Phil Wolff
@philwolff.bsky.social
Aspiring mensch. Signal: philwolff.82
About a generation ago there was a huge movement to capture the expertise of skilled and knowledgeable employees in side of a company or other large organization in ways that could be reused. Sometimes in the form of manuals and documentation, or training programs and curriculum, or software. /1
I don’t talk about it much because the situation doesn’t really change but it’s still insane to me what an enormous amount of really talented game developers are out of work. just whole studios worth of incredible people, often people who worked on beloved games, unemployed.
October 23, 2025 at 10:23 PM
About a generation ago there was a huge movement to capture the expertise of skilled and knowledgeable employees in side of a company or other large organization in ways that could be reused. Sometimes in the form of manuals and documentation, or training programs and curriculum, or software. /1
Can you design or regulate 2026-era data centers for a productive retirement? Readily-recyclable aged compute and network gear? Repurposed physical spaces and real estate? Or will these become the next industrial abandonware, rusting, crumbling hulks like a new rustbelt?
Oh what’s that? They will depreciate at roughly 3 times the rate previously touted and require constant replacement and 2-3x the revenue to match initial expenditure?
AI Data Centers Are an Even Bigger Disaster Than Previously Thought
An investment manager realized he made a crucial mistake — and that his grim prediction about AI investments may not have been cynical enough.
futurism.com
October 11, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Can you design or regulate 2026-era data centers for a productive retirement? Readily-recyclable aged compute and network gear? Repurposed physical spaces and real estate? Or will these become the next industrial abandonware, rusting, crumbling hulks like a new rustbelt?
Reposted by Phil Wolff
Maybe someone you work with needs help talking to people or giving feedback.
www.eventbrite.com/e/presenting...
www.eventbrite.com/e/presenting...
Presenting Work with Confidence!
It doesn't matter how good your work is, if you can’t present it it's going in the trash. Come learn how to present with confidence.
www.eventbrite.com
October 8, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Maybe someone you work with needs help talking to people or giving feedback.
www.eventbrite.com/e/presenting...
www.eventbrite.com/e/presenting...
Reposted by Phil Wolff
If you are in the US military, this is your reminder that it is illegal to follow an unlawful order.
September 26, 2025 at 2:28 AM
If you are in the US military, this is your reminder that it is illegal to follow an unlawful order.
When companies hire back laid off humans (to fill the gap until... whenever) will workers #unionize? It will be a moment of employer vulnerability and labor opportunity. #aibacklash @carnage4life.bsky.social
Fearmongering about how AI will take people’s jobs just makes people hate the tech industry and will cause a backlash when people figure out LLMs aren’t that smart.
August 22, 2025 at 2:27 AM
When companies hire back laid off humans (to fill the gap until... whenever) will workers #unionize? It will be a moment of employer vulnerability and labor opportunity. #aibacklash @carnage4life.bsky.social
Reposted by Phil Wolff
Regular reminder that Skynet Sentience day is next Friday, on August 29th.
August 21, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Regular reminder that Skynet Sentience day is next Friday, on August 29th.
Reposted by Phil Wolff
Professional manga translators have adopted the tics of scanlators. Also the bar is pretty low considering the demand. Think this Rachel Thorn article from 2009 about the low quality of manga translation is a good read: web.archive.org/web/20140828...
On Translation
"Translations are like wives: the faithful ones are not beautiful, and the beautiful ones are not faithful." A horribly misogynistic quote to begin an essay with, I know, but it's a quote that has ...
web.archive.org
August 15, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Professional manga translators have adopted the tics of scanlators. Also the bar is pretty low considering the demand. Think this Rachel Thorn article from 2009 about the low quality of manga translation is a good read: web.archive.org/web/20140828...
A burning need for prompt engineering for real life situations with high stakes. Lawyers, judges, doctors, adjusters, police, plumbers, your kid's teachers... Not just for the ADHD/NA folks but for everyone. How do I get the best outcomes from this constrained interaction and avoid bad things?
