Today as we were leaving the dog park, a friend's dog decided to suddenly lead the way toward our home instead of theirs. She wanted a playdate right then and there, so we shrugged and rolled with it. Usually when she has a playdate, she's a bit anxious about her world being unsettled. This time, nah. She chose for it to be disrupted, and apparently that's fine. She immediately claimed my dogs' favorite chair, then ultimately cuddled into my lap and enjoyed a quality nap while my younger dog splayed on top of her. I love the clarity of her communication. She'd declared she wanted an afternoon with us, and was very pleased to get it.
I am but a humble servant to my dogs and their friends. It's pretty fantastic. Other people dream of someday retiring and buying a farm. I think when it's eventually my turn I'll just pet sit for all my friends and use the lap time for knitting them sweaters.
I don't want to be talking about AI either. I've been doing that for 12 years now, damn. You think you're over this topic after just 2 years? Lol. Step into my shoes, man. But unfortunately I am not a person who can just quietly let my industry wreak harm all over the damned place. I have to at least try. So I'm not sympathetic to those who are fed up and want to bail out. Getting you to capitulate is the goal. You feed the monster when you do that. We need the dialogue to happen. Which means if you care about AI's harms on environment, economy, politics, labor, mental health, bias, personal relationships, professional work, or anything else then WE NEED YOU TO NOT JUST ROLLOVER BECAUSE YOU'VE GROWN BORED AND FRUSTRATED BY TRYING.
Take a breath, suck it up, and keep fighting. It's not like anyone is asking you to take up a gun or risk your life. There are fights much harder than this one. Especially if we keep turning the tide by exposing that the rhetoric of "it's inevitable" and "you're the only one not doing this" are demonstrably false.
I specialize in developer relations for OSS dev tooling. It physically pains me to think of what actual dev productivity advancement this industry could achieve overnight if VCs had put those billions upon billions instead into the R&D, development, maintenance, documentation, UX, and security of actual OSS dev tooling. LLMs are crude sticks and mud compared to what is already on your system today. So many powerful and reliable tools go under-used because they don't have the promotional support, have documentation that has not been honed by technical writers, and UX that tbqh needs better ergonomics. But the bones are strong. So strong. My god, what amazing things you'd be doing with them right now -- safely -- if they just got enough love to put that last bit of needed polish on. The "AI" hype/fraud is harming the industry by redirecting massive resources away from features we actually need for making software better and doing it faster. It's harming the industry by polluting search engines with so much false and misleading generated content that finding correct answers is getting legit difficult. It's harming the industry by cutting off our supply of junior engineers, and by cutting off senior engineers from learning how to mentor new talent. So much money and labor being wasted on a pipedream when the low hanging fruit was, and remains, right there
Send some money to your favourite OSS dev tooling project, folks. Setup a subscription so they can rely on it coming. Even 5 bucks a month is gonna do good. If nothing else, it's a morale boost for some dev who has been labouring on the project for years without ever seeing the kind of life-changing investment that "AI" bullshitters get handed routinely.
Aussie Customs: Why are you visiting our fine country?
Idiot American: Clown school
AC: Are you smuggling a gun into our country illegally?
IA: Nope
AC: This gold one for instance?
IA: oh haha yeah
IA: But I probably won't even fire it. Just pistol whip some people.
AC: Do you plan to store it unsafely?
IA: I'll toss it under the car seat completely unsecured
AC: cool cool cool. So here's your travel ban and your 12 month jail term. Have a g'day, mate.
True story.
So you're an American considering moving to another country. Okay, I can tell you some practical things about that.
1) You need more money than you think. Moving overseas is expensive and expats are easy to take advantage of, so often you will be paying above market rate. At least initially; eventually you know more of the local culture, and have local friends who help.
2) Get/renew your passport right now. If you have dual citizenship, make sure that passport is current too.
1/?
Today as we were leaving the dog park, a friend's dog decided to suddenly lead the way toward our home instead of theirs. She wanted a playdate right then and there, so we shrugged and rolled with it. Usually when she has a playdate, she's a bit anxious about her world being unsettled. This time, nah. She chose for it to be disrupted, and apparently that's fine. She immediately claimed my dogs' favorite chair, then ultimately cuddled into my lap and enjoyed a quality nap while my younger dog splayed on top of her. I love the clarity of her communication. She'd declared she wanted an afternoon with us, and was very pleased to get it.
I am but a humble servant to my dogs and their friends. It's pretty fantastic. Other people dream of someday retiring and buying a farm. I think when it's eventually my turn I'll just pet sit for all my friends and use the lap time for knitting them sweaters.
