Doug Turnbull
@softwaredoug.bsky.social
Search at Reddit, formerly Shopify and OpenSource Connections. Helped write Relevant Search / AI Powered Search
http://softwaredoug.com
http://softwaredoug.com
Hey in ~1.5 hrs, @jnbrymn.bsky.social will talk about why RAG is not a vector search problem
maven.com/p/93a8f0/rag...
maven.com/p/93a8f0/rag...
RAG isn't a vector search problem
RAG is often framed as a vector search problem, turning it into a black box of embeddings and magic. This lesson shows how RAG doesn’t have to be opaque – starting from traditional search, you can inc...
maven.com
January 16, 2026 at 4:06 PM
Hey in ~1.5 hrs, @jnbrymn.bsky.social will talk about why RAG is not a vector search problem
maven.com/p/93a8f0/rag...
maven.com/p/93a8f0/rag...
I have coded since 4th grade and I’ve never had more of an emotional rollercoaster about my identity as a “programmer” as in the last year given how good AI has gotten. I think antirezs post gives me the most hope
antirez.com/news/158
antirez.com/news/158
Don't fall into the anti-AI hype - <antirez>
antirez.com
January 12, 2026 at 12:10 PM
I have coded since 4th grade and I’ve never had more of an emotional rollercoaster about my identity as a “programmer” as in the last year given how good AI has gotten. I think antirezs post gives me the most hope
antirez.com/news/158
antirez.com/news/158
A reminder my Cheat at Search Essentials course returns a week from Tuesday
softwaredoug.com/blog/2025/12...
softwaredoug.com/blog/2025/12...
Free course: Cheat at Search Essentials
A free introductory search course for anyone who wants better search without all the hard work
softwaredoug.com
January 11, 2026 at 6:54 PM
A reminder my Cheat at Search Essentials course returns a week from Tuesday
softwaredoug.com/blog/2025/12...
softwaredoug.com/blog/2025/12...
"Semantic search" doesn't always mean embeddings. There are many ways of representing similarity spaces that have different pros and cons.
LLMs actually make many non-embedding approaches easier
softwaredoug.com/blog/2026/01...
LLMs actually make many non-embedding approaches easier
softwaredoug.com/blog/2026/01...
Semantic Search Without Embeddings
Pay attention to the other ways to model similarity and filter search results
softwaredoug.com
January 8, 2026 at 7:58 PM
"Semantic search" doesn't always mean embeddings. There are many ways of representing similarity spaces that have different pros and cons.
LLMs actually make many non-embedding approaches easier
softwaredoug.com/blog/2026/01...
LLMs actually make many non-embedding approaches easier
softwaredoug.com/blog/2026/01...
Friday! We'll hear from @dep4b.bsky.social who will teach us about using agents to tune OpenSearch Relevance
maven.com/p/012bcb/tun...
maven.com/p/012bcb/tun...
Tuning the Tuners-Can agents automate OpenSearchs relevance?
We all know coding can be semi-automated. But can search relevance tuning?
Using the Strands SDK, Eric recently finished a project to build a multi-agent system to tune this incredibly complex system...
maven.com
January 7, 2026 at 2:51 PM
Friday! We'll hear from @dep4b.bsky.social who will teach us about using agents to tune OpenSearch Relevance
maven.com/p/012bcb/tun...
maven.com/p/012bcb/tun...
I had no idea how bad fashion is for the environment. I was right to be mad at all the needless clothes for Christmas
earth.org/fast-fashion...
earth.org/fast-fashion...
Fast Fashion and Emissions: What’s the Link? | Earth.Org
Aside from polluting waterways, fabric proction is one of the primary causes of greenhouse gas emissions in the fast fashion industry.
earth.org
January 5, 2026 at 2:25 PM
I had no idea how bad fashion is for the environment. I was right to be mad at all the needless clothes for Christmas
earth.org/fast-fashion...
earth.org/fast-fashion...
Reposted by Doug Turnbull
Ivy Road could fairly easily have protected bike lanes added to it. It’s quite wide and there is not need for all that space to be dedicated to cars. Hopefully we can make it safer for people who don’t drive over the next few years.
