Dizzy Smith, Esquire
@dizzyd.esq
Helping heavy machinery have ESP at 3rd Eye Robotics. Fmr. VPE Equinix Metal, DigitalOcean and others. @sarah_edo is my better half. He/him.
Reposted by Dizzy Smith, Esquire
From my friend Kyle. This is essential reading for all Americans. aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
I Want You to Understand Chicago
aphyr.com
November 8, 2025 at 7:47 PM
From my friend Kyle. This is essential reading for all Americans. aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
Reposted by Dizzy Smith, Esquire
Tolkien fought in the Battle of the Somme. He saw the horrors of war, and the moments of bravery and fear within it up close.
And after all that. ALL that. He wrote Lord of the Rings. He declared true bravery and masculinity to be love, friendship and humbleness.
Musk is everything he hated.
And after all that. ALL that. He wrote Lord of the Rings. He declared true bravery and masculinity to be love, friendship and humbleness.
Musk is everything he hated.
October 29, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Tolkien fought in the Battle of the Somme. He saw the horrors of war, and the moments of bravery and fear within it up close.
And after all that. ALL that. He wrote Lord of the Rings. He declared true bravery and masculinity to be love, friendship and humbleness.
Musk is everything he hated.
And after all that. ALL that. He wrote Lord of the Rings. He declared true bravery and masculinity to be love, friendship and humbleness.
Musk is everything he hated.
Reposted by Dizzy Smith, Esquire
A play in three acts
October 18, 2025 at 8:08 PM
A play in three acts
Reposted by Dizzy Smith, Esquire
We aren't leaving as we feel a responsibility to our community on multiple levels.
And also, we are insulated from the worst impacts for a variety of reasons and we should use those advantages to help others.
Beyond that, I don't want to. This is my home and I want to fight for it.
And also, we are insulated from the worst impacts for a variety of reasons and we should use those advantages to help others.
Beyond that, I don't want to. This is my home and I want to fight for it.
I'm realizing a grim exercise/prompt may be in this ...
If others want to share, I'm curious:
Why aren't *you* leaving america (yet)?
Asking for trans folks in particular, especially those of us on HRT and/or other very directly threatened in terms of our healthcare ...
Reposts welcomed. Sigh.
If others want to share, I'm curious:
Why aren't *you* leaving america (yet)?
Asking for trans folks in particular, especially those of us on HRT and/or other very directly threatened in terms of our healthcare ...
Reposts welcomed. Sigh.
If i were 22, I'd maybe just bail on america. I'm 38 is the problem and I love my life here. My house, my gardens, my dogs. This is where I built my adult existence ...
October 3, 2025 at 6:03 PM
We aren't leaving as we feel a responsibility to our community on multiple levels.
And also, we are insulated from the worst impacts for a variety of reasons and we should use those advantages to help others.
Beyond that, I don't want to. This is my home and I want to fight for it.
And also, we are insulated from the worst impacts for a variety of reasons and we should use those advantages to help others.
Beyond that, I don't want to. This is my home and I want to fight for it.
Reposted by Dizzy Smith, Esquire
Like, it sucks that you don’t get to have fun because everybody wants to keep pointing out how you fucked up, but *that’s what the group chat is for*. Go talk to your exec coach or your therapist. Nobody in leadership should be publicly woe-is-me-ing about users saying their trust is broken.
October 2, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Like, it sucks that you don’t get to have fun because everybody wants to keep pointing out how you fucked up, but *that’s what the group chat is for*. Go talk to your exec coach or your therapist. Nobody in leadership should be publicly woe-is-me-ing about users saying their trust is broken.
Reposted by Dizzy Smith, Esquire
Today we learned that in June the US economy lost jobs for the first time since 2020. We haven’t seen this kind of net job loss since - well, since the last time Trump was in charge.
September 5, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Today we learned that in June the US economy lost jobs for the first time since 2020. We haven’t seen this kind of net job loss since - well, since the last time Trump was in charge.
Reposted by Dizzy Smith, Esquire
I think people really struggle w partially consolidated authoritarianism, either understating our problem or understating our power
It's like we're in a liminal fascist space. And not recognizing how far gone we are or thinking we're simply too far gone are both grave errors we can't afford to make
It's like we're in a liminal fascist space. And not recognizing how far gone we are or thinking we're simply too far gone are both grave errors we can't afford to make
any argument that trump has fully consolidated authoritarian power has to contend with the fact that the government wants to deport kilmar abrego garcia to uganda but hasn't done so, because a judge told them not to
I find this @donmoyn.bsky.social piece helpful in clarifying why I disagree with the "America is already in competitive authoritarianism" thesis.
Don's checklist shows things that Trump has tried to do, but he hasn't *succeeded* in most areas
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-author...
Don's checklist shows things that Trump has tried to do, but he hasn't *succeeded* in most areas
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-author...
