Impressive Isn’t the Same as Satisfying

I watched the Super Bowl last night.

It wasn’t big or bold. It was boring.
Clean. Technically solid. Well produced.

I even watched both halftime shows at the same time. They were fine.
The commercials too. A few were funny.

The whole thing just didn’t stick with me.

Maybe it was because the Chiefs weren’t there this year. That probably played a role. But it was more than that.

That feeling has been showing up a lot lately.

In sports.
In technology.
In AI announcements.

There’s no shortage of impressive things right now. New models. Bigger numbers. Clever demos. Even an AI-generated compiler that can play Doom.

It’s cool. I appreciate the engineering.

But impressive isn’t the same as satisfying.

Satisfaction comes from coherence. From purpose. From systems that do something meaningful over time, not just once on a stage.

Lately I’ve found myself drawn more to quiet work. Marching towards a CoffeeBreak beta launch. Restoring old systems. Building things slowly. Making sure I understand what I’m creating end to end.

Not because I don’t value progress.
But because I want the progress to matter.

That’s where the real work is.
That’s where it has always been.

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