atticus goldfinch
@atticusgf.bsky.social
linear algebra is not ontologically evil
Pinned
atticus goldfinch
@atticusgf.bsky.social
· Dec 18
about half the people on this website act like the first time anyone lied on the internet is when we managed to teach linear algebra to do it. like separating truth from fiction is somehow a new demand that this talking magic box imposes on us.
Reposted by atticus goldfinch
this started a holy war, so let me state a very plain and direct argument for this
the democratic primary is when we decide if we get to have things be good or mid
the general election is when you decide if you dislike nazis
the democratic primary is when we decide if we get to have things be good or mid
the general election is when you decide if you dislike nazis
Counterpoint: if the Prince of Darkness rises from a fiery portal at the Iowa Caucus and declares his opposition to Donald Trump, I will ride to battle with the host of Hell
February 16, 2026 at 2:40 AM
this started a holy war, so let me state a very plain and direct argument for this
the democratic primary is when we decide if we get to have things be good or mid
the general election is when you decide if you dislike nazis
the democratic primary is when we decide if we get to have things be good or mid
the general election is when you decide if you dislike nazis
Reposted by atticus goldfinch
I am getting the distinct impression that there are now _two_ failure modes in hiring developers:
1) devs that reject AI as useful and refuse to touch it
2) devs that have zero caution, refinement, or introspection in how they use it and are dying to charge your org 10k a day to build Gastown 2.
1) devs that reject AI as useful and refuse to touch it
2) devs that have zero caution, refinement, or introspection in how they use it and are dying to charge your org 10k a day to build Gastown 2.
February 15, 2026 at 9:00 PM
I am getting the distinct impression that there are now _two_ failure modes in hiring developers:
1) devs that reject AI as useful and refuse to touch it
2) devs that have zero caution, refinement, or introspection in how they use it and are dying to charge your org 10k a day to build Gastown 2.
1) devs that reject AI as useful and refuse to touch it
2) devs that have zero caution, refinement, or introspection in how they use it and are dying to charge your org 10k a day to build Gastown 2.
Reposted by atticus goldfinch
Arguing about Gavin Newsom is just bluesky’s enrichment activity now. Just drop it in our little terrarium and watch us go.
Counterpoint: if the Prince of Darkness rises from a fiery portal at the Iowa Caucus and declares his opposition to Donald Trump, I will ride to battle with the host of Hell
February 15, 2026 at 9:59 PM
Arguing about Gavin Newsom is just bluesky’s enrichment activity now. Just drop it in our little terrarium and watch us go.
Reposted by atticus goldfinch
In January I tried Claude Code out and it immediately turned a 4 hour job into a 15 minute job without any errors. Not a huge economic impact there, I just have more time to go hiking now. I don't buy claims of 20% GDP growth, but I also think a lot of people haven't adjusted to recent improvements.
February 15, 2026 at 9:58 PM
In January I tried Claude Code out and it immediately turned a 4 hour job into a 15 minute job without any errors. Not a huge economic impact there, I just have more time to go hiking now. I don't buy claims of 20% GDP growth, but I also think a lot of people haven't adjusted to recent improvements.
Reposted by atticus goldfinch
I'm self employed and have a lot of computer drudgery to do every month. In August I tried out a few LLMs side by side and found them somewhat underwhelming. Helped with some tasks, but hallucinations were a real problem. Saved me maybe an hour a month...
February 15, 2026 at 9:55 PM
I'm self employed and have a lot of computer drudgery to do every month. In August I tried out a few LLMs side by side and found them somewhat underwhelming. Helped with some tasks, but hallucinations were a real problem. Saved me maybe an hour a month...
Reposted by atticus goldfinch
I still think the internet is the best comp for AI. It was a bubble that popped, but the underlying tech turned out to be real. It enabled a bunch of psychosis and slop, but also some genuinely cool stuff. Massive labor market disruptions, but employment levels look about the same.
February 15, 2026 at 9:46 PM
I still think the internet is the best comp for AI. It was a bubble that popped, but the underlying tech turned out to be real. It enabled a bunch of psychosis and slop, but also some genuinely cool stuff. Massive labor market disruptions, but employment levels look about the same.
