Systems & Symbols
@systems-symbols.bsky.social
I am a programmer who wants to help others learn programming. My education is in philosophy and psychology. He/him.
The CEO of Cursor AI recently said that developers should be circumspect with LLM coding, aka "vibe coding." This is obviously a preemptive CYA but emphasizes that even those selling the tools know their limitations. Please do not vibe code. You will experience pain.
December 27, 2025 at 4:58 PM
The CEO of Cursor AI recently said that developers should be circumspect with LLM coding, aka "vibe coding." This is obviously a preemptive CYA but emphasizes that even those selling the tools know their limitations. Please do not vibe code. You will experience pain.
As the realities of LLM-generated code are becoming apparent, companies are getting desperate. They were promised 500%, 1000% increases in productivity and are getting 15% at best, -15% at worst. They are doubling down. These will be difficult times to grow...
December 15, 2025 at 3:18 PM
As the realities of LLM-generated code are becoming apparent, companies are getting desperate. They were promised 500%, 1000% increases in productivity and are getting 15% at best, -15% at worst. They are doubling down. These will be difficult times to grow...
This piece of advice has been long simmering: even if you already know how to program, don't use AI. Previously, I recommended that people in the early stages shouldn't use it because they need to struggle. But after seeing too many people's skills dull with Copilot, I think it should be avoided.
October 27, 2025 at 1:00 AM
This piece of advice has been long simmering: even if you already know how to program, don't use AI. Previously, I recommended that people in the early stages shouldn't use it because they need to struggle. But after seeing too many people's skills dull with Copilot, I think it should be avoided.
In case you did not see ReactConf, the entirety of both days are available on YouTube. They bury the lede a bit by hinting at a new, superfast rendering engine.
Day 1: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyVR...
Day 1: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyVR...
React Conf 2025 Day 1
YouTube video by React Conf
www.youtube.com
October 21, 2025 at 3:25 AM
In case you did not see ReactConf, the entirety of both days are available on YouTube. They bury the lede a bit by hinting at a new, superfast rendering engine.
Day 1: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyVR...
Day 1: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyVR...
I have been watching the YouTube channel Internet of Bugs and it is top-notch. These are must-watch videos for anyone who aims to be a programmer, is job hunting, or is already employed. www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKMA...
Tech Interviewing is Broken (Part 1 of n), How we got here and why we're still stuck here.
YouTube video by Internet of Bugs
www.youtube.com
July 10, 2025 at 4:36 AM
I have been watching the YouTube channel Internet of Bugs and it is top-notch. These are must-watch videos for anyone who aims to be a programmer, is job hunting, or is already employed. www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKMA...
This is a great example of the power vacuum created by the Trump administration having positive results. I cannot stress enough how many opportunities will arise around the world as the USA disintegrates. Do not grow disenchanted. Keep learning. Keep focused on growing.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Canada to expedite nation-building projects to counter Trump
Prime Minister Mark Carney outlined on Monday his ambitious plan to make Canada "the strongest economy in the G7".
www.bbc.com
June 5, 2025 at 8:04 PM
This is a great example of the power vacuum created by the Trump administration having positive results. I cannot stress enough how many opportunities will arise around the world as the USA disintegrates. Do not grow disenchanted. Keep learning. Keep focused on growing.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
The rise of students using LLMs to cheat has two perspectives. First, students are doing themselves a disservice. But second, and importantly, they are simply doing what they have been taught. They have been taught that GRADES matter, not actual knowledge. But as I have said before...
May 24, 2025 at 6:03 PM
The rise of students using LLMs to cheat has two perspectives. First, students are doing themselves a disservice. But second, and importantly, they are simply doing what they have been taught. They have been taught that GRADES matter, not actual knowledge. But as I have said before...
If you are struggling to get a job in tech, remember that it's not just "too many people, too few jobs." The entire hiring pipeline is currently clogged with AI tools and auto-application systems. There ARE jobs out there, but the people DOING the hiring are crushed.
May 9, 2025 at 3:55 PM
If you are struggling to get a job in tech, remember that it's not just "too many people, too few jobs." The entire hiring pipeline is currently clogged with AI tools and auto-application systems. There ARE jobs out there, but the people DOING the hiring are crushed.
