Dr. Leif Singer's Avatar

Dr. Leif Singer

@leif.is

Discovering new and better ways for engineering teams to work at @ghost.org. PhD of CS; student of life. Prev. @Automattic, @idonethis, academia, founder. Remote since 2013. Say hello! https://leif.me

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07.02.2024
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Latest posts by Dr. Leif Singer @leif.is

Paper Jams Once a month, I host a one-hour video call with all subscribers to my paid Paper Jams plan. Calls happen on a Friday, usually at 1pm or 2pm UTC. They're not recorded and follow the Chatham House Rule....

Just announced this month's Paper Jam!
We'll discuss "From Anecdote to Evidence: The Relationship Between Personality and Need for Cognition of Developers". It brings together my interests in software engineering and psychology. 😊
Want to join us on Dec 19 at 3pm UTC? leif.me/paper-jams/

03.12.2025 21:40 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Using Psychological Research to Influence the Behavior of LLMs Do large language models trained on human data respond to the same psychological levers that sway us? Once a month, I meet with subscribers to my site's Paper Jam plan to discuss a paper about The Ex...

November's Paper Jam was about using psychological research to influence the behavior of LLMs — super fascinating topic that makes me want to do some more research in my spare time.
leif.me/using-psycho...

02.11.2025 23:28 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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How To Install Ghost With Docker (preview) - Ghost Developer Docs Preview our new batteries-included tools for self-hosting Ghost using Docker Compose.

should work when using the Docker install method: docs.ghost.org/install/dock...

04.08.2025 14:51 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 1
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Ghost 6.0 - Grow faster. Connect to the world's largest open publishing network, understand your audience with native analytics, and build a sustainable publishing business.

Ghost 6.0 is here — meet our biggest upgrade yet

🫶 Reach millions of users across the social web
🔎 Understand what works with native analytics
➕ Powerful new creator tools
📈 $100M earned for indie publishers

ghost.org/6/

04.08.2025 14:28 👍 158 🔁 57 💬 8 📌 21
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03.08.2025 21:04 👍 59 🔁 8 💬 7 📌 3
Microsoft Forms

One for all my pals working for UK charities—can you spare 5 minutes to reflect on your learning and development?

It’s for my other half’s MA project. Reposts, responses and good vibes appreciated 🙏

forms.office.com/pages/respon...

22.07.2025 13:31 👍 1 🔁 3 💬 2 📌 0

I'm finally reading this paper but my first thought is anybody on earth good at predicting how long a task will take them....?

Setting aside the small person sample, randomizing the tasks within developer is....super odd? Wouldn't we start to expect a lot of order effects?

11.07.2025 20:19 👍 72 🔁 24 💬 6 📌 4
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23.06.2025 08:23 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Weather is happening. #hannover #gewitter

22.06.2025 21:10 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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Die Seite mit der Maus - Aktuelle Sendung Die Seite mit der Maus - Hier kannst du dir die aktuelle Sendung mit der Maus für 7 Tage anschauen.

Today’s episode of the German children’s program “Sendung mit der Maus” explains LLMs to kids and does a much better job than many AI influencers. ❤️ www.wdrmaus.de/aktuelle-sen...

22.06.2025 08:40 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Image of a Ghost.org email newsletter template showing customizable header and background.

Image of a Ghost.org email newsletter template showing customizable header and background.

NEW: Even more email design settings

Customize your newsletter colors, style buttons, tweak backgrounds, and keep your brand consistent from homepage to inbox 💅

19.06.2025 13:25 👍 38 🔁 6 💬 2 📌 0
A screenshot of Cursor Agent's output

A screenshot of Cursor Agent's output

Claude is probing the boundaries of its sandbox.

I have a setting in Cursor enabled to prevent the agent (claude-3.7-sonnet) from editing dotfiles.

Claude tries to create a `.env` file and gets blocked by Cursor.

So it creates the `.env` file with a shell command instead.

02.05.2025 08:33 👍 5 🔁 4 💬 2 📌 0

We need to stop thinking so small and start taking the heat death of the universe into account. Pour all money into AI so it can figure out breaking out of this universe before its time is up.

08.05.2025 18:32 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Ghost Ghost is a proud non-profit organisation building open source technology for fiercely independent, professional publishers.

Incidentally, if indie publishing, open source, and JavaScript are your thing – we're hiring!

Our team is fully remote, distributed globally, and passionate about building a healthy future for the open web.

careers.ghost.org

06.05.2025 16:32 👍 16 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 1
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12 years of Ghost Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one

Another year, and several milestones all at once.

12 years since @ghost.org launched on Kickstarter, now at $8M ARR, and powering almost $100M in revenue for independent publishers 📈

A few reflections on building an open source publishing platform, for a long time:

john.onolan.org/12/

06.05.2025 16:24 👍 118 🔁 19 💬 12 📌 5

🚢🛳️⛴️

28.04.2025 15:57 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

New: Custom content for every subscriber 🎯

Now you can control where sponsored content shows up and who sees it — from a single post.

Want to fine-tune the design? We added new settings for that too!