I was thinking of client red flags: the things that, if a potential client does them, I start out suspicious and on my guard. Some of these are about honesty, some are about narcissism and personality, some are about capacity to take legal advice.
Here we go:
/1
Here we go:
/1
August 11, 2025 at 1:04 AM
A burning need for prompt engineering for real life situations with high stakes. Lawyers, judges, doctors, adjusters, police, plumbers, your kid's teachers... Not just for the ADHD/NA folks but for everyone. How do I get the best outcomes from this constrained interaction and avoid bad things?
I get the sense agentic stack users need something similar. @simonwillison.net
Kindergartners show up with a wide range of developmental and social skills. These classroom management strategies can help you set all of them up for success. 🏆
#kindergarten #EduSky #ClassroomManagement
#kindergarten #EduSky #ClassroomManagement
Kindergarten Classroom Management Strategies That Work
Children show up with a wide range of developmental and social skills, and these strategies can help teachers support them.
edut.to
August 11, 2025 at 12:56 AM
I get the sense agentic stack users need something similar. @simonwillison.net
Nobody ever names new variants "stupid, stupider, and stupidest". Or says "our bots suck less" or "we're doing a little less worse". There's plenty of accomplishment, no need for hyperbole. Maybe give equal weight to ongoing problems, shortcomings, concerns.
OpenAI’s new GPT-5 models have been announced early by GitHub. GPT-5 will come in four different variants, and will have "enhanced agentic capabilities" and handle "complex coding tasks with minimal prompting." Full details 👇 www.theverge.com/news/752091/...
OpenAI’s new GPT-5 models announced early by GitHub
GPT-5 looks set for a Thursday launch
www.theverge.com
August 7, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Nobody ever names new variants "stupid, stupider, and stupidest". Or says "our bots suck less" or "we're doing a little less worse". There's plenty of accomplishment, no need for hyperbole. Maybe give equal weight to ongoing problems, shortcomings, concerns.
"an industry that has no franchise value" means
# buy hard assets (data centers, infrastructure) when your human assets are depreciating fast.
# operate in the moment, for our future is fickle and we don't know where to steer the ship
# buy hard assets (data centers, infrastructure) when your human assets are depreciating fast.
# operate in the moment, for our future is fickle and we don't know where to steer the ship
Satya Nadella told employees that while Microsoft is “thriving by every objective measure,” layoffs are part of the pain of an “AI transformation.”
Balancing the old business with building a new AI focused one requires “unlearning,” “learning,” and it seems cutting 17K jobs along the way.
Balancing the old business with building a new AI focused one requires “unlearning,” “learning,” and it seems cutting 17K jobs along the way.
Recommitting to our why, what, and how - The Official Microsoft Blog
Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO, shared the below communication with Microsoft employees this morning. As we begin a new fiscal year, I’ve been reflecting on the road we’ve traveled together and the p...
blogs.microsoft.com
July 24, 2025 at 10:43 PM
"an industry that has no franchise value" means
# buy hard assets (data centers, infrastructure) when your human assets are depreciating fast.
# operate in the moment, for our future is fickle and we don't know where to steer the ship
# buy hard assets (data centers, infrastructure) when your human assets are depreciating fast.
# operate in the moment, for our future is fickle and we don't know where to steer the ship
Reposted by Phil Wolff
Well, quite. You need to catch up with the treatment backlog so we're not funneling so many people into underfunded disability and social care, rather than attacking them for not getting treatment.
Also fuck you for attacking trans healthcare
Also fuck you for attacking trans healthcare
Simply recovering our health service to where it was isn’t enough, we need to build an NHS that’s fit for the future to build a healthier, fairer Britain | ✍️ Wes Streeting
Wes Streeting: the NHS must embrace a tech revolution to thrive
www.thetimes.com
June 29, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Well, quite. You need to catch up with the treatment backlog so we're not funneling so many people into underfunded disability and social care, rather than attacking them for not getting treatment.
