Ben Fry
@benfry.com
Delighted that there's an entire Wikipedia page dedicated to the concept of “spherical cows.”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spheric...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spheric...
November 16, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Delighted that there's an entire Wikipedia page dedicated to the concept of “spherical cows.”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spheric...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spheric...
The installer for macOS Sequoia version 15.7.1 is… 15.71 GB.
Well done, everyone. A++
Well done, everyone. A++
November 10, 2025 at 6:15 PM
The installer for macOS Sequoia version 15.7.1 is… 15.71 GB.
Well done, everyone. A++
Well done, everyone. A++
Finally an excuse to purchase: the Playdate is now a work expense.
October 23, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Finally an excuse to purchase: the Playdate is now a work expense.
…and finally, Paul's “My Pet Fox“
October 21, 2025 at 6:06 PM
…and finally, Paul's “My Pet Fox“
…Mark's ominously titled “The Food”…
October 21, 2025 at 6:06 PM
…Mark's ominously titled “The Food”…
…Karlie's “what's outside my submarine”…
October 21, 2025 at 6:06 PM
…Karlie's “what's outside my submarine”…
What Ellory was able to throw together during the hour…
October 21, 2025 at 6:06 PM
What Ellory was able to throw together during the hour…
On Friday's we often end the day with a short workshop taught by someone in the studio. Recently, my 8yo came by the office to teach a (very entertaining) workshop on building stop motion animations with LEGO. Somehow, he was completely unfazed by doing this for people several times his age.
October 21, 2025 at 6:06 PM
On Friday's we often end the day with a short workshop taught by someone in the studio. Recently, my 8yo came by the office to teach a (very entertaining) workshop on building stop motion animations with LEGO. Somehow, he was completely unfazed by doing this for people several times his age.
Reading a bedtime story to my 8yo and was not expecting to find @djpatil.bsky.social as one of the characters in his Wayside School book… 💜
October 8, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Reading a bedtime story to my 8yo and was not expecting to find @djpatil.bsky.social as one of the characters in his Wayside School book… 💜
A couple others burned in my memory… the announcement of the 128K Mac, we also had a Lisa at home for a brief time, and this tiny computer on the beautiful green background, as well as this lovely orange composition…
September 23, 2025 at 4:24 PM
A couple others burned in my memory… the announcement of the 128K Mac, we also had a Lisa at home for a brief time, and this tiny computer on the beautiful green background, as well as this lovely orange composition…
Happy 50th anniversary to BYTE magazine, which a young version of me happily devoured or at least stared at, trying to understand it (I was 8 or 9 or 10…)
Much of its cover art also stuck with me as interesting visions of computing. Here's all of 1977–1986, my favorite decade of the bunch.
Much of its cover art also stuck with me as interesting visions of computing. Here's all of 1977–1986, my favorite decade of the bunch.
September 23, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Happy 50th anniversary to BYTE magazine, which a young version of me happily devoured or at least stared at, trying to understand it (I was 8 or 9 or 10…)
Much of its cover art also stuck with me as interesting visions of computing. Here's all of 1977–1986, my favorite decade of the bunch.
Much of its cover art also stuck with me as interesting visions of computing. Here's all of 1977–1986, my favorite decade of the bunch.
…and it also works with HTML tables. Right-click, bam—categories counted, histogram distributions, state/county/world maps.
Our premise is that more of what's considered “visualization” needs to just be automatic. Not just easier tools or “no code” but zero effort and always present.
Our premise is that more of what's considered “visualization” needs to just be automatic. Not just easier tools or “no code” but zero effort and always present.
September 18, 2025 at 10:41 AM
…and it also works with HTML tables. Right-click, bam—categories counted, histogram distributions, state/county/world maps.
Our premise is that more of what's considered “visualization” needs to just be automatic. Not just easier tools or “no code” but zero effort and always present.
Our premise is that more of what's considered “visualization” needs to just be automatic. Not just easier tools or “no code” but zero effort and always present.
Our Rowboat tool is about instantly seeing what's in a dataset, so we added a Chrome Extension that lets you open random datasets from all over the internet. Right click, poof! 0.2 seconds later we see what this dataset actually looks like.
No workspace to set up, no waiting for the app, no db.
No workspace to set up, no waiting for the app, no db.
September 17, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Our Rowboat tool is about instantly seeing what's in a dataset, so we added a Chrome Extension that lets you open random datasets from all over the internet. Right click, poof! 0.2 seconds later we see what this dataset actually looks like.
No workspace to set up, no waiting for the app, no db.
No workspace to set up, no waiting for the app, no db.
