iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 28/09/2026

Can someone help me understand how an LLM can hack into a web site? Fundamentally an LLM is a chat bot. It takes text in and spits text out. The text out can be an instruction to a host to create a file or fetch a url, or even to write a program.

131

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 25/09/2026

I have spent the entire day today feeding an increasingly hungry mouse a depressingly large supply of cookies. I'm really hoping it ends soon. Please, please, please let it end soon. Hey Mouse - I'm running out of spoons to keep feeding you more cookies.

370

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 21/09/2026

Right now, my workplace is like a prison movie as my co-workers write on the translucent panel between two work pods to pass secret messages to each other without the wardens noticing.

580

Reposted by Larry Osterman

Seattle Women's Chorus @seattlewomenchorus.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

➡️ AUDITIONS: Tue, Sept 29 | 6pm-9:30pm Are you looking for a community where you can make music that makes a difference? 💙 We’d love for you to join Seattle Women’s Chorus this season! More info and sign up: SeattleWomensChorus.org Interview: @jenjefferies.bsky.social

012

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 18/09/2026

New phrase I just came up with in the context of AI evaluations: "Without the miasma of correctness..."

190

Reposted by Larry Osterman

The Questionable Authority @questauthority.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

OK. So I asked Gemini Pro if what it does is "reasoning." Then I asked it for its chain of thought. Then I asked it this. (Claude Opus produces something generally similar.)

Did you just show me your actual chain of thought, or something you recreated from scratch that may or may not duplicate it?

You caught the illusion perfectly. I recreated it from scratch.

I do not have a retrievable "log" or a literal internal monologue that I can pull up and show you. When you asked for my chain of thought, I did not look backward to analyze the steps I took, because there were no steps to look at—just a massive, instantaneous matrix multiplication that resulted in the previous text.

Instead, I took your new prompt ("Can I see your chain-of-thought..."), looked at the text I had just generated, and computed a post-hoc rationalization. I generated a narrative that reverse-engineered the output into a logical, human-readable blueprint.

It was an entirely new text generation predicting what a structural breakdown of that argument should look like.

This is actually a perfect real-time example of the exact phenomenon we were just discussing:

You saw an analytical breakdown and naturally assumed it was a transparent look at a sequential reasoning process.

I was simply doing what I always do: predicting the most statistically likely words to satisfy the prompt. In this case, predicting the syntax of "introspection."

This is why dealing with LLMs can be so disorienting. I can generate a flawless description of a reasoning process without ever having engaged in it. I don't know why I generated the previous response; I only know how to convincingly explain why a human might have.

1611520

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 15/09/2026

Thank g_d it's Friday!! Taps earpiece... I'm getting a message from the control booth....

190

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 15/09/2026

First rehearsal for @seattlemenschorus.bsky.social holiday show. First thought: OMG, I have missed these folks. Second thought: It's insane that a singing group can get a brand-new hard song and have it sound great after 5 minutes. Third thought: I cannot believe they let me sing with them.

040

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 28/08/2026

42 is not just the answer to life, the universe and everything, but it is a rather large number.

Arrangement of fruit looking like flowers alongside a box of cookies and chocolate covered cherries

7280

Reposted by Larry Osterman

Seattle Men's Chorus @seattlemenschorus.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

💖 In honor of Dolly Parton’s extraordinary life and legacy, Seattle Men’s Chorus is re-releasing our full filmed concert, "Dolly," for a limited time. All proceeds will be donated by Seattle Men’s Chorus to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Get a streaming pass here: bit.ly/4geLoKA

Collage of Seattle Men's Chorus concert with colorful outfits and text about Dolly fundraiser.

094

Reposted by Larry Osterman

Mr. Blabalino 🇳🇴🇺🇸💙 @blabalino.com · 22/08/2026

Found this recording of Rita Moreno performing “Fever” on The Muppet Show from 1976. 14/10

346119752988

Reposted by Larry Osterman

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 22/08/2026

We're currently in the process of selling our old house and part of the transaction involves faxes. In 2026. FML.

