Bryan Robinson
@brob.dev
Developer, Educator, DevRel. I post about front end development, board games, content creation, and maybe the occasional philosophy. Also currently looking for work
Pinned
Bryan Robinson
@brob.dev
· Nov 4
Now that I've made the switch over here, it's probably time to mention that I'm on the job hunt again.
I'm a developer and designer of 18 years.
I've got a solid grounding in product work, CMS work, and Agency work
My passion is developer community and education (for SaaS products or in general)
I'm a developer and designer of 18 years.
I've got a solid grounding in product work, CMS work, and Agency work
My passion is developer community and education (for SaaS products or in general)
I’m not one for using fallacies if I can avoid them, but watching stories about how delusion reinforcement and self-harm help start with AI doing simple task-based help really makes the Slippery Slope fallacy feel true… each instance starts innocuous and spirals over time…
November 7, 2025 at 2:34 PM
I’m not one for using fallacies if I can avoid them, but watching stories about how delusion reinforcement and self-harm help start with AI doing simple task-based help really makes the Slippery Slope fallacy feel true… each instance starts innocuous and spirals over time…
Reposted by Bryan Robinson
Getting nervous for the talk I'm about to give at a workshop about "using AI to drive impact" which features slides such as these.
November 6, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Getting nervous for the talk I'm about to give at a workshop about "using AI to drive impact" which features slides such as these.
Reposted by Bryan Robinson
When I actually have a business critical night, all of a sudden my @netlify.com CSS files for my Astro build randomly decide to 404 on production builds... on the deploy "permalink" they're fine, but when I publish a deploy, the disappear...
November 3, 2025 at 2:14 AM
When I actually have a business critical night, all of a sudden my @netlify.com CSS files for my Astro build randomly decide to 404 on production builds... on the deploy "permalink" they're fine, but when I publish a deploy, the disappear...
Working on some code the past two days and I'm seeing some docs that used to have solid search now have subpar search with crappy AI Agents built in...
I just want to quickly find the right page in your docs, your AI is showing me snippets I don't need.
I'm so tired of this era...
I just want to quickly find the right page in your docs, your AI is showing me snippets I don't need.
I'm so tired of this era...
October 31, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Working on some code the past two days and I'm seeing some docs that used to have solid search now have subpar search with crappy AI Agents built in...
I just want to quickly find the right page in your docs, your AI is showing me snippets I don't need.
I'm so tired of this era...
I just want to quickly find the right page in your docs, your AI is showing me snippets I don't need.
I'm so tired of this era...
Anyone randomly start getting a "The operation failed for an operation-specific reason" with @astro.build server islands on @netlify.com? Between a couple deploys it started and the deploy had nothing to do with the server island
October 30, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Anyone randomly start getting a "The operation failed for an operation-specific reason" with @astro.build server islands on @netlify.com? Between a couple deploys it started and the deploy had nothing to do with the server island
Reposted by Bryan Robinson
Huge parts of human knowledge are missing from the internet. By definition, generative AI is shockingly ignorant too. AI systems rely mostly on Western, English-dominant data, excluding oral, Indigenous, and low-resource languages.
Generative AI has access to a small slice of human knowledge | Aeon Essays
Huge swathes of human knowledge are missing from the internet. By definition, generative AI is shockingly ignorant too
aeon.co
October 29, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Huge parts of human knowledge are missing from the internet. By definition, generative AI is shockingly ignorant too. AI systems rely mostly on Western, English-dominant data, excluding oral, Indigenous, and low-resource languages.
Giving a presentation about the possible personal downsides of using GenAI only to have attendees come and tell me "I agree with almost everything you said... but I still feel like I have to use it" is a ✨vibe✨
October 24, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Giving a presentation about the possible personal downsides of using GenAI only to have attendees come and tell me "I agree with almost everything you said... but I still feel like I have to use it" is a ✨vibe✨
I remember once, long ago, we crafted ways to allow users to customize the way our websites displayed information.
Then a whole host of designers abdicated their responsibilities: We don't need to decide on the optimal order for this, the users can just customize it!
Then a whole host of designers abdicated their responsibilities: We don't need to decide on the optimal order for this, the users can just customize it!
October 24, 2025 at 1:16 PM
I remember once, long ago, we crafted ways to allow users to customize the way our websites displayed information.
Then a whole host of designers abdicated their responsibilities: We don't need to decide on the optimal order for this, the users can just customize it!
Then a whole host of designers abdicated their responsibilities: We don't need to decide on the optimal order for this, the users can just customize it!
@jpamental.bsky.social great presentation this morning! I especially love “curiosity is a practice”
October 21, 2025 at 3:01 PM
@jpamental.bsky.social great presentation this morning! I especially love “curiosity is a practice”
About to head to Toronto for Web Unleashed. If you can't make it to Toronto, you can still see me (2-3 times) with the virtual ticket!
