Rob Watts
@robwatts.org
Swearing at computers or down a news hole
CTO @ Wonderbly
CTO @ Wonderbly
Reposted by Rob Watts
now they know how many holes it takes to fill the albert hall
March 24, 2025 at 7:09 AM
now they know how many holes it takes to fill the albert hall
Reposted by Rob Watts
good day for the London coding scene
here's a thread of upcoming events that got announced today. please share!
here's a thread of upcoming events that got announced today. please share!
January 7, 2025 at 7:17 PM
good day for the London coding scene
here's a thread of upcoming events that got announced today. please share!
here's a thread of upcoming events that got announced today. please share!
Reposted by Rob Watts
🎉 Happy New Year 🎉
As we step into 2025, we’re filled with excitement and fresh energy for the year ahead. This year, we’re dreaming bigger than ever! More workshops (in-person and virtual), new locations, helping more people to learn coding, and continuing to break down barriers in tech ✨✨
As we step into 2025, we’re filled with excitement and fresh energy for the year ahead. This year, we’re dreaming bigger than ever! More workshops (in-person and virtual), new locations, helping more people to learn coding, and continuing to break down barriers in tech ✨✨
January 3, 2025 at 2:27 PM
🎉 Happy New Year 🎉
As we step into 2025, we’re filled with excitement and fresh energy for the year ahead. This year, we’re dreaming bigger than ever! More workshops (in-person and virtual), new locations, helping more people to learn coding, and continuing to break down barriers in tech ✨✨
As we step into 2025, we’re filled with excitement and fresh energy for the year ahead. This year, we’re dreaming bigger than ever! More workshops (in-person and virtual), new locations, helping more people to learn coding, and continuing to break down barriers in tech ✨✨
The UK government just needs to leave the X platform entirely to further marginalise it from mainstream public. The best alternative is right here
January 2, 2025 at 1:44 PM
The UK government just needs to leave the X platform entirely to further marginalise it from mainstream public. The best alternative is right here
Reposted by Rob Watts
I needed this today.
You may too.
You may too.
November 10, 2024 at 4:37 AM
I needed this today.
You may too.
You may too.
That moment when you ask something of ChatGPT with a tiny amount of context and it comes up with something better than you ever would with all the context
December 7, 2024 at 2:40 PM
That moment when you ask something of ChatGPT with a tiny amount of context and it comes up with something better than you ever would with all the context
infrequently.org/2024/11/if-n...
Great piece on how we’ve gone too far with React and is (somewhat provocatively) calling it legacy software
Great piece on how we’ve gone too far with React and is (somewhat provocatively) calling it legacy software
If Not React, Then What? - Infrequently Noted
Frameworkism is now the dominant creed of today's frontend discourse, and it's bullshit. We owe it to ourselves and to our users to reject dogma and embrace engineering as a discipline that strives to...
infrequently.org
December 3, 2024 at 10:38 PM
infrequently.org/2024/11/if-n...
Great piece on how we’ve gone too far with React and is (somewhat provocatively) calling it legacy software
Great piece on how we’ve gone too far with React and is (somewhat provocatively) calling it legacy software
Yes please. A few otherwise sensible people I know getting themselves in a lather
My Times piece today, in which I come to the defence of Rachel Reeves and argue that the economy is performing much as expected, despite a difficult budget:
Everyone should calm down about both chancellor and economy
www.thetimes.com/article/1c78...
Everyone should calm down about both chancellor and economy
www.thetimes.com/article/1c78...
Everyone should calm down about both chancellor and economy
The pile-on against Rachel Reeves has been silly and unedifying
www.thetimes.com
November 27, 2024 at 10:34 PM
Yes please. A few otherwise sensible people I know getting themselves in a lather
Need to up my Bluesky game
November 23, 2024 at 5:04 PM
Need to up my Bluesky game
Truth
OH at IETF: "computers are mistake multipliers"
November 7, 2024 at 11:00 PM
Truth
In times like these it’s best to put on some old slippers and listen to BBC Radio 4
November 6, 2024 at 6:00 PM
In times like these it’s best to put on some old slippers and listen to BBC Radio 4
Reposted by Rob Watts
the meetings will continue until morale improves
September 30, 2024 at 5:27 PM
the meetings will continue until morale improves
Simplicity nearly always beats complexity. This thread is no exception
My simple thesis about UK growth is that a small open economy that's a net energy importer will find it hard to prosper without a strategy for trade, international energy policy and dealing with political risks.
