There seems to be a misunderstanding in some folks where they believe that the end product is all that matters and that code quality or the social components of open source are unimportant.

Loris shares how the Zig language views folks who submit PRs as potential future collaborators. They hope you’ll come back and be part of the community! Vibe coding a feature completely doesn’t help build the context required to become a maintainer.

I like the idea of preserving a first take instead of letting it flee from your short term memory. Dave’s “Keep Your Head” piece makes me laugh ;D

I love the pictures of the skiis at different stages!

I try not to think about how my machines are being constantly attacked by bots. I think having sheep as a username is cool, but maybe I shouldn’t do that ;)

Great reminder to build what you want to see in the world. Hedgehogs are cool!

Using ADS-B data from planes to capture wind speed data is really cool! I never thought about how we have thousands of little wind sensors flying around in the sky.

Very informative piece on how Iran structures their internet infrastructure. It discusses the incentives developed over many years as well as some of the underlying assumptions that are being challenged.

Nice introduction to BGP and a fun live video of a map showing BGP announcements!

Distributed systems are difficult to get 100% right. This article goes over a recent story where it went wrong.

It’s not too surprising to me that Tesla would use LLMs to present a “human readable summary” to describe a fixed set of inputs. Add that to the lessons learned bucket.

Public service announcement to make sure you’re using post-quantum cryptography. Alex shares Cloudflare’s tool which lets you know if a webserver supports post-quantum TLS key exchange. Also don’t forget to check your SSH server! Luckily, many recent versions of these softwares ship with this enabled out of the box.

I’m thankful to all the open-source maintainers out there that work hard to ensure that the applications we use are polished and secure. It’s always been a lot of work, but I do worry about the amount of “vulnerabilities” filed against these repositories today. Unfortunately (as Hendrik describes), every author believes their issue critical. Even if an act of God would have to occur for their vulnerability to be exploited.

A great story about how companies should be careful with their documentation and not write something that a user can misinterpret.

If only these companies are proactive and don’t need to wait for a user to get compromised before changing anything…

Another great piece by David! If you haven’t already, check out his mini fantasy theater series as well! The montage of scanning a drawing and then layering on top of a picture of an empty sketchbook is neat.

A great analysis of when we should embed business logic within a database query versus in the application itself. Give it a read!

I often see students afraid of being wrong in my office hours. Similar to reinforcement learning agents, it’s useful to try different actions and get feedback from the enviornment. Even if we don’t think it’ll lead to success, the results may surprise us. Our minds are great at spotting patterns and learning new skills this way.

I agree that using a tool to lift references supporting a claim encourages folks to not do literature review and instead write their piece first. After all, it’s faster to ask the confirmation bias machine to then go back and make it appear academic.

I do think, however, that AI has a place in the literature review process. It’s vastly superior than plain keyword searching. Though at the end of the day, researchers are still responsible for creating a mental model of related work and what has been done before.

Great list! I’ll echo that exercising control through (1) “finishing strong” and (5) “trusting in the tech” result in stronger impressions. I believe it’s possible to pull this off while also exhibiting personality traits :)

Niki points out in this post that the reason we’re not building native apps (even with helper coding agents) is because native apps don’t have a lot to offer. I’m still hopeful though that we’ll eventually get to an age where apps are written in memory-safe languages, are light-weight, and meaningfully integrate into our desktops.

I agree that physical mail is very fun! I’ve written before how USPS stamps are cool. I’ve sent a few birthday cards this year, thought I think it would be fun to also send random postcards.

When I think of postcards, I think of the standard travel-based ones. To me, they’re somewhat cringy/braggy. I need to research if there’s a way to either make them myself physically or buy a variety pack that I agree with.

In this post Bastian works out his thoughts on why people use AI-generated images and the like. I’ll respond with some ill-formed thoughts of my own.

I got a glimpse that helped me understand why those “AI” tools might have an appeal to some people. […] Setting up the cameras for recording stills and video, getting (un)dressed and then recording themselves with the identical gestures, poses and movements that must be popular on the content consumption platforms.

]]> Brandon's Comment:

In this post Bastian works out his thoughts on why people use AI-generated images and the like. I’ll respond with some ill-formed thoughts of my own.

I got a glimpse that helped me understand why those “AI” tools might have an appeal to some people. […] Setting up the cameras for recording stills and video, getting (un)dressed and then recording themselves with the identical gestures, poses and movements that must be popular on the content consumption platforms.

I’m not active on social media myself, so I don’t fully understand this mindset. If I was to guess, I believe that this is to instill some sense of belonging. In the tourism example, it is actually kinda romantic/spiritual if you think about it. More than one person has traveled the same path and did the exact same actions. It’s the opposite of a extreme individualism.

Does this translate to using Ghibli-styled AI images? Unsure.

Bastian started his post by talking about the increasing number of travel stickers made using generative AI. It reminds me of a recent local market I went to where someone was selling goat soap and their signage had a sepia-ghibli-styled photo of a goat.

