Peter Dedene
@dedene.bsky.social
AI Explorer · Building apps in Ruby, Elixir & NodeJS · Digital Artisan, Musician & Entrepreneur · Partner at Zenjoy
Plug and Play usually meant Plug and Pray.
• "Windows has detected new hardware."
• "Installing drivers..."
• "Installation failed."
Repeat 10 times. Give up.
Now we do the same with prompts.
• "Windows has detected new hardware."
• "Installing drivers..."
• "Installation failed."
Repeat 10 times. Give up.
Now we do the same with prompts.
November 14, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Plug and Play usually meant Plug and Pray.
• "Windows has detected new hardware."
• "Installing drivers..."
• "Installation failed."
Repeat 10 times. Give up.
Now we do the same with prompts.
• "Windows has detected new hardware."
• "Installing drivers..."
• "Installation failed."
Repeat 10 times. Give up.
Now we do the same with prompts.
Users don't read. Design accordingly.
November 14, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Users don't read. Design accordingly.
Building products is solving problems.
Building companies is solving people problems.
Different game, different skills.
Building companies is solving people problems.
Different game, different skills.
November 14, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Building products is solving problems.
Building companies is solving people problems.
Different game, different skills.
Building companies is solving people problems.
Different game, different skills.
Friday afternoon deployment?
In my 30s: Sure, what could go wrong?
In my 40s: Absolutely not, wait until Monday.
Wisdom is simply accumulated regret.
In my 30s: Sure, what could go wrong?
In my 40s: Absolutely not, wait until Monday.
Wisdom is simply accumulated regret.
November 14, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Friday afternoon deployment?
In my 30s: Sure, what could go wrong?
In my 40s: Absolutely not, wait until Monday.
Wisdom is simply accumulated regret.
In my 30s: Sure, what could go wrong?
In my 40s: Absolutely not, wait until Monday.
Wisdom is simply accumulated regret.
My deployment frequency evolution:
Year 1: Monthly
Year 3: Weekly
Year 5: Daily
Year 10: Continuously
Trust grows with experience and testing.
Year 1: Monthly
Year 3: Weekly
Year 5: Daily
Year 10: Continuously
Trust grows with experience and testing.
November 13, 2025 at 11:17 PM
My deployment frequency evolution:
Year 1: Monthly
Year 3: Weekly
Year 5: Daily
Year 10: Continuously
Trust grows with experience and testing.
Year 1: Monthly
Year 3: Weekly
Year 5: Daily
Year 10: Continuously
Trust grows with experience and testing.
Rails in 2025 is underrated.
Everyone chases Node and Python.
Meanwhile Rails devs ship entire products solo while others are configuring bundlers.
Everyone chases Node and Python.
Meanwhile Rails devs ship entire products solo while others are configuring bundlers.
November 13, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Rails in 2025 is underrated.
Everyone chases Node and Python.
Meanwhile Rails devs ship entire products solo while others are configuring bundlers.
Everyone chases Node and Python.
Meanwhile Rails devs ship entire products solo while others are configuring bundlers.
The best ideas sound obvious after someone explains them.
That's not a bug.
It's what good ideas feel like.
That's not a bug.
It's what good ideas feel like.
November 13, 2025 at 8:03 PM
The best ideas sound obvious after someone explains them.
That's not a bug.
It's what good ideas feel like.
That's not a bug.
It's what good ideas feel like.
AI wrote the function, I fixed the edge cases.
I think it's fair we both take credit.
I think it's fair we both take credit.
November 13, 2025 at 6:56 PM
AI wrote the function, I fixed the edge cases.
I think it's fair we both take credit.
I think it's fair we both take credit.
Skipping documentation today costs me hours of wasted time down the line.
November 13, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Skipping documentation today costs me hours of wasted time down the line.
My calendar is a constant war between deep work blocks and client emergencies.
November 13, 2025 at 4:31 PM
My calendar is a constant war between deep work blocks and client emergencies.
Things I wish I learned earlier:
1. Monitoring before scaling
2. Backups before disasters
3. Documentation before forgetting
4. Tests before refactoring
Experience is in its essence a collection of mistakes with better timing.
1. Monitoring before scaling
2. Backups before disasters
3. Documentation before forgetting
4. Tests before refactoring
Experience is in its essence a collection of mistakes with better timing.
November 13, 2025 at 7:56 AM
Things I wish I learned earlier:
1. Monitoring before scaling
2. Backups before disasters
3. Documentation before forgetting
4. Tests before refactoring
Experience is in its essence a collection of mistakes with better timing.
1. Monitoring before scaling
2. Backups before disasters
3. Documentation before forgetting
4. Tests before refactoring
Experience is in its essence a collection of mistakes with better timing.
This is the Pope, btw
November 13, 2025 at 6:52 AM
This is the Pope, btw
Next up for the alignment team: mastering the art of color theory and contrast!
November 12, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Next up for the alignment team: mastering the art of color theory and contrast!
Multi-client context switching is the productivity killer nobody warns you about.
November 12, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Multi-client context switching is the productivity killer nobody warns you about.
Doing retrospectives?
Stop asking: "What went wrong?"
Ask: "What was confusing about this sprint?"
Ask: "Where did we get lucky?"
Specific questions get specific answers.
