Ben Galbraith
@octo.dad
Octo-dad and yet, surprisingly, younger than @almaer.com; product & pie lover. Work @ Tessl; prior: Google, Segment, Walmart, HP / Palm, Mozilla, Ajaxian, Acer, startups.
I’ve come to dread the cognitive burden of new Apple hardware.
I tell myself I don’t need to upgrade to the latest [phone / laptop / watch].
But then the daily struggle begins:
“Wouldn’t it be nice to have that [new feature]?”
“See that person? They have the new [y]; shouldn’t you have it?”
😭
I tell myself I don’t need to upgrade to the latest [phone / laptop / watch].
But then the daily struggle begins:
“Wouldn’t it be nice to have that [new feature]?”
“See that person? They have the new [y]; shouldn’t you have it?”
😭
October 16, 2025 at 6:52 AM
I’ve come to dread the cognitive burden of new Apple hardware.
I tell myself I don’t need to upgrade to the latest [phone / laptop / watch].
But then the daily struggle begins:
“Wouldn’t it be nice to have that [new feature]?”
“See that person? They have the new [y]; shouldn’t you have it?”
😭
I tell myself I don’t need to upgrade to the latest [phone / laptop / watch].
But then the daily struggle begins:
“Wouldn’t it be nice to have that [new feature]?”
“See that person? They have the new [y]; shouldn’t you have it?”
😭
Attack on Titan S4 is some heavy stuff
October 2, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Attack on Titan S4 is some heavy stuff
🧵 AI coding agents — like Claude Code and Codex — are amazing, but they’re also unpredictable and hard to control.
Today at Tessl we’re announcing a framework that helps keep agents on the rails and arms with the context they need to get things right.
It has two parts:
Today at Tessl we’re announcing a framework that helps keep agents on the rails and arms with the context they need to get things right.
It has two parts:
September 16, 2025 at 2:16 PM
🧵 AI coding agents — like Claude Code and Codex — are amazing, but they’re also unpredictable and hard to control.
Today at Tessl we’re announcing a framework that helps keep agents on the rails and arms with the context they need to get things right.
It has two parts:
Today at Tessl we’re announcing a framework that helps keep agents on the rails and arms with the context they need to get things right.
It has two parts:
Not sure when Google Docs enabled right-clicking to copy embedded images to the clipboard, but I’m so grateful. All is forgiven, Google Docs. 🥳
July 18, 2025 at 8:39 AM
Not sure when Google Docs enabled right-clicking to copy embedded images to the clipboard, but I’m so grateful. All is forgiven, Google Docs. 🥳
I track things like the food I eat, shows I watch, how I spend my time generally, etc.
Lately I switched from using custom apps for this (e.g., Sofa for media; MacroFactor for food) to just writing a free form log in a daily note and having my AI assistant analyze it.
It’s so much better!
Lately I switched from using custom apps for this (e.g., Sofa for media; MacroFactor for food) to just writing a free form log in a daily note and having my AI assistant analyze it.
It’s so much better!
May 18, 2025 at 10:46 PM
I track things like the food I eat, shows I watch, how I spend my time generally, etc.
Lately I switched from using custom apps for this (e.g., Sofa for media; MacroFactor for food) to just writing a free form log in a daily note and having my AI assistant analyze it.
It’s so much better!
Lately I switched from using custom apps for this (e.g., Sofa for media; MacroFactor for food) to just writing a free form log in a daily note and having my AI assistant analyze it.
It’s so much better!
Finding it’s delightful to have put myself into two obscure categories, from an IT troubleshooting point of view:
* Families with more than four children
* Families who immigrate to another country but still want to have access to their original country’s digital assets
Absolutely delightful.
* Families with more than four children
* Families who immigrate to another country but still want to have access to their original country’s digital assets
Absolutely delightful.
February 10, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Finding it’s delightful to have put myself into two obscure categories, from an IT troubleshooting point of view:
* Families with more than four children
* Families who immigrate to another country but still want to have access to their original country’s digital assets
Absolutely delightful.
