James Holwell
@jamesholwell.bsky.social
Once upon a time I used to make software, but now I mostly just talk about making software
Reposted by James Holwell
a computer is a machine for making mistakes quickly
January 17, 2026 at 10:18 PM
a computer is a machine for making mistakes quickly
Sad.
Microslop: replace the books with AI too, fuck it
January 17, 2026 at 10:10 AM
Sad.
Reposted by James Holwell
"Do you know where I can look up Frungal's Extractor?"
The magic school librarian sighed. "That grimoire is locked away."
"Why?"
"That spell extracts your anxieties and fears and turns them into a creature."
"Yes! To slay!"
"In theory. In practice, nobody can slay the new pet they created."
The magic school librarian sighed. "That grimoire is locked away."
"Why?"
"That spell extracts your anxieties and fears and turns them into a creature."
"Yes! To slay!"
"In theory. In practice, nobody can slay the new pet they created."
January 16, 2026 at 6:17 PM
"Do you know where I can look up Frungal's Extractor?"
The magic school librarian sighed. "That grimoire is locked away."
"Why?"
"That spell extracts your anxieties and fears and turns them into a creature."
"Yes! To slay!"
"In theory. In practice, nobody can slay the new pet they created."
The magic school librarian sighed. "That grimoire is locked away."
"Why?"
"That spell extracts your anxieties and fears and turns them into a creature."
"Yes! To slay!"
"In theory. In practice, nobody can slay the new pet they created."
Reposted by James Holwell
Reposted by James Holwell
I am calling for a complete and total boycott of the Mercator projection in all news stories about Greenland until every member of the American public has seen this
January 13, 2026 at 5:32 PM
I am calling for a complete and total boycott of the Mercator projection in all news stories about Greenland until every member of the American public has seen this
Certainly seems that way
January 10, 2026 at 9:15 AM
Certainly seems that way
Reposted by James Holwell
Paul Kinlan's "Dead Framework Theory" will be rattling around in my head for awhile. I have definitely encountered the "React/Tailwind because AI" mindset. The entropy is hard to ignore. But ugh... it feels like we're tying our own shoelaces together and trying to run.
aifoc.us/dead-framewo...
aifoc.us/dead-framewo...
dead framework theory
These are my opinions and are ruminations on what might be happening as more and more developers use LLMs and Frameworks to build on the web.
In October last year I wrote “will developers care about f...
aifoc.us
January 7, 2026 at 7:20 PM
Paul Kinlan's "Dead Framework Theory" will be rattling around in my head for awhile. I have definitely encountered the "React/Tailwind because AI" mindset. The entropy is hard to ignore. But ugh... it feels like we're tying our own shoelaces together and trying to run.
aifoc.us/dead-framewo...
aifoc.us/dead-framewo...
This video is such a treat: I’ve always wanted to roll my own renderer and this is a lovely intro to the essentials
Great to see this workflow. Just my style!
Not only is it great to see somebody so confident and comfortable in their editor, but also to explain what's going on so eloquently.
Essential viewing!
youtu.be/qjWkNZ0SXfo
Not only is it great to see somebody so confident and comfortable in their editor, but also to explain what's going on so eloquently.
Essential viewing!
youtu.be/qjWkNZ0SXfo
One Formula That Demystifies 3D Graphics
YouTube video by Tsoding
youtu.be
December 31, 2025 at 10:10 AM
This video is such a treat: I’ve always wanted to roll my own renderer and this is a lovely intro to the essentials
So much this: there is an entire cohort of us that have chosen Mozilla for years and desperately hope that it will return its focus to the values that inspired that trust
you can call me naive, but I still have hopes for Mozilla to be more reponsible than most, and hope they will do it hypeless, opt-in (actually) and focused on harm mitigation.