(by Nathan W. Pyle @nathanwpyle.bsky.social)
September 10, 2025 at 12:39 PM
(by Nathan W. Pyle @nathanwpyle.bsky.social)
I cut out the middleman and named our office security camera “FFS” which made the nonsense notifications more entertaining.
August 20, 2025 at 8:03 PM
I cut out the middleman and named our office security camera “FFS” which made the nonsense notifications more entertaining.
Worlds colliding this morning while I was looking something up, and instead found this “Candid Photos of Computer Scientists” collection, and I'm scrolling through, only to see…my Dad!?
Here he is behind the podium at ACM SIGMOD in 1974. Meanwhile, the photographer? None other than Ben Shneiderman.
Here he is behind the podium at ACM SIGMOD in 1974. Meanwhile, the photographer? None other than Ben Shneiderman.
July 31, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Worlds colliding this morning while I was looking something up, and instead found this “Candid Photos of Computer Scientists” collection, and I'm scrolling through, only to see…my Dad!?
Here he is behind the podium at ACM SIGMOD in 1974. Meanwhile, the photographer? None other than Ben Shneiderman.
Here he is behind the podium at ACM SIGMOD in 1974. Meanwhile, the photographer? None other than Ben Shneiderman.
This NYT quote about “AI” in 80s Pac-Man is comically bad.
But rather than dwelling on that, the way the ghosts work to make it *feel* like they were “thinking” is a really cool example of the exact opposite. It's a series of really simple deterministic rules:
web.archive.org/web/20191107...
But rather than dwelling on that, the way the ghosts work to make it *feel* like they were “thinking” is a really cool example of the exact opposite. It's a series of really simple deterministic rules:
web.archive.org/web/20191107...
July 29, 2025 at 9:49 AM
This NYT quote about “AI” in 80s Pac-Man is comically bad.
But rather than dwelling on that, the way the ghosts work to make it *feel* like they were “thinking” is a really cool example of the exact opposite. It's a series of really simple deterministic rules:
web.archive.org/web/20191107...
But rather than dwelling on that, the way the ghosts work to make it *feel* like they were “thinking” is a really cool example of the exact opposite. It's a series of really simple deterministic rules:
web.archive.org/web/20191107...
Meanwhile, on I-93 in Boston… 💔 💪
July 20, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Meanwhile, on I-93 in Boston… 💔 💪
Visual Basic 3.0, from the olden days before “Regular” and “Normal” font weights were invented.
June 16, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Visual Basic 3.0, from the olden days before “Regular” and “Normal” font weights were invented.
Had a great time talking about process, pandemic response, and our failed attempts at branding/marketing for rowboat.xyz at @vizknowledge.bsky.social here in Finland today. #VK25
What an incredible speaker lineup: vizknowledge.aalto.fi/schedule.html
What an incredible speaker lineup: vizknowledge.aalto.fi/schedule.html
June 6, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Had a great time talking about process, pandemic response, and our failed attempts at branding/marketing for rowboat.xyz at @vizknowledge.bsky.social here in Finland today. #VK25
What an incredible speaker lineup: vizknowledge.aalto.fi/schedule.html
What an incredible speaker lineup: vizknowledge.aalto.fi/schedule.html
We could have spent the whole afternoon on this from the entryway alone… collections.leventhalmap.org/search/commo...
June 2, 2025 at 2:59 PM
We could have spent the whole afternoon on this from the entryway alone… collections.leventhalmap.org/search/commo...
Incredible trip to see some Leventhal maps at the Boston Public Library last week.
Many thanks to Garrett Dash Nelson and Emily Bowe for sharing a bit of the collection, and taking some time out of their day to geek out about maps with us.
Many thanks to Garrett Dash Nelson and Emily Bowe for sharing a bit of the collection, and taking some time out of their day to geek out about maps with us.
June 2, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Incredible trip to see some Leventhal maps at the Boston Public Library last week.
Many thanks to Garrett Dash Nelson and Emily Bowe for sharing a bit of the collection, and taking some time out of their day to geek out about maps with us.
Many thanks to Garrett Dash Nelson and Emily Bowe for sharing a bit of the collection, and taking some time out of their day to geek out about maps with us.
“Al Companion always shows on the home screen.”
Nothing says “people love our AI tools!” like the decision to explicitly disallow your (paying!) users from turning them off.
Nothing says “people love our AI tools!” like the decision to explicitly disallow your (paying!) users from turning them off.
June 2, 2025 at 2:08 PM
“Al Companion always shows on the home screen.”
Nothing says “people love our AI tools!” like the decision to explicitly disallow your (paying!) users from turning them off.
Nothing says “people love our AI tools!” like the decision to explicitly disallow your (paying!) users from turning them off.