Peter Thoeny
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Peter Thoeny
@peterthoeny.bsky.social
2.6K followers 1K following 650 posts
Photographer, tech exec, serial entrepreneur, innovator, consultant, software architect, open source BDFL, rocketeer
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peterthoeny.bsky.social
SF Bay Area: I'll be exhibiting again at Art Ark Gallery, San Jose. Opening reception: this Fri 6pm-9pm.

40+ artists showcase paintings, sculptures, photos, and more. It is a good opportunity to look for Xmas presents from a variety of art. My topic: Switzerland.

#SanJose #SFBay #exhibition
November 5, 2025 at 8:17 PM
peterthoeny.bsky.social
Tomorrow Sat 10/18 is the big day: No Kings protests will happen in countless locations all across the USA. Participate, stay safe!

Find an event near you: www.nokings.org

#nokings
October 18, 2025 at 5:10 AM
peterthoeny.bsky.social
Häppy Friday, everyone!
October 10, 2025 at 8:54 AM
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Häppy Friday, everyone!
October 3, 2025 at 8:33 AM
peterthoeny.bsky.social
Häppy Friday, everyone!
In the near future: Open the door Hal! I am sorry, Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that. Cartoon by Horsey, The Seattle Times
September 26, 2025 at 5:31 PM
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Häppy Friday, everyone!
September 5, 2025 at 7:40 AM
peterthoeny.bsky.social
Häppy Friday, everyone!
Distorted cat face through a full glass of water
August 29, 2025 at 6:34 PM
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First time for me: the AI agent is working for me while I sing in the shower.
August 25, 2025 at 4:54 PM
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Häppy Friday, everyone!
YOU KNOW, THERE WAS ANOTHER TIME WHEN SCIENCE WASN'T TAKEN SERIOUSLY AND RELIGION RULED THE WORLD. WE CALLED IT THE DARK AGES.
August 22, 2025 at 8:53 AM
peterthoeny.bsky.social
Taste the Magic Where Redwoods Witness Forever Promises

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-- CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © 2025 Peter Thoeny, QualityHDR.com

#photography #art #FineArt #night #bokeh #DreamLens #wedding #cake #Saratoga #SanJose #SanFrancisco #California #USA @bskyphotos.bsky.social
Taste the Magic Where Redwoods Witness Forever Promises We recently attended a friend's wedding in Saratoga, California. The celebration took place at a magical place in the forest. We were surrounded by redwood trees that were decorated in a gazillion lights, perfect for a bokeh shot with the wedding cake. -- ƒ/0.95, 50 mm, 1/250 sec, ISO 400, Sony A7 II, Canon 50mm f0.95 "Dream Lens", HDR, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © 2025 Peter Thoeny, Quality HDR Photography
August 20, 2025 at 5:12 AM
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Earlier this year my son spent 3 months in a fellowship at DARPA. Key lesson learned:

"Everyone runs as fast as they can at DARPA. From program managers to contractors to IT support, everything is focused and moves with urgency."

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#startup #leadership #NPS #DARPA #research
Earlier this year my son Alexis spent 3 months in a fellowship at DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency that was the birthplace of ARPANET in 1969, which became the Internet. Here is a key lesson he learned: "Everyone runs as fast as they can at DARPA. From program managers to contractors to IT support, everything is focused and moves with urgency." This resonates a lot with me. I work from tiny startups to large organizations. Startups are able to compete with much bigger organizations precisely because of this. By operating wth a sense of urgency you can move much faster. Take risks, fail fast, improve fast, and if you need, pivot. - Naval Postgraduate School article: https://bit.ly/4lya9ka - Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) call for participation: https://bit.ly/4mDQmkZ - Video interview: https://bit.ly/3V5LHMg
August 17, 2025 at 8:28 PM
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Important question to ponder, especially with the current political situation in the USA: Should we be tolerant to intolerant people?

Wikipedia article: bit.ly/3HtBCpm

#philosophy #tolerance #intolerance #politics
August 17, 2025 at 8:22 PM
peterthoeny.bsky.social
Häppy Friday, everyone!
August 15, 2025 at 8:40 AM
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Karl is Visiting Us Again

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-- CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © 2025 Peter Thoeny, QualityHDR.com

#photography #art #FineArt #skyline #night #skyscraper #water #city #downtown #SanFrancisco #California #USA @bskyphotos.bsky.social
Karl is Visiting Us Again San Francisco has a lot of fog in summer, typically creeping in from the sea. I intended to show visitors from Switzerland the San Francisco skyline from Grizzly Peak, a hill above Berkeley, California. Usually you get a nice view from above over San Francisco, the bay, Alcatraz, and the Golden Gate. When we arrived after dinner we only could see a few feet. Karl the fog was back. On the way back to the city we stopped at Treasure Island, where we finally had a clear view of the San Francisco skyline. The taller buildings disappeared in the low hanging clouds and fog. -- ƒ/6.3, 150 mm, 1/15, 1/4, 1 sec, ISO 800, Sony A6000, SEL-55210, HDR, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © 2025 Peter Thoeny, @Quality HDR Photography
August 8, 2025 at 6:08 PM
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Häppy Friday, everyone!
August 8, 2025 at 7:24 AM
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Häppy Swiss National Day!
August 1, 2025 at 5:20 PM
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Häppy Friday, everyone!
August 1, 2025 at 7:00 AM
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---+ From Cosmic Event to Biker Hangout

