Octo-dad and yet, surprisingly, younger than @almaer.com; product & pie lover. Work @ Tessl; prior: Google, Segment, Walmart, HP / Palm, Mozilla, Ajaxian, Acer, startups.https://bsky.app/profile/octo.dadhttps://bsky.app/profile/octo.dad/post/3mebh3ydjfk2qI feel the paradox of choice so much more intensely when I’m building hobby projects with agents. Because my own familiarity with a coding domain is no longer a useful razor at prioritizing, it’s very disorienting being able to do... anything!07 Feb 2026 12:44 +0000at://did:plc:zw4w4f4egifx4wize4nsw7o7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mebh3ydjfk2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/octo.dad/post/3m3c6b7h3is2xI’ve come to dread the cognitive burden of new Apple hardware. I tell myself I don’t need to upgrade to the latest [phone / laptop / watch]. But then the daily struggle begins: “Wouldn’t it be nice to have that [new feature]?” “See that person? They have the new [y]; shouldn’t you have it?” 😭16 Oct 2025 06:52 +0000at://did:plc:zw4w4f4egifx4wize4nsw7o7/app.bsky.feed.post/3m3c6b7h3is2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/octo.dad/post/3m2aa7rs7d22cAttack on Titan S4 is some heavy stuff02 Oct 2025 18:56 +0000at://did:plc:zw4w4f4egifx4wize4nsw7o7/app.bsky.feed.post/3m2aa7rs7d22chttps://bsky.app/profile/octo.dad/post/3lyxj3u7lcc23🧵 AI coding agents — like Claude Code and Codex — are amazing, but they’re also unpredictable and hard to control. Today at Tessl we’re announcing a framework that helps keep agents on the rails and arms with the context they need to get things right. It has two parts:16 Sep 2025 14:16 +0000at://did:plc:zw4w4f4egifx4wize4nsw7o7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lyxj3u7lcc23https://bsky.app/profile/octo.dad/post/3lua2cjjd2k2bNot sure when Google Docs enabled right-clicking to copy embedded images to the clipboard, but I’m so grateful. All is forgiven, Google Docs. 🥳18 Jul 2025 08:39 +0000at://did:plc:zw4w4f4egifx4wize4nsw7o7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lua2cjjd2k2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/octo.dad/post/3lpi56wjdqk27I track things like the food I eat, shows I watch, how I spend my time generally, etc. Lately I switched from using custom apps for this (e.g., Sofa for media; MacroFactor for food) to just writing a free form log in a daily note and having my AI assistant analyze it. It’s so much better!18 May 2025 22:46 +0000at://did:plc:zw4w4f4egifx4wize4nsw7o7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lpi56wjdqk27https://bsky.app/profile/octo.dad/post/3lhsrvpebrk2dFinding it’s delightful to have put myself into two obscure categories, from an IT troubleshooting point of view: * Families with more than four children * Families who immigrate to another country but still want to have access to their original country’s digital assets Absolutely delightful.10 Feb 2025 09:02 +0000at://did:plc:zw4w4f4egifx4wize4nsw7o7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lhsrvpebrk2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/octo.dad/post/3lhjgesksqs2tI came to Track Changes expecting a fun bit of tech geek history. I found a rich vein of parallels to the genAI revolution. A great read. https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/978067441707606 Feb 2025 15:42 +0000at://did:plc:zw4w4f4egifx4wize4nsw7o7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lhjgesksqs2thttps://bsky.app/profile/octo.dad/post/3lhhhjbwzvs2pI’ve seen some high friction spam unsubscribe forms in my day, but this Amazon one is next level. Amazing. Illegal?05 Feb 2025 20:57 +0000at://did:plc:zw4w4f4egifx4wize4nsw7o7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lhhhjbwzvs2phttps://bsky.app/profile/octo.dad/post/3lh7hhi6x6k2fReviewing my car insurance. Says I have 32 years of driving experience. First reaction: “That’s wild, I wonder where they came up with that.” Second reaction: 🥺02 Feb 2025 16:34 +0000at://did:plc:zw4w4f4egifx4wize4nsw7o7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lh7hhi6x6k2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/octo.dad/post/3lgtinhkczk2nIn practice, the new iOS text effects are just another way for iOS to do something to my text that I didn’t want, and for me to spend extra cycles trying to undo it. Yay.28 Jan 2025 22:24 +0000at://did:plc:zw4w4f4egifx4wize4nsw7o7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lgtinhkczk2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/octo.dad/post/3lgku2s2z3c23“Dad, why do so many company names start with ‘a‘?” Son, lemme tell you a story about these ancient things called “phone books”...25 Jan 2025 11:54 +0000at://did:plc:zw4w4f4egifx4wize4nsw7o7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lgku2s2z3c23https://bsky.app/profile/octo.dad/post/3lg3mcsqk722jJust discovered Ground News. Now I want my entire extended family to discover it, too! ground.news https://ground.news/19 