Alex Rasmussen
@alexras.net
Freelance data engineer @ bitsondisk.com , based in Los Angeles. Former world heavyweight sorting champion.
Reposted by Alex Rasmussen
I didn't realize atomic bomb tests in Nevada were visible from Los Angeles.
www.amusingplanet.com/2016/09/how-...
www.amusingplanet.com/2016/09/how-...
How The Atomic Tests Looked Like From Los Angeles
www.amusingplanet.com
November 26, 2025 at 2:52 AM
I didn't realize atomic bomb tests in Nevada were visible from Los Angeles.
www.amusingplanet.com/2016/09/how-...
www.amusingplanet.com/2016/09/how-...
Reposted by Alex Rasmussen
🌿 NEW STORY DAY🩸
“Drosera regina” is about a woman whose body behaves like a carnivorous plant, attracting men whether she likes it or not.
Read here: www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/dros...
Listen here: tinyurl.com/drosera-regina
Art by the talented @headfullopuddin.bsky.social
“Drosera regina” is about a woman whose body behaves like a carnivorous plant, attracting men whether she likes it or not.
Read here: www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/dros...
Listen here: tinyurl.com/drosera-regina
Art by the talented @headfullopuddin.bsky.social
October 30, 2025 at 5:03 PM
🌿 NEW STORY DAY🩸
“Drosera regina” is about a woman whose body behaves like a carnivorous plant, attracting men whether she likes it or not.
Read here: www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/dros...
Listen here: tinyurl.com/drosera-regina
Art by the talented @headfullopuddin.bsky.social
“Drosera regina” is about a woman whose body behaves like a carnivorous plant, attracting men whether she likes it or not.
Read here: www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/dros...
Listen here: tinyurl.com/drosera-regina
Art by the talented @headfullopuddin.bsky.social
Reposted by Alex Rasmussen
I keep getting into conversations with engineers where I talk about how desperately I want my database to support materialized views with incremental updates and too often I get a blank stare in response.
so I wrote a new post about why you should care! sophiebits.com/2025/08/22/m...
so I wrote a new post about why you should care! sophiebits.com/2025/08/22/m...
Materialized views are obviously useful
sophiebits.com
August 23, 2025 at 1:36 AM
I keep getting into conversations with engineers where I talk about how desperately I want my database to support materialized views with incremental updates and too often I get a blank stare in response.
so I wrote a new post about why you should care! sophiebits.com/2025/08/22/m...
so I wrote a new post about why you should care! sophiebits.com/2025/08/22/m...
Reposted by Alex Rasmussen
left: the interview questions
right: the actual job
right: the actual job
June 22, 2025 at 3:20 PM
left: the interview questions
right: the actual job
right: the actual job
(Resets the “days since it was DNS” counter to zero)
April 16, 2025 at 9:00 PM
(Resets the “days since it was DNS” counter to zero)
I have no plans to hire employees. Bubbles — Bits on Disk’s new Senior Director of Positive Vibes — provides the vibes for free, so I’m making an exception. Welcome to the team, Bubbles!
Shoutout to @ragmopandgoose.bsky.social - I’ve never had a better officemate.
Shoutout to @ragmopandgoose.bsky.social - I’ve never had a better officemate.
April 15, 2025 at 11:27 PM
I have no plans to hire employees. Bubbles — Bits on Disk’s new Senior Director of Positive Vibes — provides the vibes for free, so I’m making an exception. Welcome to the team, Bubbles!
Shoutout to @ragmopandgoose.bsky.social - I’ve never had a better officemate.
Shoutout to @ragmopandgoose.bsky.social - I’ve never had a better officemate.
Reposted by Alex Rasmussen
a discord is not a forum. I don't want to join your product's community; I want to read the solution to my technical problem from two posters who worked it out 4 years ago
March 28, 2025 at 9:08 PM
a discord is not a forum. I don't want to join your product's community; I want to read the solution to my technical problem from two posters who worked it out 4 years ago
Reposted by Alex Rasmussen
There’s a weird and unexamined tension between the “AI makes it possible for unskilled people to write complex code” and “you need to start learning how to use these tools or you’ll be left behind” lines of rhetoric in a lot of recent AI codegen writing I’m seeing.
March 28, 2025 at 12:44 AM
There’s a weird and unexamined tension between the “AI makes it possible for unskilled people to write complex code” and “you need to start learning how to use these tools or you’ll be left behind” lines of rhetoric in a lot of recent AI codegen writing I’m seeing.
A great retrospective on a tool that saved my ass during my brief stint in engineering leadership. We would all benefit from more people sharing organizational infrastructure like this publicly.
Can't believe it's been 10 years since I posted the RTR engineering ladders publicly. Anyway, I threw together a retrospective on that:
skamille.medium.com/10-years-of-...
skamille.medium.com/10-years-of-...
