Blog
The Latest from Our Team
Building a RAG Model
It feels like everyone wants to sprinkle a little AI on every software project right now. Sometimes for good reason, and sometimes just because they want a little AI. But AI, much like a seasoning for our food, might not be an improvement. We need to know what tool to use and when. One of…
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Putting GitHub’s New AI Agent to the Test
GitHub has been on a tear recently, adding a lot of new features in a short amount of time. It’s exciting to see the platform evolve so quickly, especially with its deeper integration of AI. One of the newer features that caught my eye is Agent tasks. The core idea is that these tasks can…
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Harnessing the Hype: A Pragmatic Guide to Using AI in Development
Artificial Intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept; it’s another part of our development toolbox. And like any powerful tool, it can be used to build incredible things with great efficiency, or it can create a mess that is difficult to untangle. The key isn’t just using AI; it’s using it with discipline and intent….
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Don’t Panic Labs Co-Founder Doug Durham to Step Back from Day-to-Day Operations
Don’t Panic Labs, a Nebraska-based software product development and innovation company, today announced that co-founder and co-owner Doug Durham is stepping back from day-to-day operations effective October 31, 2025. Durham will continue to serve as Managing Partner Emeritus, remaining involved as an advisor and providing ongoing strategic guidance. In 2010, Doug Durham co-founded Don’t Panic…
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Finding Joy in the Work and in What Comes Next
This month, I am stepping away from daily operations as Managing Partner at Don’t Panic Labs. Over the past 15 years at Nebraska Global and Don’t Panic Labs, I have been engaged every day doing challenging work that I love. I focused on building companies, engineering solutions for our partners, and evangelizing for our ecosystem…
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Beyond the Booth: How We Talk About Coaching and Growth in Engineering (and Everywhere)
What have your experiences been with conference vendor booths? When I ask myself that question, do you know what happens? My mind goes blank; they all blur together – none of them stand out. Why? (Channeling my 5-year-old daughter) In my opinion, most booths are trying to project out vs finding a way to take…
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Vectors, Python, AI, and Your Face
Building a Facial Recognition System with Cursor AI At Don’t Panic Labs, I recently embarked on an prototype project to explore the intersection of computer vision, Python, and AI-assisted development. Our goal was to build a light-weight facial recognition system that could identify faces, create a searchable database, and analyze images. All while leveraging Cursor…
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Understanding window.open() Behavior on iOS Safari
Recently, I dealt with a strange bug around PDF downloads. The functionality was simple: The user fills out a form, clicks a button, and a PDF opens in a new browser tab. This was working as expected for every browser and every device, except Safari on iOS. Some digging led me to realize that Safari…
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MCP Magic: AI-Powered Azure SQL Analysis in Plain English
Imagine being able to ask your database questions in plain English and getting visualizations quickly. Traditional SQL analysis requires expertise in SQL query language and separate visualization tools. However, by combining MSSQL and Charting MCP servers in VS Code with natural language, we can enable data analysis for both technical and non-technical users. This powerful…
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What Military Intelligence Taught Me About Business Intelligence
The world of business intelligence came as second nature to me. Transitioning from the public to the private sector, I LOVED doing competitor analysis and analyzing the market, so much so that I didn’t understand why it wasn’t like that for everyone. As a product manager at the time, it just made sense. Talking with…
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