David Caulton
@caultond.bsky.social
Ex Microsoft. Ex Bell Labs. Data science, tech, neuroscience Ph.D, beginning bread maker.
What if I’m always smarter and righter than any of my people? I think I’m doing them a favor and setting them up for success by micromanaging them.
December 1, 2025 at 9:44 PM
What if I’m always smarter and righter than any of my people? I think I’m doing them a favor and setting them up for success by micromanaging them.
He’s doing exactly what he promised to do.
November 30, 2025 at 3:48 PM
He’s doing exactly what he promised to do.
Right. But the problem is that
Most of the cost of Owning a car is fixed. So once you get a car the additional cost per mile is pretty cheap, much cheaper than transit.
Most of the cost of Owning a car is fixed. So once you get a car the additional cost per mile is pretty cheap, much cheaper than transit.
November 22, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Right. But the problem is that
Most of the cost of Owning a car is fixed. So once you get a car the additional cost per mile is pretty cheap, much cheaper than transit.
Most of the cost of Owning a car is fixed. So once you get a car the additional cost per mile is pretty cheap, much cheaper than transit.
It barely works between iPhones. Can’t wait to try it with a third party stack.
November 20, 2025 at 8:59 PM
It barely works between iPhones. Can’t wait to try it with a third party stack.
It’s both. Cheaters can attack at the operating system or game level. I’m former Xbox, and I can say the amount of effort we put into preventing os level cheats was titanic. It involved hardware+software coordination.
November 17, 2025 at 3:23 PM
It’s both. Cheaters can attack at the operating system or game level. I’m former Xbox, and I can say the amount of effort we put into preventing os level cheats was titanic. It involved hardware+software coordination.
I think he’s not just talking about tariff revenue, he’s talking about all the promised investments he’s gotten as part of various deals. So it’s not real money that we’ve actually received. And probably never will, judging by the Foxconn plant in Wisconsin.
November 11, 2025 at 9:19 PM
I think he’s not just talking about tariff revenue, he’s talking about all the promised investments he’s gotten as part of various deals. So it’s not real money that we’ve actually received. And probably never will, judging by the Foxconn plant in Wisconsin.
I loved roomba but their refusal to use LIDAR means they are now far from best. My Roborock vacuums that replaced them are better in every way.
November 11, 2025 at 8:22 PM
I loved roomba but their refusal to use LIDAR means they are now far from best. My Roborock vacuums that replaced them are better in every way.
I worked at McDonald’s in college. I made McRibs. Once you’ve seen one before it’s covered with sauce you’ll never eat another.
November 11, 2025 at 6:01 PM
I worked at McDonald’s in college. I made McRibs. Once you’ve seen one before it’s covered with sauce you’ll never eat another.
Ignore the headline. It’s a thought provoking discussion.
November 6, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Ignore the headline. It’s a thought provoking discussion.
Part of the UX tax is polygons. Eg start up time. The rest is just that the core audience doesn’t demand a great UX, so the competition hasn’t been about UX. It’s been ps vs Xbox graphics.
If someone made a better core game console with great UX AND a great catalog and polygons, it might win?
If someone made a better core game console with great UX AND a great catalog and polygons, it might win?
October 26, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Part of the UX tax is polygons. Eg start up time. The rest is just that the core audience doesn’t demand a great UX, so the competition hasn’t been about UX. It’s been ps vs Xbox graphics.
If someone made a better core game console with great UX AND a great catalog and polygons, it might win?
If someone made a better core game console with great UX AND a great catalog and polygons, it might win?
Nintendo is another case study. They didn’t follow us into the performance wars and just stuck to amazing game making. They have a better ux.
October 25, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Nintendo is another case study. They didn’t follow us into the performance wars and just stuck to amazing game making. They have a better ux.
True. But Xbox has mostly been eroded by PlayStation.
I think the number of console gamers has been pretty constant over the years (and small). Meanwhile mobile gaming is for everyone.