Also fuck you for attacking trans healthcare
Also fuck you for attacking trans healthcare
Reposted by Phil Wolff
Hot take: Mamma Mia! is the first film in the Eurovision Extended Universe
June 27, 2025 at 3:26 AM
Hot take: Mamma Mia! is the first film in the Eurovision Extended Universe
Reposted by Phil Wolff
Andry José Hernández Romero, I remember you, even if I do not know how to articulate my horror, rage, & sorrow at your treatment by my government.
No one has heard from you in 97 days.
As vigil, I’m posting a photo (or video) of you every day until you are returned from El Salvador.
No one has heard from you in 97 days.
As vigil, I’m posting a photo (or video) of you every day until you are returned from El Salvador.
June 20, 2025 at 12:38 AM
Andry José Hernández Romero, I remember you, even if I do not know how to articulate my horror, rage, & sorrow at your treatment by my government.
No one has heard from you in 97 days.
As vigil, I’m posting a photo (or video) of you every day until you are returned from El Salvador.
No one has heard from you in 97 days.
As vigil, I’m posting a photo (or video) of you every day until you are returned from El Salvador.
Reposted by Phil Wolff
"If your decentralised protocol is missing features, the market will add them with centralisation." — @goat.navy
*This*:
- is why why the web was captured;
- is why email became concentrated;
- is why ActivityPub, as defined today, isn't capture-resistant.
*This*:
- is why why the web was captured;
- is why email became concentrated;
- is why ActivityPub, as defined today, isn't capture-resistant.
June 13, 2025 at 1:38 PM
"If your decentralised protocol is missing features, the market will add them with centralisation." — @goat.navy
*This*:
- is why why the web was captured;
- is why email became concentrated;
- is why ActivityPub, as defined today, isn't capture-resistant.
*This*:
- is why why the web was captured;
- is why email became concentrated;
- is why ActivityPub, as defined today, isn't capture-resistant.
Reposted by Phil Wolff
A book about Bellingham pipeline explosion disaster is in the works.
Author Ron Holcomb worked as a public information officer and spill responder for the Washington Department of Ecology.
Read the full story by Ron Holcomb and Dean Kahn at the link below.
salish-current.org/.../pipeline...
Author Ron Holcomb worked as a public information officer and spill responder for the Washington Department of Ecology.
Read the full story by Ron Holcomb and Dean Kahn at the link below.
salish-current.org/.../pipeline...
Pipeline explosion: Book about Bellingham disaster is in the works
Author Ron Holcomb worked as a public information officer and spill responder for the Washington Department of Ecology.
salish-current.org
June 10, 2025 at 6:24 PM
A book about Bellingham pipeline explosion disaster is in the works.
Author Ron Holcomb worked as a public information officer and spill responder for the Washington Department of Ecology.
Read the full story by Ron Holcomb and Dean Kahn at the link below.
salish-current.org/.../pipeline...
Author Ron Holcomb worked as a public information officer and spill responder for the Washington Department of Ecology.
Read the full story by Ron Holcomb and Dean Kahn at the link below.
salish-current.org/.../pipeline...
@kenwhite.bsky.social Any military lawyers defending officers declining to follow unlawful orders?
June 8, 2025 at 3:45 AM
@kenwhite.bsky.social Any military lawyers defending officers declining to follow unlawful orders?
Reposted by Phil Wolff
I'm Dr. Annie Andrews. I’m a pediatrician, not a politician. But either way I know how to handle people who are full of sh*t.
Today I am announcing my campaign for US Senate to replace Lindsey Graham. Share this if you're with me.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8wM...
Today I am announcing my campaign for US Senate to replace Lindsey Graham. Share this if you're with me.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8wM...
Annie Andrews Launch Video: "Unafraid"
YouTube video by Annie Andrews
www.youtube.com
May 29, 2025 at 11:50 AM
I'm Dr. Annie Andrews. I’m a pediatrician, not a politician. But either way I know how to handle people who are full of sh*t.
