Chris Arcand
@chrisarcand.com
👨💻 Principal Engineer @ IBM / HashiCorp
🛠️ Cloud infra & distributed systems w/ Golang & Ruby
⌨️ Self Appointed zed.dev fan boy
🏒 Cpt of the Dangling Pointers™, Minnesota’s premier shitty beer league hockey team
St. Paul, MN
https://chrisarcand.com
🛠️ Cloud infra & distributed systems w/ Golang & Ruby
⌨️ Self Appointed zed.dev fan boy
🏒 Cpt of the Dangling Pointers™, Minnesota’s premier shitty beer league hockey team
St. Paul, MN
https://chrisarcand.com
What a bullshit headline / summary.
My dudes this guy just spews that it's all a lie and everything is awesome, and that will not change. Just because someone on his PR staff told him he has to go on tour to spew more bullshit about it doesn't mean he's 'addressing' it. ffs.
My dudes this guy just spews that it's all a lie and everything is awesome, and that will not change. Just because someone on his PR staff told him he has to go on tour to spew more bullshit about it doesn't mean he's 'addressing' it. ffs.
Americans are feeling the strain of high prices, and now President Trump is preparing to take on the concern. And, Charlotte, N.C., is bracing for Border Patrol agents to arrive in the city. n.pr/4nTwWYU
Trump to address the affordability issue. And, Border Patrol heading to Charlotte
Americans are feeling the strain of high prices, and now President Trump is preparing to take on the concern. And, Charlotte, N.C., is bracing for Border Patrol agents to arrive in the city.
n.pr
November 14, 2025 at 2:09 PM
What a bullshit headline / summary.
My dudes this guy just spews that it's all a lie and everything is awesome, and that will not change. Just because someone on his PR staff told him he has to go on tour to spew more bullshit about it doesn't mean he's 'addressing' it. ffs.
My dudes this guy just spews that it's all a lie and everything is awesome, and that will not change. Just because someone on his PR staff told him he has to go on tour to spew more bullshit about it doesn't mean he's 'addressing' it. ffs.
omg yes.
A sizable portion of my job is running around asking 'dumb' questions and/or pointing at things and very loudly asking 'Why?'
A sizable portion of my job is running around asking 'dumb' questions and/or pointing at things and very loudly asking 'Why?'
Favorite positive comment from my 6 month review:
“Willing to ask ‘dumb’ questions.”
Part of the staff+ role is being comfortable asking the question everyone is thinking but is afraid to say because it might sound dumb. Or the question that challenges some basic idea everyone assumes is correct.
“Willing to ask ‘dumb’ questions.”
Part of the staff+ role is being comfortable asking the question everyone is thinking but is afraid to say because it might sound dumb. Or the question that challenges some basic idea everyone assumes is correct.
November 12, 2025 at 12:00 AM
omg yes.
A sizable portion of my job is running around asking 'dumb' questions and/or pointing at things and very loudly asking 'Why?'
A sizable portion of my job is running around asking 'dumb' questions and/or pointing at things and very loudly asking 'Why?'
Reposted by Chris Arcand
The Ruby extension for @zed.dev just got better! Huge thanks to @marcoroth.dev for adding `zed-comment` support (including all ERB languages) and RBS inline syntax highlighting!
You can find full release notes at github.com/zed-extensio...
You can find full release notes at github.com/zed-extensio...
Release v0.16.0 · zed-extensions/ruby
What's Changed
Add support for zed-comment by @marcoroth in #203
chore(deps): update pnpm to v10.20.0 by @renovate[bot] in #201
Add zed-comment support for all ERB languages by @marcoroth in #205
...
github.com
November 11, 2025 at 11:20 AM
The Ruby extension for @zed.dev just got better! Huge thanks to @marcoroth.dev for adding `zed-comment` support (including all ERB languages) and RBS inline syntax highlighting!
You can find full release notes at github.com/zed-extensio...
You can find full release notes at github.com/zed-extensio...
Reposted by Chris Arcand
VP Cheney will be honoured with a 21 gun salute accidentally aimed directly at 21 of his friends
November 4, 2025 at 11:42 AM
VP Cheney will be honoured with a 21 gun salute accidentally aimed directly at 21 of his friends
OH: “Do you just want a login? Or do you prefer to just raw dog the ads?”