The days are getting darker. Stay focused on the future, even if that seems far away. It is hard, but it gives hope. Keep learning and growing.
May 1, 2025 at 7:47 PM
The days are getting darker. Stay focused on the future, even if that seems far away. It is hard, but it gives hope. Keep learning and growing.
If you are hunting for a job and facing difficulties, post your resume to a subreddit focused on your area of expertise. People there will not bite their tongue when providing feedback and advice. It may hurt, but it will be worth it.
April 18, 2025 at 9:06 PM
If you are hunting for a job and facing difficulties, post your resume to a subreddit focused on your area of expertise. People there will not bite their tongue when providing feedback and advice. It may hurt, but it will be worth it.
I have been a defender of coding challenges because optimized solutions and elegant algorithms are EXTREMELY important. Just like a stats class, you don't need to know the algorithm exactly, but you do need to know when to use it. And I am at work watching the importance of algorithms right now.
April 16, 2025 at 1:28 PM
I have been a defender of coding challenges because optimized solutions and elegant algorithms are EXTREMELY important. Just like a stats class, you don't need to know the algorithm exactly, but you do need to know when to use it. And I am at work watching the importance of algorithms right now.
I don't want this to be an overtly political account, but 2025 was shaping up to be a job market recovery. And now it is all gone. For no reason. It is monumentally frustrating.
April 14, 2025 at 4:14 PM
I don't want this to be an overtly political account, but 2025 was shaping up to be a job market recovery. And now it is all gone. For no reason. It is monumentally frustrating.
Europe, Canada, Japan, and South Korea have all announced new efforts to build their own tech industries. The global monopolies of Google, Facebook, and Microsoft are more threatened than ever. This is glorious news for us who work in tech.
I cannot stress enough the golden lining in the cloud that is the Trump presidency: our free market will have more competition than it has had in decades. Silicon Valley was created by government spending. China's tech industry was government spending. The EV industry: government spending.
April 10, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Europe, Canada, Japan, and South Korea have all announced new efforts to build their own tech industries. The global monopolies of Google, Facebook, and Microsoft are more threatened than ever. This is glorious news for us who work in tech.
I cannot stress enough the golden lining in the cloud that is the Trump presidency: our free market will have more competition than it has had in decades. Silicon Valley was created by government spending. China's tech industry was government spending. The EV industry: government spending.
April 10, 2025 at 5:52 PM
I cannot stress enough the golden lining in the cloud that is the Trump presidency: our free market will have more competition than it has had in decades. Silicon Valley was created by government spending. China's tech industry was government spending. The EV industry: government spending.
Pay no attention to the discussion about offshoring. It is not "happening." Offshoring already happened. Things are as bad as they will ever be, and are, in fact, getting better. The Indian market is becoming more competitive and strong, driving up salaries. There is less and less to be saved.
April 4, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Pay no attention to the discussion about offshoring. It is not "happening." Offshoring already happened. Things are as bad as they will ever be, and are, in fact, getting better. The Indian market is becoming more competitive and strong, driving up salaries. There is less and less to be saved.
This meme has been going around again and needs addressing. This is shared because people are frustrated with coding interviews. This is wrong. Coding interviews are imperfect but necessary. Further, this meme unintentionally captures WHY they are necessary. Not only is this code un-optimized...
![A meme image opening with
Interviews: Write code for finding the smallest number.
My Code:
var a = [6,2,3,8,1,4];
a.sort();
console.log(a[0]);
The interviewer: Surprised white man face](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:bhuvgvugfuemp5ba7bvlnzip/bafkreicz2on3vnakyj6lnggpgnogadutwofvkyzmqrj6txtfidfidc63gm@jpeg)
April 3, 2025 at 4:11 PM
This meme has been going around again and needs addressing. This is shared because people are frustrated with coding interviews. This is wrong. Coding interviews are imperfect but necessary. Further, this meme unintentionally captures WHY they are necessary. Not only is this code un-optimized...
This was a depressing video, but it aligns with most of what I have been saying. I offer a message of hope, though. You can take control of your life. You cannot be rich, but you can avoid being poor. And importantly, you can stand together with others in your class.
