Holly Cummins
@hollycummins.com
@RedHat - Senior Principal Software Engineer, working on Quarkus. Ex-IBM. Java Champion, developer, author, #cloud surfer and maker. My views are my own.
I don't know how to explain this coincidence if my computer doesn't have (a) self-awareness and (b) a malevolent sense of humour.
October 27, 2025 at 4:41 PM
I don't know how to explain this coincidence if my computer doesn't have (a) self-awareness and (b) a malevolent sense of humour.
This looks more like a swimming route than a walking route, Google.
October 21, 2025 at 12:16 PM
This looks more like a swimming route than a walking route, Google.
It's even funnier on a smaller model:
October 1, 2025 at 10:38 AM
It's even funnier on a smaller model:
I just tried to reproduce @janelleshane.com's brilliant "make an LLM apologise for suggesting a giraffe as CEO" experiment. It 100% worked on Ollama.
Which is bad, because when I read it I did an involuntary shriek of laughter, and woke a sleeping puppy, and now I won't be able to do more work.
Which is bad, because when I read it I did an involuntary shriek of laughter, and woke a sleeping puppy, and now I won't be able to do more work.
October 1, 2025 at 10:34 AM
I just tried to reproduce @janelleshane.com's brilliant "make an LLM apologise for suggesting a giraffe as CEO" experiment. It 100% worked on Ollama.
Which is bad, because when I read it I did an involuntary shriek of laughter, and woke a sleeping puppy, and now I won't be able to do more work.
Which is bad, because when I read it I did an involuntary shriek of laughter, and woke a sleeping puppy, and now I won't be able to do more work.
It's another double win.
If you install solar panels on land sheep are currently grazing, not only can the sheep continue to graze there, they're actually *happier* (because of the shade and more diverse vegetation), and they produce more wool.
Hmm, is that actually a triple win?
If you install solar panels on land sheep are currently grazing, not only can the sheep continue to graze there, they're actually *happier* (because of the shade and more diverse vegetation), and they produce more wool.
Hmm, is that actually a triple win?
August 28, 2025 at 7:26 AM
It's another double win.
If you install solar panels on land sheep are currently grazing, not only can the sheep continue to graze there, they're actually *happier* (because of the shade and more diverse vegetation), and they produce more wool.
Hmm, is that actually a triple win?
If you install solar panels on land sheep are currently grazing, not only can the sheep continue to graze there, they're actually *happier* (because of the shade and more diverse vegetation), and they produce more wool.
Hmm, is that actually a triple win?
Guardrail messages:" A Noodle is not a SNAKE".
I can't argue with that. Good job I've got guardrails.
I can't argue with that. Good job I've got guardrails.
July 9, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Guardrail messages:" A Noodle is not a SNAKE".
I can't argue with that. Good job I've got guardrails.
I can't argue with that. Good job I've got guardrails.
If the first paragraph wasn't enough to give me a big head, ChatGPT's last paragraph would do it. Well, until it got so sycophantic that my teeth started to hurt from the sweetness. ("The machine likes my drawings enough to revert to cliché, mom!")
July 2, 2025 at 3:05 PM
If the first paragraph wasn't enough to give me a big head, ChatGPT's last paragraph would do it. Well, until it got so sycophantic that my teeth started to hurt from the sweetness. ("The machine likes my drawings enough to revert to cliché, mom!")
You know how modern LLMs use flattery to keep you engaged?
I promise I actually did have a reason to ask ChatGPT about my drawing style that wasn't vanity, but I'm now basking in the warm glow of synthetic obsequiousness. ("The machine likes my drawings! It really does!")
I promise I actually did have a reason to ask ChatGPT about my drawing style that wasn't vanity, but I'm now basking in the warm glow of synthetic obsequiousness. ("The machine likes my drawings! It really does!")
July 2, 2025 at 3:00 PM
You know how modern LLMs use flattery to keep you engaged?
I promise I actually did have a reason to ask ChatGPT about my drawing style that wasn't vanity, but I'm now basking in the warm glow of synthetic obsequiousness. ("The machine likes my drawings! It really does!")
I promise I actually did have a reason to ask ChatGPT about my drawing style that wasn't vanity, but I'm now basking in the warm glow of synthetic obsequiousness. ("The machine likes my drawings! It really does!")
"Fifty years ago, writing software that used as few resources as possible was a necessity. Now, it's more of a luxury.
Why? Moore's law.
-@vasco-veloso.bsky.social and @johanhutting.bsky.social #JNation
Why? Moore's law.
-@vasco-veloso.bsky.social and @johanhutting.bsky.social #JNation
May 27, 2025 at 1:08 PM
"Fifty years ago, writing software that used as few resources as possible was a necessity. Now, it's more of a luxury.
Why? Moore's law.
-@vasco-veloso.bsky.social and @johanhutting.bsky.social #JNation
Why? Moore's law.
