Frank van Puffelen
@puf.io
People + Tech = 🎉
🇳🇱 NL born, 🌁 SF based
Currently: FlutterFlow 💜
Previously: Firebase & Flutter @ Google 🔥💙
🇳🇱 NL born, 🌁 SF based
Currently: FlutterFlow 💜
Previously: Firebase & Flutter @ Google 🔥💙
If everything goes well when you're presenting live on stage, you might as well have sent a video recording.
Embrace whatever happens. There are no failures, just shared experiences.
#DevRelThings
Embrace whatever happens. There are no failures, just shared experiences.
#DevRelThings
December 31, 2025 at 10:14 PM
If everything goes well when you're presenting live on stage, you might as well have sent a video recording.
Embrace whatever happens. There are no failures, just shared experiences.
#DevRelThings
Embrace whatever happens. There are no failures, just shared experiences.
#DevRelThings
🏜️🦈 Large sculptures keep appearing at more places in San Francisco, and I love it! 😍
This is Desert Shark, originally made for Burning Man in 2022, but just now landed at Pier 45 on Embarcadero, right in from of Musée Mécanique.
More on: puf.io/socials/2025-...
This is Desert Shark, originally made for Burning Man in 2022, but just now landed at Pier 45 on Embarcadero, right in from of Musée Mécanique.
More on: puf.io/socials/2025-...
December 30, 2025 at 7:31 PM
🏜️🦈 Large sculptures keep appearing at more places in San Francisco, and I love it! 😍
This is Desert Shark, originally made for Burning Man in 2022, but just now landed at Pier 45 on Embarcadero, right in from of Musée Mécanique.
More on: puf.io/socials/2025-...
This is Desert Shark, originally made for Burning Man in 2022, but just now landed at Pier 45 on Embarcadero, right in from of Musée Mécanique.
More on: puf.io/socials/2025-...
📚 I love reading, and track my reads on GoodReads 🎁
In 2025 I read 66 books for a total of almost 25 thousand pages.
Longest read was a Sanderson (not surprising), shortest a Murderbot story, and the average book length was... well average. :)
Read on... 👇
1/3
In 2025 I read 66 books for a total of almost 25 thousand pages.
Longest read was a Sanderson (not surprising), shortest a Murderbot story, and the average book length was... well average. :)
Read on... 👇
1/3
December 29, 2025 at 12:29 AM
📚 I love reading, and track my reads on GoodReads 🎁
In 2025 I read 66 books for a total of almost 25 thousand pages.
Longest read was a Sanderson (not surprising), shortest a Murderbot story, and the average book length was... well average. :)
Read on... 👇
1/3
In 2025 I read 66 books for a total of almost 25 thousand pages.
Longest read was a Sanderson (not surprising), shortest a Murderbot story, and the average book length was... well average. :)
Read on... 👇
1/3
I wrote most of the code in my career with this quote in the back of my mind:
“Always code as if the guy who ends up maintaining your code will be a violent psychopath who knows where you live”
― John Woods
Runner up and links below 👇🧵
1/2
“Always code as if the guy who ends up maintaining your code will be a violent psychopath who knows where you live”
― John Woods
Runner up and links below 👇🧵
1/2
December 28, 2025 at 5:03 PM
I wrote most of the code in my career with this quote in the back of my mind:
“Always code as if the guy who ends up maintaining your code will be a violent psychopath who knows where you live”
― John Woods
Runner up and links below 👇🧵
1/2
“Always code as if the guy who ends up maintaining your code will be a violent psychopath who knows where you live”
― John Woods
Runner up and links below 👇🧵
1/2
The holidays are always festive around Union Square (San Francisco)! 🎄🌁
Eight oversized ornaments now line Powell Street, leading up to the 83-foot Christmas tree and ice rink.
If you're in SF this season, take a festive stroll.
More on: puf.io/socials/2025-...
Eight oversized ornaments now line Powell Street, leading up to the 83-foot Christmas tree and ice rink.
If you're in SF this season, take a festive stroll.
More on: puf.io/socials/2025-...
December 27, 2025 at 9:09 PM
The holidays are always festive around Union Square (San Francisco)! 🎄🌁
Eight oversized ornaments now line Powell Street, leading up to the 83-foot Christmas tree and ice rink.
If you're in SF this season, take a festive stroll.
More on: puf.io/socials/2025-...
Eight oversized ornaments now line Powell Street, leading up to the 83-foot Christmas tree and ice rink.
If you're in SF this season, take a festive stroll.
More on: puf.io/socials/2025-...
