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Chaotic Good Computing

@chaoticgood.computer
3 followers 1 following 48 posts

Consulting and OSS projects around data processing and developer utilities. Learn more at chaoticgood.computer Account run by @speen.us

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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 02/03/2026
New blog post: "Season of Systems W11: Humans are Problems" blog.chaoticgood.computer/content/note...
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Systems: Week 11 | Spencer Elkington
Watch a human cope about bots taking his job in real time. Is he cooked! Find out tonight in Season of Systems: Week 11!
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 26/02/2026
New blog post: "An Annotated Guide to Hobbyist Protein Folding" blog.chaoticgood.computer/content/anno...
blog.chaoticgood.computer
An Annotated Guide to Hobbyist Protein Folding | Spencer Elkington
Amaze (or bore) your friends and family by picking up on a hot new hobby that's all the rage — protein folding! An annotated starter to the 2021 paper "ColabFold - Making protein folding accessible to...
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 26/02/2026
New blog post: "Agentic Programming as Theory Building" blog.chaoticgood.computer/content/anno...
blog.chaoticgood.computer
Agentic Programming as Theory Building | Spencer Elkington
Do humans have a role in software development anymore? Absolutely — but we need to rethink what it means to program. An modern review of Peter Naur's 1985 essay "Programming as Theory Building"
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 08/02/2026
New blog post: "APL: Pattern 3; City-Country Fingers" blog.chaoticgood.computer/content/anno...
blog.chaoticgood.computer
APL: Pattern 3; City Country Fingers | Spencer Elkington
City, with natural stripes — or nature, with city stripes? Annotations for A Pattern Language, and tracking public opinion of where Americans want to live over the past 50 years.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 07/02/2026
New blog post: "APL: Pattern 2; The Distribution of Towns" blog.chaoticgood.computer/content/anno...
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APL: Pattern 2; The Distribution of Towns | Spencer Elkington
How close is too close? How far is too far? *A Pattern Language* annotations related to the statistical, economic, and ecologic concerns in balancing how dense human habitats ought to be.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 07/02/2026
New blog post: "APL: Pattern 1; Independent Regions" blog.chaoticgood.computer/content/anno...
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APL: Pattern 1; Independent Regions | Spencer Elkington
Home isn't where the heart is — it's a single node on a very, very large graph. Annotations for the "Independent Regions" pattern of *A Pattern Language*.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 06/02/2026
New blog post: "APL: Pattern 0; Introduction"
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APL: Pattern 0; Introduction | Spencer Elkington
Can graphs be libertarian? Authoritarian? Annotations for the introductory portion of the 1977 book A Pattern Language.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 06/02/2026
New blog post: "Systems: Week 7"
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Systems: Week 7 | Spencer Elkington
Systems: Week 7 — As old as they are, emails still feel like magic Alright — if this system works, I’m going to flip.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "Ants in the Neighborhood"
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Ants in the Neighborhood | Spencer Elkington
Is Jane Street run by soccer-loving ants? Inconclusive. We *can* conclude that they're fans of Markov Chains, though — an invaluable tool for understanding complex data structures.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "A Pattern Language, and a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood"
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A Pattern Language, and a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
The beginning of a topological review of the 1977 urban design and architecture reference book A Pattern Language, and a journey to understand Earth's greatest graph: the Earth, itself.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "Evolution and Revolution as Organizations Grow"
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Evolution and Revolution as Organizations Grow | Spencer Elkington
Annotations for Greiner's 1972 paper "Evolution and Revolution as Organizations Grow", about the structural composition of organizations at different sizes and requirements.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "Quick Fix: Tone Down Obsidian List/Header Padding"
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Quick Fix: Tone Down Obsidian List/Header Padding | Spencer Elkington
Annoyed by Obsidian Live Preview over-padding headers and aggressively indenting? Some snippets to help keep your notes from jumping around, so you can focus on actually writing them.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "The Advantages of Advantage: Intro to Probability Convolutions"
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The Advantages of Advantage: Intro to Probability Convolutions
What *is* the advantage of rolling with advantage? Exploring dice roll combinations and probability convolutions.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "Dice Roll Distribution Widget"
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Dice Roll Distribution Widget | Spencer Elkington
Discover the probability distributions of different dice roll combinations
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "Quartz Widgets: Graphs, Galore!"