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-- CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © 2024 Peter Thoeny, QualityHDR.com

#photography #art #FineArt #restaurant #night #Woodside #RedwoodCity #skyline #SanJose #SanFrancisco #California #USA @bskyphotos.bsky.social
---+ From Cosmic Event to Biker Hangout I went to a business meetup organized by the Swiss American Chamber of Commerce of San Francisco. On that day Earth was subjected to strong solar winds, which caused auroras way into the continental USA. After the event I drove along the Skyline Boulevard, a road that follows the ridge of the hills that separate the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. After taking some shots of the aurora, I drove home and stopped by Alice's restaurant on the Skyline Boulevard, a popular hangout for motor cyclists in daytime. -- ƒ/4.0, 50 mm, 0.3, 4, 10, 30 sec, ISO 200, Sony A7 II, Canon 50mm f0.95 "Dream Lens", HDR, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © 2024 Peter Thoeny, @Quality HDR Photography
August 1, 2025 at 4:56 AM
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Häppy Friday, everybody!
July 25, 2025 at 9:25 PM
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Me: "Good, it works now. Time to sleep."

AI agent: "Glad to hear it’s all working and looking good now! 😄
Have a great night and restful sleep. If you need more help or want to add features in the future, just reach out."

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#AI #GenAI #LLM #AgentiveAI
Me: "Good, it works now. Time to sleep." AI agent: "Glad to hear it’s all working and looking good now! 😄 Have a great night and restful sleep. If you need more help or want to add features in the future, just reach out." I am using agentive AI every day now to write code. In fact the AI is writing the code for me. This app I am working on is 99% written by AI. This is the next evolution compared to a simple chat box interface like ChatGPT. I can describe what I need at a high level, and the AI agent creates files, modifies files, debugs code, writes a test framework with all tests, and executes commands for me. The AI agent is like a knowledgeable full stack developer who is eager to help. Welcome to the future!
July 24, 2025 at 9:00 AM
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Celebrating Swiss Independence Day

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-- CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © 2024 Peter Thoeny, QualityHDR.com

#photography #art #FineArt #person #man #portrait #Swiss #IndependenceDay #Newark #SanJose #California #USA @bskyphotos.bsky.social
Celebrating Swiss Independence Day Swiss Independence Day is coming up on first of August. The Swiss community living in the San Francisco Bay Area will celebrate the occasion at the Swiss Park in Newark, California, on Sunday, August 2nd. Would you like to join? This candid people shot is from last year's event. -- ƒ/0.95, 50 mm, 1/1000 sec, ISO 100, Sony A7 II, Canon 50mm f0.95 "Dream Lens", CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © 2024 Peter Thoeny, @Quality HDR Photography
July 21, 2025 at 8:25 PM
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Witness Transylvania's Most Reliable News Source

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-- CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © 2025 Peter Thoeny, QualityHDR.com

#photography #art #FineArt #monochrome #BlackAndWhite #portrait #woman #grandma #village #street #Transylvania #Romania @bskyphotos.bsky.social
---+ Witness Transylvania's Most Reliable News Source During our Transylvania, Romania journey, we stayed at a hotel in Valea Drăganului. At breakfast, we met a Canadian woman who had grown up in the area and returned for a visit. She graciously offered to connect me with an elderly man living in the village for documentary photography. Unfortunately, the gentleman was unwell that day, so our plans didn't materialize. Instead, we strolled through the village streets while the Canadian woman explained that elderly residents enjoy sitting on benches to observe daily life and socialize. We met a spirited 90-year-old grandma dressed in black robes who was quite talkative and amusing. Thankfully, our Canadian acquaintance served as a translator. -- ƒ/4.0, 135 mm, 1/250 sec, ISO 125, Sony A7 II, Pentax Super Takumar 135mm f/2.5, HDR, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © 2025 Peter Thoeny, @Quality HDR Photography
July 19, 2025 at 10:18 PM
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Villages in Transylvania typically run along the main road, as shown in this Google satellite image. The arrow indicates where I took the photo.
July 18, 2025 at 11:52 PM
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Journey Through Time in Transylvania

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-- CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © 2025 Peter Thoeny, QualityHDR.com

#photography #art #FineArt #horse #carriage #farmer #village #street #Transylvania #Romania @bskyphotos.bsky.social
Journey Through Time in Transylvania On our trip through Transylvania, Romania, we stayed at a B&B in Miercurea Ciuc. We explored nearby villages. It was raining when we passed a horse carriage in the small village of Nădejdea. They are still in use in the countryside. -- ƒ/7.1, 24 mm, 1/500, 1/2000, 1/4000 sec, ISO 1600, Sony A6400, SEL-P1650, HDR, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © 2025 Peter Thoeny, @Quality HDR Photography
July 18, 2025 at 11:50 PM
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Häppy Friday, everyone!

#TGIF
July 18, 2025 at 7:49 AM