You can see my two slots about AI (A presentation on why AI might be bad for YOU, as well as a debate on AI), along with 10 other amazing talks.
lnkd.in/gCrwsX8E
You can see my two slots about AI (A presentation on why AI might be bad for YOU, as well as a debate on AI), along with 10 other amazing talks.
lnkd.in/gCrwsX8E
October 20, 2025 at 12:35 PM
About to head to Toronto for Web Unleashed. If you can't make it to Toronto, you can still see me (2-3 times) with the virtual ticket!
You can see my two slots about AI (A presentation on why AI might be bad for YOU, as well as a debate on AI), along with 10 other amazing talks.
lnkd.in/gCrwsX8E
You can see my two slots about AI (A presentation on why AI might be bad for YOU, as well as a debate on AI), along with 10 other amazing talks.
lnkd.in/gCrwsX8E
Reposted by Bryan Robinson
I wrote about AI art and why I philosophically refuse to use generative AI regardless of its potential utility, but it's actually about mortality and authoritarianism and book clubs and Bowling Alone. (I resisted an extended metaphor about curling, you're welcome / I'm sorry.)
choosing friction
In 2018, legal scholar Tim Wu wrote in the New York Times that: Today’s cult of convenience fails to acknowledge that difficulty is a constitutive feature of human experience. Convenience is all desti...
phirephoenix.com
October 13, 2025 at 3:30 PM
I wrote about AI art and why I philosophically refuse to use generative AI regardless of its potential utility, but it's actually about mortality and authoritarianism and book clubs and Bowling Alone. (I resisted an extended metaphor about curling, you're welcome / I'm sorry.)
This is my semi-regular Super Giant Games music appreciation post.
“It’s fantastic.”
“It’s fantastic.”
October 14, 2025 at 9:10 PM
This is my semi-regular Super Giant Games music appreciation post.
“It’s fantastic.”
“It’s fantastic.”
I really don't want this sort of crap from my host.
Can I just have a static site host that has a solid build process, processes my forms, and does NOT push random unhelpful AI BS?
This box pushes my most recent deploys below my scroll... I'm at my project screen for a reason. It ain't this.
Can I just have a static site host that has a solid build process, processes my forms, and does NOT push random unhelpful AI BS?
This box pushes my most recent deploys below my scroll... I'm at my project screen for a reason. It ain't this.
October 10, 2025 at 11:37 PM
I really don't want this sort of crap from my host.
Can I just have a static site host that has a solid build process, processes my forms, and does NOT push random unhelpful AI BS?
This box pushes my most recent deploys below my scroll... I'm at my project screen for a reason. It ain't this.
Can I just have a static site host that has a solid build process, processes my forms, and does NOT push random unhelpful AI BS?
This box pushes my most recent deploys below my scroll... I'm at my project screen for a reason. It ain't this.
So, as part of my work getting @whenweplay.org going, I sought sponsorships. While monetary sponsorships have been hard, I got an in-kind sponsorship from Rio Grande with a LOT of games...
Their recommendation was to use them to fundraise.
Hoping to find some ideas for interesting fundraisers here
Their recommendation was to use them to fundraise.
Hoping to find some ideas for interesting fundraisers here
October 7, 2025 at 7:33 PM
So, as part of my work getting @whenweplay.org going, I sought sponsorships. While monetary sponsorships have been hard, I got an in-kind sponsorship from Rio Grande with a LOT of games...
Their recommendation was to use them to fundraise.
Hoping to find some ideas for interesting fundraisers here
Their recommendation was to use them to fundraise.
Hoping to find some ideas for interesting fundraisers here
I really need all the big video producers to sue the crap out of OpenAI for Sora 2 (and for other things, but, you know, there are so many billable hours in the day)
October 2, 2025 at 5:31 PM
I really need all the big video producers to sue the crap out of OpenAI for Sora 2 (and for other things, but, you know, there are so many billable hours in the day)
Reposted by Bryan Robinson
A really cool idea: a challenge to build a little website every day in October based on a daily theme.
weirdweboctober.website
weirdweboctober.website
Weird Web October
A challenge to try and make a website every day of October, based on the theme for each day
weirdweboctober.website
October 1, 2025 at 1:03 PM
A really cool idea: a challenge to build a little website every day in October based on a daily theme.
weirdweboctober.website
weirdweboctober.website
We like to talk about over-engineering in tech, but let me tell you, I just finished disassembling and removing pads from an alto saxophone...
We've got nothing on Adolphe Sax.
One of my favorite instruments, and my primary one, but... what over-engineered nonsense!
We've got nothing on Adolphe Sax.
One of my favorite instruments, and my primary one, but... what over-engineered nonsense!