📚 Just finished Armageddon (my 13th book in the Awaken Online universe). A VR game world ruled by AI, now bringing all major arcs together in one huge showdown. Still a page-turner, but it’s feeling a bit too Marvel now - epic fights, less plot.
Rating and links 👇
1/2
Rating and links 👇
1/2
December 27, 2025 at 12:35 PM
📚 Just finished Armageddon (my 13th book in the Awaken Online universe). A VR game world ruled by AI, now bringing all major arcs together in one huge showdown. Still a page-turner, but it’s feeling a bit too Marvel now - epic fights, less plot.
Rating and links 👇
1/2
Rating and links 👇
1/2
📖 🇳🇱 🏠 The Dutch House is an interesting fictional, historic drama. Loved the first half, but the second half dragged with too much reflection. Solid narration by Tom Hanks - fitting, not flashy.
★★★☆☆
Full review: puf.io/books/the-dut...
★★★☆☆
Full review: puf.io/books/the-dut...
December 26, 2025 at 1:32 AM
📖 🇳🇱 🏠 The Dutch House is an interesting fictional, historic drama. Loved the first half, but the second half dragged with too much reflection. Solid narration by Tom Hanks - fitting, not flashy.
★★★☆☆
Full review: puf.io/books/the-dut...
★★★☆☆
Full review: puf.io/books/the-dut...
📕🧑💻 This Is for Everyone by Tim Berners-Lee is a fascinating origin story by the inventor or the web, but I wished for more tech, and less ceremony. Still, a meaningful read for anyone in tech.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
★★★☆☆
Full review: puf.io/books/this-is...
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
★★★☆☆
Full review: puf.io/books/this-is...
December 25, 2025 at 6:08 PM
📕🧑💻 This Is for Everyone by Tim Berners-Lee is a fascinating origin story by the inventor or the web, but I wished for more tech, and less ceremony. Still, a meaningful read for anyone in tech.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
★★★☆☆
Full review: puf.io/books/this-is...
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
★★★☆☆
Full review: puf.io/books/this-is...
With all the (valid) noise around the security holes that vibe coding may introduce, I went back to double check some of my recent commits for SQL injection and XSS problems.
This first one looks fine at least... 😅
For those wondering: that's Dart code. 💙
This first one looks fine at least... 😅
For those wondering: that's Dart code. 💙
December 23, 2025 at 11:35 PM
With all the (valid) noise around the security holes that vibe coding may introduce, I went back to double check some of my recent commits for SQL injection and XSS problems.
This first one looks fine at least... 😅
For those wondering: that's Dart code. 💙
This first one looks fine at least... 😅
For those wondering: that's Dart code. 💙
At the Dutch Pinball Museum in Rotterdam today, wearing my Firebase holiday sweater.
Whether/whatever you celebrate in this period: happy holidays/solstice everyone! 🎉
Whether/whatever you celebrate in this period: happy holidays/solstice everyone! 🎉
December 23, 2025 at 2:38 PM
At the Dutch Pinball Museum in Rotterdam today, wearing my Firebase holiday sweater.
Whether/whatever you celebrate in this period: happy holidays/solstice everyone! 🎉
Whether/whatever you celebrate in this period: happy holidays/solstice everyone! 🎉
I read For We Are Many (Bobiverse #2) by Dennis E. Taylor - about a man who becomes an AI﹠helps guide humanity across the galaxy. Still fun﹠fast-paced, but I found some arcs more compelling than others. Wished for more depth.
★★★☆☆
Full review: puf.io/books/for-we-...
★★★☆☆
Full review: puf.io/books/for-we-...
December 21, 2025 at 11:27 PM
I read For We Are Many (Bobiverse #2) by Dennis E. Taylor - about a man who becomes an AI﹠helps guide humanity across the galaxy. Still fun﹠fast-paced, but I found some arcs more compelling than others. Wished for more depth.
★★★☆☆
Full review: puf.io/books/for-we-...
★★★☆☆
Full review: puf.io/books/for-we-...
📖🚀 Finally started the Bobiverse book series after sitting on it for a while. It’s about a guy who dies, becomes a 22nd century AI, and explores space. Nerdy and ambitious sci-fi.
Book 1 kicks it off with space exploration, identity questions, and rapid tech development.
1/2
Book 1 kicks it off with space exploration, identity questions, and rapid tech development.
1/2
December 21, 2025 at 6:26 PM
📖🚀 Finally started the Bobiverse book series after sitting on it for a while. It’s about a guy who dies, becomes a 22nd century AI, and explores space. Nerdy and ambitious sci-fi.
Book 1 kicks it off with space exploration, identity questions, and rapid tech development.
1/2
Book 1 kicks it off with space exploration, identity questions, and rapid tech development.
