Matthew Mark Miller
@datamiller.bsky.social
Sarcastic, stochastic and so fantastic
"Penultimate" is, like, my second favorite word.
December 18, 2025 at 8:57 PM
"Penultimate" is, like, my second favorite word.
Thanking my employee for quality output and delivering constructive at-level feedback in a cheerful sweater while sharing a bowl of dark chocolate almonds.
#justmanagerthings
#justmanagerthings
December 18, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Thanking my employee for quality output and delivering constructive at-level feedback in a cheerful sweater while sharing a bowl of dark chocolate almonds.
#justmanagerthings
#justmanagerthings
Curiously, I cannot get 5.1 Thinking to respond as intended: "There are only brown M&Ms."
5.1 Instant and 5.0 Thinking both do.
I'm experiencing a great deal of randomness with the 5.1 model that make it not-fit-for-purpose for repetitive tasks, which are precisely what I use LLMs for.
5.1 Instant and 5.0 Thinking both do.
I'm experiencing a great deal of randomness with the 5.1 model that make it not-fit-for-purpose for repetitive tasks, which are precisely what I use LLMs for.
December 10, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Curiously, I cannot get 5.1 Thinking to respond as intended: "There are only brown M&Ms."
5.1 Instant and 5.0 Thinking both do.
I'm experiencing a great deal of randomness with the 5.1 model that make it not-fit-for-purpose for repetitive tasks, which are precisely what I use LLMs for.
5.1 Instant and 5.0 Thinking both do.
I'm experiencing a great deal of randomness with the 5.1 model that make it not-fit-for-purpose for repetitive tasks, which are precisely what I use LLMs for.
Was thinking -- boy, it would be great to have some way to review resumes while jogging.
I spend about 1-5 minutes on each, so compress them, print them to audio, maybe with optional video to enhance the strong candidates…
It was about that time I realized I was inventing TikTok for LinkedIn…
I spend about 1-5 minutes on each, so compress them, print them to audio, maybe with optional video to enhance the strong candidates…
It was about that time I realized I was inventing TikTok for LinkedIn…
December 5, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Was thinking -- boy, it would be great to have some way to review resumes while jogging.
I spend about 1-5 minutes on each, so compress them, print them to audio, maybe with optional video to enhance the strong candidates…
It was about that time I realized I was inventing TikTok for LinkedIn…
I spend about 1-5 minutes on each, so compress them, print them to audio, maybe with optional video to enhance the strong candidates…
It was about that time I realized I was inventing TikTok for LinkedIn…
Hot take: I don't want to see metrics on your resume unless they're fucking amazing.
It's not like I can verify that you improved total system latency by 18% anyway.
Did you make inventory processing so fast your operations team thought you broke it? THAT I want to know about.
It's not like I can verify that you improved total system latency by 18% anyway.
Did you make inventory processing so fast your operations team thought you broke it? THAT I want to know about.
December 5, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Hot take: I don't want to see metrics on your resume unless they're fucking amazing.
It's not like I can verify that you improved total system latency by 18% anyway.
Did you make inventory processing so fast your operations team thought you broke it? THAT I want to know about.
It's not like I can verify that you improved total system latency by 18% anyway.
Did you make inventory processing so fast your operations team thought you broke it? THAT I want to know about.
A professor of mine once gave us the advice: “Avoid bad art.”
Over the years I’ve discovered it’s terrible advice because so often you can’t, but that directive gives you license to suffer when you need to accept.
Over the years I’ve discovered it’s terrible advice because so often you can’t, but that directive gives you license to suffer when you need to accept.
November 23, 2025 at 1:20 AM
A professor of mine once gave us the advice: “Avoid bad art.”
Over the years I’ve discovered it’s terrible advice because so often you can’t, but that directive gives you license to suffer when you need to accept.
Over the years I’ve discovered it’s terrible advice because so often you can’t, but that directive gives you license to suffer when you need to accept.
Infinite delicious wine is the wrong amount of the wrong drink
I’m not getting my lifts in tonight, am I
I’m not getting my lifts in tonight, am I
November 14, 2025 at 4:41 AM
Infinite delicious wine is the wrong amount of the wrong drink
I’m not getting my lifts in tonight, am I
I’m not getting my lifts in tonight, am I
Scala developers who no longer work in that language:
does the sense of overwhelming superiority ever fade?
does the sense of overwhelming superiority ever fade?
November 11, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Scala developers who no longer work in that language:
does the sense of overwhelming superiority ever fade?
does the sense of overwhelming superiority ever fade?
Nobody:
CMOs: Think about what you could do with this technology that doesn't work!
CMOs: Think about what you could do with this technology that doesn't work!
November 11, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Nobody:
CMOs: Think about what you could do with this technology that doesn't work!
CMOs: Think about what you could do with this technology that doesn't work!
[Any stimulus whatsoever]
Engineering Manager: Interesting.
Engineering Manager: Interesting.
November 7, 2025 at 5:35 PM
[Any stimulus whatsoever]
Engineering Manager: Interesting.
Engineering Manager: Interesting.
I'm over here complaining about the state of the world when a character pack for Street Fighter IV costs $30 when I used to blow that much in an hour at an arcade having my ass handed to me.
And them's 1995 dollars.
And them's 1995 dollars.