I have to get fingerprinted for a FBI records check and it's fascinating how appalled German bureaucrats and police have been by the concept when I inquired. Y'all, my local police refused to do it because they _are not legally authorised to fingerprint anyone who hasn't been accused of a crime_.
I'll pause here for the Americans to guffaw at the notion of a police force feeling obliged to obey laws and respect privacy.
The German cop was like "When I visit the US there are cameras everywhere from the moment you land." I told him about ICE's 100 mile rule and his mind was blown. Even a cop couldn't believe that cops have that kind of authority to invade privacy.
However he still hadn't fully grasped the concept because then he assured himself it would never be a problem for him since he is a tourist and doesn't break laws. Lololololol like that means ICE wouldn't be eligible to roust him and examine his phone.
For a people who have the Stasi in living memory, it's remarkable how quickly someone can forget what excesses are possible.
I have to get fingerprinted for a FBI records check and it's fascinating how appalled German bureaucrats and police have been by the concept when I inquired. Y'all, my local police refused to do it because they _are not legally authorised to fingerprint anyone who hasn't been accused of a crime_.
I'll pause here for the Americans to guffaw at the notion of a police force feeling obliged to obey laws and respect privacy.
Do I know anyone in or near Nelson County, Kentucky? A trans person who lives elsewhere in the US needs assistance quickly obtaining a pic/scan of a document that will help them gtfo. If you are able to easily visit the county clerk or county court house, ping me please. Thanks!
I specialize in developer relations for OSS dev tooling. It physically pains me to think of what actual dev productivity advancement this industry could achieve overnight if VCs had put those billions upon billions instead into the R&D, development, maintenance, documentation, UX, and security of actual OSS dev tooling. LLMs are crude sticks and mud compared to what is already on your system today. So many powerful and reliable tools go under-used because they don't have the promotional support, have documentation that has not been honed by technical writers, and UX that tbqh needs better ergonomics. But the bones are strong. So strong. My god, what amazing things you'd be doing with them right now -- safely -- if they just got enough love to put that last bit of needed polish on. The "AI" hype/fraud is harming the industry by redirecting massive resources away from features we actually need for making software better and doing it faster. It's harming the industry by polluting search engines with so much false and misleading generated content that finding correct answers is getting legit difficult. It's harming the industry by cutting off our supply of junior engineers, and by cutting off senior engineers from learning how to mentor new talent. So much money and labor being wasted on a pipedream when the low hanging fruit was, and remains, right there
Send some money to your favourite OSS dev tooling project, folks. Setup a subscription so they can rely on it coming. Even 5 bucks a month is gonna do good. If nothing else, it's a morale boost for some dev who has been labouring on the project for years without ever seeing the kind of life-changing investment that "AI" bullshitters get handed routinely.
I don't want to be talking about AI either. I've been doing that for 12 years now, damn. You think you're over this topic after just 2 years? Lol. Step into my shoes, man. But unfortunately I am not a person who can just quietly let my industry wreak harm all over the damned place. I have to at least try. So I'm not sympathetic to those who are fed up and want to bail out. Getting you to capitulate is the goal. You feed the monster when you do that. We need the dialogue to happen. Which means if you care about AI's harms on environment, economy, politics, labor, mental health, bias, personal relationships, professional work, or anything else then WE NEED YOU TO NOT JUST ROLLOVER BECAUSE YOU'VE GROWN BORED AND FRUSTRATED BY TRYING.
Take a breath, suck it up, and keep fighting. It's not like anyone is asking you to take up a gun or risk your life. There are fights much harder than this one. Especially if we keep turning the tide by exposing that the rhetoric of "it's inevitable" and "you're the only one not doing this" are demonstrably false.
Aussie Customs: Why are you visiting our fine country?
Idiot American: Clown school
AC: Are you smuggling a gun into our country illegally?
IA: Nope
AC: This gold one for instance?
IA: oh haha yeah
IA: But I probably won't even fire it. Just pistol whip some people.
AC: Do you plan to store it unsafely?
IA: I'll toss it under the car seat completely unsecured
AC: cool cool cool. So here's your travel ban and your 12 month jail term. Have a g'day, mate.
True story.
So you're an American considering moving to another country. Okay, I can tell you some practical things about that.
1) You need more money than you think. Moving overseas is expensive and expats are easy to take advantage of, so often you will be paying above market rate. At least initially; eventually you know more of the local culture, and have local friends who help.
2) Get/renew your passport right now. If you have dual citizenship, make sure that passport is current too.
1/?
Carina C. Zona