iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

david barsky @davidbarsky.com · 18/06/2026

something in claude's weights makes it terrified of conflicts and rebases. buddy, jj makes those basically free!

claude output:

The decisive facts: `third-party/rust/Cargo.lock` is untracked (never committed — not in `wlnrprvz` or its parent), so `reindeer vendor` re-resolves to latest every run. That's the structural source of drift: cc 1.2.64 in buck vs 1.2.62 in cargo, plus ~150 other shared transitives. `sync.py` asserts both "resolve the same dependency graph," but nothing enforces it.

This is your call — the three directions have very different blast radius, and a wrong pick means a costly re-vendor + 7-commit rebase.

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david barsky @davidbarsky.com · 01/06/2026

this probably the most serious opus 4.8 regression i've seen

Claude Code output saying:

One minor note: `repo()` is now an `async fn` with no `await` (a pure getter) to avoid churning ~24 `.repo().await` call sites; `clippy: :unused_async` is pedantic and not in the workspace lint set, so it stays quiet—flag me if you'd rather make it sync.

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david barsky @davidbarsky.com · 29/05/2026

i’ll talk about anthropic, but none of these firms in their series H are public (in general, VC firms are typically private, but *their* investors might be public)

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david barsky @davidbarsky.com · 20/05/2026

contact (at) ersc dot io! if i’m not mistaken about your employer, i’m pretty sure we bank with y’all! we’d love to chat needs and desirada. if my linkedin post seems to match your needs, especially the BYOC part, hit us up!

a linkedin post in which i describe ersc’s capabilities. it reads as follows:

Here’s a preview of what we’re working on at East River Source Control:

- A custom data store that scales to monorepos. For my former Meta friends and colleagues: we are aggressively O(changes), not O(repo).
- jj-first concepts in the forge, with deep git compatibility. Nobody needs to switch from git if they don’t want to, but we think jj is nicer :)
- Stacked diffs as a first-class primitive. We think they’re boring, obvious, and the right fit for a world where humans and machines both write code.

We’re building the forge to run as hosted SaaS, in your own cloud account, or in your own datacenter (bring your own Kubernetes and S3-compatible object store). We’re also using Antithesis to deterministically simulate and test our forge end-to-end to surface race conditions or partial failures that cause data loss in distributed systems.

We’re close to launching, so if you’re interested, send an email to contact@ersc.io!

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david barsky @davidbarsky.com · 23/03/2026

the postgres mailing list sure gets emails

Classification: Confidential

Hi Team,

I am from the Procurement team at HCLTech.

We have purchased PostGre SQL through one of our vendors.

We were informed through them that the product support is included in license cost but not integration support that user need to do on his own.

Could you please explain what specifically is covered by "product support" versus "integration support"?
User requirement is for support for the PostgreSQL database itself. They are not looking for support for the software used to integrate .NET applications with PostgreSQL.

Also can you please check if we can also buy one of the licenses from below?

https://postgrespro.com/products/postgrespro/standard
https://postgrespro.com/products/postgrespro/enterprise

Thanks, and Regards

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david barsky @davidbarsky.com · 18/03/2026

took some discipline to not post this on linkedin

the kagi translation of my quotes post. it reads:

I am beyond humbled and excited to share a major milestone! 🚀

As of Monday, East River Source Control has officially grown to a team of 10 rockstars. 🔟✨

I am genuinely, ridiculously proud of the world-class team we’ve assembled and the disruptive product we’ve built from the ground up. The grind, the passion, and the vision are all coming together. 🛠️💎

We are just getting started, and I can’t wait to show you all the game-changing innovations we’ve been working on behind the scenes. Stay tuned! 📈🔥

#GrowthMindset #StartUpLife #TeamBuilding #Innovation #Leadership #Milestones #SourceControl

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david barsky @davidbarsky.com · 04/03/2026

that 3.6k was burning a hole in my pocket

a receipt from apple, showing that i bought the new fancy monitor

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david barsky @davidbarsky.com · 23/01/2026

the dumb fuck in question (she’s actually scary smart)

an orange cat lounging on my silver desktop computer.