1/2
📚✨ Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop is a quiet, feel-good novel that touches on themes of slowing down, stepping away from others’ expectations, and finding comfort in small things. Short chapters, thoughtful pace.
★★★★☆
Full review here: puf.io/books/welcome...
★★★★☆
Full review here: puf.io/books/welcome...
December 21, 2025 at 1:51 AM
📚✨ Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop is a quiet, feel-good novel that touches on themes of slowing down, stepping away from others’ expectations, and finding comfort in small things. Short chapters, thoughtful pace.
★★★★☆
Full review here: puf.io/books/welcome...
★★★★☆
Full review here: puf.io/books/welcome...
Firestore scales wonderfully for reads, but not so much for aggregations/counts.
Have a huge collection and want to know roughly how many docs are in it?
⒈ If document IDs are uniformly distributed
⒉ Read 100-200 document IDs
⒊ Do some math 🧮🪄
puf.io/posts/firesto...
Have a huge collection and want to know roughly how many docs are in it?
⒈ If document IDs are uniformly distributed
⒉ Read 100-200 document IDs
⒊ Do some math 🧮🪄
puf.io/posts/firesto...
December 20, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Firestore scales wonderfully for reads, but not so much for aggregations/counts.
Have a huge collection and want to know roughly how many docs are in it?
⒈ If document IDs are uniformly distributed
⒉ Read 100-200 document IDs
⒊ Do some math 🧮🪄
puf.io/posts/firesto...
Have a huge collection and want to know roughly how many docs are in it?
⒈ If document IDs are uniformly distributed
⒉ Read 100-200 document IDs
⒊ Do some math 🧮🪄
puf.io/posts/firesto...
> "We've built this mythology around Al like it's a sentient co-worker. It's not. It's a tool, a new kind of hammer. The question isn't what Al can do — it's what you'll do with it." - puf
Listen to the entire podcast on @VGVentures:
Listen to the entire podcast on @VGVentures:
Frank van Puffelen, Puf — Low-Code, No Fear: Building the Future of Apps With Flutter and LLMs | Very Good Ventures
🗣️ Great engineering starts with great communication.
We just dropped a new #BuildToSucceed episode, where we chat with Frank van Puffelen “Puf” about how storytelling, mentorship, and clear communication shape better engineering outcomes.
Puf shares how understanding the why behind every line of code helps teams move faster, collaborate better, and build products that truly connect with users.
Check out the full episode here → https://hubs.ly/Q03ST1270
#Flutter #Firebase #DevRel #DeveloperCommunity
www.linkedin.com
December 19, 2025 at 8:21 PM
> "We've built this mythology around Al like it's a sentient co-worker. It's not. It's a tool, a new kind of hammer. The question isn't what Al can do — it's what you'll do with it." - puf
Listen to the entire podcast on @VGVentures:
Listen to the entire podcast on @VGVentures:
New to Firestore and can't explain the document read count from your code? 😬
This usually happens when you keep the Firestore console open during development, as the console also causes charged reads. Close the console to measure just your code.
👇🧵
1/2
This usually happens when you keep the Firestore console open during development, as the console also causes charged reads. Close the console to measure just your code.
👇🧵
1/2
December 18, 2025 at 10:42 PM
New to Firestore and can't explain the document read count from your code? 😬
This usually happens when you keep the Firestore console open during development, as the console also causes charged reads. Close the console to measure just your code.
👇🧵
1/2
This usually happens when you keep the Firestore console open during development, as the console also causes charged reads. Close the console to measure just your code.
👇🧵
1/2
🤯 When the Flutter team does a big YouTube update a day before your "Flutter Highlights of 2025" talk!
💙 All is in good shape now though, so...
🌉 if you're in SF and love Flutter, join me tonight to Flutter Into The Holidays
🎁 Meetup link in first comment 👇
1/2
💙 All is in good shape now though, so...
🌉 if you're in SF and love Flutter, join me tonight to Flutter Into The Holidays
🎁 Meetup link in first comment 👇
1/2
December 18, 2025 at 7:42 PM
🤯 When the Flutter team does a big YouTube update a day before your "Flutter Highlights of 2025" talk!
💙 All is in good shape now though, so...
🌉 if you're in SF and love Flutter, join me tonight to Flutter Into The Holidays
🎁 Meetup link in first comment 👇
1/2
💙 All is in good shape now though, so...
🌉 if you're in SF and love Flutter, join me tonight to Flutter Into The Holidays
🎁 Meetup link in first comment 👇
1/2
🌁⛪️🎥 Saw Aura at Grace Cathedral last week: a 45-minute burst of light, music, and projection mapping that turns the whole cathedral into a living canvas. Stunning use of the space. I really enjoyed this one, so check it out.
