Ben L
@bnej80.bsky.social
Microsoft genuinely believes they can make you pay for additional ms office licenses for the robots that they also will sell you to use
That is why they are pushing copilot so hard, they see a future where you pay them for their software to use their other software.
I don't reckon it'll happen.
That is why they are pushing copilot so hard, they see a future where you pay them for their software to use their other software.
I don't reckon it'll happen.
November 19, 2025 at 3:32 AM
Microsoft genuinely believes they can make you pay for additional ms office licenses for the robots that they also will sell you to use
That is why they are pushing copilot so hard, they see a future where you pay them for their software to use their other software.
I don't reckon it'll happen.
That is why they are pushing copilot so hard, they see a future where you pay them for their software to use their other software.
I don't reckon it'll happen.
Reposted by Ben L
#3157 A helpful tutorial
November 17, 2025 at 11:40 PM
#3157 A helpful tutorial
Reposted by Ben L
Truly a time of unprecedented abundance, so long as one does not need a...<checks notes>....place to live in.
November 16, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Truly a time of unprecedented abundance, so long as one does not need a...<checks notes>....place to live in.
“not getting into pointless arguments on the internet is an act of revolution”
November 16, 2025 at 8:50 AM
“not getting into pointless arguments on the internet is an act of revolution”
I was wondering if someone would have already discussed the concepts in No Silver Bullet vs AI development, of course they have.
For fans, the distinction between essential and accidental complexity is key, and software living mostly in maintenance not build.
ian-cooper.writeas.com/is-ai-a-silv...
For fans, the distinction between essential and accidental complexity is key, and software living mostly in maintenance not build.
ian-cooper.writeas.com/is-ai-a-silv...
November 16, 2025 at 2:36 AM
I was wondering if someone would have already discussed the concepts in No Silver Bullet vs AI development, of course they have.
For fans, the distinction between essential and accidental complexity is key, and software living mostly in maintenance not build.
ian-cooper.writeas.com/is-ai-a-silv...
For fans, the distinction between essential and accidental complexity is key, and software living mostly in maintenance not build.
ian-cooper.writeas.com/is-ai-a-silv...
Reposted by Ben L
As a software architect, psychology is one of my super powers for this reason. We live in a world where the people building some of the most influential tools of thought are the very same people who refuse to acknowledge the difficulty of the problem or hold the human mind in sufficient reverence
As a psychologist, it's a really, really, really interesting and maddening set of problems here. Software development really exposes for me how we think about people's minds, even though it's an industry that likes to pretend it isn't thinking about people's minds at all.
But it really is.
But it really is.
November 9, 2025 at 6:39 PM
As a software architect, psychology is one of my super powers for this reason. We live in a world where the people building some of the most influential tools of thought are the very same people who refuse to acknowledge the difficulty of the problem or hold the human mind in sufficient reverence
There are two kinds of software - the kind everyone hates, and the kind no-one uses.
November 2, 2025 at 8:28 PM
There are two kinds of software - the kind everyone hates, and the kind no-one uses.
Finished rustlings.
Rust is such an opinionated language.
It's like a type checker and the most opinionated developer you know implemented as a compiler.
Rust is such an opinionated language.
It's like a type checker and the most opinionated developer you know implemented as a compiler.
October 31, 2025 at 7:23 AM
Finished rustlings.
Rust is such an opinionated language.
It's like a type checker and the most opinionated developer you know implemented as a compiler.
Rust is such an opinionated language.
It's like a type checker and the most opinionated developer you know implemented as a compiler.
LocalSend is so good. Your devices should always be able to talk like that if it's on your network!
And it's so quick when you don't have to shuffle stuff onto an internet service!
Anyway RMS was right all along.
And it's so quick when you don't have to shuffle stuff onto an internet service!
Anyway RMS was right all along.
October 25, 2025 at 7:26 AM
LocalSend is so good. Your devices should always be able to talk like that if it's on your network!
And it's so quick when you don't have to shuffle stuff onto an internet service!
Anyway RMS was right all along.
And it's so quick when you don't have to shuffle stuff onto an internet service!