December 27, 2025 at 12:50 PM
So much this: there is an entire cohort of us that have chosen Mozilla for years and desperately hope that it will return its focus to the values that inspired that trust
Reposted by James Holwell
✏️ Dear Mozilla, I don't want an “Al kill switch”, I want a more responsible approach for all
a new blog post! (*I do want the kill switch, but responsible rollout matters even more in the grand scheme of things)
hidde.blog/mozilla-ai-k...
a new blog post! (*I do want the kill switch, but responsible rollout matters even more in the grand scheme of things)
hidde.blog/mozilla-ai-k...
Dear Mozilla, I don't want an “Al kill switch”, I want a more responsible approach for all
My concern is that Mozilla is _too_ excited about a technology that has inherent downsides and ethical problems, and I would like to see better defaults and clearer risk mitigations.
hidde.blog
December 27, 2025 at 12:05 PM
✏️ Dear Mozilla, I don't want an “Al kill switch”, I want a more responsible approach for all
a new blog post! (*I do want the kill switch, but responsible rollout matters even more in the grand scheme of things)
hidde.blog/mozilla-ai-k...
a new blog post! (*I do want the kill switch, but responsible rollout matters even more in the grand scheme of things)
hidde.blog/mozilla-ai-k...
Reposted by James Holwell
December 20, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Reposted by James Holwell
this field biologist does a great job highlighting the insidiousness of AI editing
these one-click AI edit buttons are incredibly appealing to many photographers, amateurs and professionals alike, and are framed as innocuous
this is worth sharing and educating people about
these one-click AI edit buttons are incredibly appealing to many photographers, amateurs and professionals alike, and are framed as innocuous
this is worth sharing and educating people about
December 15, 2025 at 2:21 AM
this field biologist does a great job highlighting the insidiousness of AI editing
these one-click AI edit buttons are incredibly appealing to many photographers, amateurs and professionals alike, and are framed as innocuous
this is worth sharing and educating people about
these one-click AI edit buttons are incredibly appealing to many photographers, amateurs and professionals alike, and are framed as innocuous
this is worth sharing and educating people about
I just completed all 12 days of Advent of Code 2025! #AdventOfCode adventofcode.com
As ever, heartfelt gratitude to @was.tl for continuing to provide festive puzzles for our enjoyment
As ever, heartfelt gratitude to @was.tl for continuing to provide festive puzzles for our enjoyment
Advent of Code 2025
adventofcode.com
December 12, 2025 at 12:01 PM
I just completed all 12 days of Advent of Code 2025! #AdventOfCode adventofcode.com
As ever, heartfelt gratitude to @was.tl for continuing to provide festive puzzles for our enjoyment
As ever, heartfelt gratitude to @was.tl for continuing to provide festive puzzles for our enjoyment
In other, unrelated news, the Oxford Word of the Year 2025 is rage bait
corp.oup.com/news/the-oxf...
corp.oup.com/news/the-oxf...
December 7, 2025 at 8:35 AM
In other, unrelated news, the Oxford Word of the Year 2025 is rage bait
corp.oup.com/news/the-oxf...
corp.oup.com/news/the-oxf...
Reposted by James Holwell
Picard management tip: Give the most interesting assignments to other crew members, not yourself. That's how people stay engaged.
December 4, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Picard management tip: Give the most interesting assignments to other crew members, not yourself. That's how people stay engaged.
Reposted by James Holwell
Ha! This is brilliant :-)
"One of my chefs mentioned that if they could cook the steak on the grill they could get it right the first time. This is not an acceptable attitude in the microwave era."
www.colincornaby.me/2025/08/in-t...
"One of my chefs mentioned that if they could cook the steak on the grill they could get it right the first time. This is not an acceptable attitude in the microwave era."
www.colincornaby.me/2025/08/in-t...
In the Future All Food Will Be Cooked in a Microwave, and if You Can’t Deal With That Then You Need to Get Out of the Kitchen
Update 8/8/2025 – I wrote this the day before a certain post by a popular developer services company. I’ve seen some comments this is a rebuttal – it wasn’t meant to be! But…
www.colincornaby.me
December 4, 2025 at 7:27 AM
Ha! This is brilliant :-)
"One of my chefs mentioned that if they could cook the steak on the grill they could get it right the first time. This is not an acceptable attitude in the microwave era."
www.colincornaby.me/2025/08/in-t...