-@vasco-veloso.bsky.social and @johanhutting.bsky.social #JNation
At #JNation, @alina-yurenko.bsky.social mentioned someone implemented PHP on GraalVM Truffle. Clearly, implementing @codewithrockstar.com on Truffle would be a better use of time. 😬 🎸
May 27, 2025 at 10:10 AM
At #JNation, @alina-yurenko.bsky.social mentioned someone implemented PHP on GraalVM Truffle. Clearly, implementing @codewithrockstar.com on Truffle would be a better use of time. 😬 🎸
I flipped slides too quick for your camera. Here's the right slide :)
May 9, 2025 at 1:19 PM
I flipped slides too quick for your camera. Here's the right slide :)
I spoke about concurrency at #DevoxxUK. Mostly, I talked about how it gives me headaches. Going to @handle.invalid's session on thread-safe programming to try and fix that. :)
May 8, 2025 at 3:30 PM
I spoke about concurrency at #DevoxxUK. Mostly, I talked about how it gives me headaches. Going to @handle.invalid's session on thread-safe programming to try and fix that. :)
May the fourth be with you.
May 4, 2025 at 11:59 AM
May the fourth be with you.
We talk a lot about GenAI causing a dumbing-down. The dumbification actually has two sides:
- the deluge of elegant-but-meaningless slop
- real people deliberately writing less elegantly, because they don't want their writing to be mistaken for slop
- the deluge of elegant-but-meaningless slop
- real people deliberately writing less elegantly, because they don't want their writing to be mistaken for slop
April 24, 2025 at 9:31 AM
We talk a lot about GenAI causing a dumbing-down. The dumbification actually has two sides:
- the deluge of elegant-but-meaningless slop
- real people deliberately writing less elegantly, because they don't want their writing to be mistaken for slop
- the deluge of elegant-but-meaningless slop
- real people deliberately writing less elegantly, because they don't want their writing to be mistaken for slop
I'm just going to share this again. :)
April 24, 2025 at 9:26 AM
I'm just going to share this again. :)
I see what you mean. This one is definitely Roberto Cortez, right? 😉
April 8, 2025 at 10:09 AM
I see what you mean. This one is definitely Roberto Cortez, right? 😉
Hey, don't forget the programmers in unicorn ears.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Is it why I’m wearing unicorn ears?”
“No, it’s whether you have any sound in your presentation.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Is it why I’m wearing unicorn ears?”
“No, it’s whether you have any sound in your presentation.”
April 8, 2025 at 10:04 AM
Hey, don't forget the programmers in unicorn ears.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Is it why I’m wearing unicorn ears?”
“No, it’s whether you have any sound in your presentation.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Is it why I’m wearing unicorn ears?”
“No, it’s whether you have any sound in your presentation.”
The clever researchers at @inkandswitch.com are working on outstanding challenges of 'collaboration as version control':
- authentication and authorization
- indexing
- schema control
#QConLondon
- authentication and authorization
- indexing
- schema control
#QConLondon
April 7, 2025 at 1:09 PM
The clever researchers at @inkandswitch.com are working on outstanding challenges of 'collaboration as version control':
- authentication and authorization
- indexing
- schema control
#QConLondon
- authentication and authorization
- indexing
- schema control
#QConLondon
Alex Good concludes that collaboration as version control gives us
- Generic infrastructure (no lockin)
- Reduced development complexity
- Change management (by definition)
... but the model works best for apps whose purpose is editing media, rather than transactions.
#QConLondon
- Generic infrastructure (no lockin)
- Reduced development complexity
- Change management (by definition)
... but the model works best for apps whose purpose is editing media, rather than transactions.
#QConLondon
April 7, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Alex Good concludes that collaboration as version control gives us
- Generic infrastructure (no lockin)
- Reduced development complexity
- Change management (by definition)
... but the model works best for apps whose purpose is editing media, rather than transactions.
#QConLondon
- Generic infrastructure (no lockin)
- Reduced development complexity
- Change management (by definition)
... but the model works best for apps whose purpose is editing media, rather than transactions.
#QConLondon
... but conflicts can be mitigated, by
- choosing a winner without requiring manual intervention
- 'saving up' conflicts for later
- finer-grained + richer data structures, to avoid 'false' conflicts where the same file got updated with things that don't actually conflict
#QConLondon
- choosing a winner without requiring manual intervention
- 'saving up' conflicts for later
- finer-grained + richer data structures, to avoid 'false' conflicts where the same file got updated with things that don't actually conflict
#QConLondon
April 7, 2025 at 12:53 PM
... but conflicts can be mitigated, by
- choosing a winner without requiring manual intervention
- 'saving up' conflicts for later
- finer-grained + richer data structures, to avoid 'false' conflicts where the same file got updated with things that don't actually conflict
#QConLondon
- choosing a winner without requiring manual intervention
- 'saving up' conflicts for later
- finer-grained + richer data structures, to avoid 'false' conflicts where the same file got updated with things that don't actually conflict
#QConLondon
Alex of @inkandswitch.com points out that Git is *already* a great example of local first. What if (as a terrible starting idea) we used git as a store for *all* application state, for other applications?
Answer: in the naive implementation, merge conflicts, all the time. :)
Answer: in the naive implementation, merge conflicts, all the time. :)
April 7, 2025 at 12:50 PM
Alex of @inkandswitch.com points out that Git is *already* a great example of local first. What if (as a terrible starting idea) we used git as a store for *all* application state, for other applications?
Answer: in the naive implementation, merge conflicts, all the time. :)
Answer: in the naive implementation, merge conflicts, all the time. :)