Stop asking: "What went wrong?"
Ask: "What was confusing about this sprint?"
Ask: "Where did we get lucky?"
Specific questions get specific answers.
November 12, 2025 at 9:14 PM
Doing retrospectives?
Stop asking: "What went wrong?"
Ask: "What was confusing about this sprint?"
Ask: "Where did we get lucky?"
Specific questions get specific answers.
Stop asking: "What went wrong?"
Ask: "What was confusing about this sprint?"
Ask: "Where did we get lucky?"
Specific questions get specific answers.
AI code review is getting scary good.
• It catches bugs I miss.
• Suggests better patterns.
• Explains trade-offs.
Still can't replace human judgment. Yet.
• It catches bugs I miss.
• Suggests better patterns.
• Explains trade-offs.
Still can't replace human judgment. Yet.
November 12, 2025 at 6:56 PM
AI code review is getting scary good.
• It catches bugs I miss.
• Suggests better patterns.
• Explains trade-offs.
Still can't replace human judgment. Yet.
• It catches bugs I miss.
• Suggests better patterns.
• Explains trade-offs.
Still can't replace human judgment. Yet.
My rubber duck is AI now.
• Explain the problem out loud (in text).
• See my assumptions written down.
• Realize the bug before the chat responds.
Works 70% of the time.
• Explain the problem out loud (in text).
• See my assumptions written down.
• Realize the bug before the chat responds.
Works 70% of the time.
November 12, 2025 at 5:45 PM
My rubber duck is AI now.
• Explain the problem out loud (in text).
• See my assumptions written down.
• Realize the bug before the chat responds.
Works 70% of the time.
• Explain the problem out loud (in text).
• See my assumptions written down.
• Realize the bug before the chat responds.
Works 70% of the time.
This is painfully relatable.
November 12, 2025 at 4:28 PM
This is painfully relatable.
My favorite debugging technique:
Sleep on it.
Come back next morning.
See the obvious solution immediately.
Rest is underrated productivity tool.
Sleep on it.
Come back next morning.
See the obvious solution immediately.
Rest is underrated productivity tool.
November 11, 2025 at 10:33 PM
My favorite debugging technique:
Sleep on it.
Come back next morning.
See the obvious solution immediately.
Rest is underrated productivity tool.
Sleep on it.
Come back next morning.
See the obvious solution immediately.
Rest is underrated productivity tool.
Windows 95 startup sound.
That's it.
If you heard it in your head... you're old like me.
That's it.
If you heard it in your head... you're old like me.
November 11, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Windows 95 startup sound.
That's it.
If you heard it in your head... you're old like me.
That's it.
If you heard it in your head... you're old like me.
The hardest part of AI-assisted coding:
Knowing when to ignore the suggestion.
• AI generates plausible code fast.
• Plausible isn't always correct.
• Correctness requires understanding.
You still need to think.
Knowing when to ignore the suggestion.
• AI generates plausible code fast.
• Plausible isn't always correct.
• Correctness requires understanding.
You still need to think.
November 11, 2025 at 6:57 PM
The hardest part of AI-assisted coding:
Knowing when to ignore the suggestion.
• AI generates plausible code fast.
• Plausible isn't always correct.
• Correctness requires understanding.
You still need to think.
Knowing when to ignore the suggestion.
• AI generates plausible code fast.
• Plausible isn't always correct.
• Correctness requires understanding.
You still need to think.
My calendar rules:
• No meetings before 10am.
• No meetings after 4pm.
• No meetings on Friday.
Boundaries create focus. Focus creates output.
• No meetings before 10am.
• No meetings after 4pm.
• No meetings on Friday.
Boundaries create focus. Focus creates output.
November 11, 2025 at 5:42 PM
My calendar rules:
• No meetings before 10am.
• No meetings after 4pm.
• No meetings on Friday.
Boundaries create focus. Focus creates output.
• No meetings before 10am.
• No meetings after 4pm.
• No meetings on Friday.
Boundaries create focus. Focus creates output.
Before AI, we had:
• Thick programming books
• Google-driven development
• Trial and error
• That one dev who knew things
• StackOverflow
We thought we had it hard. We did.
• Thick programming books
• Google-driven development
• Trial and error
• That one dev who knew things
• StackOverflow
We thought we had it hard. We did.
November 11, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Before AI, we had:
• Thick programming books
• Google-driven development
• Trial and error
• That one dev who knew things
• StackOverflow
We thought we had it hard. We did.
• Thick programming books
• Google-driven development
• Trial and error
• That one dev who knew things
• StackOverflow
We thought we had it hard. We did.
Your competition? A 200-person team with 3 product managers and a 4-tier approval labyrinth.
You are *one person* who can have a cool idea, code it, and ship it before lunch.
This is your superpower.
You are *one person* who can have a cool idea, code it, and ship it before lunch.
This is your superpower.
November 11, 2025 at 9:03 AM
Your competition? A 200-person team with 3 product managers and a 4-tier approval labyrinth.
You are *one person* who can have a cool idea, code it, and ship it before lunch.
This is your superpower.
You are *one person* who can have a cool idea, code it, and ship it before lunch.
This is your superpower.
Finding the right GIF is a seriously underrated talent.
November 10, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Finding the right GIF is a seriously underrated talent.