2011
Recreational Programming
Learn more about Christopher Phiri work experience, education, connections & more. Software developer, UX/UI, Illustrator
Top posts
Every blog post that took off on Hacker News, ranked by the votes of its best submission. 5,951 posts.
2012
Six Math Essentials
Just a brief announcement that I have been working with Quanta Books to publish a short book in popular mathematics entitled “Six Math Essentials”, which will cover six of the fundament…
2013
IPv6 is not insecure because it lacks a NAT
This post is intended to dispell the mistaken belief that IPv4 is more secure than IPv6 because it includes a NAT which must be configured to allow inbound traffic.
2014
2015
EU ban on destruction of unsold clothes and shoes enters into application
Under the new rules, businesses must prioritise keeping products in use by selling them or preparing them for reuse.
2016
Xfce is great
A post from David Gerard reminded me why I still use Xfce almost everywhere.
2017
I also filed the corners off my MacBook
Modify your tools more!
2018
Apple rejected my dictation app for using the accessibility API
Apple rejected WhisperPad under Guideline 2.4.5 for using the accessibility API to paste transcribed text. After an appeal that ended in another rejection, I split it into two versions — a compliant one on the App Store, and the original auto-paste version, direct.
2019
A Surveillance Treaty in Disguise: Canada Signs UN Cybercrime Convention
Last week, the government announced that Canada has signed the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, with Ministers Anita Anand, Gary Anandasangaree and Sean Fraser touting the treaty’s child protection provisions and human rights safeguards, which were described as “among the strongest found in an…
2020
Bringing uv and ty together
Experimental uv-ty integration enables first-class support for Python scripts on the CLI and in the editor, and a unified uv check command.
2021
Everything is logarithms
Some connections between things, which I have not seen elsewhere. Maybe they mean something?
2022
2023
TALA Is Open-Source
Seven real-world layout comparisons and eleven original diagrams, including two with selective TALA positioning.
2024
Improving GPT‑5.6 Sol in ChatGPT, expanding GPT‑5.6 Luna access for free users
ChatGPT introduces improved GPT-5.6 Sol with better accuracy and consistency, plus expanded access for free users and unlimited everyday chats with GPT-5.6 Luna.
2025
2026
VC isn't VC anymore
A blog about making culture. Since 1999.
2027
2028
The Effect of CRTs on Pixel Art (2024)
A follow-up to this text is available here . It goes into much greater detail about signal quality, and also examines how pixel art techniques have been used on non-CRT systems.
2029
Welcoming Discord users amidst the challenge of Age Verification
Matrix, the open protocol for secure decentralised communications
2030
Every company building your AI assistant is now an ad company
Exploring how agents become multipliers, not replacers.
2031
Insects don't swarm at LED lights
Remember when you used to encounter swarms of insects around outdoor electric lights? Their well known attraction to outdoor lights is used by entomologists and moth lovers to conduct insect surveys. All you need is a light and a white sheet to see who’s flying at night.
2032
I’m leaving Redis for SolidQueue
Rails 8 eliminates Redis from the default stack. Learn how SolidQueue, SolidCache, and SolidCable replace Redis for job processing, caching, and real-time updates—powered entirely by PostgreSQL. Explore the true cost of Redis, how SolidQueue works, when it scales, and how to migrate from Sidekiq to a simpler…
2033
Android CLI: Build Android apps 3x faster using any agent
News and insights on the Android platform, developer tools, and events.
2034
How I use HTMX with Go
My new book guides you through the start-to-finish build of a real world web application in Go — covering topics like how to structure your code, manage dependencies, create dynamic database-driven pages, and how to authenticate and authorize users securely .
2035
I Could've Rickrolled the FIFA World Cup. All I Needed Was My ID
How I found that anyone could register on FIFA's public Agent Platform, gain access to the Football Data Platform's Streaming Management panel, and get RTMP ingest URLs and stream keys for every live FIFA World Cup 2026 camera feed. I then spent hours calling FIFA, MediaKind, HBS, CISA, and the FBI trying to get…
2036
C++26 is done: ISO C++ standards meeting Trip Report
News flash: C++26 is done! 🎉 On Saturday, the ISO C++ committee completed technical work on C++26 in (partly) sunny London Croydon, UK. We resolved the remaining international comments on the C++26…
2037
Why AI hasn't replaced software engineers, and won't
Coding agents as normal technology
2038
Why jet engines aren't made in China
What China’s jet engine program tells us about the limits of industrial policy
2039
Person of Interest
A few days ago, I started watching Person of Interest, and I haven’t been able to stop. Aside from the fact that the show feels even more relevant today than...
2040
Celebrating 70 Years of Fortran
Fortran : High-performance parallel programming language