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Independent analysis of economics, technology, business, and public policy. Original essays informed by academic research, historical evidence, and data-driven reasoning.

Information Systems

Information Systems

Subcategories: All Complexity Science in IS Green IS/IT Information Retrieval Information Science Knowledge Management Social Media Analytics Social Media and Online Behavior Social Media and Online Communities Software Development Technology Acceptance Technology Acceptance and Use Technology Adoption Technology Adoption and Management Technology Adoption and Usage

Information Systems › Software Development

2 essays
The Bottleneck Was Never the Vector
Information Systems • Software Development

The Bottleneck Was Never the Vector

Vector-search benchmarks measure the one part every engine already optimized and ignore the thing that actually breaks production retrieval: filtering against live business data. That reframes the entire pgvector vs Qdrant vs Pinecone debate.

S.J. Nam, Ph.D Jul 4, 2026 7 min read
The Database That Refused to Become a Product
Information Systems • Software Development

The Database That Refused to Become a Product

PostgreSQL's two supposed weaknesses—academic extensibility and the total absence of a corporate parent—are exactly why it outlasted every rival built to beat it.

S.J. Nam, Ph.D Jun 14, 2026 7 min read