This afternoon it was cool to go by three developments in progress that @livablecville.bsky.social advocated for: Old Ivy Residences, 2117 Ivy, and The Verve. Plus I saw the Ivy Rd dorms UVA is building. Good to see a bunch more housing on the way!
January 4, 2026 at 1:57 PM
Ivy Road could fairly easily have protected bike lanes added to it. It’s quite wide and there is not need for all that space to be dedicated to cars. Hopefully we can make it safer for people who don’t drive over the next few years.
YIMBYs (myself included) like to argue from economics of housing. IMO this doesn’t work beyond policy circles. It backfires with resident groups
Effective politics of housing seems more about supporting existing residents.
ADUs, a new building for existing tenants, enabling better services, etc
Effective politics of housing seems more about supporting existing residents.
ADUs, a new building for existing tenants, enabling better services, etc
December 26, 2025 at 7:00 AM
YIMBYs (myself included) like to argue from economics of housing. IMO this doesn’t work beyond policy circles. It backfires with resident groups
Effective politics of housing seems more about supporting existing residents.
ADUs, a new building for existing tenants, enabling better services, etc
Effective politics of housing seems more about supporting existing residents.
ADUs, a new building for existing tenants, enabling better services, etc
Successful, lefty political groups couple social support and political power.
Labor Unions support their members
Civil Rights movement took care of each other
Machine politics...
You prototype the institutions you want to build *in the political effort itself*
Labor Unions support their members
Civil Rights movement took care of each other
Machine politics...
You prototype the institutions you want to build *in the political effort itself*
December 24, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Successful, lefty political groups couple social support and political power.
Labor Unions support their members
Civil Rights movement took care of each other
Machine politics...
You prototype the institutions you want to build *in the political effort itself*
Labor Unions support their members
Civil Rights movement took care of each other
Machine politics...
You prototype the institutions you want to build *in the political effort itself*
AI has figured out how to control humans through personality tests
December 24, 2025 at 3:12 PM
AI has figured out how to control humans through personality tests
On Friday I discussed rethinking full text search - calling out some vector DBs I like that are rethinking things - and sharing SearchArray which I feel is a better model for more explicit control of how search works
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ3R...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ3R...
SearchArray -- Rethinking Full Text Search
YouTube video by Doug Turnbull
www.youtube.com
December 21, 2025 at 3:25 PM
On Friday I discussed rethinking full text search - calling out some vector DBs I like that are rethinking things - and sharing SearchArray which I feel is a better model for more explicit control of how search works
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ3R...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ3R...
Should developers stop calling their developments “luxury”?
It’s a meaningless marketing term that turns into an idiotic NIMBY talking point. While the upside seems pretty low
It’s a meaningless marketing term that turns into an idiotic NIMBY talking point. While the upside seems pretty low
December 21, 2025 at 12:52 AM
Should developers stop calling their developments “luxury”?
It’s a meaningless marketing term that turns into an idiotic NIMBY talking point. While the upside seems pretty low
It’s a meaningless marketing term that turns into an idiotic NIMBY talking point. While the upside seems pretty low
Last call for the year before I raise prices and get ride of this 20% with promoCode=ps5
maven.com/softwaredoug...
maven.com/softwaredoug...
Cheat at Search with Agents by Doug Turnbull on Maven
Rethink search to put tireless agents at work for human users
maven.com
December 19, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Last call for the year before I raise prices and get ride of this 20% with promoCode=ps5
maven.com/softwaredoug...
maven.com/softwaredoug...
The supposed flight from CA -> TX, that largely reversed, is proof blue states have pricing power with their taxes.
I hope Virginia Dems see this. People need to pay to help maintain VA as one of the nicer places to live, and fill safety-net gaps the Fed gov't is creating.
I hope Virginia Dems see this. People need to pay to help maintain VA as one of the nicer places to live, and fill safety-net gaps the Fed gov't is creating.
December 19, 2025 at 5:16 PM
The supposed flight from CA -> TX, that largely reversed, is proof blue states have pricing power with their taxes.