Initially, I’m disappointed. However, this often comes from an expectation that someone would’ve spent the time, effort, or money to put a nicer graphic together. In that fantasy world, the goat soap seller would hold a paintbrush and spend many hours perfecting their signage. Instead, they’re likely more worried about their inventory, figuring out which scents are popular in their region, etc.

The big question is: if we didn’t have these image generation tools, would those particular people bother making stickers/signage? If so, would they go beyond clip art? As noted, these AI tools have an innate style by default. I hope that those who went above and beyond in the past, still exercise their creative muscle.

]]> https://slightknack.dev/daily/2026-02-09/ Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Isaac Clayton https://slightknack.dev/daily/2026-02-09/ Brandon's Comment:

I like this idea! Finding the cheapest flights per time spent.

Of course there’s other factors to take into account like time of travel, whether it’s in the middle of the night or during the day, and if there’s an exact time/date you need to be somewhere. If you’re looking at a three-day weekend, it might be a little cramped.

I have a general rule of thumb (that I don’t always follow) which says that I should aim to spend at least the same amount of time somewhere as I spend traveling. For example, if I spend two hours driving one way somewhere then ideally I’d spend 4 hours there.

]]> Brandon's Comment:

I like this idea! Finding the cheapest flights per time spent.

Of course there’s other factors to take into account like time of travel, whether it’s in the middle of the night or during the day, and if there’s an exact time/date you need to be somewhere. If you’re looking at a three-day weekend, it might be a little cramped.

I have a general rule of thumb (that I don’t always follow) which says that I should aim to spend at least the same amount of time somewhere as I spend traveling. For example, if I spend two hours driving one way somewhere then ideally I’d spend 4 hours there.

Though using a tool like this seems like a great starting point!

]]> https://rezhajul.io/posts/adding-interactive-claps-to-static-blog/ Sun, 22 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Rezha Julio https://rezhajul.io/posts/adding-interactive-claps-to-static-blog/ Brandon's Comment:

Fun to see another blogger implement this feature! I call it the “high-five” button but I also like being applauded :)

Reading through the code, they allow for multiple claps per post. To spam their server less, they use a technique called [debouncing] (https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/Debounce). I haven’t heard of that technique before, but the main idea is to set a timeout for some amount of time after the event. If another event happens before the timeout, then it clears that timeout and sets a new one. Otherwise, it’ll send one message to the server that contains all the events. Clever!

]]> Brandon's Comment:

Fun to see another blogger implement this feature! I call it the “high-five” button but I also like being applauded :)

Reading through the code, they allow for multiple claps per post. To spam their server less, they use a technique called [debouncing] (https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/Debounce). I haven’t heard of that technique before, but the main idea is to set a timeout for some amount of time after the event. If another event happens before the timeout, then it clears that timeout and sets a new one. Otherwise, it’ll send one message to the server that contains all the events. Clever!

]]> https://laze.net/2026/03/06/occasional-weeknote.html Sun, 15 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Ryan https://laze.net/2026/03/06/occasional-weeknote.html Brandon's Comment:

Also: if your insurance company offers towing coverage, it’s not a “nice add-on feature.” Each time you use it counts as an insurance claim

I try to think through a company’s incentive when they provide a service. If I personally called the towing company, then they would be excited to do business with me. As opposed to the insurance company that loses money with each call.

Sometimes that trade-off works well. If you live near an amusement park, many offer season passes for as little as the cost of two visits. Though in that case they’re hoping that you buy extra things within the park.

]]> Brandon's Comment:

Also: if your insurance company offers towing coverage, it’s not a “nice add-on feature.” Each time you use it counts as an insurance claim

I try to think through a company’s incentive when they provide a service. If I personally called the towing company, then they would be excited to do business with me. As opposed to the insurance company that loses money with each call.

Sometimes that trade-off works well. If you live near an amusement park, many offer season passes for as little as the cost of two visits. Though in that case they’re hoping that you buy extra things within the park.

There’s many insurance products out there but remember that the main purpose of insurance is to protect you against catastrophic loss.

]]> https://www.fast.ai/posts/2026-01-28-dark-flow/index.html Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Rachel Thomas https://www.fast.ai/posts/2026-01-28-dark-flow/index.html Brandon's Comment:

This post relates the flow obtained by vibe-coding to the same dark flow induced by gambling. I enjoyed this piece, and I agree that current large language models are great at “disguising losses as a win”. I find coding agents are experts at introducing technical debt to get to a “working solution” at breakneck speed.

]]> Brandon's Comment:

This post relates the flow obtained by vibe-coding to the same dark flow induced by gambling. I enjoyed this piece, and I agree that current large language models are great at “disguising losses as a win”. I find coding agents are experts at introducing technical debt to get to a “working solution” at breakneck speed.