December 18, 2025 at 4:08 PM
🌁⛪️🎥 Saw Aura at Grace Cathedral last week: a 45-minute burst of light, music, and projection mapping that turns the whole cathedral into a living canvas. Stunning use of the space. I really enjoyed this one, so check it out.
Continuing to have fun with nano banana... 🔬🍌➡️🖼️
December 18, 2025 at 2:22 AM
Continuing to have fun with nano banana... 🔬🍌➡️🖼️
Annoying UI anti-pattern:
1. You reply to an existing message
2. The reply text box is *under* the original message
3. The button to submit is *above* the original message
And now I have to think, before I click that button. 🤔
I get mobile UI and all, but… seriously… WHY?
1. You reply to an existing message
2. The reply text box is *under* the original message
3. The button to submit is *above* the original message
And now I have to think, before I click that button. 🤔
I get mobile UI and all, but… seriously… WHY?
December 17, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Annoying UI anti-pattern:
1. You reply to an existing message
2. The reply text box is *under* the original message
3. The button to submit is *above* the original message
And now I have to think, before I click that button. 🤔
I get mobile UI and all, but… seriously… WHY?
1. You reply to an existing message
2. The reply text box is *under* the original message
3. The button to submit is *above* the original message
And now I have to think, before I click that button. 🤔
I get mobile UI and all, but… seriously… WHY?
For a recent article I wrote an intro that was a bit longer than I aimed for, so I wanted to make it collapsible. It turns out the <details> tag does precisely that, no JS needed.
HTML is the gift that keeps on giving.
HTML is the gift that keeps on giving.
<details>: The Details disclosure element - HTML | MDN
The <details> HTML element creates a disclosure widget in which information is visible only when the widget is toggled into an open state. A summary or label must be provided using the <summary> element.
developer.mozilla.org
December 17, 2025 at 2:18 AM
For a recent article I wrote an intro that was a bit longer than I aimed for, so I wanted to make it collapsible. It turns out the <details> tag does precisely that, no JS needed.
HTML is the gift that keeps on giving.
HTML is the gift that keeps on giving.
📕🧑💻 This Is for Everyone by Tim Berners-Lee is a fascinating origin story by the inventor or the web, but I wished for more tech, and less ceremony. Still, a meaningful read for anyone in tech.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
★★★☆☆
Full review: puf.io/books/this-is...
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
★★★☆☆
Full review: puf.io/books/this-is...
December 16, 2025 at 9:03 PM
📕🧑💻 This Is for Everyone by Tim Berners-Lee is a fascinating origin story by the inventor or the web, but I wished for more tech, and less ceremony. Still, a meaningful read for anyone in tech.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
★★★☆☆
Full review: puf.io/books/this-is...
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
★★★☆☆
Full review: puf.io/books/this-is...
"Effective enterprises delegate decision making to the lowest level possible, because obviously decisions should be made by the people most closely involved in the work. Management is there as a tie breaker." - Gordon Moore
December 16, 2025 at 1:13 AM
"Effective enterprises delegate decision making to the lowest level possible, because obviously decisions should be made by the people most closely involved in the work. Management is there as a tie breaker." - Gordon Moore
🏜️🦈 Large sculptures keep appearing at more places in San Francisco, and I love it! 😍
This is Desert Shark, originally made for Burning Man in 2022, but just now landed at Pier 45 on Embarcadero, right in from of Musée Mécanique.
More on: puf.io/socials/2025-...
This is Desert Shark, originally made for Burning Man in 2022, but just now landed at Pier 45 on Embarcadero, right in from of Musée Mécanique.
More on: puf.io/socials/2025-...
December 15, 2025 at 4:19 PM
🏜️🦈 Large sculptures keep appearing at more places in San Francisco, and I love it! 😍
This is Desert Shark, originally made for Burning Man in 2022, but just now landed at Pier 45 on Embarcadero, right in from of Musée Mécanique.
More on: puf.io/socials/2025-...
This is Desert Shark, originally made for Burning Man in 2022, but just now landed at Pier 45 on Embarcadero, right in from of Musée Mécanique.
More on: puf.io/socials/2025-...
I don't often make edits/suggestions on Google Maps. 📍
But when I do, 60% of the time it works every time. 😂
But when I do, 60% of the time it works every time. 😂
December 15, 2025 at 2:40 AM
I don't often make edits/suggestions on Google Maps. 📍
But when I do, 60% of the time it works every time. 😂
But when I do, 60% of the time it works every time. 😂