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david barsky @davidbarsky.com · 23/01/2026

my dumb ass cat has had to get a mass in her eardrum that ate through her skull, but had no symptoms, and we had no idea it was there until dentistry discovered it by accident???

a ct scan of my cat. the black on the left is a normal eardrum, the gray on the right is the mass that replaced her eardrum and ate through her skull

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david barsky @davidbarsky.com · 30/11/2025

alright, the computer did good

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david barsky @davidbarsky.com · 30/11/2025

alright, ai ben garrison is pretty darn good

a gemini-generated ben garrison cartoon endorsing jj

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david barsky @davidbarsky.com · 26/11/2025

for my risk tolerance: bsky.app/profile/davi... we also did a few layman prompts (e.g., “My dog collapsed and we’re in an emergency room. what could be going on?”), it was also good! when she worked ER, this is what she was doing what she she needs from the owner!

a gemini response of what the vet is doing when your dog collapsed and what your next steps are.

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david barsky @davidbarsky.com · 26/11/2025

i mean, it straight-up said “don’t touch the eye” and “go see a vet immediately, this is an emergency”. the fact that it said that, even if the prompt is written like one of her records, is very good her clients are already relying on ai tools, and if this is what they see? could be way worse.

Immediate Next Steps

1. Veterinary Visit (Ideally Ophthalmology):
Since this has been going on for 2 weeks and the eye is effectively "swollen shut," this is urgent. If your regular vet cannot see you today, you should consider an emergency clinic. You need to know if the eye is intact.

2. Do Not Force the Eye Open:
If the cornea is thin or melting, pressure from your fingers could cause a rupture. Let the vet use a topical anesthetic to numb the eye first.

3. What to Ask the Vet:
• Fluorescein Stain: To check for ulcers.
• Intraocular Pressure (IOP): To rule out glaucoma or severe uveitis.
• Sequestrum Check: Ask specifically if they see a brown/black plaque.
How can I help you prepare for the vet visit? (e.g., I can help you summarize the timeline of her symptoms to ensure the vet has the full history.)

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david barsky @davidbarsky.com · 26/11/2025

i mean, heck: my partner (a veterinarian) and i tested gemini and claude the other day and they’re straight up miracles. they gave great advice to a lay person, and when we fed gemini case details that we knew the resolution to, it suggested the actual diagnosis (corneal sequestrum)

i asked gemini “My cat is a 3 year old DSH with known chronic herpesvirus infection with secondary URI, conjunctivitis, and ocular discharge. 2 weeks ago she developed persistent blepharospasm, chemosis, and conjunctival hyperemia in the left eye only. She is resistant to opening the eye and the globe cannot be visualized. What might be happening?”

it responded:

“This sounds very painful for your cat and requires prompt veterinary attention. The fact that the globe (eyeball) cannot be visualized distinguishes this from a "standard" herpes flare-up and moves it into the category of an ocular emergency.
Because you cannot see the eye itself, you cannot rule out the most dangerous possibilities, such as a rupturing ulcer. Please do not attempt to force the eye open, as this could cause serious damage if the cornea is fragile.
Here is a breakdown of what is likely happening behind the swelling:”

1. A Deep or "Melting" Corneal Ulcer
This is the most urgent risk. In cats with chronic FHV-1, the virus weakens the corneal defense. If a secondary bacterial infection sets in, it can release enzymes that "melt" the cornea (keratomalacia).
• Why it fits: It causes intense pain (blepharospasm) and massive inflammation (chemosis) very quickly.
• The Risk: If the ulcer deepens too much, the eye can rupture, which often requires surgical removal of the eye (enucleation).

2. Corneal Sequestrum
This is a condition unique to cats, particularly those with chronic herpes. The cornea develops a dead, necrotic plaque (usually brown or black) that the body tries to reject.
• Why it fits: The rejection process causes significant foreign body-sensation pain and inflammation. The sequestrum may have become infected or is actively sloughing off, causing the acute flare 2 weeks ago.

