Ben Backx 🇬🇧🇹🇭
@benbackx.com
Trying to turn my personal data into a superpower || Dad x2 || Long suffering Spurs fan || Built the Mimoto app
Pinned
Ben Backx 🇬🇧🇹🇭
@benbackx.com
· Nov 27
From the SideProject community on Reddit: Built an app that can generate detailed relationship reports from WhatsApp chats. Processed securely on device without data leaving the phone.
Explore this post and more from the SideProject community
www.reddit.com
Passed the 1,000 upvote mark on the latest Reddit post 💪 #buildinpublic
www.reddit.com/r/SideProjec...
www.reddit.com/r/SideProjec...
When exploring my Google Takeout data I discovered that I’ve searched “how to reheat rice in the microwave” 11 times in 11 years… my brain refuses to commit the answer to memory
September 1, 2025 at 11:45 AM
When exploring my Google Takeout data I discovered that I’ve searched “how to reheat rice in the microwave” 11 times in 11 years… my brain refuses to commit the answer to memory
Underrated aspect of having kids. When they use your YouTube profile to watch some vids, your subsequent recommendations for the next week are epic… worlds biggest container ships ✅, triceratops vs 3 tyrannosaurus ✅, paper aeroplane tutorials ✅. Yes please!!
August 20, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Underrated aspect of having kids. When they use your YouTube profile to watch some vids, your subsequent recommendations for the next week are epic… worlds biggest container ships ✅, triceratops vs 3 tyrannosaurus ✅, paper aeroplane tutorials ✅. Yes please!!
Reposted by Ben Backx 🇬🇧🇹🇭
Reposted by Ben Backx 🇬🇧🇹🇭
If [design] = [art] + [constraint], then
[strategy] = [business design] = [inspiration] + [constraint].
The decisions you make, both the + and - consequences of that, are the constraints.
These are often called enabling constraints.
Articulate, and embrace them. Here is how:
[strategy] = [business design] = [inspiration] + [constraint].
The decisions you make, both the + and - consequences of that, are the constraints.
These are often called enabling constraints.
Articulate, and embrace them. Here is how:
- YouTube
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
youtu.be
August 2, 2025 at 9:57 AM
If [design] = [art] + [constraint], then
[strategy] = [business design] = [inspiration] + [constraint].
The decisions you make, both the + and - consequences of that, are the constraints.
These are often called enabling constraints.
Articulate, and embrace them. Here is how:
[strategy] = [business design] = [inspiration] + [constraint].
The decisions you make, both the + and - consequences of that, are the constraints.
These are often called enabling constraints.
Articulate, and embrace them. Here is how:
Reposted by Ben Backx 🇬🇧🇹🇭
Just published a new article! 👇🏾
Your company will stop growing sooner than you think. The "Max MRR" metric predicts revenue plateaus based on churn and new revenue.
Many thanks for spreading the love with ❤️ and 🔁!
Your company will stop growing sooner than you think. The "Max MRR" metric predicts revenue plateaus based on churn and new revenue.
Many thanks for spreading the love with ❤️ and 🔁!
Max MRR: Your growth ceiling
Your company will stop growing sooner than you think. The “Max MRR” metric predicts revenue plateaus based on churn and new revenue.
longform.asmartbear.com
July 27, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Just published a new article! 👇🏾
Your company will stop growing sooner than you think. The "Max MRR" metric predicts revenue plateaus based on churn and new revenue.
Many thanks for spreading the love with ❤️ and 🔁!
Your company will stop growing sooner than you think. The "Max MRR" metric predicts revenue plateaus based on churn and new revenue.
Many thanks for spreading the love with ❤️ and 🔁!
Cool to see Mimoto featured in the Observer this week.
Just a few scrolls down from the guy using ChatGPT for, er… size advice.
Not quite the context I imagined, but hey - all publicity, right? 😅
observer.co.uk/style/featur...
Just a few scrolls down from the guy using ChatGPT for, er… size advice.
Not quite the context I imagined, but hey - all publicity, right? 😅
observer.co.uk/style/featur...
You, me and ChatGPT | The Observer
We're using AI in the most unexpected ways. But do its answers raise even bigger questions?
observer.co.uk
July 20, 2025 at 3:17 AM
Cool to see Mimoto featured in the Observer this week.
Just a few scrolls down from the guy using ChatGPT for, er… size advice.
Not quite the context I imagined, but hey - all publicity, right? 😅
observer.co.uk/style/featur...
Just a few scrolls down from the guy using ChatGPT for, er… size advice.
Not quite the context I imagined, but hey - all publicity, right? 😅
observer.co.uk/style/featur...
2018: “Our token will revolutionize food distribution in post-conflict regions. Here’s our white paper.”
2025: “It’s a dog. On fire. With sunglasses.”
Send ETH.
2025: “It’s a dog. On fire. With sunglasses.”
Send ETH.
July 19, 2025 at 2:28 AM
2018: “Our token will revolutionize food distribution in post-conflict regions. Here’s our white paper.”
2025: “It’s a dog. On fire. With sunglasses.”
Send ETH.