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Quartz Widgets: Graphs, Galore! | Spencer Elkington
I killed 4 of my blogs trying to implement MDX support. Will this one be next? Using MDX with Quartz to create interactive graphs, diagrams, and demos — clear as day.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "LLMs; or, How to Run Your Own Hostage Negotiation"
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LLMs; or, How to Run Your Own Hostage Negotiation | Spencer Elkington
LLMs: Are we doomed to die, or born to garden? I'd like to make the case that AI is less like Terminator, and more like tomatoes.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "Intro to Event Storming"
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Intro to Event Storming | Spencer Elkington
Notes from learning Event Storming for domain-driven design. Thoughts on phases, color-coded chaos, and how to transition from fast pitches to full products.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "Kickoff: Season of Systems"
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Kickoff: Season of Systems | Spencer Elkington
I'm learning to live with the systems that stole my beloved em-dash. A season dedicated to negotiating how to live with the agentic models that have turned my career upside-down.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "Review: Season of Rhythm"
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Review: Season of Rhythm | Spencer Elkington
Looking back at my year-long attempt to build up long-lasting habits. A retrospective on routines, remote work transitions, and learning the art of slow-and-steady.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "LLMs: A Primer Presentation for Our Newest, Scariest Tool"
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LLMs: A Primer Presentation for Our Newest, Scariest Tool
An engineer-focused primer on the mechanisms that drive Large Language Models. Basics on how we got here, how they work, and how to use them without feeling an apocalyptic dread.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "Typst Resume Template"
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Typst Resume Template | Spencer Elkington
A beginner-friendly resume template in Typst — 100% less LaTeX, 100% more opinions.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "Terraform LocalStack Testing"
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Terraform LocalStack Testing | Spencer Elkington
$70/mo/seat? Just using live AWS may be cheaper. An evaluation of LocalStack as a testbed for Account Factory Terraform.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "The Simple Economics of Open Source"
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The Simple Economics of Open Source | Spencer Elkington
Why do we do what we do? "Egoboo." Exploring economic models of OSS contributions beyond altruism and ego.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "College Admissions and the Stability of Marriage"
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College Admissions and the Stability of Marriage | Spencer Elkington
A dive into the hottest algorithm of the 1960s: Gale-Shapley matchmaking. Who knew that the mysteries of the heart could be solved with a matrix?
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "Feeling Right, Nothing Done: Don't Be the Death of Consensus"
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Feeling Right, Nothing Done: Don't Be the Death of Consensus
Classifying opinions as "strong" or "weak" to stop wasting hours in fruitless engineering debates. How consensus can beat being "right", and an open letter for the tactically apathetic.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "Before You Slabtop Your Laptop: A Brief Warning"
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Before You Slabtop Your Laptop: A Brief Warning | Spencer Elkington
PSA: Check if your laptop needs an LCD for POST before removing the screen. Learned this the hard way after 5 hours and a fried motherboard. Learn from my dumb mistakes.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "GPTinglish: Unnatural Language Processing"
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GPTinglish: Unnatural Language Processing | Spencer Elkington
The only market crashing is the market for sanitized language. Stay human. Embrace typos.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "Turning SelfControl into Self Restraint"
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Turning SelfControl into Self Restraint | Spencer Elkington
Building a Raycast plugin to schedule website blocks — because checking news "just one more time" destroys flow. Automate SelfControl and self control: take your laptop back.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "Caveat Lector: Reader Beware"
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Caveat Lector: Reader Beware | Spencer Elkington
I'm embracing being wrong on the internet in an effort to learn in public. A disclaimer on digital gardening, dead pixels, and the fear of terminal online-ness.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "The Quest to Slay The Goblin"
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The Quest to Slay The Goblin | Spencer Elkington
My life devolves into sleep-eat-procrastinate cycles without structure—I call this "The Goblin." Productivity tools, hating on hustle culture, and a new definition for horticulture.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "Some initial thoughts about time tracking"
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Some initial thoughts about time tracking | Spencer Elkington
TODO.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "Quantitative Analysis of Markets & Organizations"