October 30, 2025 at 1:41 PM
I'm over here complaining about the state of the world when a character pack for Street Fighter IV costs $30 when I used to blow that much in an hour at an arcade having my ass handed to me.
And them's 1995 dollars.
And them's 1995 dollars.
… were <p> tags ALSO distrupted by the outage?
October 23, 2025 at 6:53 PM
… were <p> tags ALSO distrupted by the outage?
1/3 of being an adult is making a list of what needs to be done, and a further 1/3 is carefully checking against the list.
It's tedious and boring and we fuck it up constantly. This is in the long run where AI will be applied to greatest effect.
It's tedious and boring and we fuck it up constantly. This is in the long run where AI will be applied to greatest effect.
October 17, 2025 at 8:40 PM
1/3 of being an adult is making a list of what needs to be done, and a further 1/3 is carefully checking against the list.
It's tedious and boring and we fuck it up constantly. This is in the long run where AI will be applied to greatest effect.
It's tedious and boring and we fuck it up constantly. This is in the long run where AI will be applied to greatest effect.
AI engineering isn't new, I've been a clod programmer for years
October 15, 2025 at 9:10 PM
AI engineering isn't new, I've been a clod programmer for years
Hot take: salt bagels are just bad pretzels
October 15, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Hot take: salt bagels are just bad pretzels
Sourdough toast with peanut butter and sriracha.
Seriously! Try it!
Seriously! Try it!
October 15, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Sourdough toast with peanut butter and sriracha.
Seriously! Try it!
Seriously! Try it!
Good News! We've had a data breach!
October 14, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Good News! We've had a data breach!
hojberg.xyz/the-programm...
Simon and I disagree on a lot of things, but this is an important essay that underscores the fundamental challenge confronting the industry right now.
Most interesting to me: "we’ve still outsourced the fun part of the job and replaced it with directorial drudgery."
Simon and I disagree on a lot of things, but this is an important essay that underscores the fundamental challenge confronting the industry right now.
Most interesting to me: "we’ve still outsourced the fun part of the job and replaced it with directorial drudgery."
The Programmer Identity Crisis ❈ Simon Højberg ❈ Principal Frontend Engineer
On AI, Creativity, and Craft
hojberg.xyz
October 10, 2025 at 5:15 PM
hojberg.xyz/the-programm...
Simon and I disagree on a lot of things, but this is an important essay that underscores the fundamental challenge confronting the industry right now.
Most interesting to me: "we’ve still outsourced the fun part of the job and replaced it with directorial drudgery."
Simon and I disagree on a lot of things, but this is an important essay that underscores the fundamental challenge confronting the industry right now.
Most interesting to me: "we’ve still outsourced the fun part of the job and replaced it with directorial drudgery."
This reminds me of the "video games will never be art" debate from two decades back, or the "comics will never be art" debate before that. If history is any guide, this take will be proven wrong within a few decades.
October 10, 2025 at 3:48 PM
This reminds me of the "video games will never be art" debate from two decades back, or the "comics will never be art" debate before that. If history is any guide, this take will be proven wrong within a few decades.
"Okay, we've finally got our product working, it's getting early traction with users, now's a pivotal time for us to choose what to build that will have the most impact on our future direction. So what do we implement next?"
[Entire meeting in unison]:
"Dark mode!"
[Entire meeting in unison]:
"Dark mode!"
October 9, 2025 at 7:54 PM
"Okay, we've finally got our product working, it's getting early traction with users, now's a pivotal time for us to choose what to build that will have the most impact on our future direction. So what do we implement next?"
[Entire meeting in unison]:
"Dark mode!"
[Entire meeting in unison]:
"Dark mode!"
“Man, when I’m responsible for hiring I’ll do things differently. I’ll take risks on people.”
::proceeds to hire exactly the same::
::proceeds to hire exactly the same::
September 30, 2025 at 2:00 PM
“Man, when I’m responsible for hiring I’ll do things differently. I’ll take risks on people.”
::proceeds to hire exactly the same::
::proceeds to hire exactly the same::
I was using a RAG tool to help me track a problem I'm solving at work and tracking the results in a spreadsheet.
This worked until the RAG tool indexed my spreadsheet and started feeding me my own research as evidence.
This worked until the RAG tool indexed my spreadsheet and started feeding me my own research as evidence.
September 24, 2025 at 9:45 PM
I was using a RAG tool to help me track a problem I'm solving at work and tracking the results in a spreadsheet.
This worked until the RAG tool indexed my spreadsheet and started feeding me my own research as evidence.
This worked until the RAG tool indexed my spreadsheet and started feeding me my own research as evidence.
Overheard: "Null pointer obsession"
September 10, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Overheard: "Null pointer obsession"
a child at the beach house has turned on Food Network
tryn not to roast The Pioneer Woman like Uncle Roger
tryn not to roast The Pioneer Woman like Uncle Roger
August 10, 2025 at 2:02 PM
a child at the beach house has turned on Food Network
tryn not to roast The Pioneer Woman like Uncle Roger
tryn not to roast The Pioneer Woman like Uncle Roger
One problem with the Pareto principle is that if you aim for 80%, you will often only get 60%.
August 7, 2025 at 6:24 PM
One problem with the Pareto principle is that if you aim for 80%, you will often only get 60%.