James Timmins
@jamestimmins.bsky.social
Software/data platform engineer at a biotech co. Previously did backend/OSS stuff. Christian.
Hard to explain the bloodbath that is happening to LA restaurants right now.
Between the Hollywood strikes, fires, inflation, and ICE raids, huge numbers of popular places shutting down.
Decades of culture disappearing overnight. Really heartbreaking.
Between the Hollywood strikes, fires, inflation, and ICE raids, huge numbers of popular places shutting down.
Decades of culture disappearing overnight. Really heartbreaking.
September 23, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Hard to explain the bloodbath that is happening to LA restaurants right now.
Between the Hollywood strikes, fires, inflation, and ICE raids, huge numbers of popular places shutting down.
Decades of culture disappearing overnight. Really heartbreaking.
Between the Hollywood strikes, fires, inflation, and ICE raids, huge numbers of popular places shutting down.
Decades of culture disappearing overnight. Really heartbreaking.
Premium credit card benefit culture is out of control.
Can't wait to take my wife to the delivery room and say "hold on, let me activate the premium hospital bed feature she gets because of the 8 Sleep <> Amex Partnership".
thepointsguy.com/credit-cards...
Can't wait to take my wife to the delivery room and say "hold on, let me activate the premium hospital bed feature she gets because of the 8 Sleep <> Amex Partnership".
thepointsguy.com/credit-cards...
Hurry up and apply to take advantage of Amex Platinum benefits - The Points Guy
Get up to $238 in monthly and quarterly credits on the American Express Platinum and Business Platinum cards before September ends.
thepointsguy.com
September 19, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Premium credit card benefit culture is out of control.
Can't wait to take my wife to the delivery room and say "hold on, let me activate the premium hospital bed feature she gets because of the 8 Sleep <> Amex Partnership".
thepointsguy.com/credit-cards...
Can't wait to take my wife to the delivery room and say "hold on, let me activate the premium hospital bed feature she gets because of the 8 Sleep <> Amex Partnership".
thepointsguy.com/credit-cards...
The $400 dining rebate added to the Amex Platinum is game changer, even if it's dilluted somewhat by the $200 higher annual fee.
September 19, 2025 at 5:12 PM
The $400 dining rebate added to the Amex Platinum is game changer, even if it's dilluted somewhat by the $200 higher annual fee.
This week feels like an important one to make the point that Christian Nationalism is the worst of both.
It preaches a false Christianity and threatens to tear down any country where it takes root.
As an American Christian, it's what most scares me for the future of our country.
It preaches a false Christianity and threatens to tear down any country where it takes root.
As an American Christian, it's what most scares me for the future of our country.
September 19, 2025 at 5:06 AM
This week feels like an important one to make the point that Christian Nationalism is the worst of both.
It preaches a false Christianity and threatens to tear down any country where it takes root.
As an American Christian, it's what most scares me for the future of our country.
It preaches a false Christianity and threatens to tear down any country where it takes root.
As an American Christian, it's what most scares me for the future of our country.
Bob Iger forcing me to delete my Hulu account because apparently "stand up to authoritarianism" is too hard for Disney.
September 18, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Bob Iger forcing me to delete my Hulu account because apparently "stand up to authoritarianism" is too hard for Disney.
Every few months I hear about a Steve Jobs negotiation where the lesson is something like "Steve was brilliant and really understood the power of leverage".
But then the anecdote is just him doing something blatantly criminal.
But then the anecdote is just him doing something blatantly criminal.
September 11, 2025 at 5:02 AM
Every few months I hear about a Steve Jobs negotiation where the lesson is something like "Steve was brilliant and really understood the power of leverage".
But then the anecdote is just him doing something blatantly criminal.
But then the anecdote is just him doing something blatantly criminal.
Bluesky has a reputation for being where the worse excesses of left wing Twitter have found a home, but after seeing how a lot of people I thought to be reasonable responded to today's events, I'm very tempted to migrate myself.
September 11, 2025 at 2:30 AM
Bluesky has a reputation for being where the worse excesses of left wing Twitter have found a home, but after seeing how a lot of people I thought to be reasonable responded to today's events, I'm very tempted to migrate myself.
Trying out Bluesky again.
Excited to chat with people who love AI and think real estate developers are the solution to our housing problems, not the cause.
Excited to chat with people who love AI and think real estate developers are the solution to our housing problems, not the cause.
August 27, 2025 at 11:39 PM
Trying out Bluesky again.
