Nate Roling
@nateroling.bsky.social
Senior Software Engineer at OpenGov
Reposted by Nate Roling
When I arrive at the party
November 19, 2025 at 5:53 AM
When I arrive at the party
Reposted by Nate Roling
The 'fun' icebreaker questions in team meetings often prompt existential crises. Today: "What's your long-term goal?" Uh... survive the next decade without having a breakdown? Find at least the occasional moment of joy?
November 7, 2025 at 4:13 PM
The 'fun' icebreaker questions in team meetings often prompt existential crises. Today: "What's your long-term goal?" Uh... survive the next decade without having a breakdown? Find at least the occasional moment of joy?
Reposted by Nate Roling
If you are confident that a boat near Venezuela is carrying drugs, you stop it and board it. That way, you have evidence.
If you don't really care if a boat near Venezuela is carrying drugs, but you just want to kill people, you blow the boat up. That way, the irrelevant evidence is gone.
If you don't really care if a boat near Venezuela is carrying drugs, but you just want to kill people, you blow the boat up. That way, the irrelevant evidence is gone.
October 19, 2025 at 9:13 PM
If you are confident that a boat near Venezuela is carrying drugs, you stop it and board it. That way, you have evidence.
If you don't really care if a boat near Venezuela is carrying drugs, but you just want to kill people, you blow the boat up. That way, the irrelevant evidence is gone.
If you don't really care if a boat near Venezuela is carrying drugs, but you just want to kill people, you blow the boat up. That way, the irrelevant evidence is gone.
Reposted by Nate Roling
This morning my ChatGPT quota was inexplicably exhausted.
It took a while but I pieced it together. Voice mode somehow got activated when I went to bed.
The bot then engaged in a 10 hour conversation with my snoring dog, answering questions the pup wasn’t asking and praising him for his insight.
It took a while but I pieced it together. Voice mode somehow got activated when I went to bed.
The bot then engaged in a 10 hour conversation with my snoring dog, answering questions the pup wasn’t asking and praising him for his insight.
October 18, 2025 at 9:04 AM
This morning my ChatGPT quota was inexplicably exhausted.
It took a while but I pieced it together. Voice mode somehow got activated when I went to bed.
The bot then engaged in a 10 hour conversation with my snoring dog, answering questions the pup wasn’t asking and praising him for his insight.
It took a while but I pieced it together. Voice mode somehow got activated when I went to bed.
The bot then engaged in a 10 hour conversation with my snoring dog, answering questions the pup wasn’t asking and praising him for his insight.
Are the left-wing terrorist groups in the room with us right now, Stephen?
Give me a fucking break.
Give me a fucking break.
October 4, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Are the left-wing terrorist groups in the room with us right now, Stephen?
Give me a fucking break.
Give me a fucking break.
“That’s how I spent the summer of 2014 as a counselor at a camp for 17-year-olds, even though I could have easily known that job would require activities that I hated, like being around 17-year-olds.”
Face it: you're a crazy person
OR: why your brain needs a boxcutter
www.experimental-history.com
September 22, 2025 at 4:36 PM
“That’s how I spent the summer of 2014 as a counselor at a camp for 17-year-olds, even though I could have easily known that job would require activities that I hated, like being around 17-year-olds.”
Totally fascinating stuff.
<CR><LF> exists because teletypes were physically too slow to do a newline and immediately type another character, so we made it require two characters to give it time to catch up. Insane in the best way.
<CR><LF> exists because teletypes were physically too slow to do a newline and immediately type another character, so we made it require two characters to give it time to catch up. Insane in the best way.
The day Return became Enter
A deep dive into the convoluted and fascinating story of one of the most important keys on the keyboard
aresluna.org
September 21, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Totally fascinating stuff.
<CR><LF> exists because teletypes were physically too slow to do a newline and immediately type another character, so we made it require two characters to give it time to catch up. Insane in the best way.
