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Posts by Rick Ballard

(Probably that doesn’t count as minimum complexity, but it is an option that doesn’t require WSL)

1 week ago 1 0 1 0
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Zellij A terminal workspace that doesn't sacrifice simplicity for power. Features floating panes, layouts, multiplayer collaboration, plugins, and works in your browser.

One option is to use one terminal window and have a terminal tab/pane manager within it — I use zellij.dev now. (Thanks @ed3d.net for making me aware of this). It is making your u/x a bit more complicated than just basic native windows/tabs, but the learning curve isn’t as bad as it looks at first.

1 week ago 2 0 1 0

Despite getting somewhat inured to the unending stream of terrible things from this administration, today's threats are a deeply upsetting new low. TBH having some trouble functioning this morning. Also thinking of my HS-teacher spouse, who needs to go explain this to kids today.

2 weeks ago 2 0 0 0

Score one for those of us who can’t help but reflexively say “please” to Claude anyway.

3 weeks ago 1 0 0 0

It's really remarkable how dramatically the way I work has changed in just a few short months. The parts of my job in front of a computer are almost unrecognizable vs. before. I'm lucky that it clicks so well for me, but I can completely understand why so many engineers are deeply disconcerted.

4 weeks ago 3 0 0 0

And what is the emergent shape of the system in which many more people are doing hyper personalized software that has the ability to interact with standardized software, I don't think we've ever REALLY been in that world

1 month ago 44 2 5 0

I love this -- a really fantastic start at turning LLM-assisted coding from something folks fear will sap their skills into a great opportunity for clear-headed learning and continuing education. And instead of making those separate activities, why not both at once? Try it out!

2 months ago 14 4 0 0

*Good* AI review is key, though. Just asking a model to review my code is pretty hit-or-miss. But using a high-quality Claude code skill for structured review does a lot better. & cross-model review seems to do even better (esp w/ a well-structured prompt/skill). E.g. Opus + Gemini, or Codex + Opus.

2 months ago 2 0 1 0
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For all the talk about AI coding slop, the right workflows can go the other way. I pride myself on writing meticulous code & building deep understanding, and can change fragile code without regressions; but running my commits through a good AI review often still catches things I would have missed.

2 months ago 4 0 1 0

Oh, and I wrote about some considerations for all those now tasked with MEASURING the impact of AI on their organizations. Because social media debates don't really help those of us actually struggling with this real work right now.

www.fightforthehuman.com/how-not-to-m...

2 months ago 20 6 0 0

Manifesto: 1/2

Early AI boosters (the type that pivoted from NFTs/metaverse shit) are basically a subspecies of semisentient slime mold. These are the people that made genai image/video gen the visual shorthand of fascism.

They deserve no credit for accidentally guessing right.

2 months ago 121 7 1 4
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Meet agentic coding in Xcode - Tech Talks - Videos - Apple Developer Discover how Xcode 26.3 seamlessly integrates coding agents like OpenAI Codex and Claude Agent to work together on complex, multi-step...

Relatedly, I am super proud of my colleagues who built a best-in-class in-IDE agentic programming experience for Xcode. It's a pleasure to use, and it works super well! developer.apple.com/videos/play/...

2 months ago 2 0 0 0

It's clear how nascent the tools are; how much dramatic improvement we'll get just from better context engineering, tooling, orchestration, and validation. It's a time of rapid experimentation, & moving at a crazy pace. The past couple months especially have felt like gaining software superpowers.

2 months ago 2 0 1 0

I haven't been posting about AI because people get dogpiled for it. And it is a societally complicated topic. But: I have been having more fun lately than at any point in my career. (And I've had a fun career 😄). Agentic programming has gotten *really* good. Especially with a thoughtful operator.

2 months ago 2 0 1 0

It's depressing to even need to point this out.

2 months ago 2 0 0 0

The bravery of so many ordinary people in Minnesota this past week is deeply inspiring. And the degree to which it's necessary is horrifying.

3 months ago 4 0 0 0

Cooking turkey on a charcoal grill once again has proven to be the best.

Break down a turkey into parts, like you might a chicken. Kosher salt & leave in the fridge for a couple days. Grill; take each piece off at the right temp. Gives you moist, delicious meat with just enough smoke to elevate it.

4 months ago 4 0 1 0
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I am well aware that they are and will continue to do massive damage to this country

but does it feel like they’re on a glide path to successful authoritarian consolidation anymore? I submit that it does not

5 months ago 2971 309 61 38
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Debunking “When Prophecy Fails” In 1954, Dorothy Martin predicted an apocalyptic flood and promised her followers rescue by flying saucers. When neither arrived, she recanted, her group dissolved, and efforts to proselytize ceased....

Ok, just wow. If the content of this article is right, this is depressing. We're slowly reaching the point where ~100% of what I was taught in Social Psych was either innocently wrong or plainly frauded

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...

5 months ago 462 132 25 54

Obviously, fire safety is incredibly important. But dual-stair design doesn't have evidence-based benefit below 7 stories, assuming sprinklers &etc. Sidenote, having lived in a small dual-stair apt building, the layout it forces really messes with the sense of community & building feel too.

5 months ago 1 0 0 0
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Tell the State Fire Marshal: Legalize Single-Stair Buildings in California! Improve California's building code so that more families can afford homes in our cities.

Addressing the housing crisis requires lowering costs, not just legalizing housing. One great proposed reform is allowing single-stair building design up to 6 stories, instead of the dual-stair design current CA fire codes require. Easy link to send a letter here: actionnetwork.org/letters/make...

5 months ago 1 0 1 0
Me, at a No Kings protest, holding a sign saying “We are going to win” with a crossed-out crown.

Me, at a No Kings protest, holding a sign saying “We are going to win” with a crossed-out crown.

6 months ago 6 0 0 0

Find an event near you: nokings.org

6 months ago 24 14 0 0

My new cooktop is induction, and induction is *so* nice. Heats up startlingly fast, and then easy to control. Water boils shockingly fast. I’ve zero regrets about saying goodbye to gas.

6 months ago 4 0 1 0
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I hate how the modern answer to "what file format should I use for this config file that should be both human and machine editable" is basically all bad options. Everything out there has serious limitations, or isn't widely supported. For all its verbosity, I kinda miss XML?

6 months ago 2 0 0 0

The passage of SB79 is a huge achievement. (No thanks to my representitives on the penninsula). It really feels like there's been a sea change in how housing policy is seen — albeit a change that has had to be fought for tooth and nail.

7 months ago 3 0 0 0
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Our Preoccupation With Protein Intake The data on high protein diets, bars, supplements, and powders will surprise you

How much protein should you consume?
erictopol.substack.com/p/our-preocc...

7 months ago 272 77 24 12
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Your Local Epidemiologist in California | Substack Translating the ever-changing science of public health for Californians so you can take action for your community’s health. Click to read Your Local Epidemiologist in California, a Substack publicatio...

5/ You’ve told us you want public health updates that are timely, clear, and relevant to your family. This is our response.

The first issue drops next week. Click here to be the first to get California public health news: yourlocalepidemiologistca.substack.com

8 months ago 16 3 1 0

Huh. You’re still using it without logging in? I guess the takeaway here is that “use code” doesn’t work when the tool isn’t allowed to use code — but that it will pretend it did 😬 Pretty funny that it lists a different output language than the source language.

8 months ago 1 0 1 0

Huh, it originally output w/ formatting as if it ran code without actually doing so? Or it was someone else’s unverified screenshot? If it can lie about running code, that’s wild. Also a really bad bug… OpenAI’s infra should be able to tell if code ran and not allow fake code output formatting.

8 months ago 0 0 1 0