* Families with more than four children
* Families who immigrate to another country but still want to have access to their original country’s digital assets
Absolutely delightful.
I came to Track Changes expecting a fun bit of tech geek history. I found a rich vein of parallels to the genAI revolution. A great read.
www.hup.harvard.edu/books/978067...
www.hup.harvard.edu/books/978067...
Track Changes — Harvard University Press
The story of writing in the digital age is every bit as messy as the ink-stained rags that littered the floor of Gutenberg’s print shop or the hot molten lead of the Linotype machine. During the perio...
www.hup.harvard.edu
February 6, 2025 at 3:42 PM
I came to Track Changes expecting a fun bit of tech geek history. I found a rich vein of parallels to the genAI revolution. A great read.
www.hup.harvard.edu/books/978067...
www.hup.harvard.edu/books/978067...
I’ve seen some high friction spam unsubscribe forms in my day, but this Amazon one is next level. Amazing. Illegal?
February 5, 2025 at 8:57 PM
I’ve seen some high friction spam unsubscribe forms in my day, but this Amazon one is next level. Amazing. Illegal?
Reviewing my car insurance. Says I have 32 years of driving experience.
First reaction: “That’s wild, I wonder where they came up with that.”
Second reaction: 🥺
First reaction: “That’s wild, I wonder where they came up with that.”
Second reaction: 🥺
February 2, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Reviewing my car insurance. Says I have 32 years of driving experience.
First reaction: “That’s wild, I wonder where they came up with that.”
Second reaction: 🥺
First reaction: “That’s wild, I wonder where they came up with that.”
Second reaction: 🥺
In practice, the new iOS text effects are just another way for iOS to do something to my text that I didn’t want, and for me to spend extra cycles trying to undo it.
Yay.
Yay.
January 28, 2025 at 10:24 PM
In practice, the new iOS text effects are just another way for iOS to do something to my text that I didn’t want, and for me to spend extra cycles trying to undo it.
Yay.
Yay.
“Dad, why do so many company names start with ‘a‘?”
Son, lemme tell you a story about these ancient things called “phone books”...
Son, lemme tell you a story about these ancient things called “phone books”...
January 25, 2025 at 11:54 AM
“Dad, why do so many company names start with ‘a‘?”
Son, lemme tell you a story about these ancient things called “phone books”...
Son, lemme tell you a story about these ancient things called “phone books”...
Can’t decide which blows my mind more:
• the Apple ][‘s peak sales year was six years after its introduction
• the Apple ][ was an active SKU for 16 years
• the Apple ][‘s lifetime sales of 6 million units is routinely bested by a few *days* of iPhone sales
• the Apple ][‘s peak sales year was six years after its introduction
• the Apple ][ was an active SKU for 16 years
• the Apple ][‘s lifetime sales of 6 million units is routinely bested by a few *days* of iPhone sales
January 4, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Can’t decide which blows my mind more:
• the Apple ][‘s peak sales year was six years after its introduction
• the Apple ][ was an active SKU for 16 years
• the Apple ][‘s lifetime sales of 6 million units is routinely bested by a few *days* of iPhone sales
• the Apple ][‘s peak sales year was six years after its introduction
• the Apple ][ was an active SKU for 16 years
• the Apple ][‘s lifetime sales of 6 million units is routinely bested by a few *days* of iPhone sales
I used to find most headlines from The Onion laugh-out-loud funny, but lately the jokes just aren’t landing with me.
Have I changed, or have they?
Have I changed, or have they?
December 15, 2024 at 4:56 PM
I used to find most headlines from The Onion laugh-out-loud funny, but lately the jokes just aren’t landing with me.
Have I changed, or have they?
Have I changed, or have they?