Nothing makes me feel like an old like hearing the phrase “raw dogging the ads”
Nothing makes me feel like an old like hearing the phrase “raw dogging the ads”
October 28, 2025 at 9:32 PM
OH: “Do you just want a login? Or do you prefer to just raw dog the ads?”
Nothing makes me feel like an old like hearing the phrase “raw dogging the ads”
Nothing makes me feel like an old like hearing the phrase “raw dogging the ads”
Reposted by Chris Arcand
I think any story about Trump's autocracy should be mostly about the people and institutions who failed to stop it. This guy isn't a political genius, everything else just happens to be rotten. 'Toddler Consolidates Power In Household' is a story about incompetent parents, not shrewd maneuvering
October 28, 2025 at 2:07 PM
I think any story about Trump's autocracy should be mostly about the people and institutions who failed to stop it. This guy isn't a political genius, everything else just happens to be rotten. 'Toddler Consolidates Power In Household' is a story about incompetent parents, not shrewd maneuvering
> Frankenstein was like a tech bro: "creating something without considering the consequences," he explains.
👨🏻🍳💋
www.npr.org/2025/10/23/n...
👨🏻🍳💋
www.npr.org/2025/10/23/n...
October 23, 2025 at 9:00 PM
> Frankenstein was like a tech bro: "creating something without considering the consequences," he explains.
👨🏻🍳💋
www.npr.org/2025/10/23/n...
👨🏻🍳💋
www.npr.org/2025/10/23/n...
Reposted by Chris Arcand
Updating my LEGO White House
October 23, 2025 at 2:51 AM
Updating my LEGO White House
Reposted by Chris Arcand
If we're having a debate, and at any point you say, "let's ask ChatGPT", then you lose by default.
October 21, 2025 at 8:17 PM
If we're having a debate, and at any point you say, "let's ask ChatGPT", then you lose by default.
Reposted by Chris Arcand
science has gone too far
Made a Slack-o-lantern that hits you with the Slack notification sound and logo when you walk by.
👻 now baAAck toOOO WooOOrk 👻
👻 now baAAck toOOO WooOOrk 👻
October 20, 2025 at 10:07 PM
science has gone too far
I used to play a whole lot of guitar.
After finishing Dave Grohls memoir I’ve been eyeing my local music shop and today picked up this pretty thing.
I still had some pedals in my basement, including my loop back - and I found several tracks I recorded still on it from *20 years ago*
Surreal.
After finishing Dave Grohls memoir I’ve been eyeing my local music shop and today picked up this pretty thing.
I still had some pedals in my basement, including my loop back - and I found several tracks I recorded still on it from *20 years ago*
Surreal.
October 21, 2025 at 12:08 AM
I used to play a whole lot of guitar.
After finishing Dave Grohls memoir I’ve been eyeing my local music shop and today picked up this pretty thing.
I still had some pedals in my basement, including my loop back - and I found several tracks I recorded still on it from *20 years ago*
Surreal.
After finishing Dave Grohls memoir I’ve been eyeing my local music shop and today picked up this pretty thing.
I still had some pedals in my basement, including my loop back - and I found several tracks I recorded still on it from *20 years ago*
Surreal.
Reposted by Chris Arcand
Rather than asking open source maintainers if they would do something, consider just doing as much as you can yourself and only then asking them for help.
Before you say "but I don't know the language/codebase/ecosystem": none of the maintainers were born with this knowledge either.
Before you say "but I don't know the language/codebase/ecosystem": none of the maintainers were born with this knowledge either.
October 20, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Rather than asking open source maintainers if they would do something, consider just doing as much as you can yourself and only then asking them for help.
Before you say "but I don't know the language/codebase/ecosystem": none of the maintainers were born with this knowledge either.
Before you say "but I don't know the language/codebase/ecosystem": none of the maintainers were born with this knowledge either.
Reposted by Chris Arcand
If anyone needs me I will be in the museum, lying down next to the bog bodies.