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Quantitative Analysis of Markets & Organizations | Spencer Elkington
My time at the University of Utah was longer than I'd planned, cut shorter than expected by COVID-19. I was very lucky to have mentorship to push me across the finish line.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "Breaking Ground on Digital Gardening"
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Breaking Ground on Digital Gardening | Spencer Elkington
Why I stopped hoarding 60%-done drafts and started publishing messy thoughts instead. Embracing digital gardening, from-chaos-to-cultivated, and a healthy dose of imperfection.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "Kickoff: Season of Rhythm"
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Kickoff: Season of Rhythm | Spencer Elkington
"Fight or flight" is a rough way to treat white-collar life. My Season of Rhythm is dedicated to transitioning from constant sprints to slow-and-steady.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "The Over/Unders of Over- and Under-Engineering"
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The Over/Unders of Over- and Under-Engineering | Spencer Elkington
I've learned so much in my career — so why do I finish fewer projects than I used to? Over-engineering: it's easier to be bad at something on accident than on purpose.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "In Review: The (bad) 2017 Robloxaville Remaster"
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In Review: The (bad) 2017 Robloxaville Remaster | Spencer Elkington
How over-engineering killed a 3-month remaster of an old ROBLOX game. Looking back at the depth of Dunning-Kruger, and how good code doesn't make a good game.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "Don't Double Down: Structured Streaming to Wrangle Data"
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Don't Double Down: Structured Streaming to Wrangle Data
Stop reprocessing your entire dataset every time new data arrives. A practical guide to Spark Structured Streaming with code examples and cost logic.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "Littlefield Simulator: The Art of Laziness"
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Littlefield Simulator: The Art of Laziness | Spencer Elkington
Efficiency: spending six hours building a web scraper to avoid five minutes of daily work. Automating a business simulation because checking in is for chumps.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "The Unbearable Weight of ROBLOX Celebrity"
blog.chaoticgood.computer
The Unbearable Weight of ROBLOX Celebrity | Spencer Elkington
Being famous online in 2009 is the highest high I'll ever reach. A love letter to the coolest dork I know, hatemail for client-side exploits, and a limitless supply of Monopoly dollars.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "Say Goodbye to Untitled (5) — GitHub Actions for Resumes"
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Say Goodbye to Untitled (5) — GitHub Actions for Resumes
Set up continuous integration to auto-update your resume everywhere. Overleaf, GitHub, and LaTeX automation for the perpetually disorganized.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "Hello, Blog! (Posts by a dummy, for other dummies)"
blog.chaoticgood.computer
Hello, Blog! (Posts by a dummy, for other dummies) | Spencer Elkington
The obligatory "Hello!" post to suss out what this site will be. Python examples as unnecessary as the post itself.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "Entries to SOME 1"
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Entries to SOME 1 | Spencer Elkington
Stable matching, optimal stopping, and Bachelor analysis - visualized with some care.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "Utah Office Consult"
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Utah Office Consult | Spencer Elkington
People problems are the hardest engineering problems. A consult on thinking out-of-the-box to explain morale problems in small companies.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "College Admissions and the Stability of Marriage"
blog.chaoticgood.computer
College Admissions and the Stability of Marriage | Spencer Elkington
My college presentation on the Gale-Shapley paper, recorded on an iPad, like a true professional. Non-market environments, matchmaking lattices, and gratitude for good professors.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "Reading the Room with Beethoven"
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Reading the Room with Beethoven | Spencer Elkington
A HackTheU 2019 project for real-time live captioning using remote microphones.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "What *are* Supply Chains, Anyway?"
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What *are* Supply Chains, Anyway? | Spencer Elkington
A first foray into network visualization: messy graphs, abject terror. Early data viz experiments searching for supply loops. Bad graphs; interesting questions.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "Scratch Piano Application"
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Scratch Piano Application | Spencer Elkington
An educational waveform visualizer written in everybody's favorite programming language: Scratch.
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Chaotic Good Computing @chaoticgood.computer · 05/02/2026
New blog post: "Quicksort: Every CS Student's Favorite Algorithm, Scratched Up"
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Quicksort: Every CS Student's Favorite Algorithm, Scratched Up
Implementing QuickSort in Scratch. Its only real-world accomplishment? Wearing out my mouse's scroll bar.
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