2025: “It’s a dog. On fire. With sunglasses.”
Send ETH.
Reposted by Ben Backx 🇬🇧🇹🇭
You're so close dude. You are nearly there
July 13, 2025 at 2:56 AM
You're so close dude. You are nearly there
Reposted by Ben Backx 🇬🇧🇹🇭
I think "context engineering" is going to stick - unlike "prompt engineering" it has an inferred definition that's much closer to the intended meaning, which is to carefully and skillfully construct the right context to get great results from LLMs simonwillison.net/2025/Jun/27/...
Context engineering
The term context engineering has recently started to gain traction as a better alternative to prompt engineering. I like it. I think this one may have sticking power. Here's an …
simonwillison.net
June 27, 2025 at 11:46 PM
I think "context engineering" is going to stick - unlike "prompt engineering" it has an inferred definition that's much closer to the intended meaning, which is to carefully and skillfully construct the right context to get great results from LLMs simonwillison.net/2025/Jun/27/...
There’s a lot of discussion around energy usage and general inefficiency of LLMs, but I haven’t seen much commentary yet around model routing/prompt re-writing using local models in order to direct a more concise request to an appropriately sized model. Anyone working on this?
June 26, 2025 at 11:34 AM
There’s a lot of discussion around energy usage and general inefficiency of LLMs, but I haven’t seen much commentary yet around model routing/prompt re-writing using local models in order to direct a more concise request to an appropriately sized model. Anyone working on this?
Is there a way to filter out AI generated/tagged content on platforms? I used to enjoy finding music/DJs on YouTube but now all the recommendations seem to be AI-generated slop 🤦♂️
June 26, 2025 at 11:28 AM
Is there a way to filter out AI generated/tagged content on platforms? I used to enjoy finding music/DJs on YouTube but now all the recommendations seem to be AI-generated slop 🤦♂️
Reposted by Ben Backx 🇬🇧🇹🇭
Great example of generate -> validate loop + error analysis
> "the most effective route to improve outcomes was brute force: retry steps until they passed or reached a limit. We give the validation errors ... to the LLM and built a loop runner"
> "the most effective route to improve outcomes was brute force: retry steps until they passed or reached a limit. We give the validation errors ... to the LLM and built a loop runner"
April 15, 2025 at 1:57 AM
Great example of generate -> validate loop + error analysis
> "the most effective route to improve outcomes was brute force: retry steps until they passed or reached a limit. We give the validation errors ... to the LLM and built a loop runner"
> "the most effective route to improve outcomes was brute force: retry steps until they passed or reached a limit. We give the validation errors ... to the LLM and built a loop runner"
Reposted by Ben Backx 🇬🇧🇹🇭
Just published a new article! 👇🏾
How to discern which models of companies, strategy, markets, and organizations are wise, and which just look good on a PowerPoint slide.
Many thanks for spreading the love with ❤️ and 🔁!
How to discern which models of companies, strategy, markets, and organizations are wise, and which just look good on a PowerPoint slide.
Many thanks for spreading the love with ❤️ and 🔁!
All pretty models are wrong, but some ugly models are useful
Identifying useful frameworks for companies, strategy, markets, and organizations, instead of those that just look pretty in PowerPoint.
longform.asmartbear.com
March 23, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Just published a new article! 👇🏾
How to discern which models of companies, strategy, markets, and organizations are wise, and which just look good on a PowerPoint slide.
Many thanks for spreading the love with ❤️ and 🔁!
How to discern which models of companies, strategy, markets, and organizations are wise, and which just look good on a PowerPoint slide.
Many thanks for spreading the love with ❤️ and 🔁!
Reposted by Ben Backx 🇬🇧🇹🇭
Hoping the Severance finale ties up some loose ends. And middles. And beginnings.
March 21, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Hoping the Severance finale ties up some loose ends. And middles. And beginnings.
Reposted by Ben Backx 🇬🇧🇹🇭
When planning the next few sprints, what strategic objectives you’re addressing, even while also addressing current obstacles?
And don’t say “growth” because that’s an outcome.
Need help? Here’s a framework:
And don’t say “growth” because that’s an outcome.
Need help? Here’s a framework:
Quarterly strategic planning using the fairytale structure
Traditional fairytale structure fits naturally in our brains, and thus can guide strategic problem-analysis, and a plan that everyone understands.
longform.asmartbear.com
March 19, 2025 at 1:09 PM
When planning the next few sprints, what strategic objectives you’re addressing, even while also addressing current obstacles?
And don’t say “growth” because that’s an outcome.
Need help? Here’s a framework:
And don’t say “growth” because that’s an outcome.
Need help? Here’s a framework:
Reposted by Ben Backx 🇬🇧🇹🇭
Search & recsys have historically drawn inspiration from language modeling, such as Word2vec for item embeddings, and GRUs and BERT for sequential models. LLMs are no different and have led to updates in model architecture, training data & paradigms, etc.
eugeneyan.com/writing/recs...
eugeneyan.com/writing/recs...