Reposted by atticus goldfinch
Reposted by atticus goldfinch
Counterpoint: if the Prince of Darkness rises from a fiery portal at the Iowa Caucus and declares his opposition to Donald Trump, I will ride to battle with the host of Hell
February 15, 2026 at 6:08 PM
Counterpoint: if the Prince of Darkness rises from a fiery portal at the Iowa Caucus and declares his opposition to Donald Trump, I will ride to battle with the host of Hell
Reposted by atticus goldfinch
My main opinion on Graham Platner is if there was a 41 year old guy running in the Republican primary for the Maine Senate seat and it turned out that he had a Nazi tattoo for 15 years and then he claimed that he just didn't know it was a Nazi tattoo, none of you would ever stop screaming about it.
February 15, 2026 at 8:01 PM
My main opinion on Graham Platner is if there was a 41 year old guy running in the Republican primary for the Maine Senate seat and it turned out that he had a Nazi tattoo for 15 years and then he claimed that he just didn't know it was a Nazi tattoo, none of you would ever stop screaming about it.
I am getting the distinct impression that there are now _two_ failure modes in hiring developers:
1) devs that reject AI as useful and refuse to touch it
2) devs that have zero caution, refinement, or introspection in how they use it and are dying to charge your org 10k a day to build Gastown 2.
1) devs that reject AI as useful and refuse to touch it
2) devs that have zero caution, refinement, or introspection in how they use it and are dying to charge your org 10k a day to build Gastown 2.
February 15, 2026 at 9:00 PM
I am getting the distinct impression that there are now _two_ failure modes in hiring developers:
1) devs that reject AI as useful and refuse to touch it
2) devs that have zero caution, refinement, or introspection in how they use it and are dying to charge your org 10k a day to build Gastown 2.
1) devs that reject AI as useful and refuse to touch it
2) devs that have zero caution, refinement, or introspection in how they use it and are dying to charge your org 10k a day to build Gastown 2.
I'm not in the epicenter of the zeitgeist (SF) or anywhere near it: but this just seems so premature to me?
I'm working very hard on tightening up my agentic workflows and skills to the point that I can have high trust in the output. I'm not there yet, but these folks are doing swarms? How? Why?
I'm working very hard on tightening up my agentic workflows and skills to the point that I can have high trust in the output. I'm not there yet, but these folks are doing swarms? How? Why?
Token Anxiety
i think i mostly echo this for myself. with so much that can be done, i often feel like i *should* be doing something, always
i think i mostly echo this for myself. with so much that can be done, i often feel like i *should* be doing something, always
February 15, 2026 at 8:53 PM
I'm not in the epicenter of the zeitgeist (SF) or anywhere near it: but this just seems so premature to me?
I'm working very hard on tightening up my agentic workflows and skills to the point that I can have high trust in the output. I'm not there yet, but these folks are doing swarms? How? Why?
I'm working very hard on tightening up my agentic workflows and skills to the point that I can have high trust in the output. I'm not there yet, but these folks are doing swarms? How? Why?
Reposted by atticus goldfinch
Wow we need to clone @grimalkina.bsky.social.
My students (and, *ahem*... I) would've loved this when I was teaching them how to use coding agents and we talked about "the Illusion of Learning" and how I... didn't know how to solve it, other than "make sure to _think_ hard, which *hurts* your head"
My students (and, *ahem*... I) would've loved this when I was teaching them how to use coding agents and we talked about "the Illusion of Learning" and how I... didn't know how to solve it, other than "make sure to _think_ hard, which *hurts* your head"
Key to efficient learning is realizing how we ACTUALLY learn, not just what FEELS like learning. I wrote a Claude Skill for some friends to help them think about this and they've liked it -- see Principles for some directions you could explore
github.com/DrCatHicks/l...
github.com/DrCatHicks/l...
GitHub - DrCatHicks/learning-opportunities: A Claude Code skill for deliberate skill development during AI-assisted coding
A Claude Code skill for deliberate skill development during AI-assisted coding - DrCatHicks/learning-opportunities
github.com
February 15, 2026 at 8:43 PM
Wow we need to clone @grimalkina.bsky.social.
