iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Gerald Benischke @beny23.github.io · 13/08/2026

Partial eclipse of the lens flare.

Photo of the eclipse where the eclipse is visible mainly in the lens flare

000

Gerald Benischke @beny23.github.io · 03/07/2026

We should start valuing our time as more precious than money 24/n

100

Gerald Benischke @beny23.github.io · 03/07/2026

Why? Why? People have an addiction: work! 22/n

100

Gerald Benischke @beny23.github.io · 03/07/2026

We should value other activities equally as paid labour. 21/n

100

Gerald Benischke @beny23.github.io · 03/07/2026

“What do you want to be?” Is such a stupid question. She’s not just a software tester but a witch apprentice, biker, Viking ax fighter, cat sitter, Dutch aria singer. Why restrict yourself to your work. What a colossal culture problem! 20/n

100

Gerald Benischke @beny23.github.io · 03/07/2026

We should start seeing our other contributions to humanity as equally valuable as paid employment. 19/n

Our jobs should not determine our worth or identity

100

Gerald Benischke @beny23.github.io · 03/07/2026

“Work is not the only important thing” what about rest and play and caring? 18/n

100

Gerald Benischke @beny23.github.io · 03/07/2026

Start small. Plant the seed. The rest will follow! 16/n

We should not need to work to justify our existence

100

Gerald Benischke @beny23.github.io · 03/07/2026

Veerle has a small favour to ask of us. She wants societal change! 15/n

"If there ever was a place where I feel l can change the world, this is it."

100

Gerald Benischke @beny23.github.io · 03/07/2026

What do we get out of it? The world’s first trillionaire. Go us. Yey. 13/n

100

Gerald Benischke @beny23.github.io · 03/07/2026

But the purpose is still to create shareholder value! 😭 10/n

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Gerald Benischke @beny23.github.io · 03/07/2026

Veerle was saved by her job at Dutch railways. 9/n

100

Gerald Benischke @beny23.github.io · 03/07/2026

Why are we doing here? Is it all about tokens? 7/n

100

Gerald Benischke @beny23.github.io · 03/07/2026

And are we successful? Erm, no. 6/n

DID YOU KNOW

3.68
BILLION
people live below the $8.30 per day poverty line in 2026
(2021 purchasing power parities)
Source: World Bank (2026), Porerty and Inequality Platfoers (version 20260324_2021_01_02_PR.OD) (data vt).
pip.worldbank.org. Accessed on 2026-06-27
Note: Estimates after 2024 are noncasts. For more details visit the Nowcasts page.

Burnout Report 2026: High stress pushing workers into sick leave as just one in four feel mental health is genuinely prioritised and supported in the workplace
POSTED 16TH JANUARY 2026
ce: Mental Health UK

100

Gerald Benischke @beny23.github.io · 03/07/2026

To create shareholder value of course! 5/n

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Gerald Benischke @beny23.github.io · 03/07/2026

“No, you’re wrong. You live to work”. Unnecessarily abrasive? Not Veerle. 😆 why do we work? 4/n

110

Gerald Benischke @beny23.github.io · 03/07/2026

“What are we doing here? What’s it all about?” 3/n

100

Gerald Benischke @beny23.github.io · 03/07/2026

@witchofthetest.bsky.social doesn’t want to talk about AI for her closing keynote of #AgileOnTheBeach2026 1/n

110

Gerald Benischke @beny23.github.io · 03/07/2026

Google studio and Claude code artifacts is now so good that product people build code, but the underlying tech often so awful! 7/fin

TAKEAWAYS
• Al Magnifies (Iterate & compound)
Course correct (Iterate & compound)
• Find a way to be curious, not fearful
• Al is a team effort, and not just for engineers

000

Gerald Benischke @beny23.github.io · 03/07/2026

Olly thought he was wrong about junior developers. He used to think it is great because juniors has an experienced mentor in AI, now it is “we can not afford to waste 3 months getting juniors up to speed” 6/n

Be curious, not fearful
Fear shrinks your thinking, leading to term decisions, knee jerk reactions ar stress.
Its demotivating and distracting...

Al is a team effort, and not just for engineers
An Al champion can help kick things off, but the real power comes from team-wide curiosity and experimentation. With things evolving so quickly, shared learning beats isolated heroes every time.

100

Gerald Benischke @beny23.github.io · 03/07/2026

Speed means guardrails are more important! 5/n

Course Correct
- A few degrees off at speed is a much bigger issue
- Guard Rails matter even more
- Specs and Plans are the highest leverage things you can produce
ROl and taste matter even more

100

Gerald Benischke @beny23.github.io · 03/07/2026

AI magnifies. The good and the bad, so it needs good standards, documentation. And AI lifts the documentation which makes it easier for humans and agents. 3/n

Al Magnifies (Biggest takeaway)
Skills, Rules, AGENT.md and Documenting/Specs/Plans
- CI/CD and Containers
Linting Testing
Feature Toggles/Flags
- Feedback loops/Observability
Guard Rails
Backups
Sandboxing

110

Gerald Benischke @beny23.github.io · 03/07/2026

He did the same AMA last year, so he is able to narrate the humbling experiences he faced. Last time he said he didn’t think Agentic will be a thing. A month later he turned agentic. 2/n