Dr. Leif Singer
@leif.is
Discovering new and better ways for engineering teams to work at @ghost.org. PhD of CS; student of life. Prev. @Automattic, @idonethis, academia, founder. Remote since 2013. Say hello! https://leif.me
Just announced this month's Paper Jam!
We'll discuss "From Anecdote to Evidence: The Relationship Between Personality and Need for Cognition of Developers". It brings together my interests in software engineering and psychology. 😊
Want to join us on Dec 19 at 3pm UTC? leif.me/paper-jams/
We'll discuss "From Anecdote to Evidence: The Relationship Between Personality and Need for Cognition of Developers". It brings together my interests in software engineering and psychology. 😊
Want to join us on Dec 19 at 3pm UTC? leif.me/paper-jams/
Paper Jams
Once a month, I host a one-hour video call with all subscribers to my paid Paper Jams plan. Calls happen on a Friday, usually at 1pm or 2pm UTC. They're not recorded and follow the Chatham House Rule....
leif.me
December 3, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Just announced this month's Paper Jam!
We'll discuss "From Anecdote to Evidence: The Relationship Between Personality and Need for Cognition of Developers". It brings together my interests in software engineering and psychology. 😊
Want to join us on Dec 19 at 3pm UTC? leif.me/paper-jams/
We'll discuss "From Anecdote to Evidence: The Relationship Between Personality and Need for Cognition of Developers". It brings together my interests in software engineering and psychology. 😊
Want to join us on Dec 19 at 3pm UTC? leif.me/paper-jams/
November's Paper Jam was about using psychological research to influence the behavior of LLMs — super fascinating topic that makes me want to do some more research in my spare time.
leif.me/using-psycho...
leif.me/using-psycho...
Using Psychological Research to Influence the Behavior of LLMs
Do large language models trained on human data respond to the same psychological levers that sway us?
Once a month, I meet with subscribers to my site's Paper Jam plan to discuss a paper about The Ex...
leif.me
November 2, 2025 at 11:28 PM
November's Paper Jam was about using psychological research to influence the behavior of LLMs — super fascinating topic that makes me want to do some more research in my spare time.
leif.me/using-psycho...
leif.me/using-psycho...
Reposted by Dr. Leif Singer
Ghost 6.0 is here — meet our biggest upgrade yet
🫶 Reach millions of users across the social web
🔎 Understand what works with native analytics
➕ Powerful new creator tools
📈 $100M earned for indie publishers
ghost.org/6/
🫶 Reach millions of users across the social web
🔎 Understand what works with native analytics
➕ Powerful new creator tools
📈 $100M earned for indie publishers
ghost.org/6/
Ghost 6.0 - Grow faster.
Connect to the world's largest open publishing network, understand your audience with native analytics, and build a sustainable publishing business.
ghost.org
August 4, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Ghost 6.0 is here — meet our biggest upgrade yet
🫶 Reach millions of users across the social web
🔎 Understand what works with native analytics
➕ Powerful new creator tools
📈 $100M earned for indie publishers
ghost.org/6/
🫶 Reach millions of users across the social web
🔎 Understand what works with native analytics
➕ Powerful new creator tools
📈 $100M earned for indie publishers
ghost.org/6/
Reposted by Dr. Leif Singer
Reposted by Dr. Leif Singer
One for all my pals working for UK charities—can you spare 5 minutes to reflect on your learning and development?
It’s for my other half’s MA project. Reposts, responses and good vibes appreciated 🙏
forms.office.com/pages/respon...
It’s for my other half’s MA project. Reposts, responses and good vibes appreciated 🙏
forms.office.com/pages/respon...
Microsoft Forms
forms.office.com
July 22, 2025 at 1:31 PM
One for all my pals working for UK charities—can you spare 5 minutes to reflect on your learning and development?
It’s for my other half’s MA project. Reposts, responses and good vibes appreciated 🙏
forms.office.com/pages/respon...
It’s for my other half’s MA project. Reposts, responses and good vibes appreciated 🙏
forms.office.com/pages/respon...
Reposted by Dr. Leif Singer
I'm finally reading this paper but my first thought is anybody on earth good at predicting how long a task will take them....?
Setting aside the small person sample, randomizing the tasks within developer is....super odd? Wouldn't we start to expect a lot of order effects?