10 Years of Engineering Ladders
On March 26, 2015, I posted a short blog post to the Rent the Runway engineering blog, Sharing Our Engineering Ladder, with a quick intro…
skamille.medium.com
March 27, 2025 at 3:25 PM
A great retrospective on a tool that saved my ass during my brief stint in engineering leadership. We would all benefit from more people sharing organizational infrastructure like this publicly.
Reposted by Alex Rasmussen
I continue to believe that the discrepancy in the idea that the silicon valley "elite" read "seeing like a state" but still obsessively believe they can monitor and drive scaled efficiency across millions and billions of people is simply: they didn't actually read it
February 24, 2025 at 1:46 PM
I continue to believe that the discrepancy in the idea that the silicon valley "elite" read "seeing like a state" but still obsessively believe they can monitor and drive scaled efficiency across millions and billions of people is simply: they didn't actually read it
Reposted by Alex Rasmussen
Billy corgan high register: it's time for breakfast
Billy corgan low register: who wants pancakes
Billy corgan low register: who wants pancakes
February 7, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Billy corgan high register: it's time for breakfast
Billy corgan low register: who wants pancakes
Billy corgan low register: who wants pancakes
Reposted by Alex Rasmussen
The program is up and tickets are live at www.hytradboi.com/2025/#program.
I'll keep updating this thread as the last 10 talks hit camera-ready.
I'll keep updating this thread as the last 10 talks hit camera-ready.
February 1, 2025 at 2:46 AM
The program is up and tickets are live at www.hytradboi.com/2025/#program.
I'll keep updating this thread as the last 10 talks hit camera-ready.
I'll keep updating this thread as the last 10 talks hit camera-ready.
Reposted by Alex Rasmussen
Are you serious right now? Christmas isn't for another 11 months! 🙌 aws.amazon.com/about-aws/wh...
The AWS Management Console now supports simultaneous sign-in for multiple AWS accounts - AWS
Discover more about what's new at AWS with The AWS Management Console now supports simultaneous sign-in for multiple AWS accounts
aws.amazon.com
January 17, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Are you serious right now? Christmas isn't for another 11 months! 🙌 aws.amazon.com/about-aws/wh...
Reposted by Alex Rasmussen
Wrote about the irrationality of the boss revolt mcfunley.com/on-misery
On Misery
Not every fun activity or moral good is a waste of time.
mcfunley.com
January 11, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Wrote about the irrationality of the boss revolt mcfunley.com/on-misery
Love to live in a world where the fact checks need fact checking, but here we all are.
This whole thread is worth a read.
This whole thread is worth a read.
I’m seeing two different and opposing fact checks, one of which claims the LAFD didn’t have budget cuts but that this is misinformation by “far left” activists, and the other of which says that there was a budget cut, even after contract negotiations.
January 9, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Love to live in a world where the fact checks need fact checking, but here we all are.
This whole thread is worth a read.
This whole thread is worth a read.
Reposted by Alex Rasmussen
Direct hit on the Sunset Fire in Hollywood. 🎯
Nice work, @lafd.bsky.social #LAFD c/o @nbcla.bsky.social 👨🏼🚒
Nice work, @lafd.bsky.social #LAFD c/o @nbcla.bsky.social 👨🏼🚒
January 9, 2025 at 4:28 AM
Direct hit on the Sunset Fire in Hollywood. 🎯
Nice work, @lafd.bsky.social #LAFD c/o @nbcla.bsky.social 👨🏼🚒
Nice work, @lafd.bsky.social #LAFD c/o @nbcla.bsky.social 👨🏼🚒
Reposted by Alex Rasmussen
For SoCal friends,
Here is a list of resources for shelter, animal boarding, free items, and distribution hubs. These places can also use donations (e.g., food, water, masks, and blankets). Please consider donating if you can.
For more info, visit Instagram: mutualaidla
Here is a list of resources for shelter, animal boarding, free items, and distribution hubs. These places can also use donations (e.g., food, water, masks, and blankets). Please consider donating if you can.
For more info, visit Instagram: mutualaidla
January 9, 2025 at 3:23 AM
For SoCal friends,
Here is a list of resources for shelter, animal boarding, free items, and distribution hubs. These places can also use donations (e.g., food, water, masks, and blankets). Please consider donating if you can.
For more info, visit Instagram: mutualaidla
Here is a list of resources for shelter, animal boarding, free items, and distribution hubs. These places can also use donations (e.g., food, water, masks, and blankets). Please consider donating if you can.
For more info, visit Instagram: mutualaidla
Reposted by Alex Rasmussen
Wow that’s some shit.
A policy carve-out to specifically allow users to accuse LGBTQ people of being mentally ill.
> “We do allow allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given political and religious discourse about transgenderism and homosexuality”
A policy carve-out to specifically allow users to accuse LGBTQ people of being mentally ill.