Excited to chat with people who love AI and think real estate developers are the solution to our housing problems, not the cause.
Excited to chat with people who love AI and think real estate developers are the solution to our housing problems, not the cause.
Has anyone used AI tools to make ADHD feel like less of a liability?
I don't mean fancier pomodoro techniques, but rather, using AI to handle stuff that ADHD brains are bad at.
I don't mean fancier pomodoro techniques, but rather, using AI to handle stuff that ADHD brains are bad at.
January 1, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Has anyone used AI tools to make ADHD feel like less of a liability?
I don't mean fancier pomodoro techniques, but rather, using AI to handle stuff that ADHD brains are bad at.
I don't mean fancier pomodoro techniques, but rather, using AI to handle stuff that ADHD brains are bad at.
Never understood hobbies like ceramics or blacksmithing.
You spend hundreds of hours learning a skill but can only make like two things that you don't really need.
You spend hundreds of hours learning a skill but can only make like two things that you don't really need.
January 1, 2025 at 4:28 AM
Never understood hobbies like ceramics or blacksmithing.
You spend hundreds of hours learning a skill but can only make like two things that you don't really need.
You spend hundreds of hours learning a skill but can only make like two things that you don't really need.
One of the best data platform/kubernetes engineers i know is about to be back on the market.
Trying to convince my boss we need a senior hire; but if I can't make the case, who else is looking?
Trying to convince my boss we need a senior hire; but if I can't make the case, who else is looking?
December 16, 2024 at 3:10 AM
One of the best data platform/kubernetes engineers i know is about to be back on the market.
Trying to convince my boss we need a senior hire; but if I can't make the case, who else is looking?
Trying to convince my boss we need a senior hire; but if I can't make the case, who else is looking?
Ok data people, who has opinions about the best time series database?
Use case is absorbing a feed from a smallish online market tens-hundreds of thousands of trades daily. I want to track trades as well as bid/ask orders.
Use case is absorbing a feed from a smallish online market tens-hundreds of thousands of trades daily. I want to track trades as well as bid/ask orders.
December 13, 2024 at 10:21 PM
Ok data people, who has opinions about the best time series database?
Use case is absorbing a feed from a smallish online market tens-hundreds of thousands of trades daily. I want to track trades as well as bid/ask orders.
Use case is absorbing a feed from a smallish online market tens-hundreds of thousands of trades daily. I want to track trades as well as bid/ask orders.
Asked a handful of people what they'd do if they got $10 million and could retire.
The most common response was "that's not enough to retire".
Bay Area brain is a disease.
The most common response was "that's not enough to retire".
Bay Area brain is a disease.
December 13, 2024 at 7:25 PM
Asked a handful of people what they'd do if they got $10 million and could retire.
The most common response was "that's not enough to retire".
Bay Area brain is a disease.
The most common response was "that's not enough to retire".
Bay Area brain is a disease.
Saw a founder's "About Us" page say they worked at Citadel and Bridgewater.
Seemed impressive until I went to their LinkedIn and saw that they were internships.
Seemed impressive until I went to their LinkedIn and saw that they were internships.
December 13, 2024 at 6:20 PM
Saw a founder's "About Us" page say they worked at Citadel and Bridgewater.
Seemed impressive until I went to their LinkedIn and saw that they were internships.
Seemed impressive until I went to their LinkedIn and saw that they were internships.
Idk if Twitter or Bluesky are doing doing it for me.
Does anyone know of a social media site where I can find platitudes about getting hired in big tech and how hardships helps understand B2B sales?
Does anyone know of a social media site where I can find platitudes about getting hired in big tech and how hardships helps understand B2B sales?
December 2, 2024 at 9:15 PM
Idk if Twitter or Bluesky are doing doing it for me.
Does anyone know of a social media site where I can find platitudes about getting hired in big tech and how hardships helps understand B2B sales?
Does anyone know of a social media site where I can find platitudes about getting hired in big tech and how hardships helps understand B2B sales?
Just saw Gladiator 2.
It's objectively worse that 1, but the political ideas also make it more interesting. I like it that the villain's plan (if he really is a villain) is treated as a valid response and way forward for Rome given its actions.
It's objectively worse that 1, but the political ideas also make it more interesting. I like it that the villain's plan (if he really is a villain) is treated as a valid response and way forward for Rome given its actions.
November 30, 2024 at 3:14 AM
Just saw Gladiator 2.
