James Bell
@sarcainian.bsky.social
(he/him) @sarcain@ruby.social (Mastodon)
Web head, reader, cook, rubyist and all that.
Web head, reader, cook, rubyist and all that.
Reposted by James Bell
as a professional software engineer you best believe my work is continvoucly morged back into develop
have a chuckle at this "Git flow" slop
might explain GitHub's recent outages
learn.microsoft.com/en-us/traini...
might explain GitHub's recent outages
learn.microsoft.com/en-us/traini...
Components of the GitHub flow - Training
Learn to use the components of the GitHub flow
learn.microsoft.com
February 16, 2026 at 7:47 PM
as a professional software engineer you best believe my work is continvoucly morged back into develop
Reposted by James Bell
Did you know that strawberries are not berries, and are actually mammals?
February 16, 2026 at 10:10 AM
Did you know that strawberries are not berries, and are actually mammals?
Reposted by James Bell
A sobering segment in the BBC’s build-up to Wales v France.
The WRU believe that they have support from the fans and players.
The Welsh rugby public say otherwise.
The WRU believe that they have support from the fans and players.
The Welsh rugby public say otherwise.
February 15, 2026 at 7:24 PM
A sobering segment in the BBC’s build-up to Wales v France.
The WRU believe that they have support from the fans and players.
The Welsh rugby public say otherwise.
The WRU believe that they have support from the fans and players.
The Welsh rugby public say otherwise.
Reposted by James Bell
I’ve picked up on an interesting vibe lately that pro-OSA and child safety groups are sussing that spending five years trying to rewrite the global internet (≠ platforms), whilst labelling anyone who criticised them pro-child abuse shills for Big Tech, achieved nothing.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Starmer pledges crackdown on 'addictive elements' of social media
The government's new plans will mean no online platform will get a
www.bbc.co.uk
February 16, 2026 at 6:37 AM
I’ve picked up on an interesting vibe lately that pro-OSA and child safety groups are sussing that spending five years trying to rewrite the global internet (≠ platforms), whilst labelling anyone who criticised them pro-child abuse shills for Big Tech, achieved nothing.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by James Bell
In as it hasn’t been posted here yet
Hollie Davidson is set to become the first woman ever to referee a French TOP 14 match in a TBC fixture after the Six Nations
Hollie Davidson is set to become the first woman ever to referee a French TOP 14 match in a TBC fixture after the Six Nations
February 9, 2026 at 2:11 PM
In as it hasn’t been posted here yet
Hollie Davidson is set to become the first woman ever to referee a French TOP 14 match in a TBC fixture after the Six Nations
Hollie Davidson is set to become the first woman ever to referee a French TOP 14 match in a TBC fixture after the Six Nations
Reposted by James Bell
Probably won’t be mentioned by most outlets. However, class of England to remain on the pitch for the trophy presentation.
February 14, 2026 at 9:48 PM
Probably won’t be mentioned by most outlets. However, class of England to remain on the pitch for the trophy presentation.
Reposted by James Bell
Roses are red
"Wordness" is debatable
So let's reconsider
How we use "untranslatable"
"Wordness" is debatable
So let's reconsider
How we use "untranslatable"
February 14, 2026 at 6:34 PM
Roses are red
"Wordness" is debatable
So let's reconsider
How we use "untranslatable"
"Wordness" is debatable
So let's reconsider
How we use "untranslatable"
Reposted by James Bell
roses are red
a deep pit's a chasm
hear fun language facts
at lingthusiasm
a deep pit's a chasm
hear fun language facts
at lingthusiasm
February 14, 2026 at 6:22 PM
Reposted by James Bell
Roses are red
Linguists are in anguish
That there aren't many words
Which rhyme well with language
#linguistics
Linguists are in anguish
That there aren't many words
Which rhyme well with language
#linguistics
February 14, 2026 at 6:16 PM
Roses are red
Linguists are in anguish
That there aren't many words
Which rhyme well with language
#linguistics
Linguists are in anguish
That there aren't many words
Which rhyme well with language
#linguistics
Reposted by James Bell
February 14, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Reposted by James Bell
IT'S HERE
February 13, 2026 at 9:57 PM
IT'S HERE
Reposted by James Bell
I'm trying to give indie TTRPGs some love on Polygon but it's tough because they don't do the sort of traffic as D&D stories. But one of the best part of my job is talking to game developers about their passion for the hobby. Here's a piece on Nimble: www.polygon.com/nimble-dunge...
D&D alternative Nimble returns to Kickstarter with a big expansion
Designer Evan Diaz talks about respecting everyone's time and making memories
www.polygon.com
February 13, 2026 at 9:46 AM
I'm trying to give indie TTRPGs some love on Polygon but it's tough because they don't do the sort of traffic as D&D stories. But one of the best part of my job is talking to game developers about their passion for the hobby. Here's a piece on Nimble: www.polygon.com/nimble-dunge...
Reposted by James Bell
was Pam Bondi trying to un-hibernate Auto-Tune the News?
February 13, 2026 at 6:52 PM
was Pam Bondi trying to un-hibernate Auto-Tune the News?
Reposted by James Bell
Please help with this, they don't even need to be good examples, feel free to send us the bad ones too! This is gonna take *years* but the more examples we have now the sooner we can start getting to the really detailed discussions.
Browser developers are working on custom form controls ( `appearance:base`), the next giant task is looming: customisable input type=date/datetime/color pickers.
These are huge and have wildly varied UI. Send me your examples, I'd love to see them and build up a body of these pickers.