April 3, 2025 at 3:01 PM
This was a depressing video, but it aligns with most of what I have been saying. I offer a message of hope, though. You can take control of your life. You cannot be rich, but you can avoid being poor. And importantly, you can stand together with others in your class.
I think about this after watching the viral video of students on the beach unable to answer very basic questions. This is depressing, but also a reminder of opportunity. They will struggle in the job market. Knowledge is power and protection that you can use to succeed where they fail.
Generative AI like ChatGPT is a killer app only for students, who are using it to cheat. Students graduating college are already depressingly unprepared for the world. At this exact moment in time, this may work for awhile, but you don't want to be the first graduating class where it doesn't.
March 30, 2025 at 4:32 AM
I think about this after watching the viral video of students on the beach unable to answer very basic questions. This is depressing, but also a reminder of opportunity. They will struggle in the job market. Knowledge is power and protection that you can use to succeed where they fail.
Generative AI like ChatGPT is a killer app only for students, who are using it to cheat. Students graduating college are already depressingly unprepared for the world. At this exact moment in time, this may work for awhile, but you don't want to be the first graduating class where it doesn't.
March 30, 2025 at 4:07 AM
Generative AI like ChatGPT is a killer app only for students, who are using it to cheat. Students graduating college are already depressingly unprepared for the world. At this exact moment in time, this may work for awhile, but you don't want to be the first graduating class where it doesn't.
I started this account to help teach people to protect themselves from the brutality of our free market, to give them the tools to survive.
I have to admit, I'm not sure any tools will be enough. But some tools are better than nothing.
I have to admit, I'm not sure any tools will be enough. But some tools are better than nothing.
March 29, 2025 at 4:09 AM
I started this account to help teach people to protect themselves from the brutality of our free market, to give them the tools to survive.
I have to admit, I'm not sure any tools will be enough. But some tools are better than nothing.
I have to admit, I'm not sure any tools will be enough. But some tools are better than nothing.
As the AI bubble pops, things will actually get harder for engineers. A truly eye-watering amount of money is going to be lost, and this will destroy companies and undermine investment for a long time. Be prepared for hard times by saving money and constantly educating yourself.
March 23, 2025 at 4:47 PM
As the AI bubble pops, things will actually get harder for engineers. A truly eye-watering amount of money is going to be lost, and this will destroy companies and undermine investment for a long time. Be prepared for hard times by saving money and constantly educating yourself.
I cannot recommend reading OLD programming books enough. Computer science is depressingly ignorant of its past in a way that other disciplines are not. Read about UNIVAC, Lisp, and Ted Nelson. Read about the philosophical underpinnings of programming.
March 17, 2025 at 9:27 PM
I cannot recommend reading OLD programming books enough. Computer science is depressingly ignorant of its past in a way that other disciplines are not. Read about UNIVAC, Lisp, and Ted Nelson. Read about the philosophical underpinnings of programming.
Once you have a job in programming, don't be afraid of others. The layoffs we are seeing are an explicit attack on our compassion. If we all feel that our job stability is under attack, we will attack one another instead of the companies that are the true cause. Be kind to each other.
March 9, 2025 at 8:52 PM
Once you have a job in programming, don't be afraid of others. The layoffs we are seeing are an explicit attack on our compassion. If we all feel that our job stability is under attack, we will attack one another instead of the companies that are the true cause. Be kind to each other.
One of the great things about programming is that it is high-tech, valuable, and can be done on an incredibly cheap devices. You primarily just want cores and memory. A base Mac Mini is only $699 and often on sale. Beelink has mini PCs with 32GB of memory for $499.
March 7, 2025 at 3:47 AM
One of the great things about programming is that it is high-tech, valuable, and can be done on an incredibly cheap devices. You primarily just want cores and memory. A base Mac Mini is only $699 and often on sale. Beelink has mini PCs with 32GB of memory for $499.
Don't be overly concerned with learning skills that are "out of date." JQuery is a library for making web pages that is twenty years old. It is still being used by many millions of websites around the world.
March 4, 2025 at 3:48 AM
Don't be overly concerned with learning skills that are "out of date." JQuery is a library for making web pages that is twenty years old. It is still being used by many millions of websites around the world.