Xbox is trying to slowly abandon the console since they’re losing anyway. Goal is to become a studio.
I think the number of console gamers has been pretty constant over the years (and small). Meanwhile mobile gaming is for everyone.
Xbox is trying to slowly abandon the console since they’re losing anyway. Goal is to become a studio.
October 25, 2025 at 3:01 PM
True. But Xbox has mostly been eroded by PlayStation.
I think the number of console gamers has been pretty constant over the years (and small). Meanwhile mobile gaming is for everyone.
Xbox is trying to slowly abandon the console since they’re losing anyway. Goal is to become a studio.
I think the number of console gamers has been pretty constant over the years (and small). Meanwhile mobile gaming is for everyone.
Xbox is trying to slowly abandon the console since they’re losing anyway. Goal is to become a studio.
Good observation (Xbox alumni here). But gamers preferred polygons over convenience - so far. So these became little supercomputers with complex OS’s and online svcs . thus long boot times and huge software and service loads.
It has niched them to only core gamers willing to endure all this.
It has niched them to only core gamers willing to endure all this.
October 25, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Good observation (Xbox alumni here). But gamers preferred polygons over convenience - so far. So these became little supercomputers with complex OS’s and online svcs . thus long boot times and huge software and service loads.
It has niched them to only core gamers willing to endure all this.
It has niched them to only core gamers willing to endure all this.
Oh if what you want to do is play TikTok videos use TikTok by all means! But if you want to play hard core games you have to deal with a console.
For casual games, phone or tablet.
For casual games, phone or tablet.
October 25, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Oh if what you want to do is play TikTok videos use TikTok by all means! But if you want to play hard core games you have to deal with a console.
For casual games, phone or tablet.
For casual games, phone or tablet.
Matt’s point isn’t that Xbox will view TikTok videos, it’s that what’s valuable is its content and games.
Game consoles always had to go through an extensive boot up process and we’re able to have lots of hurdles. The user has to jump through because they were the only ways to get to the games.
Game consoles always had to go through an extensive boot up process and we’re able to have lots of hurdles. The user has to jump through because they were the only ways to get to the games.
October 24, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Matt’s point isn’t that Xbox will view TikTok videos, it’s that what’s valuable is its content and games.
Game consoles always had to go through an extensive boot up process and we’re able to have lots of hurdles. The user has to jump through because they were the only ways to get to the games.
Game consoles always had to go through an extensive boot up process and we’re able to have lots of hurdles. The user has to jump through because they were the only ways to get to the games.
I was surprised that when satya took over and board was pushing for enterprise focus they didn’t spin Xbox off. But Terry had made Xbox hopelessly dependent on Windows as on OS and who wants a console that’s dependent on Microsoft for its OS?
Even more shocked by the doubling down eg blizzard.
Even more shocked by the doubling down eg blizzard.
October 23, 2025 at 4:36 PM
I was surprised that when satya took over and board was pushing for enterprise focus they didn’t spin Xbox off. But Terry had made Xbox hopelessly dependent on Windows as on OS and who wants a console that’s dependent on Microsoft for its OS?
Even more shocked by the doubling down eg blizzard.
Even more shocked by the doubling down eg blizzard.
Also, there was a game for the pre-sound-card trs-80 that used this as a feature: you put an am radio next to the computer and they modulated the cpu to make “music” and sound effects.
October 22, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Also, there was a game for the pre-sound-card trs-80 that used this as a feature: you put an am radio next to the computer and they modulated the cpu to make “music” and sound effects.
I had a TRS 80 model one that I took to the dorm in college. When I had it on, nobody on my entire floor could watch TV.
October 22, 2025 at 3:11 PM
I had a TRS 80 model one that I took to the dorm in college. When I had it on, nobody on my entire floor could watch TV.
Also, the MSN butterfly!
October 10, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Also, the MSN butterfly!
I call shenanigans! Clippy is unrelated to Windows XP!
October 10, 2025 at 2:01 PM
I call shenanigans! Clippy is unrelated to Windows XP!