It's objectively worse that 1, but the political ideas also make it more interesting. I like it that the villain's plan (if he really is a villain) is treated as a valid response and way forward for Rome given its actions.
It's objectively worse that 1, but the political ideas also make it more interesting. I like it that the villain's plan (if he really is a villain) is treated as a valid response and way forward for Rome given its actions.
Bring a Trailer has one of my favorite pricing charts on the internet.
I really want to build the same thing for more goods for sale online.
Thinking maybe fashion resale on sites like ebay or Poshmark, but I don't care a ton about that market segment.
I really want to build the same thing for more goods for sale online.
Thinking maybe fashion resale on sites like ebay or Poshmark, but I don't care a ton about that market segment.
November 30, 2024 at 3:08 AM
Bring a Trailer has one of my favorite pricing charts on the internet.
I really want to build the same thing for more goods for sale online.
Thinking maybe fashion resale on sites like ebay or Poshmark, but I don't care a ton about that market segment.
I really want to build the same thing for more goods for sale online.
Thinking maybe fashion resale on sites like ebay or Poshmark, but I don't care a ton about that market segment.
Is there a better example of "company that torched their product by pivoting to AI" than the Spark mail app?
The new AI version is basically useless.
The new AI version is basically useless.
November 30, 2024 at 2:48 AM
Is there a better example of "company that torched their product by pivoting to AI" than the Spark mail app?
The new AI version is basically useless.
The new AI version is basically useless.
I'm getting Dagster's nightmare message once again:
"Must specify a field at path root:code_source if more than one field is defined. Defined fields: ['module_name', 'package_name', 'python_file']"
Idk how but I've made the data gods angry once more.
"Must specify a field at path root:code_source if more than one field is defined. Defined fields: ['module_name', 'package_name', 'python_file']"
Idk how but I've made the data gods angry once more.
November 29, 2024 at 8:47 PM
I'm getting Dagster's nightmare message once again:
"Must specify a field at path root:code_source if more than one field is defined. Defined fields: ['module_name', 'package_name', 'python_file']"
Idk how but I've made the data gods angry once more.
"Must specify a field at path root:code_source if more than one field is defined. Defined fields: ['module_name', 'package_name', 'python_file']"
Idk how but I've made the data gods angry once more.
Tired of calling myself a "freelancer" so now I'm a "fractional software engineer".
November 28, 2024 at 6:09 AM
Tired of calling myself a "freelancer" so now I'm a "fractional software engineer".
I have a deep, reflexive distrust of people who get excited about enterprise saas sales
November 26, 2024 at 7:29 PM
I have a deep, reflexive distrust of people who get excited about enterprise saas sales
I hate that autocorrect thinks I’m more likely to be cowering than at a coworking place
November 25, 2024 at 11:45 PM
I hate that autocorrect thinks I’m more likely to be cowering than at a coworking place
I have such a hard time transitioning from "AI programmer mode" to normal programmer mode.
I have scraped data that I'm validating with pydantic and sending to elasticsearch, so it's mostly data mapping.
Debugging has been such a pain bc I keep having to jump from "conductor" to "musician" modes.
I have scraped data that I'm validating with pydantic and sending to elasticsearch, so it's mostly data mapping.
Debugging has been such a pain bc I keep having to jump from "conductor" to "musician" modes.
November 25, 2024 at 6:34 PM
I have such a hard time transitioning from "AI programmer mode" to normal programmer mode.
I have scraped data that I'm validating with pydantic and sending to elasticsearch, so it's mostly data mapping.
Debugging has been such a pain bc I keep having to jump from "conductor" to "musician" modes.
I have scraped data that I'm validating with pydantic and sending to elasticsearch, so it's mostly data mapping.
Debugging has been such a pain bc I keep having to jump from "conductor" to "musician" modes.
My wife at breakfast:
“Those guys are talking about table saws, you should go make friends.”
“Those guys are talking about table saws, you should go make friends.”
November 24, 2024 at 10:24 PM
My wife at breakfast:
“Those guys are talking about table saws, you should go make friends.”
“Those guys are talking about table saws, you should go make friends.”
I finally get the bull case for crypto.
If crypto people get the government to tank the dollar, bitcoin looks better and better.
If crypto people get the government to tank the dollar, bitcoin looks better and better.
November 24, 2024 at 5:07 AM
I finally get the bull case for crypto.
If crypto people get the government to tank the dollar, bitcoin looks better and better.
If crypto people get the government to tank the dollar, bitcoin looks better and better.