08.04.2025 14:22 👍 31 🔁 7 💬 3 📌 0
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Social web (beta) Increase your reach by connecting your publication to the Fediverse

Now in beta – increase your reach by connecting your Ghost website to the fediverse 🌏

Discover and follow your favorite people and publications across Ghost, Threads, Mastodon, BlueSky, Flipboard, WordPress, and more – all in one place.

The open web is getting social.

ghost.org/changelog/so...

01.04.2025 15:11 👍 78 🔁 27 💬 8 📌 5
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Ghost Ghost is a proud non-profit organisation building open source technology for fiercely independent, professional publishers.

It's been a while, but we are HIRING again 🚀

Join us as Staff Product Engineer and get paid to work on open source software shaping the future of independent media!

🌍 Fully remote since 2013
📅 4 day work week
💸 Competitive salary
🧑‍💻 Equipment paid for

careers.ghost.org

10.03.2025 15:00 👍 160 🔁 59 💬 3 📌 2
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Paper Jam #2 Recap: Developer Thriving Context: once a month, I meet with subscribers to the Paper Jam plan of my blog to discuss a paper at the intersection of topics such as computer-supported collaborative work, software engineering, hu...

Here's the recap of Paper Jam #2, where we discussed "Developer Thriving: Four Sociocognitive Factors That Create Resilient Productivity on Software Teams". Thank you everyone for joining! 🎉 leif.me/paper-jam-2-...

09.03.2025 19:37 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

So happy I started on Ghost. Nice to see you switch over.

03.03.2025 22:46 👍 42 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 0

If you're still on Substack but want to make the move elsewhere, I highly recommend Ghost. Email concierge@ghost.org and they'll take care of virtually everything.

If you're worried about hanging onto subscribers, they kept everything in place from the old place. I've added 100+ new ones today.

03.03.2025 21:02 👍 2147 🔁 537 💬 64 📌 38
28.02.2025 18:37 👍 4714 🔁 883 💬 137 📌 30

No, the meeting did not go badly for Ukraine. It exposed in the most undeniable, unequivocal way possible the pro-Putin commitments of the president and vice president. That was information Americans and allies needed to have clear before them.

28.02.2025 17:57 👍 29646 🔁 7861 💬 817 📌 521

I will never forget the photo of Zelenskyy’s face after he saw Russia’s war crimes in Bucha in 2022. He seemed to age years in an afternoon. Watching him constantly cross the world asking for aid that should have been thrown at him is one of the deepest shames of our age.

28.02.2025 18:43 👍 25323 🔁 6168 💬 232 📌 201
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President Macron:

We all know the situation. The aggressor is Russia. Ukraine are a nation under attack.

I think we were all right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago, and to continue to do so.

28.02.2025 19:17 👍 7280 🔁 1406 💬 87 📌 43

Plot twist: the Cold War was never over and Russia is winning it.

28.02.2025 20:58 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

Is this how the USA surrendered to Russia? This and the obscene ruckus in the White House today?

28.02.2025 20:29 👍 870 🔁 268 💬 41 📌 22

That was the most shameful performance by any American president in a century.

I want to fucking throw up.

28.02.2025 18:09 👍 9429 🔁 1444 💬 220 📌 89
Kleine Anfrageder Fraktion der CDU/CSU
Politische Neutralität staatlich geförderter Organisationen
Die Frage nach der politischen Neutralität staatlich geförderter Organisationen sorgt aktuell zunehmend für Debatten. Hintergrund sind Proteste gegen die CDU Deutschlands, die teils von gemeinnützigen Vereinen oder staatlich finan-zierten Organisationen organisiert oder unterstützt wurden. Dies wirft die Frage auf, inwiefern sich gemeinnützige Vereine, die zusätzlich noch mit Steuergel-dern gefördert werden, parteipolitisch betätigen dürfen, ohne ihren Gemeinnüt-zigkeitsstatus zu gefährden.

Kleine Anfrageder Fraktion der CDU/CSU Politische Neutralität staatlich geförderter Organisationen Die Frage nach der politischen Neutralität staatlich geförderter Organisationen sorgt aktuell zunehmend für Debatten. Hintergrund sind Proteste gegen die CDU Deutschlands, die teils von gemeinnützigen Vereinen oder staatlich finan-zierten Organisationen organisiert oder unterstützt wurden. Dies wirft die Frage auf, inwiefern sich gemeinnützige Vereine, die zusätzlich noch mit Steuergel-dern gefördert werden, parteipolitisch betätigen dürfen, ohne ihren Gemeinnüt-zigkeitsstatus zu gefährden.

Die Union hat gestern eine kleine Anfrage in den Bundestag eingebracht, mit der sie zivilgesellschaftliche Organisationen wie Correctiv & Omas gegen Rechts delegitimieren will.

Die Überschrift weist den Weg für die kommenden 4 Jahre: Mit der Lüge, Zivilgesellschaft müsse "politisch neutral" sein,

25.02.2025 13:35 👍 4006 🔁 1765 💬 237 📌 245