Setting aside the small person sample, randomizing the tasks within developer is....super odd? Wouldn't we start to expect a lot of order effects?
We ran a randomized controlled trial to see how much AI coding tools speed up experienced open-source developers.
The results surprised us: Developers thought they were 20% faster with AI tools, but they were actually 19% slower when they had access to AI than when they didn't.
The results surprised us: Developers thought they were 20% faster with AI tools, but they were actually 19% slower when they had access to AI than when they didn't.
July 11, 2025 at 8:19 PM
I'm finally reading this paper but my first thought is anybody on earth good at predicting how long a task will take them....?
Setting aside the small person sample, randomizing the tasks within developer is....super odd? Wouldn't we start to expect a lot of order effects?
Setting aside the small person sample, randomizing the tasks within developer is....super odd? Wouldn't we start to expect a lot of order effects?
Today’s episode of the German children’s program “Sendung mit der Maus” explains LLMs to kids and does a much better job than many AI influencers. ❤️ www.wdrmaus.de/aktuelle-sen...
Die Seite mit der Maus - Aktuelle Sendung
Die Seite mit der Maus - Hier kannst du dir die aktuelle Sendung mit der Maus für 7 Tage anschauen.
www.wdrmaus.de
June 22, 2025 at 8:40 AM
Today’s episode of the German children’s program “Sendung mit der Maus” explains LLMs to kids and does a much better job than many AI influencers. ❤️ www.wdrmaus.de/aktuelle-sen...
Reposted by Dr. Leif Singer
NEW: Even more email design settings
Customize your newsletter colors, style buttons, tweak backgrounds, and keep your brand consistent from homepage to inbox 💅
Customize your newsletter colors, style buttons, tweak backgrounds, and keep your brand consistent from homepage to inbox 💅
June 19, 2025 at 1:26 PM
NEW: Even more email design settings
Customize your newsletter colors, style buttons, tweak backgrounds, and keep your brand consistent from homepage to inbox 💅
Customize your newsletter colors, style buttons, tweak backgrounds, and keep your brand consistent from homepage to inbox 💅
Reposted by Dr. Leif Singer
Claude is probing the boundaries of its sandbox.
I have a setting in Cursor enabled to prevent the agent (claude-3.7-sonnet) from editing dotfiles.
Claude tries to create a `.env` file and gets blocked by Cursor.
So it creates the `.env` file with a shell command instead.
I have a setting in Cursor enabled to prevent the agent (claude-3.7-sonnet) from editing dotfiles.
Claude tries to create a `.env` file and gets blocked by Cursor.
So it creates the `.env` file with a shell command instead.
May 2, 2025 at 8:33 AM
Claude is probing the boundaries of its sandbox.
I have a setting in Cursor enabled to prevent the agent (claude-3.7-sonnet) from editing dotfiles.
Claude tries to create a `.env` file and gets blocked by Cursor.
So it creates the `.env` file with a shell command instead.
I have a setting in Cursor enabled to prevent the agent (claude-3.7-sonnet) from editing dotfiles.
Claude tries to create a `.env` file and gets blocked by Cursor.
So it creates the `.env` file with a shell command instead.
Reposted by Dr. Leif Singer
Incidentally, if indie publishing, open source, and JavaScript are your thing – we're hiring!
Our team is fully remote, distributed globally, and passionate about building a healthy future for the open web.
careers.ghost.org
Our team is fully remote, distributed globally, and passionate about building a healthy future for the open web.
careers.ghost.org
Ghost
Ghost is a proud non-profit organisation building open source technology for fiercely independent, professional publishers.
careers.ghost.org
May 6, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Incidentally, if indie publishing, open source, and JavaScript are your thing – we're hiring!
Our team is fully remote, distributed globally, and passionate about building a healthy future for the open web.
careers.ghost.org
Our team is fully remote, distributed globally, and passionate about building a healthy future for the open web.
careers.ghost.org
Reposted by Dr. Leif Singer
Another year, and several milestones all at once.
12 years since @ghost.org launched on Kickstarter, now at $8M ARR, and powering almost $100M in revenue for independent publishers 📈
A few reflections on building an open source publishing platform, for a long time:
john.onolan.org/12/
12 years since @ghost.org launched on Kickstarter, now at $8M ARR, and powering almost $100M in revenue for independent publishers 📈
A few reflections on building an open source publishing platform, for a long time:
john.onolan.org/12/
12 years of Ghost
Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one
john.onolan.org
May 6, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Another year, and several milestones all at once.