August 28, 2025 at 6:45 PM
I think people really struggle w partially consolidated authoritarianism, either understating our problem or understating our power
It's like we're in a liminal fascist space. And not recognizing how far gone we are or thinking we're simply too far gone are both grave errors we can't afford to make
It's like we're in a liminal fascist space. And not recognizing how far gone we are or thinking we're simply too far gone are both grave errors we can't afford to make
Reposted by Dizzy Smith, Esquire
And yet, as Jamelle notes, they don't yet actually have full control over the country. So the cosplay is a way to pretend to a more complete power than they currently possess. It's an attempt to cow the opposition but also a way to inspire followers who are enthusiastic about following a strongman.
August 28, 2025 at 2:09 PM
And yet, as Jamelle notes, they don't yet actually have full control over the country. So the cosplay is a way to pretend to a more complete power than they currently possess. It's an attempt to cow the opposition but also a way to inspire followers who are enthusiastic about following a strongman.
Reposted by Dizzy Smith, Esquire
According to federal data, 13 of the top 20 cities in homicide rates have Republican governors. None of those cities are Chicago.
8 of the top 10 states in homicide rates are led by Republicans. None of those states are Illinois.
And yet Trump is sending troops here.
8 of the top 10 states in homicide rates are led by Republicans. None of those states are Illinois.
And yet Trump is sending troops here.
August 28, 2025 at 1:01 AM
According to federal data, 13 of the top 20 cities in homicide rates have Republican governors. None of those cities are Chicago.
8 of the top 10 states in homicide rates are led by Republicans. None of those states are Illinois.
And yet Trump is sending troops here.
8 of the top 10 states in homicide rates are led by Republicans. None of those states are Illinois.
And yet Trump is sending troops here.
Reposted by Dizzy Smith, Esquire
"Vibe coding is not the same as AI-assisted engineering."
— @addyosmani.bsky.social
While it's trendy to call any coding done with AI "vibe coding," it's critical to delineate between them because the human intentionality and ownership is what makes products reliable and great.
— @addyosmani.bsky.social
While it's trendy to call any coding done with AI "vibe coding," it's critical to delineate between them because the human intentionality and ownership is what makes products reliable and great.
August 26, 2025 at 2:22 PM
"Vibe coding is not the same as AI-assisted engineering."
— @addyosmani.bsky.social
While it's trendy to call any coding done with AI "vibe coding," it's critical to delineate between them because the human intentionality and ownership is what makes products reliable and great.
— @addyosmani.bsky.social
While it's trendy to call any coding done with AI "vibe coding," it's critical to delineate between them because the human intentionality and ownership is what makes products reliable and great.
Reposted by Dizzy Smith, Esquire
To put a finer point on it, Pritzker is being presidential in a way Newsom is not. Newsom is doing a decent job trolling Trump for the lulz, but Pritzker is speaking with the gravitas this situation warrants, promising real accountability, with federal, state and local leaders standing behind him.
Illinois Gov. Pritzker vows to pursue Trump officials who participate in an illegal National Guard deployment to Chicago:
"If you hurt my people, nothing will stop me - not time or political circumstance - from making sure that you face justice under our constitutional rule of law."
"If you hurt my people, nothing will stop me - not time or political circumstance - from making sure that you face justice under our constitutional rule of law."
August 25, 2025 at 10:12 PM
To put a finer point on it, Pritzker is being presidential in a way Newsom is not. Newsom is doing a decent job trolling Trump for the lulz, but Pritzker is speaking with the gravitas this situation warrants, promising real accountability, with federal, state and local leaders standing behind him.
AI isn’t going to replace coding.
It’s going to replace writing code with reading code.
Hope you like spelunking through someone else’s logic—because that “someone else” will increasingly be an AI.
It’s going to replace writing code with reading code.
Hope you like spelunking through someone else’s logic—because that “someone else” will increasingly be an AI.
August 25, 2025 at 9:33 PM
AI isn’t going to replace coding.
It’s going to replace writing code with reading code.
Hope you like spelunking through someone else’s logic—because that “someone else” will increasingly be an AI.
It’s going to replace writing code with reading code.
Hope you like spelunking through someone else’s logic—because that “someone else” will increasingly be an AI.
Reposted by Dizzy Smith, Esquire
Leadership protip:
Sometimes being Kind is orthogonal to being Nice.
Being Kind is giving painful but necessary feedback to help someone correct a potentially detrimental behavior or habit.
Being Nice is avoiding giving feedback to avoid hurting their feelings.
Sometimes being Kind is orthogonal to being Nice.
Being Kind is giving painful but necessary feedback to help someone correct a potentially detrimental behavior or habit.
Being Nice is avoiding giving feedback to avoid hurting their feelings.
August 19, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Leadership protip:
Sometimes being Kind is orthogonal to being Nice.
Being Kind is giving painful but necessary feedback to help someone correct a potentially detrimental behavior or habit.
Being Nice is avoiding giving feedback to avoid hurting their feelings.
Sometimes being Kind is orthogonal to being Nice.
Being Kind is giving painful but necessary feedback to help someone correct a potentially detrimental behavior or habit.