<CR><LF> exists because teletypes were physically too slow to do a newline and immediately type another character, so we made it require two characters to give it time to catch up. Insane in the best way.
Reposted by Nate Roling
Calling out political extremists for being hypocritical (“they claim to value free speech, but actually try to censor speech they don’t like!”) is like calling out a football team for playing both offense and defense. They’re not trying to embody fixed standards, they’re just trying to win.
September 14, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Calling out political extremists for being hypocritical (“they claim to value free speech, but actually try to censor speech they don’t like!”) is like calling out a football team for playing both offense and defense. They’re not trying to embody fixed standards, they’re just trying to win.
I grew up on Rush Limbaugh making liberals out to be really terrible people. I would absolutely listen to a podcast that just rants about the actual terrible things the right wing has going on.
Just pick something terrible and tear it apart. KKK shit, Nazi shit, eugenics, megachurches, all of it.
Just pick something terrible and tear it apart. KKK shit, Nazi shit, eugenics, megachurches, all of it.
June 11, 2025 at 3:42 AM
I grew up on Rush Limbaugh making liberals out to be really terrible people. I would absolutely listen to a podcast that just rants about the actual terrible things the right wing has going on.
Just pick something terrible and tear it apart. KKK shit, Nazi shit, eugenics, megachurches, all of it.
Just pick something terrible and tear it apart. KKK shit, Nazi shit, eugenics, megachurches, all of it.
Stephen Miller really is just a terrible person, wow:
www.npr.org/2020/08/24/9...
www.npr.org/2020/08/24/9...
'Hatemonger' Paints Trump Advisor Stephen Miller As A 'Case Study In Radicalization'
Miller has been seen as a link between the white nationalist agenda and the Trump White House. Journalist Jean Guerrero traces the origins of Miller's anti-immigrant policies in a new book.
www.npr.org
June 11, 2025 at 3:40 AM
Stephen Miller really is just a terrible person, wow:
www.npr.org/2020/08/24/9...
www.npr.org/2020/08/24/9...
Reposted by Nate Roling
Iowa’s economy is in a downturn, led by a decade of insiders looking out for their friends. Now our state is 49th in economic growth as a result. Iowans deserve a Governor who will put them first.
May 23, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Iowa’s economy is in a downturn, led by a decade of insiders looking out for their friends. Now our state is 49th in economic growth as a result. Iowans deserve a Governor who will put them first.
Reposted by Nate Roling
Reposted by Nate Roling
A code generation tool that gets you 80-90% of the way there is like a boat that gets you 80-90% of the way.
You'll need to be a strong swimmer.
You'll need to be a strong swimmer.
March 25, 2025 at 8:26 AM
A code generation tool that gets you 80-90% of the way there is like a boat that gets you 80-90% of the way.
You'll need to be a strong swimmer.
You'll need to be a strong swimmer.
Reposted by Nate Roling
Nothing feels worse than finding out everyone else in the group chat made a new group chat without you because they’re planning a war you aren’t invited to
March 25, 2025 at 1:53 AM
Nothing feels worse than finding out everyone else in the group chat made a new group chat without you because they’re planning a war you aren’t invited to
Today developers are using AI to build apps. Eventually that app layer is going to disappear. Every interaction with a computer will be an AI building an ephemeral “app” custom built for that one interaction.
Yeah I could see that eating up a good bit of compute.
Yeah I could see that eating up a good bit of compute.
Jevon’s Paradox: How AI Coding Tools Could Devour More Than They Save medium.com/intuitionmac...
Jevon’s Paradox: How AI Coding Tools Could Devour More Than They Save
In the humming labs of Silicon Valley and beyond, a quiet revolution is rewriting the rules of software development. Tools like Cursor…
medium.com
March 15, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Today developers are using AI to build apps. Eventually that app layer is going to disappear. Every interaction with a computer will be an AI building an ephemeral “app” custom built for that one interaction.