@gwern.bsky.social’s solution to Gene Wolf’s short story Suzanne Delange is a delightful read.
gwern.net/suzanne-delage
gwern.net/suzanne-delage
Interpreting ‘Suzanne Delage’ as <em>Dracula</em>
On the interpretation of Gene Wolfe’s short story ‘Suzanne Delage’ as inversion of Bram Stoker’s <em>Dracula</em> horror novel.
gwern.net
December 15, 2024 at 4:40 PM
@gwern.bsky.social’s solution to Gene Wolf’s short story Suzanne Delange is a delightful read.
gwern.net/suzanne-delage
gwern.net/suzanne-delage
I’m surprised that cursor positioning and text selection remains excruciating on iOS in late 2024.
December 15, 2024 at 1:44 PM
I’m surprised that cursor positioning and text selection remains excruciating on iOS in late 2024.
My daughter has a nice smartphone but asked for this for Christmas. 🤔
December 10, 2024 at 9:25 PM
My daughter has a nice smartphone but asked for this for Christmas. 🤔
Some news: I’ve moved to London to join @tessl.io, a developer AI startup — and I’ll be working with @almaer.com again, too!
Tessellating in London
Summary: Along with my long-time best friend Dion Almaer, I’ve joined Tessl, a developer AI startup, and I’m moving to London with my…
medium.com
November 14, 2024 at 1:01 PM
Some news: I’ve moved to London to join @tessl.io, a developer AI startup — and I’ll be working with @almaer.com again, too!
Weird to go from infinitely configurable custom feeds to “here’s a ton of threads that intersect in an undefined way between your interests and ours.”
July 6, 2023 at 12:11 AM
Weird to go from infinitely configurable custom feeds to “here’s a ton of threads that intersect in an undefined way between your interests and ours.”
Is it okay to start playing Christmas music in July if it’s lo-fi?
July 4, 2023 at 11:14 PM
Is it okay to start playing Christmas music in July if it’s lo-fi?
🤣🤣🤣
I have reported this grocery store and am awaiting a response from the mod team
July 2, 2023 at 6:37 PM
🤣🤣🤣
Reposted by Ben Galbraith
a story in 3 acts
July 2, 2023 at 1:16 PM
a story in 3 acts
Trying to grok the galaxy brain strategy Starbucks is employing that explains why their bakery display cases across the country are consistently gross.
July 1, 2023 at 4:12 PM
Trying to grok the galaxy brain strategy Starbucks is employing that explains why their bakery display cases across the country are consistently gross.
There’s awful, and then there’s “incapable of using logic” and “posting videos of your lame workouts and then making excuses about them.”
Two different leagues.
JFK was a very rational, logical guy.
Two different leagues.
JFK was a very rational, logical guy.
The thing about RFK Jr being awful is that all the Kennedys — JFK, RFK, Teddy — were all fucking awful and there is a sick culture of dynastic political celebrity that they successfully exploited.
June 30, 2023 at 3:05 AM
There’s awful, and then there’s “incapable of using logic” and “posting videos of your lame workouts and then making excuses about them.”
Two different leagues.
JFK was a very rational, logical guy.
Two different leagues.
JFK was a very rational, logical guy.
This one hits me hard. I have fond memories of looking through dozens of back issues of Nat Geo when visiting my grandparents, and of looking forward to each month’s new issue.
Still, times are changing, and I haven’t subscribed for decades.
Still, times are changing, and I haven’t subscribed for decades.
National Geographic laying off its entire writing and podcast staff but still planning to keep publishing issues is bonkers.
There’s no way they’ll be able to keep the quality up with freelancers & AI. This is a death spiral for an iconic magazine.
Is there any future for journalism majors?
There’s no way they’ll be able to keep the quality up with freelancers & AI. This is a death spiral for an iconic magazine.
Is there any future for journalism majors?
National Geographic magazine has laid off the last of its staff writers | CNN Business
National Geographic, the iconic yellow framed magazine that has chronicled the natural world for more than 100 years, laid off its last remaining staff writers this week, multiple departing staffers s...
amp.cnn.com
June 30, 2023 at 3:01 AM
This one hits me hard. I have fond memories of looking through dozens of back issues of Nat Geo when visiting my grandparents, and of looking forward to each month’s new issue.
Still, times are changing, and I haven’t subscribed for decades.
Still, times are changing, and I haven’t subscribed for decades.