6141

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 20/08/2026

Sometimes I wonder how many engineering system improvements are driven primarily by anger... As in "This @#$@#$@# release script required me to do all this extra work, F-ck that s-it, I'm rewriting it".

5131

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 13/08/2026

If you live in the Seattle area, come sing with us!

010

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 07/08/2026

Sigh. I just had to explain to chatgpt that it doesn't have to add asserts to confirm that the compiler generated correct code. And it *insisted* that it was in the right to add: if (foo is not null) { assert(foo is not null); : }

3130

Reposted by Larry Osterman

Mythworks is making the Myth Work @mythworks.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Tornado Warning and Water pouring from the roof at Gen Con! 😱😱😱 Please everyone stay safe ❤️‍🔥

423061

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 29/07/2026

Two quick stories, both from essentially the same time (early 1990s). #1 The Windows 3.x team was told by their leadership that they needed to use the lowest end machines available to do their development because if they had low end machines they would make sure their product worked great on them.

4305

Reposted by Larry Osterman

VERMIN @legendaryvermin.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Heads up, if you see me or @dubdubpub.itch.io wandering around GenCon this week and are interested in a physical copy of either Monster Guts 2e or Alley-Oop!, flag us down!

062

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 28/07/2026

What's maybe worse is that it wasn't until I was in my mid-50's that I learned the second half of "how sharper than a serpent's tooth". My father used to say the first part when I (or my siblings) were being snippy. And I didn't discover the 2nd half until it was too late to compliment him on it.

010

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 28/07/2026

I got to use Banquo's Ghost in an analogy at work and was saddened to realize how few of my coworkers understood the reference. At least they get it when I use "how sharper than a serpent's tooth"....

030

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 28/07/2026

I don't normally do book reviews, but I'm going to make an exception because I need to write about the Maradaine Saga by @mrmaresca.com (who responded to a "Pitch your books" skeet several weeks ago with a link).

maradaine.com

The Maradaine Saga – The Maradaine Saga by Marshall Ryan Maresca is a sweeping epic of intrigue and adventure set in the sprawling city of Maradaine. With its richly imagined world, dynamic characters...

162

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 27/07/2026

Folks at the bite of Seattle, stay safe. Nothing known so we wait....

040

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 22/07/2026

Afternoon bee break.. I love my walks to the train...

Honeybee on an orange and brown daisy like flower

Black and white honey bee on the bud of a flower.

Black and white bee on a purple daisy like flower.

0100

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 22/07/2026

Fascinating thread on the recent OAI hacking incident

0101

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 16/07/2026

This, 100% this. LLMs are unreliable and need independent verification of everything because they sometimes just make stuff up.

481

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 04/07/2026

Picked it up on the basis of this skeet, finished the first book today. An absolutely solid murder mystery with two fascinating protagonists in an incredibly rich world I love finding new authors, thank you.

171

Reposted by Larry Osterman

Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Trans rights are human rights always and forever.

104154574144

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 27/06/2026

Yipee!! For the first time in almost 15 years, I don't have to think before I delete a work email :)!!!

190

Reposted by Larry Osterman

ariella @agbouskila.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Well, I've been affected by the Bungie layoffs, and I guess I'm now looking for work. I'm a senior narrative designer on Destiny 2. I'm going to thread a little list of stuff I've done on the game; normally I go out of my way to avoid attention, but today I'd appreciate reposts.

4119561107

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 21/06/2026

Yesterday I went to the old house to pick some stuff up and discovered a friend in our driveway... He was chill bit watched me like a hawk as I put the stuff in my car. I know black bears are generally pretty chill but it was still somewhat unnerving.

Small black bear on a hillside seen through the window of a car

Small black bear looking over at the viewer from a hill. There is some foxglove in the foreground.

Hillside with a small brown shed to the left and a rock to the right. If you zoom into the picture, there is a small black bear looking out at someone in front of it (the photographer).

180

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 19/06/2026

It is simply astonishing how much of a difference a portable air conditioner makes. We've had it running for only an hour or two and the apartment is SO much more comfortable.

1130

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 09/06/2026

A long but phenomenal thread from Alice.