]]> https://flower.codes/2026/02/24/codereader.html Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Zach https://flower.codes/2026/02/24/codereader.html Brandon's Comment:

This is such a cool project! Reading a book as if you’re reading a codebase. Makes you look like an #UltimateHacker :D

]]> Brandon's Comment:

This is such a cool project! Reading a book as if you’re reading a codebase. Makes you look like an #UltimateHacker :D

]]> https://nathandyer.me/2026/02/20/blog-posts.html Mon, 02 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Nathan Dyer https://nathandyer.me/2026/02/20/blog-posts.html Brandon's Comment:

100%

]]> Brandon's Comment:

100%

]]> https://nolanlawson.com/2026/02/01/15-years-of-blogging/ Sun, 01 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Nolan Lawson https://nolanlawson.com/2026/02/01/15-years-of-blogging/ Brandon's Comment:

Congratulations to Nolan on 15 years of blogging! So much life unfolds in that time period and it takes a steadfast commitment to keep going. Here’s to another 15 years!

]]> Brandon's Comment:

Congratulations to Nolan on 15 years of blogging! So much life unfolds in that time period and it takes a steadfast commitment to keep going. Here’s to another 15 years!

]]> https://ratfactor.com/tech-nope2 Sun, 01 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Dave Gauer https://ratfactor.com/tech-nope2 Brandon's Comment:

I’m unsure what it means to be a computer programmer in 2026. I agree that technology discourse has changed dramatically over the last three years.

Though that doesn’t mean that there aren’t people passionate about crabs, creating local-first software, etc. Those folks are still there, even if they’re not the mainstream.

This is why I’m such a big proponent of curating your web experience using RSS feeds. It might take some effort to find people on the small/personal/indie web, but it’s soo worth it.

]]> Brandon's Comment:

I’m unsure what it means to be a computer programmer in 2026. I agree that technology discourse has changed dramatically over the last three years.

Though that doesn’t mean that there aren’t people passionate about crabs, creating local-first software, etc. Those folks are still there, even if they’re not the mainstream.

This is why I’m such a big proponent of curating your web experience using RSS feeds. It might take some effort to find people on the small/personal/indie web, but it’s soo worth it.

]]> https://hamvocke.com/blog/home-cooked-software/ Sun, 01 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Ham Vocke https://hamvocke.com/blog/home-cooked-software/ Brandon's Comment:

It’s heartwarming to see someone create an app that brings joy to the people around them. Ham’s Doppelkopf Club not only lets you play a traditional German card game, but also teaches you how to play as well! This preserves cultural knowledge.

Home cooking to me is a necessity (lest I go broke) as well as a craft. Recently, I’ve been cooking Paella weekly slightly tweaking each time to get to a recipe that I enjoy.

]]> Brandon's Comment:

It’s heartwarming to see someone create an app that brings joy to the people around them. Ham’s Doppelkopf Club not only lets you play a traditional German card game, but also teaches you how to play as well! This preserves cultural knowledge.

Home cooking to me is a necessity (lest I go broke) as well as a craft. Recently, I’ve been cooking Paella weekly slightly tweaking each time to get to a recipe that I enjoy.

]]> https://blog.jim-nielsen.com/2026/saying-no/ Sun, 01 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Jim Nielsen https://blog.jim-nielsen.com/2026/saying-no/ Brandon's Comment:

In an age of abundance, restraint becomes the only scarce thing left, which means saying ’no’ is more valuable than ever.

I fully agree! We all excel at different tasks, and with time and focus we can cultivate them. Just because we can do something, doesn’t mean we should. There’s always a trade-off.

The piece was written in the context of building a product in a business, but honestly many of these points apply to our lives in general.

]]> Brandon's Comment:

In an age of abundance, restraint becomes the only scarce thing left, which means saying ’no’ is more valuable than ever.

I fully agree! We all excel at different tasks, and with time and focus we can cultivate them. Just because we can do something, doesn’t mean we should. There’s always a trade-off.

The piece was written in the context of building a product in a business, but honestly many of these points apply to our lives in general.

What’s our story? What do we care about? Saying yes to everything muddies the waters. At the same time, however, don’t say no to everything. The most rewarding oppurtunities are not always the most obvious.

]]> https://nathandyer.me/2026/02/03/facebook.html Sun, 01 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Nathan Dyer https://nathandyer.me/2026/02/03/facebook.html Brandon's Comment:

It annoys me how much of a grip Facebook still has on being able to digitally participate in your local community.

Same with Instagram. Though I get it – it’s so easy to pull up your phone and post on these platforms.

Recently, I found The 518 which is a newsletter which covers events happening in the capital region of New York. Luckily they surface all the events posted on Instagram for me. Though I do wonder what my life would be like if I acquiesced and signed up for Meta’s platforms.

]]> Brandon's Comment:

It annoys me how much of a grip Facebook still has on being able to digitally participate in your local community.

Same with Instagram. Though I get it – it’s so easy to pull up your phone and post on these platforms.

Recently, I found The 518 which is a newsletter which covers events happening in the capital region of New York. Luckily they surface all the events posted on Instagram for me. Though I do wonder what my life would be like if I acquiesced and signed up for Meta’s platforms.

]]>