September 22, 2024 at 1:01 PM
Simplicity nearly always beats complexity. This thread is no exception
Reposted by Rob Watts
what does being on top of their game mean? in my experience it’s about being comfortable a few layers lower than the commoditized stack. for example competency to rewrite a critical piece from scratch that used to be third party. most teams don’t need that! but it’s a huge multiplier when you can
September 14, 2024 at 12:18 PM
what does being on top of their game mean? in my experience it’s about being comfortable a few layers lower than the commoditized stack. for example competency to rewrite a critical piece from scratch that used to be third party. most teams don’t need that! but it’s a huge multiplier when you can
Installing arch on my mac. Why do I do this to myself
September 8, 2024 at 10:04 AM
Installing arch on my mac. Why do I do this to myself
This is how I started - copying someone else’s code into my own computer. Nothing has changed
September 7, 2024 at 9:56 PM
This is how I started - copying someone else’s code into my own computer. Nothing has changed
Reposted by Rob Watts
Sad to see all these people pandering to new Brazilian users instead of doing what I’m doing: enjoying a nice Saturday afternoon sipping a caipirinha and vibing to the bossa nova stylings of João Gilberto.
August 31, 2024 at 5:37 PM
Sad to see all these people pandering to new Brazilian users instead of doing what I’m doing: enjoying a nice Saturday afternoon sipping a caipirinha and vibing to the bossa nova stylings of João Gilberto.
Reminder that there's a healthy list of good opportunities for the UK/EU relationship in the next few years, as @efta4uk.bsky.social has been saying for a long time.
Will keep pushing back on "There is some room for closer links, but it is limited". Linking ETS scheme, joining PEM rules of origin, regulatory cooperation and alignment, mutual recognition agreements, veterinary agreement, mobility deals, this isn't a trivial UK-EU agenda.
August 30, 2024 at 8:25 AM
Reminder that there's a healthy list of good opportunities for the UK/EU relationship in the next few years, as @efta4uk.bsky.social has been saying for a long time.
Reposted by Rob Watts
my cynical take is that facebook is embracing AP *because* it doesn’t help deliver the kind of user experiences (algos, global search) expected by a global mainstream userbase. AP doesn’t threaten fb’s position so it’s happy to play nice with the smalls. atproto is actually subversive in this sense
rolling out basic AP support a small step at a time works very effectively for PR!
I know facebook claims this is about legal/reputation risk, but i'm pretty skeptical. they have found a way to get positive press over a multi-year time frame for very little practical interop (and zero adversarial?)
I know facebook claims this is about legal/reputation risk, but i'm pretty skeptical. they have found a way to get positive press over a multi-year time frame for very little practical interop (and zero adversarial?)
Threads deepens its ties to the open social web, aka the ‘fediverse’ techcrunch.com/2024/...
August 28, 2024 at 9:21 PM
my cynical take is that facebook is embracing AP *because* it doesn’t help deliver the kind of user experiences (algos, global search) expected by a global mainstream userbase. AP doesn’t threaten fb’s position so it’s happy to play nice with the smalls. atproto is actually subversive in this sense
Ok can the press pls stop using “definitely, maybe” in everything now
August 27, 2024 at 5:23 PM
Ok can the press pls stop using “definitely, maybe” in everything now
Reposted by Rob Watts
I think the most obvious use for generative AI is coming up with names for Daily Telegraph journalists.
August 26, 2024 at 11:53 AM
I think the most obvious use for generative AI is coming up with names for Daily Telegraph journalists.
Neovim makes me feel like a fresh young dev and at same time very old
August 26, 2024 at 8:51 AM
Neovim makes me feel like a fresh young dev and at same time very old
Just had my first couple of fake followers on Bluesky… sure sign platform is gaining popularity
August 25, 2024 at 10:49 AM
Just had my first couple of fake followers on Bluesky… sure sign platform is gaining popularity