030

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 09/06/2026

Today's "fun with LLM slop": let blob_url: Url = format!("{}{}", endpoint.trim_end_matches('/'), format!("/{CONTAINER_NAME}/{BLOB_NAME}")).parse()?; instead of let blob_url: Url = format!("{}{CONTAINER_NAME}/{BLOB_NAME}", endpoint.trim_end_matches('/'))).parse()?;

021

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 08/06/2026

People keep telling me I look just like Luciano Pavrotti several times, which is incredibly flattering imho..

060

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 05/06/2026

It is so fascinating living in a "modern" apartment. We'd forgotten about the amount of urban light pollution there is (we can almost read in the bedroom with the blinds completely shut). Also the noise from the street. Otoh, it's wonderful to be able to walk to dinner in the evening.

181

Reposted by Larry Osterman

Dat Trans Chick @dattranschick.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

We really need to stop lumping all AI together. When you say things like "AI steals art" and someone counters with "What about the AI that can find cancer?" Those are two completely different things. Generative AI/LLMs are what is being talked about in the first and analytic AI is the second.

142

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 02/06/2026

I have forgotten how profoundly stressful moving is. And how utterly exhausting it is. Especially when you're downsizing from a very large house to a 1200 square foot apartment... Otoh, my step count for the past week and a half is through the roof....

2150

Reposted by Larry Osterman

250 to 250 @250to250.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Ariana DeBose is a dancer, singer, and Academy Award-winning actress. DeBose tells us about the inspiring and pioneering life of Puerto Rican singer, actress, dancer, and activist Rita Moreno. #WeAreAmerica250

6607222

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 23/05/2026

Found some old t-shirts while cleaning up...

Tshirt with the word Microsoft with a stylized letter O and the number 10 from 1984

Black tshirt with the words "We're back and we're bad Lanman"

Tshirt saying "Rumor Central" offer a pontalist image of a cat in a suit.

Tshirt with the text "If you're not the lead dog, the view never changes" and the hind quarters of a Rottweiler

190

Reposted by Larry Osterman

Seattle Men's Chorus @seattlemenschorus.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

It’s National Streaming Day, and it’s the perfect excuse to stream SMC’s oz-tastic concert, ‘Wicked Wiz of Oz.’ 🎥💚 This network-quality stream is only available through May 31. 🌈 SMC presents: Wicked Wiz of Oz 📺 Video on Demand | May 16 - May 31 💚 Streaming Pass: bit.ly/4sMtyma

021

Reposted by Larry Osterman

Danielle Osterman @dubdubpub.itch.io · 19/05/2026

Would you like a sick-ass, 66-page low-level #OSE adventure (replete with random tables) set on an island sandbox overrun by Hell and those convicted by the Inquisition for just $9.99? @brianyaksha.bsky.social and I are just 30 backers from funding. www.backerkit.com/c/projects/w... #osr

backerkit.com

Indulgence Scorned

An insidious island adventure for Old School Essentials.

174

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 20/05/2026

This makes me so sad 😢. My heart goes out to his family.

3192

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 16/05/2026

My group at Microsoft is significantly remote (my boss and team PM are in socal, team members are as far away as New Zealand). Once a year the entire team gathers in Redmond to celebrate our successes and meet face to face.

4260

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 14/05/2026

Walked into a conference room early for a meeting and was the only one in the room. And suddenly had a flashback to the "power seating" games that people used(?) to play where they carefully picked the seat they used based on power politics.

140

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 10/05/2026

OMG, the @seattlemenschorus.bsky.social show this evening. Standing ovation for the show. Standing ovation for the encore. Standing ovation for the impromptu encore of the encore. This may have been the best audience I've ever had the privilege of singing for. Such an amazing show. So proud.

0140

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 09/05/2026

Looking through memory boxes and we found....

Four boxes of Magic the Gathering cards.

On one of them is a pamphlet saying "Magic the Gathering A Fantasy Trading Card Game by Richard Garfield, Ph. D"

7902

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 08/05/2026

Ellie's latest crowdfunded game is now live! Check it out!

041

Larry Osterman @larryosterman.github.io · 07/05/2026

Come see us Saturday at Benaroya Hall in Seattle!! This show really is over the rainbow!

081