My students (and, *ahem*... I) would've loved this when I was teaching them how to use coding agents and we talked about "the Illusion of Learning" and how I... didn't know how to solve it, other than "make sure to _think_ hard, which *hurts* your head"
My students (and, *ahem*... I) would've loved this when I was teaching them how to use coding agents and we talked about "the Illusion of Learning" and how I... didn't know how to solve it, other than "make sure to _think_ hard, which *hurts* your head"
Reposted by atticus goldfinch
Reposted by atticus goldfinch
This was the exact opposite under Biden, where the US economy was dramatically outperforming the rest of the world
The Dow was at 43,488 when Trump took office. It just hit 50,000.
So if you had invested $43,488 in the US, you would now have $50,000. But if you had invested the same amount in the rest of the world, you would now be worth $60,000.
Lemme do a expla-youtube-nation
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYL5...
So if you had invested $43,488 in the US, you would now have $50,000. But if you had invested the same amount in the rest of the world, you would now be worth $60,000.
Lemme do a expla-youtube-nation
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYL5...
"Dow 50,000" Sound Nice. Until Justin Wolfers Shows You That U.S. Markets Are Coming 21st Out of 23.
What does “Dow 50,000” actually tell you—anything about the economy, or just that a number got bigger?
Dow 50,000 is a milestone, not a measurement. The level of the Dow is basically arbitrary: it’s…
www.youtube.com
February 15, 2026 at 7:21 PM
This was the exact opposite under Biden, where the US economy was dramatically outperforming the rest of the world
Reposted by atticus goldfinch
Saw this the other day
January 14, 2026 at 8:17 PM
Saw this the other day
Reposted by atticus goldfinch
Every time I let Claude take a peek outside, the poor thing comes back harrowed.
January 14, 2026 at 6:28 PM
Every time I let Claude take a peek outside, the poor thing comes back harrowed.
Reposted by atticus goldfinch
Reposted by atticus goldfinch
sadly the world Communist killing record continues to be held by Communist countries by a long, long distance.
The United States has killed more communist than any other currenly existing countries on earth
February 15, 2026 at 4:13 AM
sadly the world Communist killing record continues to be held by Communist countries by a long, long distance.
Reposted by atticus goldfinch
Can’t believe we are still doing this
February 15, 2026 at 2:03 PM
Can’t believe we are still doing this
Reposted by atticus goldfinch
You can understand media consolidation into the hands of the very wealthy not just as a product of wealth concentration but also as a means to defend it, with Bezos at the Post being the most obvious example
The pace at which US wealth concentration is rising is simply staggering
The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory
The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory
February 15, 2026 at 3:34 PM
You can understand media consolidation into the hands of the very wealthy not just as a product of wealth concentration but also as a means to defend it, with Bezos at the Post being the most obvious example
Reposted by atticus goldfinch
This is what ICE does every day. Hunt little kids who are here legally. They get sent to a place called the “baby jail” in Texas. Very little of it ends up on video like this. But it’s routine. And disgusting.
February 15, 2026 at 3:25 PM
This is what ICE does every day. Hunt little kids who are here legally. They get sent to a place called the “baby jail” in Texas. Very little of it ends up on video like this. But it’s routine. And disgusting.
Reposted by atticus goldfinch
The thing that makes this extra funny to me is that I think the cat is about to say this is all moving too fast…
February 15, 2026 at 4:39 AM
The thing that makes this extra funny to me is that I think the cat is about to say this is all moving too fast…
Reposted by atticus goldfinch
Reposted by atticus goldfinch
Half joking: This is what it's like to be a senior technical leader.
Short musings on "cognitive debt" - I'm seeing this in my own work, where excessive unreviewed AI-generated code leads me to lose a firm mental model of what I've built, which then makes it harder to confidently make future decisions simonwillison.net/2026/Feb/15/...
How Generative and Agentic AI Shift Concern from Technical Debt to Cognitive Debt
This piece by Margaret-Anne Storey is the best explanation of the term cognitive debt I've seen so far. Cognitive debt, a term gaining traction recently, instead communicates the notion that …
simonwillison.net
February 15, 2026 at 5:26 AM
Half joking: This is what it's like to be a senior technical leader.
Reposted by atticus goldfinch
had a very respectful chat about theology tonight
February 14, 2026 at 4:59 AM
had a very respectful chat about theology tonight