommerce industry. By analyzing vast amounts of data and making predictions, AI is helping eCommerce businesses optimize their operations and...

January 28, 2023
Building Spring Boot 3 GraalVM Native Images With GitHub Actions
github java

Building Spring Boot 3 GraalVM Native Images With GitHub Actions

With the Spring Boot 3 release, the Spring Native project has been rolled into Spring Boot. Now you can build GraalVM Native Images of your Spring Boot application easily, and know that the Spring...

January 2, 2023
Spring Boot Shopify App Framework Released!
ecommerce shopify

Spring Boot Shopify App Framework Released!

It’s time to celebrate! We’ve been working on a Shopify App development framework, using Java and Spring Boot for about six months, and have just published the first open source version on GitHub...

June 10, 2022
Shopify Embedded App Installation and Auth
general

Shopify Embedded App Installation and Auth

The documentation for how to build a custom Shopify App using the embedded approach is not very clear. Especially if you’re using a custom backend. You can see my post on the Shopify Community...

April 27, 2022
Can You Build A Shopify App Using Java Spring Boot?
ecommerce java

Can You Build A Shopify App Using Java Spring Boot?

We have been working on several Shopify based eCommerce implementations in the last year.  The Shopify platform makes it quick and easy to get started with an eCommerce website. However the core...

November 16, 2021
Data-Driven Decision Making in Practice
data analytics

Data-Driven Decision Making in Practice

Everyone talks about being data-driven, but few organizations truly operationalize data into their decision-making processes. Here's a practical framework.

October 5, 2021
Save Time With Our Free Spring User Management Framework
authentication framework

Save Time With Our Free Spring User Management Framework

Many web applications need user management. Most people gloss over that when they plan the scope of what needs to be built. After all, it’s just registration and login; nice and simple, right? But...

February 13, 2021
Digital Transformation: More Than Just Technology
digital transformation strategy

Digital Transformation: More Than Just Technology

True digital transformation goes beyond tools and platforms. It requires a fundamental shift in how organizations think, operate, and deliver value.

December 15, 2020
Building a Brand That Lasts
branding strategy

Building a Brand That Lasts

In a world of constant noise, the brands that endure are the ones built on authentic foundations. Here's how to create lasting brand equity.

November 20, 2020
Remove Metadata from Photos and Videos Free
aws privacy

Remove Metadata from Photos and Videos Free

Removing Metadata from files before you post or share them is a critical step in protecting your privacy. Many people don’t realize that photos and videos, especially those taken with your cell...

November 7, 2020
AWS Lambda Layers: an Introduction
aws serverless

AWS Lambda Layers: an Introduction

This is the post on AWS Lambda Layers I wish I had been able to read at the start.   AWS Lambda Layers are actually extremely simple.  A Layer is a zip file, whose contents will be unzipped into...

October 9, 2020
Open Source AWS S3 Lambda Upload Example
auto-scaling aws

Open Source AWS S3 Lambda Upload Example

Using this free open source AWS S3 Lambda upload example and tutorial you can get your website handling user file uploads to AWS S3 in a secure and scalable architecture. And it will just take a few...

September 28, 2020
Big ECommerce Projects On Hold?
ecommerce

Big ECommerce Projects On Hold?

For many companies, the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed the business landscape.  Revenues are down and the Ecommerce channel has become even more critical than usual.  We have yet to see...

June 8, 2020
ATG Oracle Commerce – Planning for the Future – Next Steps – Part 4
atg ecommerce

ATG Oracle Commerce – Planning for the Future – Next Steps – Part 4

This is the last post in a series. If you haven’t already read them: ATG Oracle Commerce – Planning for the Future – Great Beginnings – Part 1 ATG Oracle Commerce – Planning for the Future – Current...

April 15, 2020
ATG Oracle Commerce – Planning for the Future – Extend the Runway – Part 3
atg auto-scaling

ATG Oracle Commerce – Planning for the Future – Extend the Runway – Part 3

My first post of this series, ATG Oracle Commerce – Planning for the Future – Part 1 – Great Beginnings, laid out the origins of the ATG Oracle Commerce platform and some of its many strengths.  My...

April 13, 2020
ATG Oracle Commerce – Planning for the Future – Current State – Part 2
atg ecommerce

ATG Oracle Commerce – Planning for the Future – Current State – Part 2

The Current State of ATG Oracle Commerce   In my previous blog post I covered the origins and marketing winning strengths of the ATG eCommerce platform.  Today I want to talk about the current state...

April 9, 2020
ATG Oracle Commerce – Planning for the Future – Great Beginnings – part 1
atg ecommerce

ATG Oracle Commerce – Planning for the Future – Great Beginnings – part 1

In a short series of articles, I will explore the Past, Present, and Future of the ATG Oracle Commerce platform. I will also provide insights for companies using the Oracle Commerce platform.   ...

April 6, 2020
New 10MinuteMail in Beta – Temporary Email
10minutemail aws

New 10MinuteMail in Beta – Temporary Email

10MinuteMail is one of the most popular temporary email sites in the world, and has been so since it launched in 2006.  In the past fourteen years it has helped tens of millions of people avoid over...

February 8, 2020
Java Spring on AWS Lambda
aws cloud

Java Spring on AWS Lambda

What we discovered trying to run Java Spring applications on AWS Lambda. Learn from our mistakes!

July 7, 2019