Improving Recommendation Systems & Search in the Age of LLMs
Model architectures, data generation, training paradigms, and unified frameworks inspired by LLMs.
eugeneyan.com
March 19, 2025 at 1:41 AM
Search & recsys have historically drawn inspiration from language modeling, such as Word2vec for item embeddings, and GRUs and BERT for sequential models. LLMs are no different and have led to updates in model architecture, training data & paradigms, etc.
eugeneyan.com/writing/recs...
eugeneyan.com/writing/recs...
Generative AI's Greatest Flaw - Computerphile
YouTube video by Computerphile
www.youtube.com
March 14, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Reposted by Ben Backx 🇬🇧🇹🇭
When we compare ourselves to outliers, we're setting ourselves up for misery.
Your company has specific challenges and benefits that are uniquely yours. Focus on the best thing 𝘺𝘰𝘶 can do with what's in front of 𝘺𝘰𝘶.
Your company has specific challenges and benefits that are uniquely yours. Focus on the best thing 𝘺𝘰𝘶 can do with what's in front of 𝘺𝘰𝘶.
The wrongness of relativism
Comparing yourself to other startups? Focus on yourself instead.
longform.asmartbear.com
March 14, 2025 at 9:00 AM
When we compare ourselves to outliers, we're setting ourselves up for misery.
Your company has specific challenges and benefits that are uniquely yours. Focus on the best thing 𝘺𝘰𝘶 can do with what's in front of 𝘺𝘰𝘶.
Your company has specific challenges and benefits that are uniquely yours. Focus on the best thing 𝘺𝘰𝘶 can do with what's in front of 𝘺𝘰𝘶.
Common Side Effects (TV Series 2024– ) ⭐ 8.7 | Animation, Comedy, Drama
| TV-MA
www.imdb.com
March 7, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Reposted by Ben Backx 🇬🇧🇹🇭
U.K. firm cracks the code to convert harmful methane emissions into useful hydrogen and graphene www.cbsnews.com/news/methane...
U.K. firm cracks the code to convert harmful methane emissions into useful hydrogen and graphene
Methane is one of the climate-damaging gases emitted by industry, but a British firm has found a way to give it a major makeover.
www.cbsnews.com
February 17, 2025 at 12:06 PM
U.K. firm cracks the code to convert harmful methane emissions into useful hydrogen and graphene www.cbsnews.com/news/methane...
Reposted by Ben Backx 🇬🇧🇹🇭
Just republished a classic article! 👇🏾
Competing against big firms? Their revenue streams are their Achilles heel. Learn how smaller startups have a shot.
Many thanks for spreading the love with ❤️ and 🔁!
Competing against big firms? Their revenue streams are their Achilles heel. Learn how smaller startups have a shot.
Many thanks for spreading the love with ❤️ and 🔁!
Why it’s nice to compete against a large, profitable company
Competing against big firms? Their revenue streams are their Achilles heel. Learn how smaller startups have a shot.
longform.asmartbear.com
February 23, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Just republished a classic article! 👇🏾
Competing against big firms? Their revenue streams are their Achilles heel. Learn how smaller startups have a shot.
Many thanks for spreading the love with ❤️ and 🔁!
Competing against big firms? Their revenue streams are their Achilles heel. Learn how smaller startups have a shot.
Many thanks for spreading the love with ❤️ and 🔁!
Reposted by Ben Backx 🇬🇧🇹🇭
Just putting this here in the hopes that people will post it back to me every couple of days 🫠 www.scientificamerican.com/article/feel...
Why the News Feels Overwhelming—And How to Cope
An explanation of the science behind news fatigue, plus expert advice to take control and protect your well-being while staying engaged
www.scientificamerican.com
February 23, 2025 at 5:46 AM
Just putting this here in the hopes that people will post it back to me every couple of days 🫠 www.scientificamerican.com/article/feel...
Proud to have Mimoto app featured 💪 thanks @wabetainfo.com
Project reveals a feature to generate advanced analytics for WhatsApp chats and groups!
🔗 https://wabetainfo.com/project-reveals-a-feature-to-generate-advanced-analytics-for-whatsapp-chats-and-groups/
🔗 https://wabetainfo.com/project-reveals-a-feature-to-generate-advanced-analytics-for-whatsapp-chats-and-groups/
January 3, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Proud to have Mimoto app featured 💪 thanks @wabetainfo.com
Reposted by Ben Backx 🇬🇧🇹🇭
Project reveals a feature to generate advanced analytics for WhatsApp chats and groups!
🔗 https://wabetainfo.com/project-reveals-a-feature-to-generate-advanced-analytics-for-whatsapp-chats-and-groups/
🔗 https://wabetainfo.com/project-reveals-a-feature-to-generate-advanced-analytics-for-whatsapp-chats-and-groups/
January 3, 2025 at 3:00 AM
Project reveals a feature to generate advanced analytics for WhatsApp chats and groups!
🔗 https://wabetainfo.com/project-reveals-a-feature-to-generate-advanced-analytics-for-whatsapp-chats-and-groups/
🔗 https://wabetainfo.com/project-reveals-a-feature-to-generate-advanced-analytics-for-whatsapp-chats-and-groups/