I know I’ve been playing too much Pokopia but, that’s Gloom

Wow that hustle 💪🚀

My husband, watching me play Pokopia:

I thought it was ‘gotta catch em all’ not ‘gotta convince them all to move in with me and be my friend’ 😂

Running LLMs Like a Software Team: 10 Mindsets for Developers A practical guide for developers using AI coding tools. Learn 10 mindsets for working with LLMs through better context, guardrails, review, and accountability.

Using LLMs well feels less like typing faster and more like managing a junior engineer.

Code generation got cheap.
Judgment did not.

New blog post: www.samjarman.co.nz/blog/ai-team...

Turning Dead Solar Christmas Lights Into USB-Powered Lights I turned a dead set of solar Christmas lights into USB-powered lights and learned a few things about NiMH batteries, controller boards, buck converters, and relearning soldering along the way.

I turned a dead set of solar Christmas lights into USB-powered lights.

What I thought was a quick hack turned into a nice refresher on NiMH battery voltages, keeping the original controller board, and how rusty I’ve become at soldering.

www.samjarman.co.nz/blog/usb-chr...

Code Camp Wellington 2026 Free tech events organised by a team of volunteers for the benefit of the Wellington Tech community.

Just a reminder I am speaking at Code Camp Wellington this weekend. It's a free event, I'd love to see you there!

www.codecampwellington.nz

I’m starting a support group for men who have lost their wives to pokopia, DM for details of our first meeting. Coffee and donuts on me.

Are you a game developer based in Australia or Aotearoa New Zealand with an exciting announcement to share with the world in early June?

Frosty Games Fest 2026 applications are OPEN NOW! 🍦

Hey if you’re worried you’re not doing great at your job today, know I just got a reply to a support ticket I opened in 2022

Exciting news… The Frosty Games team is officially up and running for 2026! ❄️

This year we're working with two wonderful partners who share our passion for ANZ-made indie games, @nz-code.nz and @strangescaffold.bsky.social! 🎉

everyone say happy birthday to Loki 💚

Yeah, school holidays largely still premised on one stay at home parent which, *glares at economy*, needs updating 🙃

I see plenty of kids in the office on iPads for the day. Not ideal but sensible temporary fix.

It’s 1993, lets order a pizza then call the hint line [Newsie 25] Summer vibes continued

In this month's newsletter I'm sharing a game by @yarnspinner.dev, a homage to the ‘hint line’ phone numbers you could call in the time before the internet.

Plus the usual 'game of the month' and 'recent release radar' updates 📣

Read here: pixelexplorersclub.substack.com/p/its-1993-l...

Hi AU-based marketing and biz dev friends!

I'm still looking for $5k AUD to help make
@frostygamesfest.com events happen again this year. We have some sponsorship locked, but need to make up a shortfall 🍦💰

If you'd like to chat pls email or DM me! amy at hellomisspotter dot com

Why Every Engineering Team Should Have a Learning Backlog Senior engineers often carry a mental backlog of “cool ideas” that never ship. A Learning Backlog gives teams a low-pressure place for experimentation, skill-building, and innovation — without turning...

Innovation needs a home. A Learning Backlog gives it one, without turning it into an obligation.

A new blog post: www.samjarman.co.nz/blog/learnin...

Relaxation Is Maintenance: Why Rest Isn’t Indulgence (and How to Reset for Next Year) Relaxation isn’t a reward — it’s maintenance. Learn why constant pressure quietly erodes focus and creativity, and how reducing demand (not adding activities) helps you reset for 2026.

New blog post: Relaxation isn’t indulgence. It’s maintenance.

(For tired people, basically.)

www.samjarman.co.nz/blog/relax

How to Run Chapter Meetings People Actually Attend A practical guide to running chapter meetings: fixed cadence, rotating chair, no homework, short talks, recordings and minutes, and a no guilt cancel rule.

New blog post: How To Run A Good Chapter Meeting

After many companies and many chapter meetings, dropping my acrued wisdom. Hopefully it helps you.

www.samjarman.co.nz/blog/chapters

So, do I know anyone who knows someone at Valve / Steam who could help with an expedited game listing review due to extenuating circumstances? Many thank yous in advance 🙏🏼

Oh yeah it happens. It sucks hard. Usually temporary though. Fingers crossed same for you!

Beyond DRY and WET: How to Actually Think About Code Duplication A practical guide to understanding code duplication through the lens of truth, not repetition. Learn when to refactor, when to leave things alone, and how SPOT helps you avoid dangerous abstractions.

Developers obsess over DRY, but the real question is simpler: does this happen to be the same, or does it have to be the same?

Duplication isn’t the enemy. Incorrect truth is.

New post: Beyond DRY and WET: How to Actually Think About Duplication

www.samjarman.co.nz/blog/spot

That Woolies Cinnabon mud cake though… goodness. 😋

Stop Avoiding Politics Most engineers think workplace politics is dirty. They’re wrong. Refusing to play politics doesn’t make you noble; it makes you ineffective.

Stop Avoiding Politics terriblesoftware.org/2025/10/01/s...

Bambu is having a sale until December 5. au.store.bambulab.com/pages/black-...

We received 100+ applications for Frosty Mini, which is fantastic, but it also means that lots of games get left out of our event. It's always incredibly tough.

We want to thank every single dev who applied! You should all now have an email update from us (pls check spam) 💌

I have a dream router and love it, it includes all that

Try ask chat gpt, you might save an hour or two

That is wild! But new toys??? 😅

The unifi marketing videos have no reason to go so hard. Absolutely love them. Who gets this excited about networking equipment? Me.

F dat I think it’s interesting and the listener was loving it