> “We do allow allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given political and religious discourse about transgenderism and homosexuality”
1. Meta’s policy bans allegations of mental illness *unless* the person is LGBTQ, in which case you can falsely say the person is mentally ill:
(The policy uses the word “transgenderism,” echoing right wing terminology.)
(The policy uses the word “transgenderism,” echoing right wing terminology.)
January 8, 2025 at 1:10 AM
Wow that’s some shit.
A policy carve-out to specifically allow users to accuse LGBTQ people of being mentally ill.
> “We do allow allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given political and religious discourse about transgenderism and homosexuality”
A policy carve-out to specifically allow users to accuse LGBTQ people of being mentally ill.
> “We do allow allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given political and religious discourse about transgenderism and homosexuality”
Reposted by Alex Rasmussen
I continue to be deeply moved by this statement to the heavens by President Carter.
December 30, 2024 at 2:30 PM
I continue to be deeply moved by this statement to the heavens by President Carter.
Reposted by Alex Rasmussen
I’m just gonna go ahead and advertise this. @aphyr.woof.group.ap.brid.gy class IS a class for all staff+/principal engineer/architect types.
If you are on the IC track you will benefit from this class. Do with that information what you will as new year budgets are discussed.
If you are on the IC track you will benefit from this class. Do with that information what you will as new year budgets are discussed.
December 18, 2024 at 8:44 PM
I’m just gonna go ahead and advertise this. @aphyr.woof.group.ap.brid.gy class IS a class for all staff+/principal engineer/architect types.
If you are on the IC track you will benefit from this class. Do with that information what you will as new year budgets are discussed.
If you are on the IC track you will benefit from this class. Do with that information what you will as new year budgets are discussed.
Reposted by Alex Rasmussen
the fact that i resisted bringing up networking hardware here is a remarkable act of restraint
www.junctionlabs.io/blog/maybe-i...
www.junctionlabs.io/blog/maybe-i...
Maybe It Shouldn’t Always Be DNS
DNS is one of the wonders of the modern world, but it was built for the public internet. As we build the next generation of software, maybe it's time for something else.
www.junctionlabs.io
December 17, 2024 at 4:14 PM
the fact that i resisted bringing up networking hardware here is a remarkable act of restraint
www.junctionlabs.io/blog/maybe-i...
www.junctionlabs.io/blog/maybe-i...
Reposted by Alex Rasmussen
"It’s tempting to use the term intangible when what we really mean is that such things are hard to quantify in our modern institutional environment with the kinds of measuring tools that are used by modern bureaucratic systems."
Wise words from C. Thi Nguyen for a world chasing measurements. issues.org/limits-of-da...
The Limits of Data
Policymakers want to make decisions based on clear data, but important factors are lost when we rely solely on data. A philosopher writes:
issues.org
December 13, 2024 at 4:54 PM
"It’s tempting to use the term intangible when what we really mean is that such things are hard to quantify in our modern institutional environment with the kinds of measuring tools that are used by modern bureaucratic systems."
Reposted by Alex Rasmussen
That a dude with a couple cameras and a plate of appetizers can make something worth $82.5 million and a media company looks at that and goes "couldn't we make even more money if we had AI do it?" tells you exactly how stupid these people are
The $82.5 million sale of "Hot Ones" studio First We Feast is part of a broader strategy at BuzzFeed to shift away from human editors, writers and content producers in favor of artificial intelligence, which result in "high-margin, tech-enabled revenue lines."
BuzzFeed sells "Hot Ones" studio for $82.5 million as it pursues more AI-driven content
The company said the sale will allow it to depend less on human-created content in favor of "high-margin, tech-enabled revenue lines."
thedesk.net
December 13, 2024 at 1:31 PM
That a dude with a couple cameras and a plate of appetizers can make something worth $82.5 million and a media company looks at that and goes "couldn't we make even more money if we had AI do it?" tells you exactly how stupid these people are
Reposted by Alex Rasmussen
Right so after several recent incidents at work it seems like it's time to tap the sign again:
Never apologize to me when your cat crashes a video call.
Your cat is perfect.
I understand that the begging for attention is not charming to you but it is to me and I wish to see your cat.
Thank you.
Never apologize to me when your cat crashes a video call.
Your cat is perfect.
I understand that the begging for attention is not charming to you but it is to me and I wish to see your cat.
Thank you.
December 10, 2024 at 4:01 PM
Right so after several recent incidents at work it seems like it's time to tap the sign again:
Never apologize to me when your cat crashes a video call.
Your cat is perfect.
I understand that the begging for attention is not charming to you but it is to me and I wish to see your cat.
Thank you.
Never apologize to me when your cat crashes a video call.
Your cat is perfect.
I understand that the begging for attention is not charming to you but it is to me and I wish to see your cat.
Thank you.