Yeah I could see that eating up a good bit of compute.
Yeah I could see that eating up a good bit of compute.
Reposted by Nate Roling
Hello, I’m a disruptor, very smart, here to create efficiency. I’m just going to drill holes in the bottom of this boat to see which parts of the hull are mission-critical.
March 12, 2025 at 10:19 AM
Hello, I’m a disruptor, very smart, here to create efficiency. I’m just going to drill holes in the bottom of this boat to see which parts of the hull are mission-critical.
Reposted by Nate Roling
Pac-Man 1, Generative AI 0
New essay showing how a simple 2d 1980 game gives lie to AI coding hype.
garymarcus.substack.com/p/ai-coding-...
New essay showing how a simple 2d 1980 game gives lie to AI coding hype.
garymarcus.substack.com/p/ai-coding-...
AI Coding Fantasy meets Pac-Man
Guess who won?
garymarcus.substack.com
March 12, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Pac-Man 1, Generative AI 0
New essay showing how a simple 2d 1980 game gives lie to AI coding hype.
garymarcus.substack.com/p/ai-coding-...
New essay showing how a simple 2d 1980 game gives lie to AI coding hype.
garymarcus.substack.com/p/ai-coding-...
Reposted by Nate Roling
PEOPLE OF BLUESKY! Ahhhhhh, it smells good here. Behold a trailer for season 2 of Poker Face! It’s gonna be a good one. May 8th on the almighty Peacock!
March 12, 2025 at 4:50 PM
PEOPLE OF BLUESKY! Ahhhhhh, it smells good here. Behold a trailer for season 2 of Poker Face! It’s gonna be a good one. May 8th on the almighty Peacock!
Reposted by Nate Roling
We’ve had three years of github copilot and two of chatgpt, both promising magical productivity gains for software dev, and the only change noticed by regular users is that everything keeps getting shittier, but now with more useless chatbots
March 10, 2025 at 10:09 AM
We’ve had three years of github copilot and two of chatgpt, both promising magical productivity gains for software dev, and the only change noticed by regular users is that everything keeps getting shittier, but now with more useless chatbots
Reposted by Nate Roling
My hobby is blackout poetry
March 5, 2025 at 5:20 PM
My hobby is blackout poetry
Reposted by Nate Roling
Once again I am suggesting that you break some rules for practice. Get comfortable with breaking rules. When the rules are hurting other people, the right thing to do is break them. We need people who follow their moral code over the rules of their society, university, employer, and government.
March 5, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Once again I am suggesting that you break some rules for practice. Get comfortable with breaking rules. When the rules are hurting other people, the right thing to do is break them. We need people who follow their moral code over the rules of their society, university, employer, and government.
Reposted by Nate Roling
Is there a single person who thinks political fundraising text messages do more good than harm to Democrats?
March 5, 2025 at 3:18 AM
Is there a single person who thinks political fundraising text messages do more good than harm to Democrats?
Reposted by Nate Roling
March 1, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Reposted by Nate Roling
I think it’s an interesting narrative strategy for Severance this season to make the first episode an all-time great episode and then keep making each subsequent episode better than the previous episode.
March 1, 2025 at 12:44 PM
I think it’s an interesting narrative strategy for Severance this season to make the first episode an all-time great episode and then keep making each subsequent episode better than the previous episode.
Reposted by Nate Roling
18f were a bunch of badasses who actually *did* make government more efficient in a way that actually worked. And they did it while also being good people who cared deeply for the work, for each other, and for the people that used it.
18F, a digital services unit inside the General Services Administration, has been completely laid off, according to an email I’ve seen. The email says that 18F was deemed “non-critical” and the decision was made with the “explicit” direction of the administration and GSA leadership.
March 1, 2025 at 12:10 PM
18f were a bunch of badasses who actually *did* make government more efficient in a way that actually worked. And they did it while also being good people who cared deeply for the work, for each other, and for the people that used it.