Adam Stone
@straythought.xyz
Holdover from the Old Web. Level 99 grass toucher living offline as much as possible. He/him
Better late than never, we got around to icing our annual (double) batch of ornament cookies in the very nick of time. Grandma and grandpa joined us this year, which made it an extra special treat. And now to settle my brain for a long winter's nap. After the Chinese take-out.
December 25, 2025 at 2:07 AM
Better late than never, we got around to icing our annual (double) batch of ornament cookies in the very nick of time. Grandma and grandpa joined us this year, which made it an extra special treat. And now to settle my brain for a long winter's nap. After the Chinese take-out.
It's far from the most important thing you could be reading today, but I did post my notes on this year's Advent of Code. Experts in branch and bound optimizations are especially encouraged to let me know where I went wrong on Day 10.
My Advent of Code 2025
Notes and reflections on an annual coding challenge after a year when I did a lot more coding that usual.
straythought.xyz
December 23, 2025 at 12:40 AM
It's far from the most important thing you could be reading today, but I did post my notes on this year's Advent of Code. Experts in branch and bound optimizations are especially encouraged to let me know where I went wrong on Day 10.
I would like to thank the little earthquake that shifted my bathroom door frame so it closes again, fixing an issue caused by a previous little earthquake that warped the bathroom door frame so it wouldn’t close. Living the California dream out here!
November 21, 2025 at 11:01 PM
I would like to thank the little earthquake that shifted my bathroom door frame so it closes again, fixing an issue caused by a previous little earthquake that warped the bathroom door frame so it wouldn’t close. Living the California dream out here!
I took a trip onto the sidewalk and all I got was this crummy blog post.
On Falling
Everyone falls, has fallen, will fall again.
straythought.xyz
November 21, 2025 at 8:05 PM
I took a trip onto the sidewalk and all I got was this crummy blog post.
Reposted by Adam Stone
Good news: If you would like to watch Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants on YouTube I have done a painstaking 4k upscale of this. www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0gW...
November 17, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Good news: If you would like to watch Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants on YouTube I have done a painstaking 4k upscale of this. www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0gW...
My advice to anyone annoyed by the 6-7 meme would be to continue complaining about it. You are definitely not making a laughingstock of yourself and prolonging its cultural currency 🤡
November 12, 2025 at 5:29 PM
My advice to anyone annoyed by the 6-7 meme would be to continue complaining about it. You are definitely not making a laughingstock of yourself and prolonging its cultural currency 🤡
Reposted by Adam Stone
Reposted by Adam Stone
Game design is simple, actually. Except when it isn't. Here are the 12 things you need to know.
Game design is simple, actually
So, let’s just walk through the whole thing, end to end. Here’s a twelve-step program for understanding game design. One: Fun There are a lot of things people call “fun.” But most of them are not useful for getting better at making games, which is usually why people read articles like this. The fun of a bit of confetti exploding in front of you, and the fun of excruciating pain and risk to life and limb as you free climb a cliff are just not usefully paired together.
www.raphkoster.com
November 3, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Game design is simple, actually. Except when it isn't. Here are the 12 things you need to know.
This Eddy Burback piece might be video of the year for me
ChatGPT made me delusional
YouTube video by Eddy Burback
youtu.be
November 8, 2025 at 12:47 AM
This Eddy Burback piece might be video of the year for me
A little while ago, @etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy wrote a good piece comparing concerns over social media with earlier generations' concerns over television. I thought some more about ways these media function differently and how those differences put their users at different risks.
Comparing the Risks of Social Media and Mass Media
A post by Adam Aleksic is a good reminder than concerns over the harms caused by media are not new. Many modern concerns about social media echo what previous generations worried about television. I n...
straythought.xyz
November 4, 2025 at 7:55 PM
A little while ago, @etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy wrote a good piece comparing concerns over social media with earlier generations' concerns over television. I thought some more about ways these media function differently and how those differences put their users at different risks.
Hey guys, I'm starting to think the instructor of this Claude Code class doesn't actually know how software is written...
October 28, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Hey guys, I'm starting to think the instructor of this Claude Code class doesn't actually know how software is written...
One of the roughest parts of learning to play an instrument is how often it feels like I made more progress during the 23.5 hours I didn't spend practicing than during the half hour I did
October 18, 2025 at 7:25 PM
One of the roughest parts of learning to play an instrument is how often it feels like I made more progress during the 23.5 hours I didn't spend practicing than during the half hour I did
Reposted by Adam Stone
One day the industry will recognize the drawbacks of AI agents and nondeterministic automation, and rediscover the UNIX philosophy of chaining together small purpose built tools in a low cost and predictable way, otherwise known as shell scripts.