These are huge and have wildly varied UI. Send me your examples, I'd love to see them and build up a body of these pickers.
February 13, 2026 at 10:08 AM
Please help with this, they don't even need to be good examples, feel free to send us the bad ones too! This is gonna take *years* but the more examples we have now the sooner we can start getting to the really detailed discussions.
Reposted by James Bell
I regret to inform you (and especially @cyberleagle.bsky.social) that the hackneyed fallacy of “the internet is an unregulated Wild West” is doing the rounds again, today, yes *after* the OSA.
news.sky.com/story/beth-r...
news.sky.com/story/beth-r...
Beth Rigby: The constant challenges I face keeping my kids safe in the new Wild West
Like millions of parents up and down the country, raising my kids amid the rise of social media, gaming platforms, and AI has been like navigating the Wild West. Can the government really do anything ...
news.sky.com
February 12, 2026 at 7:40 AM
I regret to inform you (and especially @cyberleagle.bsky.social) that the hackneyed fallacy of “the internet is an unregulated Wild West” is doing the rounds again, today, yes *after* the OSA.
news.sky.com/story/beth-r...
news.sky.com/story/beth-r...
Reposted by James Bell
So, the latest wave of LLM tools for coding enable building systems that abstract away the whole "coding" part entirely. If there are going to be software factories, how do you make them *worker-owned* factories? www.anildash.com/2026/02/11/c...
Coding agents as the new compilers - Anil Dash
A blog about making culture. Since 1999.
www.anildash.com
February 12, 2026 at 3:45 AM
So, the latest wave of LLM tools for coding enable building systems that abstract away the whole "coding" part entirely. If there are going to be software factories, how do you make them *worker-owned* factories? www.anildash.com/2026/02/11/c...
Reposted by James Bell
100 passports left for London. Get them at the next LRUG meeting.
February 11, 2026 at 11:16 AM
100 passports left for London. Get them at the next LRUG meeting.
Reposted by James Bell
I tried to take a photo of a grasshopper on my windshield, but now it looks like a gigantic bug destroying the town.
February 10, 2026 at 6:10 AM
I tried to take a photo of a grasshopper on my windshield, but now it looks like a gigantic bug destroying the town.
Reposted by James Bell
“I urge the government to back the World Service, to act decisively and confidently about what we can achieve in this space, and to act soon”
- Tim Davie, BBC Director-General.
A dire warning about the World Service running out of money in just 7 weeks time.
- Tim Davie, BBC Director-General.
A dire warning about the World Service running out of money in just 7 weeks time.
BBC World Service faces funding cliff edge in seven weeks, says Tim Davie
As trust in Russia and China’s state broadcasters grows, director general warns of the dangers of cutting back the service
www.theguardian.com
February 10, 2026 at 2:32 PM
“I urge the government to back the World Service, to act decisively and confidently about what we can achieve in this space, and to act soon”
- Tim Davie, BBC Director-General.
A dire warning about the World Service running out of money in just 7 weeks time.
- Tim Davie, BBC Director-General.
A dire warning about the World Service running out of money in just 7 weeks time.
Reposted by James Bell
Ok. My diagramming app's logged-out mode is somewhat useful now. You can edit the playground model, and share public read-only links. Free to use! Any feedback welcome. eventlanes.app
Eventlanes
Visual modeling tool for your event-driven apps
eventlanes.app
February 10, 2026 at 12:00 PM
Ok. My diagramming app's logged-out mode is somewhat useful now. You can edit the playground model, and share public read-only links. Free to use! Any feedback welcome. eventlanes.app
This is happening - this Thursday!
It's 2026, January has passed, so ScotRUG is here to bring you together to chat about Ruby in Scotland. Josh Pencheon will speak about his experiences in Ruby in both the civil service and the private sector, and tell us a bit about what he's learned along the way: www.meetup.com/scotrug/even...
20 years cutting Ruby: reflections on public vs private sector, Wed, Feb 4, 2026, 7:00 PM | Meetup
Josh Pencheon has been using Ruby for 20 years, and has worked with it in the civil service and the private sector. He's going to share some of his experiences with us, the
www.meetup.com
February 8, 2026 at 11:27 PM
This is happening - this Thursday!
Reposted by James Bell
It's 2026, January has passed, so ScotRUG is here to bring you together to chat about Ruby in Scotland. Josh Pencheon will speak about his experiences in Ruby in both the civil service and the private sector, and tell us a bit about what he's learned along the way: www.meetup.com/scotrug/even...
20 years cutting Ruby: reflections on public vs private sector, Wed, Feb 4, 2026, 7:00 PM | Meetup
Josh Pencheon has been using Ruby for 20 years, and has worked with it in the civil service and the private sector. He's going to share some of his experiences with us, the
www.meetup.com
February 3, 2026 at 10:25 PM
It's 2026, January has passed, so ScotRUG is here to bring you together to chat about Ruby in Scotland. Josh Pencheon will speak about his experiences in Ruby in both the civil service and the private sector, and tell us a bit about what he's learned along the way: www.meetup.com/scotrug/even...
Reposted by James Bell
Rudy is out here very much living "we can just do things" with a "for each other" emphasis.
February 8, 2026 at 6:41 PM
Rudy is out here very much living "we can just do things" with a "for each other" emphasis.
Reposted by James Bell
Calm it cat. You're not Alan Rickman at the end of Die Hard.
February 8, 2026 at 10:40 AM
Calm it cat. You're not Alan Rickman at the end of Die Hard.
Reposted by James Bell