Jan 2025 10:25 +0000at://did:plc:zw4w4f4egifx4wize4nsw7o7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lg3mcsqk722jhttps://bsky.app/profile/octo.dad/post/3lewww3hmzk2hCan’t decide which blows my mind more: • the Apple ][‘s peak sales year was six years after its introduction • the Apple ][ was an active SKU for 16 years • the Apple ][‘s lifetime sales of 6 million units is routinely bested by a few *days* of iPhone sales04 Jan 2025 20:27 +0000at://did:plc:zw4w4f4egifx4wize4nsw7o7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lewww3hmzk2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/octo.dad/post/3ldebt43uic2qI used to find most headlines from The Onion laugh-out-loud funny, but lately the jokes just aren’t landing with me. Have I changed, or have they?15 Dec 2024 16:56 +0000at://did:plc:zw4w4f4egifx4wize4nsw7o7/app.bsky.feed.post/3ldebt43uic2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/octo.dad/post/3ldeawzrmm22q@gwern.bsky.social’s solution to Gene Wolf’s short story Suzanne Delange is a delightful read. gwern.net/suzanne-delage https://gwern.net/suzanne-delage15 Dec 2024 16:40 +0000at://did:plc:zw4w4f4egifx4wize4nsw7o7/app.bsky.feed.post/3ldeawzrmm22qhttps://bsky.app/profile/octo.dad/post/3lddx4inhak2cI’m surprised that cursor positioning and text selection remains excruciating on iOS in late 2024.15 Dec 2024 13:44 +0000at://did:plc:zw4w4f4egifx4wize4nsw7o7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lddx4inhak2chttps://bsky.app/profile/octo.dad/post/3lcy6k7lbp22mMy daughter has a nice smartphone but asked for this for Christmas. 🤔10 Dec 2024 21:25 +0000at://did:plc:zw4w4f4egifx4wize4nsw7o7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lcy6k7lbp22mhttps://bsky.app/profile/octo.dad/post/3lavw7vkp422gSome news: I’ve moved to London to join @tessl.io, a developer AI startup — and I’ll be working with @almaer.com again, too! https://medium.com/ben-and-dion/tessellating-in-london-3fa59307f88014 Nov 2024 13:01 +0000at://did:plc:zw4w4f4egifx4wize4nsw7o7/app.bsky.feed.post/3lavw7vkp422ghttps://bsky.app/profile/octo.dad/post/3jzsti2x6zk2cWeird to go from infinitely configurable custom feeds to “here’s a ton of threads that intersect in an undefined way between your interests and ours.”06 Jul 2023 00:11 +0000at://did:plc:zw4w4f4egifx4wize4nsw7o7/app.bsky.feed.post/3jzsti2x6zk2chttps://bsky.app/profile/octo.dad/post/3jzq7ttnrjz2wIs it okay to start playing Christmas music in July if it’s lo-fi?04 Jul 2023 23:14 +0000at://did:plc:zw4w4f4egifx4wize4nsw7o7/app.bsky.feed.post/3jzq7ttnrjz2whttps://bsky.app/profile/octo.dad/post/3jzkpfklblw2q🤣🤣🤣 [contains quote post or other embedded content]02 Jul 2023 18:37 +0000at://did:plc:zw4w4f4egifx4wize4nsw7o7/app.bsky.feed.post/3jzkpfklblw2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/octo.dad/post/3jzhwu2lggy2gTrying to grok the galaxy brain strategy Starbucks is employing that explains why their bakery display cases across the country are consistently gross.01 Jul 2023 16:12 +0000at://did:plc:zw4w4f4egifx4wize4nsw7o7/app.bsky.feed.post/3jzhwu2lggy2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/octo.dad/post/3jze2fevnif2zThere’s awful, and then there’s “incapable of using logic” and “posting videos of your lame workouts and then making excuses about them.” Two different leagues. JFK was a very rational, logical guy. [contains quote post or other embedded content]30 Jun 2023 03:05 +0000at://did:plc:zw4w4f4egifx4wize4nsw7o7/app.bsky.feed.post/3jze2fevnif2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/octo.dad/post/3jze26bklq52xThis one hits me hard. I have fond memories of looking through dozens of back issues of Nat Geo when visiting my grandparents, and of looking forward to each month’s new issue. Still, times are changing, and I haven’t subscribed for decades. [contains quote post or other embedded content]30 Jun 2023 03:01 +0000at://did:plc:zw4w4f4egifx4wize4nsw7o7/app.bsky.feed.post/3jze26bklq52xhttps://bsky.app/profile/octo.dad/post/3jz6utr5ffj2rWho else grew up listening to this gem? https://open.spotify.com/track/4MVA30NmvNtpbDon1ZG7mk?si=GQeRLvacRBe-il2v7K9crQ28 Jun 2023 01:42 +0000at://did:plc:zw4w4f4egifx4wize4nsw7o7/app.bsky.feed.post/3jz6utr5ffj2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/octo.dad/post/3jyvykknwlu2uAs I age, I wish more adventure games were *linear* and almost on rails. I don’t have much free time, and any time spent wandering around wondering what to do next and whether I’m on the right track winds up being stressful. Just keep feeding me puzzles on a straightforward narrative track.24 Jun 2023 12:55 +0000at://did:plc:zw4w4f4egifx4wize4nsw7o7/app.bsky.feed.post/3jyvykknwlu2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/octo.dad/post/3jysqw3p6sg2t5k lbs per sq inch is truly 🤯 [contains quote post or other embedded content]23 Jun 2023 06:00 +0000at://did:plc:zw4w4f4egifx4wize4nsw7o7/app.bsky.feed.post/3jysqw3p6sg2t