151
AI coding made me faster, but I can't code to music anymore
AI coding has made me much more productive—but at a strange cost. I can't listen to music when I code anymore.
Top posts
Every blog post that took off on Hacker News, ranked by the votes of its best submission. 311 posts.
152
Go ahead, write the “stupid” code
When I finished school in 2010 (yep, along time ago now), I wanted to go try and make it as a musician. I figured if punk bands could just learn on the job, I could too. But my mum insisted that I needed to do something, just in case. So I went down to the local TAFE (this is like a trade school in Australia, though…
153
Talent
“It is generally ill-advised to say 'never' and I'm pleased for you that your grafting has got you to where you wanted to be.”
154
I am a programmer, not a rubber-stamp that approves Copilot generated code
Today morning, I came across this reddit post titled Completely losing interest in the career due to AI and AI-pilled people. They describe how in a span of ...
155
So you want to speak at software conferences?
An article from dylanbeattie.net
156
API design note: Beware of adding an "Other" enum value
What are you going to do when you add a new kind?
157
The collapse of the econ PhD job market
What is an Economics PhD worth in 2025?
158
Write the damn code
You are a software engineer. Don't become a prompt refiner.
159
How can I influence others without manipulating them?
Learn practical ways to influence others ethically using five respectful approaches that build trust, commitment and genuine buy-in.
160
I have left Branch and am no longer involved with Nova Launcher
I'm the founder and original developer of Nova Launcher. I've been the only one working on Nova for the past year. I needed to let you know that I have left Branch and am no longer involved with Nova Launcher.
161
Stamina Is a Quiet Advantage
Stamina is one of the most universally useful traits you can develop. It's a more broadly applicable advantage than things that are situationally useful.
162
Estimates are difficult for developers and product owners
Product Owner: Hey, how long do you believe Feature F will take? Developer: Idk. We haven’t even started working on it and it’s bound to stir up some old issues.
163
Users don't care about your tech stack
They care about the product and their needs.
164
Feedback doesn't scale
Listening is always hard, and it only gets harder at scale.
165
Getting a paper accepted
Page 1 Accepts, the Rest Avoids Rejection
166
"Good engineering management" is a fad
As I get older, I increasingly think about whether I’m spending my time the right way to advance my career and my life. This is also a question that your company asks about you every performance cycle: is this engineering manager spending their time effectively to advance the company or their organization?…
167
Becoming the person who does the thing
Bad news: your internal identity dictates everything you do. Good news: you can change it
168
Omarchy Is Out
My latest love letter to Linux has been published. It's called Omarchy, and it's an opinionated setup of the Arch Linux distribution and the Hyprland tiling window manager. With everything configured out-of-the-box to give you exactly the same setup that I now run every day. My Platonic ideal of what a developer…
169
If we had the best product engineering organization, what would it look like?
This is a transcript of my keynote presentation for the Regional Scrum Gathering Tokyo conference on January 8th, 2025. Watch the video here.
170
How do I get into the game industry
Every now and then someone tells me that their child loves video games and wants to get into the game industry, then asks me how...
171
How to increase your surface area for luck
You should just do things
172
Design Pressure: The Invisible Hand That Shapes Your Code
Ever had this weird gut feeling that something is off in your code, but couldn’t put the finger on why? Are you starting your projects with the best intentions, following all best practices, and still feel like your architecture turns weird eventually?
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Proximity to coworkers increases long-run development, lowers short-term output (2023)
Revise and resubmit, Quarterly Journal of Economics
175
Being good isn't enough
Giving good career advice is hard. Maybe it’s because careers can look more alike than they really are. Two people can have the same title but what helps one...
176
Rolling the ladder up behind us
Who will take over for us if we don't train the next generation to replace us? A critique of craft, AI, and the legacy of human expertise.
177
Experts have it easy (2024)
Something that’s painfully understudied is how experts are more efficient than novices while achieving better results.
178
A manager is not your best friend
As people become managers, it's quite common for their team members to want to commiserate with them. This is especially true for friendly, competent, reasonable-seeming managers – people want to commiserate with winners. But commiseration, especially with your direct reports, is organizational poison.
179
Startup Equity 101
Startup Equity 101 I am writing this essay because I believe that money is both useful and worth thinking as little as possible about. No one I know joins a...
180
Developer's block
A blog on software development and other stuff