Anyway RMS was right all along.
Now realising I have gigabytes of photos in Google photos and I don't like it. 🥲
October 25, 2025 at 1:31 AM
Now realising I have gigabytes of photos in Google photos and I don't like it. 🥲
Reposted by Ben L
my algorithm don't
my algorithm don't
my algorithm don't want none unless you got O(log n)
my algorithm don't
my algorithm don't want none unless you got O(log n)
October 24, 2025 at 10:59 PM
my algorithm don't
my algorithm don't
my algorithm don't want none unless you got O(log n)
my algorithm don't
my algorithm don't want none unless you got O(log n)
Reposted by Ben L
The AI industry wants us to believe AI superintelligence is the real threat from generative AI.
But that narrative was crafted to distract from the many ways genAI is being used to tear our societies apart, as we saw this week when a deepfake video rocked the Irish election. It must be reined in.
But that narrative was crafted to distract from the many ways genAI is being used to tear our societies apart, as we saw this week when a deepfake video rocked the Irish election. It must be reined in.
Generative AI is a societal disaster
Governments are deluding themselves into believing investment justifies allowing AI to upend society
disconnect.blog
October 24, 2025 at 10:12 AM
The AI industry wants us to believe AI superintelligence is the real threat from generative AI.
But that narrative was crafted to distract from the many ways genAI is being used to tear our societies apart, as we saw this week when a deepfake video rocked the Irish election. It must be reined in.
But that narrative was crafted to distract from the many ways genAI is being used to tear our societies apart, as we saw this week when a deepfake video rocked the Irish election. It must be reined in.
Finding today the woeful state of keeping a digital photo collection.
Apparently you can't in any way sync your Google photos to a physical drive you own any more.
That's crap. Personal computing has been totally taken over by online services and I hate it.
Apparently you can't in any way sync your Google photos to a physical drive you own any more.
That's crap. Personal computing has been totally taken over by online services and I hate it.
October 23, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Finding today the woeful state of keeping a digital photo collection.
Apparently you can't in any way sync your Google photos to a physical drive you own any more.
That's crap. Personal computing has been totally taken over by online services and I hate it.
Apparently you can't in any way sync your Google photos to a physical drive you own any more.
That's crap. Personal computing has been totally taken over by online services and I hate it.
The most extraordinary claim I am seeing routinely being presented without evidence is that AI is "improving exponentially"
Sorry, the last few years have seen things get a little better, but more expensive. That's not exponential improvement.
Sorry, the last few years have seen things get a little better, but more expensive. That's not exponential improvement.
October 21, 2025 at 8:35 PM
The most extraordinary claim I am seeing routinely being presented without evidence is that AI is "improving exponentially"
Sorry, the last few years have seen things get a little better, but more expensive. That's not exponential improvement.
Sorry, the last few years have seen things get a little better, but more expensive. That's not exponential improvement.
The hard part of solving a problem is the thinking.
Definitely not writing down the solution.
Definitely not writing down the solution.
October 21, 2025 at 8:32 PM
The hard part of solving a problem is the thinking.
Definitely not writing down the solution.
Definitely not writing down the solution.
Got back to working through rustlings and realised I paused in 2024! It felt like I'd just lost track a month or so ago.
It's a hard ask to learn new stuff when you're spending most of your time working on a less fancy stack that everything important hinges on!
It's a hard ask to learn new stuff when you're spending most of your time working on a less fancy stack that everything important hinges on!
October 21, 2025 at 1:09 AM
Got back to working through rustlings and realised I paused in 2024! It felt like I'd just lost track a month or so ago.
It's a hard ask to learn new stuff when you're spending most of your time working on a less fancy stack that everything important hinges on!
It's a hard ask to learn new stuff when you're spending most of your time working on a less fancy stack that everything important hinges on!
After 25 years away I'm going to try having a Linux primary desktop again.
Mainly because of how I now feel about Microsoft and Apple. And of course I've been using Linux for servers the whole time.
So far it's going well but I'm way out of touch on distros and I don't think FVWM is still good!
Mainly because of how I now feel about Microsoft and Apple. And of course I've been using Linux for servers the whole time.