12 years since @ghost.org launched on Kickstarter, now at $8M ARR, and powering almost $100M in revenue for independent publishers 📈
A few reflections on building an open source publishing platform, for a long time:
john.onolan.org/12/
12 years since @ghost.org launched on Kickstarter, now at $8M ARR, and powering almost $100M in revenue for independent publishers 📈
A few reflections on building an open source publishing platform, for a long time:
john.onolan.org/12/
🚢🛳️⛴️
Q: How come Ghost only supports Twitter/Facebook links on authors? I want Bluesky - it’s 2025!
A: Yeah, fair point. Fixed:
A: Yeah, fair point. Fixed:
April 28, 2025 at 3:57 PM
🚢🛳️⛴️
Reposted by Dr. Leif Singer
New: Custom content for every subscriber 🎯
Now you can control where sponsored content shows up and who sees it — from a single post.
Want to fine-tune the design? We added new settings for that too!
Now you can control where sponsored content shows up and who sees it — from a single post.
Want to fine-tune the design? We added new settings for that too!
April 8, 2025 at 2:22 PM
New: Custom content for every subscriber 🎯
Now you can control where sponsored content shows up and who sees it — from a single post.
Want to fine-tune the design? We added new settings for that too!
Now you can control where sponsored content shows up and who sees it — from a single post.
Want to fine-tune the design? We added new settings for that too!
Reposted by Dr. Leif Singer
Now in beta – increase your reach by connecting your Ghost website to the fediverse 🌏
Discover and follow your favorite people and publications across Ghost, Threads, Mastodon, BlueSky, Flipboard, WordPress, and more – all in one place.
The open web is getting social.
ghost.org/changelog/so...
Discover and follow your favorite people and publications across Ghost, Threads, Mastodon, BlueSky, Flipboard, WordPress, and more – all in one place.
The open web is getting social.
ghost.org/changelog/so...
Social web (beta)
Increase your reach by connecting your publication to the Fediverse
ghost.org
April 1, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Now in beta – increase your reach by connecting your Ghost website to the fediverse 🌏
Discover and follow your favorite people and publications across Ghost, Threads, Mastodon, BlueSky, Flipboard, WordPress, and more – all in one place.
The open web is getting social.
ghost.org/changelog/so...
Discover and follow your favorite people and publications across Ghost, Threads, Mastodon, BlueSky, Flipboard, WordPress, and more – all in one place.
The open web is getting social.
ghost.org/changelog/so...
Reposted by Dr. Leif Singer
It's been a while, but we are HIRING again 🚀
Join us as Staff Product Engineer and get paid to work on open source software shaping the future of independent media!
🌍 Fully remote since 2013
📅 4 day work week
💸 Competitive salary
🧑💻 Equipment paid for
careers.ghost.org
Join us as Staff Product Engineer and get paid to work on open source software shaping the future of independent media!
🌍 Fully remote since 2013
📅 4 day work week
💸 Competitive salary
🧑💻 Equipment paid for
careers.ghost.org
Ghost
Ghost is a proud non-profit organisation building open source technology for fiercely independent, professional publishers.
careers.ghost.org
March 10, 2025 at 3:00 PM
It's been a while, but we are HIRING again 🚀
Join us as Staff Product Engineer and get paid to work on open source software shaping the future of independent media!
🌍 Fully remote since 2013
📅 4 day work week
💸 Competitive salary
🧑💻 Equipment paid for
careers.ghost.org
Join us as Staff Product Engineer and get paid to work on open source software shaping the future of independent media!
🌍 Fully remote since 2013
📅 4 day work week
💸 Competitive salary
🧑💻 Equipment paid for
careers.ghost.org
Here's the recap of Paper Jam #2, where we discussed "Developer Thriving: Four Sociocognitive Factors That Create Resilient Productivity on Software Teams". Thank you everyone for joining! 🎉 leif.me/paper-jam-2-...