Being Nice is avoiding giving feedback to avoid hurting their feelings.
Reposted by Dizzy Smith, Esquire
The rich must be incentivised; the poor must be disciplined.
The political economy of the super-elite in one headline.
The political economy of the super-elite in one headline.
August 5, 2025 at 8:25 AM
The rich must be incentivised; the poor must be disciplined.
The political economy of the super-elite in one headline.
The political economy of the super-elite in one headline.
Excited to see @simonwillison.net's take on the models from OpenAI... :)
August 5, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Excited to see @simonwillison.net's take on the models from OpenAI... :)
Just got my annual scan results back - I've now officially been in full remission for 3 years! I did CAR-T back in July of '21 as part of a trial for refractory (resistant to treatment) disease.
Thank you, science!
(This is the longest remission I've had since my diagnosis in 2010).
Thank you, science!
(This is the longest remission I've had since my diagnosis in 2010).
a man in a brown leather jacket is looking at something
Alt: Denzel Washington looking relieved
media.tenor.com
August 1, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Just got my annual scan results back - I've now officially been in full remission for 3 years! I did CAR-T back in July of '21 as part of a trial for refractory (resistant to treatment) disease.
Thank you, science!
(This is the longest remission I've had since my diagnosis in 2010).
Thank you, science!
(This is the longest remission I've had since my diagnosis in 2010).
Reposted by Dizzy Smith, Esquire
I let a goat from my local zoo run SQL commands against prod without protection and it nuked my data
The comments: have you tried this other much smarter goat
The comments: have you tried this other much smarter goat
July 20, 2025 at 4:32 PM
I let a goat from my local zoo run SQL commands against prod without protection and it nuked my data
The comments: have you tried this other much smarter goat
The comments: have you tried this other much smarter goat
Note to self: don’t dig on the beach with your kids, while wearing an Oura ring and claiming “I’m beating the ocean!”
The house always wins.
The house always wins.
July 18, 2025 at 1:21 AM
Note to self: don’t dig on the beach with your kids, while wearing an Oura ring and claiming “I’m beating the ocean!”
The house always wins.
The house always wins.
Reposted by Dizzy Smith, Esquire
🚂 I've been playing survival Minecraft for a couple of months now, I've made ae2 systems, a whole working train network, and doing a bit of building as well
I just finished one of my train stations:
I just finished one of my train stations:
June 30, 2025 at 1:48 AM
🚂 I've been playing survival Minecraft for a couple of months now, I've made ae2 systems, a whole working train network, and doing a bit of building as well
I just finished one of my train stations:
I just finished one of my train stations:
Reposted by Dizzy Smith, Esquire
Is it harder to manage high performers? YES.
They will give you hard feedback. They will demand excellence. You will spend more time in coaching.
Take it as an opportunity, not an attack, and your org will be better for it. YOU will be better.
They will give you hard feedback. They will demand excellence. You will spend more time in coaching.
Take it as an opportunity, not an attack, and your org will be better for it. YOU will be better.
June 25, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Is it harder to manage high performers? YES.
They will give you hard feedback. They will demand excellence. You will spend more time in coaching.
Take it as an opportunity, not an attack, and your org will be better for it. YOU will be better.
They will give you hard feedback. They will demand excellence. You will spend more time in coaching.
Take it as an opportunity, not an attack, and your org will be better for it. YOU will be better.
Reposted by Dizzy Smith, Esquire
Quiet as kept, while everyone is terrified of killer robots, the real threat is the egotistical billionaires obsessed with AGI. But y'all not ready for that conversation 😏
June 21, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Quiet as kept, while everyone is terrified of killer robots, the real threat is the egotistical billionaires obsessed with AGI. But y'all not ready for that conversation 😏
Reposted by Dizzy Smith, Esquire
I have been sick for a week and I just read about "something going around" in a subreddit, which I guess is how I get my information now that the CDC is officially spending the next four years determining when and how microscopes became gay.
May 28, 2025 at 7:40 PM
I have been sick for a week and I just read about "something going around" in a subreddit, which I guess is how I get my information now that the CDC is officially spending the next four years determining when and how microscopes became gay.
Reposted by Dizzy Smith, Esquire
Young people are not inherently better people or better at politics. If they were, societies would naturally move towards putting them in power to gain an advantage over societies that don’t. There are large structural problems that shape bad outcomes in the US. Its not one generation’s fault
do we seriously believe that the world we have today demonstrates how well we've managed politics over the last 50 years? I would have thought it shows the opposite. Maybe we need the radicalism & energy of younger people to make the changes we failed to carry out, to make the world better
May 20, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Young people are not inherently better people or better at politics. If they were, societies would naturally move towards putting them in power to gain an advantage over societies that don’t. There are large structural problems that shape bad outcomes in the US. Its not one generation’s fault
Reposted by Dizzy Smith, Esquire
We are in such a weird place where caring about other people is political.
May 15, 2025 at 2:08 PM
We are in such a weird place where caring about other people is political.