So far it's going well but I'm way out of touch on distros and I don't think FVWM is still good!
October 19, 2025 at 3:52 AM
After 25 years away I'm going to try having a Linux primary desktop again.
Mainly because of how I now feel about Microsoft and Apple. And of course I've been using Linux for servers the whole time.
So far it's going well but I'm way out of touch on distros and I don't think FVWM is still good!
Mainly because of how I now feel about Microsoft and Apple. And of course I've been using Linux for servers the whole time.
So far it's going well but I'm way out of touch on distros and I don't think FVWM is still good!
Reposted by Ben L
Someone on linkedin asked "what problem are you solving" with research. The problem of joy man. the problem of I like to know how things work. The problem of we have to tell the stories about all this or we'll go mad, won't we? The problem of someone needs to feel heard. Haven't you felt it??
October 17, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Someone on linkedin asked "what problem are you solving" with research. The problem of joy man. the problem of I like to know how things work. The problem of we have to tell the stories about all this or we'll go mad, won't we? The problem of someone needs to feel heard. Haven't you felt it??
Torn between "learning popular new technology is generally good for a tech person" and also "applications of this technology seem much more limited than the promise"
But we've been here before. Most nosql dbs were worse than relational in use, most big data projects did not deliver on promises.
But we've been here before. Most nosql dbs were worse than relational in use, most big data projects did not deliver on promises.
October 16, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Torn between "learning popular new technology is generally good for a tech person" and also "applications of this technology seem much more limited than the promise"
But we've been here before. Most nosql dbs were worse than relational in use, most big data projects did not deliver on promises.
But we've been here before. Most nosql dbs were worse than relational in use, most big data projects did not deliver on promises.
Reposted by Ben L
For the avoidance of doubt, this is how the inventor of "vibe coding" actually writes code.
Can we all stop pretending now?
Can we all stop pretending now?
October 16, 2025 at 7:11 AM
For the avoidance of doubt, this is how the inventor of "vibe coding" actually writes code.
Can we all stop pretending now?
Can we all stop pretending now?
Reposted by Ben L
You can't logic your way out of being burnt out. Unless you're me. Who should be able to do it and it's a personal failing that I can't
October 13, 2025 at 9:39 PM
You can't logic your way out of being burnt out. Unless you're me. Who should be able to do it and it's a personal failing that I can't
Reposted by Ben L
![Comic. [Giant balloon reminiscent of a hot air balloon but wavy and laying on the ground with “bloop” “bloop” sound effects. Two people are in a basket attached to one end of the balloon.] [caption] Hot water balloon rides turn out to be significantly less romantic than the air kind.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreiekfxpa7ftvzd2xpsuyjv5czmrpb5ihpmvnhj3ug5gadsrbbybx6m@jpeg)
October 14, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Sitting on a wet bus seat is one of the worst surprises I reckon.
October 14, 2025 at 5:44 AM
Sitting on a wet bus seat is one of the worst surprises I reckon.
Get specific about what AI is doing for you.
Look at what you do and how much time it saves.
If you're like me you might be initially impressed at seeing all the stuff spool out of it. But was that where your time was going? Are you getting more done? Or is it just a neat trick?
Look at what you do and how much time it saves.
If you're like me you might be initially impressed at seeing all the stuff spool out of it. But was that where your time was going? Are you getting more done? Or is it just a neat trick?
October 13, 2025 at 5:57 AM
Get specific about what AI is doing for you.
Look at what you do and how much time it saves.
If you're like me you might be initially impressed at seeing all the stuff spool out of it. But was that where your time was going? Are you getting more done? Or is it just a neat trick?
Look at what you do and how much time it saves.
If you're like me you might be initially impressed at seeing all the stuff spool out of it. But was that where your time was going? Are you getting more done? Or is it just a neat trick?
Reposted by Ben L
Me two weeks ago
www.wheresyoured.at/openai-onetr...
www.wheresyoured.at/openai-onetr...
October 7, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Me two weeks ago
www.wheresyoured.at/openai-onetr...
www.wheresyoured.at/openai-onetr...