Today I am announcing my campaign for US Senate to replace Lindsey Graham. Share this if you're with me.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8wM...
Today I am announcing my campaign for US Senate to replace Lindsey Graham. Share this if you're with me.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8wM...
This is holding up well but I missed #btw and #AI as cover for stockholders and execs taking power back from workers in 2024 and 2025. Symbolic hiring freezes, ritual layoffs of the experienced, thinning of expertise. With AI project errors, this is self-inflicted institutional dementia. #mgmt
2024 will continue the pervasive AI march. But by 2025 we'll see three countertrends.
First, consolidation as bigger players offer to replace a thousand niche vendors. Microsoft and Epic and Salesforce continue displacing startups through in-house dev and M&A.
First, consolidation as bigger players offer to replace a thousand niche vendors. Microsoft and Epic and Salesforce continue displacing startups through in-house dev and M&A.
i feel this at work constantly. Management purchased all these AI tools that feel like EA games where you have to pay for every lootbox or you cannot win.
May 20, 2025 at 1:15 AM
Reposted by Phil Wolff
Hold on let me try something, I love Boeing, I love when doors fly off the hinges when I am in a tube in the sky, I love the Qatari government, I call them “the Handsome Guys Who Don’t Do Corruption,” unrelatedly did you know there is no upper limit in the donation field at membership.theonion.com?
Join The Onion
Don’t just read the news. Feel it. Be among the first to feel the news.
membership.theonion.com
May 14, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Hold on let me try something, I love Boeing, I love when doors fly off the hinges when I am in a tube in the sky, I love the Qatari government, I call them “the Handsome Guys Who Don’t Do Corruption,” unrelatedly did you know there is no upper limit in the donation field at membership.theonion.com?
Reposted by Phil Wolff
corporation for public broadcasting has sued the trump administration
seen below, the lawyer representing cpb
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/29/b...
seen below, the lawyer representing cpb
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/29/b...
April 29, 2025 at 4:39 PM
corporation for public broadcasting has sued the trump administration
seen below, the lawyer representing cpb
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/29/b...
seen below, the lawyer representing cpb
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/29/b...
Reposted by Phil Wolff
National park workers led protests in more than 100 locations last weekend; did you know that letter carriers protested at more than 200? That’s not counting the #TeslaTakedown rallies and the Bernie Sanders/AOC giant rallies. The most interesting thread that I tease out in this week’s Connector...
March 26, 2025 at 5:31 PM
National park workers led protests in more than 100 locations last weekend; did you know that letter carriers protested at more than 200? That’s not counting the #TeslaTakedown rallies and the Bernie Sanders/AOC giant rallies. The most interesting thread that I tease out in this week’s Connector...
Reposted by Phil Wolff
New from Symphony: Bellingham Symphony Orchestra Celebrates 50 Years
Bellingham Symphony Orchestra Celebrates 50 Years - Symphony
dlvr.it
March 26, 2025 at 4:38 PM
New from Symphony: Bellingham Symphony Orchestra Celebrates 50 Years
Reposted by Phil Wolff
This made me smile. An old clip of Kamala Harris calling Americans who benefited from Affordable Care Act. 💙 This could and should've been our president - still hurts that we got pure evil instead. 😭 #ACA
March 22, 2025 at 1:35 PM
This made me smile. An old clip of Kamala Harris calling Americans who benefited from Affordable Care Act. 💙 This could and should've been our president - still hurts that we got pure evil instead. 😭 #ACA
Reposted by Phil Wolff
I know this first hand. When I was a child, my entire community was branded as spies and sabateurs, justifying our internment inside barbed wire camps for years without due process, trial or charge.
March 17, 2025 at 6:30 PM
I know this first hand. When I was a child, my entire community was branded as spies and sabateurs, justifying our internment inside barbed wire camps for years without due process, trial or charge.