September 30, 2025 at 6:14 PM
We like to talk about over-engineering in tech, but let me tell you, I just finished disassembling and removing pads from an alto saxophone...
We've got nothing on Adolphe Sax.
One of my favorite instruments, and my primary one, but... what over-engineered nonsense!
We've got nothing on Adolphe Sax.
One of my favorite instruments, and my primary one, but... what over-engineered nonsense!
Why are all the news articles about OpenAI requiring copyright holders to "opt-out" just acting as a stenographer for OpenAI?
Granted, I've only read 2 (Reuters and WSJ), but from what I can see, they're not even trying to inject the idea that that's not how copyright is supposed to work
Granted, I've only read 2 (Reuters and WSJ), but from what I can see, they're not even trying to inject the idea that that's not how copyright is supposed to work
September 30, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Why are all the news articles about OpenAI requiring copyright holders to "opt-out" just acting as a stenographer for OpenAI?
Granted, I've only read 2 (Reuters and WSJ), but from what I can see, they're not even trying to inject the idea that that's not how copyright is supposed to work
Granted, I've only read 2 (Reuters and WSJ), but from what I can see, they're not even trying to inject the idea that that's not how copyright is supposed to work
I blame a lot of the issues around submitting finished artifacts from GenAI and having them replete with bad citations and hallucinations on the downfall of editors in the 21st century.
Editors are not just proof readers. Step 1 is verifying sources and citations. That's often cut out nowadays.
Editors are not just proof readers. Step 1 is verifying sources and citations. That's often cut out nowadays.
September 30, 2025 at 1:17 PM
I blame a lot of the issues around submitting finished artifacts from GenAI and having them replete with bad citations and hallucinations on the downfall of editors in the 21st century.
Editors are not just proof readers. Step 1 is verifying sources and citations. That's often cut out nowadays.
Editors are not just proof readers. Step 1 is verifying sources and citations. That's often cut out nowadays.
@alexhanna.bsky.social taking all the pads off my beginner alto because the repair shop challenged me by saying I couldn’t possibly fully repad it myself.
Thinking about the crap Bari’s we marched back in the day and fixing those (sometimes with duct tape)
Thinking about the crap Bari’s we marched back in the day and fixing those (sometimes with duct tape)
September 29, 2025 at 5:16 PM
@alexhanna.bsky.social taking all the pads off my beginner alto because the repair shop challenged me by saying I couldn’t possibly fully repad it myself.
Thinking about the crap Bari’s we marched back in the day and fixing those (sometimes with duct tape)
Thinking about the crap Bari’s we marched back in the day and fixing those (sometimes with duct tape)
Anyone in my network connected with Hasbro or other big, game or game-adjacent companies?
September 25, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Anyone in my network connected with Hasbro or other big, game or game-adjacent companies?
The conclusion of this article does NOT match its logical premises.
When uncritically reading an article, it can feel like the conclusion is supported, but let's break it down into individual premises and see if it holds water. (though the headline is good if misleading)
hbr.org/2025/09/ai-g...
When uncritically reading an article, it can feel like the conclusion is supported, but let's break it down into individual premises and see if it holds water. (though the headline is good if misleading)
hbr.org/2025/09/ai-g...
AI-Generated “Workslop” Is Destroying Productivity
Despite a surge in generative AI use across workplaces, most companies are seeing little measurable ROI. One possible reason is because AI tools are being used to produce “workslop”—content that appea...
hbr.org
September 24, 2025 at 3:33 PM
The conclusion of this article does NOT match its logical premises.
When uncritically reading an article, it can feel like the conclusion is supported, but let's break it down into individual premises and see if it holds water. (though the headline is good if misleading)
hbr.org/2025/09/ai-g...
When uncritically reading an article, it can feel like the conclusion is supported, but let's break it down into individual premises and see if it holds water. (though the headline is good if misleading)
hbr.org/2025/09/ai-g...
I know of many people against the AI hype, but where are the tech companies that are against it?
Do they exist? Are they hiring? How can I help them?
Do they exist? Are they hiring? How can I help them?
September 18, 2025 at 4:40 PM
I know of many people against the AI hype, but where are the tech companies that are against it?
Do they exist? Are they hiring? How can I help them?
Do they exist? Are they hiring? How can I help them?
Hearing my baseball team's kids talk about nothing but "Steal a Brainrot" during warmups and then reading this explainer really hit me hard this morning...
www.polygon.com/616251/steal...
www.polygon.com/616251/steal...
Inside Steal a Brainrot, the explosive Roblox game that’s got millions of kids crashing out
Steal a Brainrot is what it says on the tin… but players don’t understand
www.polygon.com
September 18, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Hearing my baseball team's kids talk about nothing but "Steal a Brainrot" during warmups and then reading this explainer really hit me hard this morning...
www.polygon.com/616251/steal...
www.polygon.com/616251/steal...