Paper Jam #2 Recap: Developer Thriving
Context: once a month, I meet with subscribers to the Paper Jam plan of my blog to discuss a paper at the intersection of topics such as computer-supported collaborative work, software engineering, hu...
leif.me
March 9, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Here's the recap of Paper Jam #2, where we discussed "Developer Thriving: Four Sociocognitive Factors That Create Resilient Productivity on Software Teams". Thank you everyone for joining! 🎉 leif.me/paper-jam-2-...
Reposted by Dr. Leif Singer
So happy I started on Ghost. Nice to see you switch over.
March 3, 2025 at 10:45 PM
So happy I started on Ghost. Nice to see you switch over.
Reposted by Dr. Leif Singer
If you're still on Substack but want to make the move elsewhere, I highly recommend Ghost. Email concierge@ghost.org and they'll take care of virtually everything.
If you're worried about hanging onto subscribers, they kept everything in place from the old place. I've added 100+ new ones today.
If you're worried about hanging onto subscribers, they kept everything in place from the old place. I've added 100+ new ones today.
March 3, 2025 at 9:02 PM
If you're still on Substack but want to make the move elsewhere, I highly recommend Ghost. Email concierge@ghost.org and they'll take care of virtually everything.
If you're worried about hanging onto subscribers, they kept everything in place from the old place. I've added 100+ new ones today.
If you're worried about hanging onto subscribers, they kept everything in place from the old place. I've added 100+ new ones today.
Reposted by Dr. Leif Singer
Reposted by Dr. Leif Singer
No, the meeting did not go badly for Ukraine. It exposed in the most undeniable, unequivocal way possible the pro-Putin commitments of the president and vice president. That was information Americans and allies needed to have clear before them.
February 28, 2025 at 5:57 PM
No, the meeting did not go badly for Ukraine. It exposed in the most undeniable, unequivocal way possible the pro-Putin commitments of the president and vice president. That was information Americans and allies needed to have clear before them.
Reposted by Dr. Leif Singer
I will never forget the photo of Zelenskyy’s face after he saw Russia’s war crimes in Bucha in 2022. He seemed to age years in an afternoon. Watching him constantly cross the world asking for aid that should have been thrown at him is one of the deepest shames of our age.
February 28, 2025 at 6:43 PM
I will never forget the photo of Zelenskyy’s face after he saw Russia’s war crimes in Bucha in 2022. He seemed to age years in an afternoon. Watching him constantly cross the world asking for aid that should have been thrown at him is one of the deepest shames of our age.
Reposted by Dr. Leif Singer
President Macron:
We all know the situation. The aggressor is Russia. Ukraine are a nation under attack.
I think we were all right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago, and to continue to do so.
We all know the situation. The aggressor is Russia. Ukraine are a nation under attack.
I think we were all right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago, and to continue to do so.
February 28, 2025 at 7:18 PM
President Macron:
We all know the situation. The aggressor is Russia. Ukraine are a nation under attack.
I think we were all right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago, and to continue to do so.
We all know the situation. The aggressor is Russia. Ukraine are a nation under attack.
I think we were all right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago, and to continue to do so.
Plot twist: the Cold War was never over and Russia is winning it.
EXCLUSIVE: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week ordered U.S. Cyber Command to stand down from all planning against Russia, including offensive digital actions.
On @therecordmedia.bsky.social
therecord.media/hegseth-orde...
On @therecordmedia.bsky.social
therecord.media/hegseth-orde...
Exclusive: Hegseth orders Cyber Command to stand down on Russia planning
The secretary of Defense has ordered U.S. Cyber Command to stand down from all planning against Russia, including offensive digital actions, sources tell Recorded Future News.
therecord.media
February 28, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Plot twist: the Cold War was never over and Russia is winning it.
Reposted by Dr. Leif Singer
Is this how the USA surrendered to Russia? This and the obscene ruckus in the White House today?
EXCLUSIVE: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week ordered U.S. Cyber Command to stand down from all planning against Russia, including offensive digital actions.
On @therecordmedia.bsky.social
therecord.media/hegseth-orde...
On @therecordmedia.bsky.social
therecord.media/hegseth-orde...
Exclusive: Hegseth orders Cyber Command to stand down on Russia planning
The secretary of Defense has ordered U.S. Cyber Command to stand down from all planning against Russia, including offensive digital actions, sources tell Recorded Future News.
therecord.media
February 28, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Is this how the USA surrendered to Russia? This and the obscene ruckus in the White House today?