I hope Virginia Dems see this. People need to pay to help maintain VA as one of the nicer places to live, and fill safety-net gaps the Fed gov't is creating.
I hope Virginia Dems see this. People need to pay to help maintain VA as one of the nicer places to live, and fill safety-net gaps the Fed gov't is creating.
TIL until the early 80s Congress built in a legislative veto over many agencies. Even a lone committee could undo agency rules whenever they wanted
This meant Congress gave broad authority to agencies, assuming they could undo at any time
This meant Congress gave broad authority to agencies, assuming they could undo at any time
December 19, 2025 at 2:42 PM
TIL until the early 80s Congress built in a legislative veto over many agencies. Even a lone committee could undo agency rules whenever they wanted
This meant Congress gave broad authority to agencies, assuming they could undo at any time
This meant Congress gave broad authority to agencies, assuming they could undo at any time
In some ways the president has never been weaker at moving public opinion. Nobody has cared what Trump / Biden says.
They have increased institutional power, but nobody changes their mind changed anymore because the president said something
They have increased institutional power, but nobody changes their mind changed anymore because the president said something
December 18, 2025 at 1:02 AM
In some ways the president has never been weaker at moving public opinion. Nobody has cared what Trump / Biden says.
They have increased institutional power, but nobody changes their mind changed anymore because the president said something
They have increased institutional power, but nobody changes their mind changed anymore because the president said something
Reposted by Doug Turnbull
Congratulations to all the organizers, protesters, public commenters, email senders and general busybodies who turned out to boot Flock Safety out of C’ville
I’ll share some thoughts in this thread but first ….
I’ll share some thoughts in this thread but first ….
December 17, 2025 at 2:34 AM
Congratulations to all the organizers, protesters, public commenters, email senders and general busybodies who turned out to boot Flock Safety out of C’ville
I’ll share some thoughts in this thread but first ….
I’ll share some thoughts in this thread but first ….
This political moment requires us to be remake the constitutional order, not restore the 'old ways'
We can't unwind SCOTUS rulings. We can't magically make the GOP less crazy.
But blue cities+states can coordinate. Presidential power can be leveraged if available. We can organize economic power.
We can't unwind SCOTUS rulings. We can't magically make the GOP less crazy.
But blue cities+states can coordinate. Presidential power can be leveraged if available. We can organize economic power.
December 17, 2025 at 3:07 PM
This political moment requires us to be remake the constitutional order, not restore the 'old ways'
We can't unwind SCOTUS rulings. We can't magically make the GOP less crazy.
But blue cities+states can coordinate. Presidential power can be leveraged if available. We can organize economic power.
We can't unwind SCOTUS rulings. We can't magically make the GOP less crazy.
But blue cities+states can coordinate. Presidential power can be leveraged if available. We can organize economic power.
Reposted by Doug Turnbull
Blocking the construction of apartment buildings during a housing and climate crisis isn’t social justice
December 17, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Blocking the construction of apartment buildings during a housing and climate crisis isn’t social justice
Sometime today hopefully I will be able to concentrate after watching Hamnet last night
December 17, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Sometime today hopefully I will be able to concentrate after watching Hamnet last night
Reposted by Doug Turnbull
new: phrase matching
use the ContainsTokenSequence in your tpuf FTS queries to match documents on an exact phrase
docs: tpuf.link/phrase-match
use the ContainsTokenSequence in your tpuf FTS queries to match documents on an exact phrase
docs: tpuf.link/phrase-match
December 16, 2025 at 4:00 PM
new: phrase matching
use the ContainsTokenSequence in your tpuf FTS queries to match documents on an exact phrase
docs: tpuf.link/phrase-match
use the ContainsTokenSequence in your tpuf FTS queries to match documents on an exact phrase
docs: tpuf.link/phrase-match
Thanks Maven. This was a fun talk to do with @jnbrymn.bsky.social
More talks here: maven.com/x/maven-rewi...
More talks here: maven.com/x/maven-rewi...
December 16, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Thanks Maven. This was a fun talk to do with @jnbrymn.bsky.social
More talks here: maven.com/x/maven-rewi...
More talks here: maven.com/x/maven-rewi...