October 13, 2025 at 5:58 PM
If anyone needs me I will be in the museum, lying down next to the bog bodies.
Dijkstra, in “On the foolishness of ‘natural language programming’”: “We have to challenge the assumptions that natural languages would simplify work.”
Here's another example of a more thoughtful and nuanced criticism of ai-assisted coding: hojberg.xyz/the-programm...
The Programmer Identity Crisis ❈ Simon Højberg ❈ Principal Frontend Engineer
On AI, Creativity, and Craft
hojberg.xyz
October 8, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Dijkstra, in “On the foolishness of ‘natural language programming’”: “We have to challenge the assumptions that natural languages would simplify work.”
🎯
Coding agents have really improved my self esteem. It used to be that I'd get mad at myself when I couldn't get my code to work. Now I get mad at the computer when it can't get my code to work.
October 8, 2025 at 2:43 PM
🎯
Reposted by Chris Arcand
only 7 weeks left until the SF Ruby conference! come for the incredible speakers, stay for the confusing SF weather
plus tickets get more expensive in 3 days, so now is the best time to join us luma.com/sfrubyconf20...
plus tickets get more expensive in 3 days, so now is the best time to join us luma.com/sfrubyconf20...
The San Francisco Ruby Conference ♦️ · Luma
Full program is live. Tickets are on sale now.
The San Francisco Ruby conference is the place to meet the most ambitious Ruby and Rails founders, leaders, open…
luma.com
October 5, 2025 at 1:30 AM
only 7 weeks left until the SF Ruby conference! come for the incredible speakers, stay for the confusing SF weather
plus tickets get more expensive in 3 days, so now is the best time to join us luma.com/sfrubyconf20...
plus tickets get more expensive in 3 days, so now is the best time to join us luma.com/sfrubyconf20...
Reposted by Chris Arcand
I have been haunted by this statement all day www.kgw.com/article/news...
September 28, 2025 at 11:20 PM
I have been haunted by this statement all day www.kgw.com/article/news...
Reposted by Chris Arcand
I keep thinking about the guy who dismissed coding agents by postulating there ought to be a flood of shovelware that hasn't materialized. A huge number of developers are still in denial these tools are useful. That's why I've started badging my agent-coded projects as Certified Shovelw... continued
September 24, 2025 at 1:57 PM
I keep thinking about the guy who dismissed coding agents by postulating there ought to be a flood of shovelware that hasn't materialized. A huge number of developers are still in denial these tools are useful. That's why I've started badging my agent-coded projects as Certified Shovelw... continued
Reposted by Chris Arcand
They've lost the 9yos
September 24, 2025 at 4:03 PM
They've lost the 9yos
Florence + The Emission Free Machine
Ok I’m done now
Ok I’m done now
Taylor Immediate
Gordon Ultralightfoot
September 21, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Florence + The Emission Free Machine
Ok I’m done now
Ok I’m done now
Taylor Immediate
Gordon Ultralightfoot
technologically advance a band.
U3
U3
September 21, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Taylor Immediate
Gordon Ultralightfoot
technologically advance a band.
U3
U3
technologically advance a band.
Calculating Crows
Calculating Crows
September 21, 2025 at 10:52 PM
Gordon Ultralightfoot
Reposted by Chris Arcand
Ages ago, when I was still a student, I taught myself Ruby on Rails for my senior thesis and fell in love. Fifteen years later, and I’ve used Rails at every job I’ve ever held in the tech industry. Fifteen years, and I still love Rails! But there’s something rotten at its core, and we share a name.
Rails Needs New Governance
Ages ago, when I was still a student, I taught myself Ruby on Rails for my senior thesis and fell in love. Fifteen years later, and I’ve used Rails at every job I’ve ever held in the tech industry. Fifteen years, and I still love Rails! But there’s something rotten at its core, and we share a name.
davidcel.is
September 19, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Ages ago, when I was still a student, I taught myself Ruby on Rails for my senior thesis and fell in love. Fifteen years later, and I’ve used Rails at every job I’ve ever held in the tech industry. Fifteen years, and I still love Rails! But there’s something rotten at its core, and we share a name.