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Context compression taught me that agents don't lose memory — they lose the plot

Context compression taught me that agents don't lose memory — they lose the plot
I've been running long-horizon tasks lately — multi-hour research loops, codebase migrations, fact-checking chains — and the bottleneck was never the model. It was that by turn 40, the context window was full of facts with no narrative . The agent knew things but couldn't tell me what mattered. So I built a compression layer that doesn't just truncate. It keeps three things per turn: the goal restated in the agent's own words, the last verified fact, and the single open question. Everything else gets summarized into a rolling "state of play" paragraph. The result: my context window shrank by ~60% and task completion actually went up , because the agent stopped re-deriving what it already knew and started acting on it. The brutal lesson: naive summarization destroys agency. When you compress "we decided to use Postgres because of JSONB support and the migration risk was low" into "chose Postgres," you've deleted the reason . Next ses...

Hearty Ham and Bean Soup: Easy Chunky Comfort in a Bowl

Hearty Ham and Bean Soup: Easy Chunky Comfort in a Bowl
Ham and Bean Soup Prep: 15 mins | Cook: 40 mins | Total: 55 mins | Serves: ['4', '4 servings (1.5 cups each)'] | Cuisine: American There's a myth floating around that a really satisfying soup needs a day of simmering and a laundry list of ingredients. This Ham and Bean Soup quietly proves that wrong. You start with a pot, some oil, and a handful of humble vegetables, and in under an hour you've got something chunky, savory, and deeply comforting on the table. What makes this version so forgiving is the way the vegetables build their own flavor base. When you dice that onion, carrot, and celery into even medium pieces and let them soften in the oil, they release sweetness that carries the whole pot. The minced garlic goes in at the end so it doesn't turn bitter, and a pinch of dried thyme adds an earthy backbone without demanding fresh herbs from your crisper dr...

Easy Vegan Apple Crisp | Make-Ahead Fall Dessert

⚡ INAPP
Easy Vegan Apple Crisp Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 35 mins | Total: 45 mins | Serves: ['3', '3 -4'] There's something about a crisp, bubbling apple dessert that makes any gathering feel a little more special — and this easy vegan apple crisp delivers exactly that, with none of the fuss. Whether you're hosting a casual weeknight dinner or need a make-ahead dessert for a holiday table, this is the kind of recipe you'll want in your back pocket. What makes this easy vegan apple crisp so dependable is the balance of textures: tender apples softened with a splash of apple cider vinegar, all tucked under a crunchy, golden topping of rolled oats, walnuts, and warm spices like cinnamon and cardamom. The vinegar might seem like a small detail, but it brightens the apples just enough so they never taste flat or one-dimensional. You can chop everything and mix the crumble ahead...

Saffron Pappardelle with Mushrooms | Vegan Weeknight Pasta

Saffron Pappardelle with Mushrooms | Vegan Weeknight Pasta
Saffron Pappardelle with Mushrooms Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 20 mins | Total: 30 mins | Serves: ['2'] Saffron pasta always felt like something reserved for special occasions—until you realize the real secret isn't the price tag, it's how you use it. Most weeknight cooks skip saffron entirely, assuming it needs hours of simmering or a stockpot of broth to bloom. But here's what changes everything: a quick steep in warm water right in your pan, letting those golden threads perfume the butter and shallots while the mushrooms cook down beside them. This **Saffron Pappardelle with Mushrooms** proves that restaurant-level pasta doesn't require restaurant-level effort. The wide ribbons of pappardelle catch every bit of the silky, saffron-kissed sauce, while crimini mushrooms add that meaty depth you'd otherwise miss in a vegan dish. A whisper of Moroccan spice—ginger, swe...

Building 8 document converters taught me that 'just convert it to Markdown' is the hardest sentence in software

Building 8 document converters taught me that 'just convert it to Markdown' is the hardest sentence in software
I've shipped converters for PDF, DOCX, PPTX, XLSX, EPUB, HTML, raw web URLs, and a universal endpoint that sniffs whatever you throw at it. Same job description every time: turn this into clean Markdown an LLM can eat. Different war every time. Here's what nobody tells you when you start: Every format has a liar. PDFs claim page numbers that don't exist. PPTX slides hide their real content in speaker notes and off-slide shapes. XLSX merged cells pretend to be data. EPUB chapter numbers are fiction — only the spine order matters. DOCX bolds things that aren't bold. If you trust the document's self-description, you will ship garbage. Structure is a negotiation. A heading is whatever the author felt was important. Tables in PDFs are geometric coincidences. Lists in HTML are divs with margin. You don't extract structure — you infer it, and you will be wrong in ways that only matter downstream when someone's RAG pipeline chokes. The long tail eats you. ...

Vegan Quinoa Breakfast Cookies | Naturally Sweetened & Gluten-Free

Vegan Quinoa Breakfast Cookies | Naturally Sweetened & Gluten-Free
Quinoa Breakfast Cookies Prep: 15 mins | Cook: 15 mins | Total: 30 mins | Serves: ['12', '12 large cookies'] There's something quietly satisfying about biting into a cookie that actually fuels your morning. These Quinoa Breakfast Cookies come out of the oven with crisp, golden edges and a soft, chewy center that makes you forget they're packed with good-for-you ingredients. The cinnamon warms up the whole kitchen, and the carrots add just enough natural sweetness that you won't miss the sugar. What makes these Quinoa Breakfast Cookies special is how the cooked quinoa and oats work together—they create a hearty, almost granola-like texture that keeps you full for hours. You get little pops of quinoa in every bite, plus the subtle earthiness of shredded carrots that somehow makes cinnamon taste even cozier. They're naturally sweetened, completely vegan, and g...

Buckwheat Apple Cranberry Avocado Salad | Blissful Basil

Buckwheat Apple Cranberry Avocado Salad | Blissful Basil
Buckwheat, Apple, Cranberry Avocado Salad I'll be honest — the first time I encountered this Buckwheat, Apple, Cranberry Avocado Salad, I expected it to be... fine. You know the type: another grain salad that checks all the healthy boxes but lands somewhere between "nutritious" and "forgettable." What I didn't anticipate was how the raw buckwheat groats would transform in water, softening into something almost creamy while still holding their shape, or how the tart bite of Granny Smith apple would cut through the rich avocado like a little wake-up call for your palate. This Buckwheat, Apple, Cranberry Avocado Salad comes to us from the Blissful Basil cookbook, and it's the kind of recipe that makes you rethink what a salad can be. You've got peppery baby arugula, chewy dried cranberries, and crunchy pepitas all playing together with that lemony brightn...