Curious, Confused, Coding Connor

I’m intrigued by the idea that old codebases can be better than newer codebases b/c of decades of work squashing bugs. I kinda imagine like old growth forest vs a new garden. The old ecosystem is mature and complicated and tangled. It works (maybe better?) but it appears messier than new code.

Just applied! I’ve been inspired by @newpublic.substack.com on Bluesky and I would love to contribute!

At some point will LLM’s be so normalized that people learn “LLM-native” coding skills without prior coding experience? I bet so. I’m curious what it’ll look like.

For now, knowing how to code already is just a massive head start to learning how to effectively do human-in-the-loop LLM coding.

I’m a big fan of thoughtful takes on how LLM’s are influencing coding. My fav section title here: “LLMs Amplify Existing Expertise”.

My take: having coding expertise allows you to develop this new human-in-the-loop LLM coding skillset. Coding with LLM’s is a skill you have to develop.

This seems like a good time to reflect a little on Judith Butlers writings about nonviolence. Part of her analysis involves questioning who gets to define violence, and when states use this semantic power as a form of oppression. lithub.com/judith-butle...

What. The. Actual. Fuck?!???!!

“I think society starts to reflect the structure of its dominant form of communication and so you need communications infrastructure that is democratic” - @jay.bsky.team 👏👏👏

Great thread about how lack of social-media scheduler support for @bsky.app is an obstacle for larger orgs to move here. Hopefully this will continue to change as the Bluesky community grows

As a billionaire, the best things you can do are: (1) redistribute your wealth in a way that you cede control and give power back to the people, and (2) use your platform to deconstruct myths that billionaires are uniquely talented + smart (sorry if that hurts your ego, but look at Elon - it’s true)

@mcuban.bsky.social Wealth is power, and I’m skeptical of the amount of power billionaires have. We’ve seen billionaires become a threat to democracy. We’ve seen billionaires move towards becoming oligarchs. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t individually use your wealth + power for good

Alternative business models not only exist, but can also function successfully within capitalism and help improve our systems from the inside-out

And many smaller utility companies are great examples of co-op’s that serve their communities better than massive utility conglomerates.

Oh, and #communitytechalliance as well!

There are successful examples of tech nonprofits running at least partially revenue based business models (#enveritas and @watttime.org come to mind)

And while you’re at it, why not just buy out the @bsky.app investors and turn Bluesky isn’t either a tech non profit or a co-op?

I know @mcuban.bsky.social loves @bsky.app. It’s time for him to fully fund @freeourfeeds.com and take a massive step towards securing bluesky’s future as a better social media.

While I’m at it - @mcuban.bsky.social I might not like billionaires as a class, but I’d certainly reconsider you as an individual if you fully funded @freeourfeeds.com 😜

I believe @jay.bsky.team and her team are genuinely working for social good, and fighting for social media without billionaire control. It’s good to be clear-eyed about the risks of “enshittification” that @bsky.app still faces, while also celebrating how amazing this app + the ppl working on it are

Until then, it’s critically important to secure the future of the AT Protocol independent from Bluesky. Donate to @freeourfeeds.com! The AT Protocol can serve as a key check-and-balance on the power of a for-profit @bsky.app

@jay.bsky.team is at her weakest when talking about monetization. History suggest VC wants returns, not social good. If Bluesky investors want social good, they should have a clear exit plan that allows @bsky.app to become a nonprofit, a co-op, or another innovative org structure.

Great talk, and highlights how Bluesky is giving users control and letting users own their data. These are massive wins! #FreeOurFeeds

As someone looking for work as a SWE and not changing careers I guess my bet is: (1) I can still do a lot of important stuff gen ai can’t do, and (2) I have a specific skill set that lets me use gen ai better than non coders. It’s human-in-the-loop, and the human is the lynchpin.

I heard gen ai is to software engineering as the calculator was to accountants. It drastically transformed the field. But it turns out accountants do a lot more than just calculate ledgers. But, calculators could never do the other stuff accountants do. TBD if gen ai can do the other stuff SWE do.

Real codebases involve work not needed in vibe coding (e.g. story refinement, buy-in from dependent teams, hyper-specific implementations, complex side effects, code style, code reviews, testing, deployment, monitoring, ...). Gen ai is great at coding. It’s just not great at being a SWE.

Mundus sine Caesaribus

Well worth watching the full talk!

💯💯💯

Shout it from the rooftops! Algorithms can be better! #holdtechaccountable

A little microcosm of sports washing... What happens when an oil company sponsors a ski race while burning oil is ultimately jeopardising the future of skiing? Is disrupting the event effective or does it just piss people off?

fasterskier.com/2025/03/in-n...

I cry.