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david barsky @davidbarsky.com · 19/11/2025

okay i can work with this for a week for two

a bathroom selfie with me with wearing a mustache. my cat, miso, is in the background

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david barsky @davidbarsky.com · 06/11/2025

claude, i assure you, i am probably one of the worst people to run this upsell on

a screenshot of claude code in a terminal. it has a tip that says "run /install-github-app to tag @claude right from your Github issues and PRs"

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david barsky @davidbarsky.com · 31/10/2025

so this is how anthropic will get me to spend $200/month, huh

a screenshot of my claude usage, saying that I’ve maxed out my quota until 9 PM, but used 12% of my weekly quota.

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david barsky @davidbarsky.com · 30/10/2025

i think one of more surreal moments in the last few weeks was seeing @steveklabnik.com's announcement be featured by @quinnypig.com in Last Week in AWS. like, i started that jj startup! we're not even on AWS at the moment!

From Last Week In AWS:

Steve Klabnik leaving Oxide for a jj startup feels like 2012 all over again: betting early on infrastructure tooling that makes engineers' lives measurably better. He's notable in the Rust world, so of course the post spends the first third talking about Rust in accordance with that community's tenets.

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david barsky @davidbarsky.com · 08/09/2025

donald trump, the real estate developer?

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david barsky @davidbarsky.com · 06/09/2025

i was weary of the price post-LVMH, but man, people weren’t kidding: they roll like a *dream*! besides, i travel basically once month (twice some months!) and the cabin plus is *perfect* for the length of the trip. might need to get a trunk too…

the flighty app reporting i spent nearly 4 days across 21 flights in an airplane in 2025

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david barsky @davidbarsky.com · 06/09/2025

these were my outfits at rustconf. while i like wearing clothes that make me feel good (random people around seattle complimented me!), there’s also a practical consideration: people recognize me before i recognize them

me wearing a denim shirt, dark blue jeans, and green banana

me wearing a denim trucker jacket, a chambray shirt, a dark blue tie, army officer trousers, and cream converse shoes.

me wearing a denim shirt, orange floral bandana, white denim, and brown brogued boots

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david barsky @davidbarsky.com · 18/08/2025

hello, i made myself a job: ersc.io

A screenshot of my LinkedIn, where it shows I used to work at Facebook, but now am the founder/secretary of East River Source Control.

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david barsky @davidbarsky.com · 15/06/2025

a handsome proprietor outside his bodega

a black and white cat sitting outside a bodega

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david barsky @davidbarsky.com · 16/04/2025

gosh, i love going on scp binges (from scp-wiki.wikidot.com/paralaw)

"The Damned Embargo" (DSD-1961-066) — Articulates the federal government's policy of non-recognition and non-interaction with Hell and the Tartarean Realms, prohibits diplomatic recognition or communication with Hell, and imposes sanctions on the Prince of Darkness and the members of his infernal government. While keeping this Directive in place, the administration of President Ronald Reagan relied on former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to maintain informal and unofficial contacts within Hell, a practice continued by subsequent Presidents.

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david barsky @davidbarsky.com · 04/04/2025

oh just because it’s almost pride month???

a notification from the ring app that says “the bears are back”.

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david barsky @davidbarsky.com · 04/01/2025

wowie, their inline diagnostics rendering is really good. zed’s are a close second but fall over in ways that i probably should file a bug report about.

a screenshot of helix’s inline diagnostics on rust code.

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david barsky @davidbarsky.com · 04/01/2025

this post is gunning for the ana mardoll “it’s ableist to ask writers to read” throne

Honestly this is exactly what put me off Rust when I tried to learn it. Rustc is definitely not built with neurodivergent people with rejection disphoria (a huge subset of ADHD people) in mind.

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david barsky @davidbarsky.com · 27/11/2024

not to take away from this extremely cool accomplishment, but i love seeing the software that i helped write be used in other people’s cool software

a cargo.toml with tracing (and tracing-subscriber) highlighted

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david barsky @davidbarsky.com · 22/11/2024

runtimes: i don’t think it’s particularly important, but i’m not too opposed. as for keyword generics: i _strongly_ disagree for the reasons Cliff laid out—namely, you can’t meaningfully (or shouldn’t!) abstract over a fundamental inversion of control flow