When I explain that Claude Code has changed my relationship with developing software completely, I’m under-exaggerating… if that’s even a thing. This off-the-cuff piece started as a unposted social update that read: Watching Claude Code adeptly use every type of Unix command shows me that a) you can do anything in Unix, b) my higher-level… more
Your robot experience started simple. You typed a question into a chatbot… just to see. Can it answer that question? I’d be impressed if it did. Your query was simple. A simple knowledge question that with a little effort using legacy tools like Google, you would have discovered yourself, but the robots made it trivial,… more
Prologue. Westworld was an HBO reboot of the 1973 Michael Crichton movie. The pitch: we’ve built vast amusement parks populated with ultra-realistic robots (called “hosts”) who act their parts within the park. The first season is set into motion when the creator of the hosts, an inspiring Anthony Hopkins, uploads a new software update, which… more
It would appear there are not a lot of written words here recently. Appearances are deceiving. There are lots of words and they look like this: I’m winding up a three-week vacation which has been focused on getting the next book in shape. My definition of “in shape” is “I can kind’a sort’a see the… more
Mtrek is a real-time multiplayer space combat game loosely set in the Star Trek Universe. Sounds pretty sweet, right? Check out a screenshot. OoooOooh yeaaaaaaaah. Designed and written by Tim Wisseman and Chuck L. Peterson in the late 80s at University of California, Santa Cruz, Mtrek is completely text-based. To understand where an enemy ship… more
There’s been lots of buzz on the topic of whether or not you should learn to code. As an engineer, I don’t have unbiased thoughts on the matter. I tweeted Jeff Atwood’s piece because, well, I agree that it’s pretty silly to think that the world is going to be a better place if the… more
Weather permitting, the Netscape pick-up roller hockey game has been played every Saturday since 1996. 14 years. This hockey game has outlasted all but one of my former employers. This is pick-up hockey. If you were to arrive with skates, stick and protective gear, you would discover a chill game where the expectation is that… more
There’s a very short list of new manager “must do’s” in the Rands Management Rule Book. The brevity of this list comes from the fact that a must is an absolute and when it comes to people, there are very few absolutes. A clever way to manage one person is a disaster when applied to… more
Having a full blown case of N.A.D.D., I know two things: There is an infinite amount of information out there I have a limited time to find it all The consequence of these truths is simple. I’m in an incredible fucking hurry to learn as much as I possibly can. My desktop is my primary… more
At some point during the software development process, the engineering team will suddenly decided there is no way the product is: Going to be done on schedule and/or Going to be an acceptable quality. The realization is going to paralyze the team with fear, work will stop, and hands will be thrown in the air.… more