"One of my chefs mentioned that if they could cook the steak on the grill they could get it right the first time. This is not an acceptable attitude in the microwave era."
www.colincornaby.me/2025/08/in-t...
Reposted by James Holwell
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
November 30, 2025 at 5:15 AM
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Reposted by James Holwell
For those near Oxford (UK) - we have our December @dotnetoxford.com lighting talk event on the 9th... www.meetup.com/dotnetoxford... #dotnet
Christmas Lightning Talks, Tue, Dec 9, 2025, 6:45 PM | Meetup
This is our Christmas event, where our amazing sponsors Corriculo (https://corriculo.co.uk) bring lots of Christmasy things like mulled wine, minced pies, etc 🎄🍷 (on top
www.meetup.com
November 29, 2025 at 5:32 PM
For those near Oxford (UK) - we have our December @dotnetoxford.com lighting talk event on the 9th... www.meetup.com/dotnetoxford... #dotnet
Reposted by James Holwell
i’m not crying you’re crying
xkcd: Fifteen Years
xkcd: Fifteen Years
Fifteen Years
xkcd.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:58 AM
i’m not crying you’re crying
xkcd: Fifteen Years
xkcd: Fifteen Years
Reposted by James Holwell
I actually like this a lot. Don’t hire jerks. (I’ll save you a click: she asks the receptionist whether the candidates treated them well. I agree that it speaks volumes.) www.cnbc.com/2025/11/05/f...
Former Netflix chief talent officer: The No. 1 red flag that signals a 'disastrous' hire
"How'd they treat you?" Former Netflix chief talent officer Jessica Neal asked the receptionist this question about every candidate after they interviewed.
www.cnbc.com
November 22, 2025 at 11:32 PM
I actually like this a lot. Don’t hire jerks. (I’ll save you a click: she asks the receptionist whether the candidates treated them well. I agree that it speaks volumes.) www.cnbc.com/2025/11/05/f...
Reposted by James Holwell
ChatGPT’s signature writing style is everywhere now, and I hate it. It reminds me of when we tried mixing all the beverages at the soda fountain in middle school. We didn’t actually create the perfect drink, we just made a cloying monstrosity that lost everything good about its constituent parts.
November 19, 2025 at 5:17 PM
ChatGPT’s signature writing style is everywhere now, and I hate it. It reminds me of when we tried mixing all the beverages at the soda fountain in middle school. We didn’t actually create the perfect drink, we just made a cloying monstrosity that lost everything good about its constituent parts.
Reposted by James Holwell
I made a joke in my main Discord server about DOOM E1M1 being in a major key and @abigbagofkeys.sickonedude.com actually made it. Jesus fucking Christ listen to this hahahaha
November 14, 2025 at 1:47 PM
I made a joke in my main Discord server about DOOM E1M1 being in a major key and @abigbagofkeys.sickonedude.com actually made it. Jesus fucking Christ listen to this hahahaha
Reposted by James Holwell
Tropico (2001)
November 11, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Tropico (2001)
Reposted by James Holwell
i would rather have a machine that can solve a problem in a way where it is possible to verify the result. as opposed to a machine that can have anxiety and depression
November 9, 2025 at 1:49 PM
i would rather have a machine that can solve a problem in a way where it is possible to verify the result. as opposed to a machine that can have anxiety and depression
Reposted by James Holwell
Mozilla deployed an AI bot that overwrote 20 years of volunteer Japanese translations, without consultation. JP community leader resigned, and the offer from Mozilla is to "hop on a quick call to understand why they're struggling". FFS.
HN discussion: news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4583...
HN discussion: news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4583...
End of Japanese community | Hacker News
news.ycombinator.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:57 AM
Mozilla deployed an AI bot that overwrote 20 years of volunteer Japanese translations, without consultation. JP community leader resigned, and the offer from Mozilla is to "hop on a quick call to understand why they're struggling". FFS.
HN discussion: news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4583...
HN discussion: news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4583...