October 9, 2025 at 11:22 AM
One day the industry will recognize the drawbacks of AI agents and nondeterministic automation, and rediscover the UNIX philosophy of chaining together small purpose built tools in a low cost and predictable way, otherwise known as shell scripts.
Taylor Swift coming up with that "dickmatized" line:
October 7, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Taylor Swift coming up with that "dickmatized" line:
Rewatched They Live (1988) last night, which prompted me to look up the amazing Keith David on IMDB. As of today, he has over 400 acting credits, which does not include over 150 additional projects where he's credited as himself. Already a legend, and still working!
Keith David | Actor, Producer, Composer
Known for: The Princess and the Frog, They Live, Armageddon
www.imdb.com
September 28, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Rewatched They Live (1988) last night, which prompted me to look up the amazing Keith David on IMDB. As of today, he has over 400 acting credits, which does not include over 150 additional projects where he's credited as himself. Already a legend, and still working!
Feeling very fortunate to both live in a neighborhood where we throw an annual block party and have neighbors I'm happy to spend a day outside together with
September 20, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Feeling very fortunate to both live in a neighborhood where we throw an annual block party and have neighbors I'm happy to spend a day outside together with
The first result when I looked up a pork marinade recipe was like "the secret ingredient in this marinade is soy sauce, but don't worry, it won't taste too Asian-y" and that really made my skin crawl.
The pork chops were good, though.
The pork chops were good, though.
September 19, 2025 at 6:57 PM
The first result when I looked up a pork marinade recipe was like "the secret ingredient in this marinade is soy sauce, but don't worry, it won't taste too Asian-y" and that really made my skin crawl.
The pork chops were good, though.
The pork chops were good, though.
Watching Addams Family Values with captions on is great in no small part because of how often it reminds you the baby’s name is “Pubert”
September 8, 2025 at 4:14 AM
Watching Addams Family Values with captions on is great in no small part because of how often it reminds you the baby’s name is “Pubert”
I had some feelings while watching TV with my kid, so I wrote about them
On Bee Boxes and Moral Compasses
Every now and then something calls my attention to the ways I’ve been changing over the years. Sometimes it points to a way my moral intuitions have shifted. Sometimes it’s an episode of Mythbusters i...
straythought.xyz
August 29, 2025 at 6:19 AM
I had some feelings while watching TV with my kid, so I wrote about them
What were you doing 11 years ago today?
Barack Obama tan suit controversy - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
August 28, 2025 at 7:34 PM
What were you doing 11 years ago today?
Reposted by Adam Stone
Twitter was never a very good platform for debate or persuasion even before it became a Nazi roachpit. Brief text snippets are terrible for conveying nuance and the public platform means it's hard to find common ground. It's always been a watercooler for people you generally agree with.
"I'm on Twitter because I want to persuade people instead of hanging out where everyone agrees with me and shirking my persuading duty" is the core argument of this piece. And it's not a good one. 1/
I'm sure this will be popular. www.theargumentmag.com/p/we-have-to...
August 22, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Twitter was never a very good platform for debate or persuasion even before it became a Nazi roachpit. Brief text snippets are terrible for conveying nuance and the public platform means it's hard to find common ground. It's always been a watercooler for people you generally agree with.
Many hands make light work
Every 5x5 Nonogram
pixelogic.app
August 17, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Many hands make light work
#ciclavia A beautiful way to enjoy a beautiful day in my westside community. I saw a ton of folks from the neighborhood out riding, taking a walk, eating together, and generally having a good time. This shouldn't be just a once-in-a-while thing.
August 17, 2025 at 8:50 PM
#ciclavia A beautiful way to enjoy a beautiful day in my westside community. I saw a ton of folks from the neighborhood out riding, taking a walk, eating together, and generally having a good time. This shouldn't be just a once-in-a-while thing.
My kind of people bowl at this bowling alley.
August 15, 2025 at 12:34 AM
My kind of people bowl at this bowling alley.
I cannot stress enough that this aired on network tv
folks I put together a compilation of hilarious clips from the short lived series Manimal, wherein a rich playboy solves crimes by changing into different beasts. here it is for your viewing pleasure, unless you don’t want to condone this sort of behavior (if so, fair) youtu.be/117fdJaHa68?...
The Best (?) of Manimal
YouTube video by Matthew Callan
youtu.be
August 12, 2025 at 2:44 AM
I cannot stress enough that this aired on network tv