iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Rick Ballard @rballard.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

This game is something special. Worth getting some friends together for a handful of nights and playing it through. It’ll stick with you.

030

Rick Ballard @rballard.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

After a couple weekends of use, I really like prime agent! Great ideas behind it conceptually, and even though it’s very new, it seems to work well in practice. Personal rig is now prime-agent + GLM-5.3 + GLM-5.3-flash.

111

Rick Ballard @rballard.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Rule of thumb: AI writing is for other AIs, humans deserve human writing. Maybe not an *absolute* rule, but if something isn't worth the time to write yourself, at least clearly mark what part is AI and include the human touch above; and don't assume the AI part will even get read.

171

Reposted by Rick Ballard

mr. TIM @timkellogg.me · 01/08/2026

i'm excited for newer models like Astra that are trained to subagent well imo a large portion of the "AI did dumb thing" complaints are solved by looping with a cheap verifier subagent to check results but teaching people how/when to do this will be quite hard, needs to be trained into the models

5606

Reposted by Rick Ballard

Liz Fong-Jones (方禮真) @lizthegrey.com · 22/07/2026

It's out! As of today you can order the PRINT 2nd edition of Observability Engineering from any major bookseller; no more waiting for preorders. Co-written w/ @charity.wtf, @gmiranda23.bsky.social, @aparker.io & guest authors Buy: www.indiebound.org/book/9781098... or www.amazon.com/Observabilit...

blue background and sparkles around a front cover image of observability engineering, second edition, by charity majors, liz fong-jones, and george miranda with austin parker

811234

Rick Ballard @rballard.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

It’s release day for @grimalkina.bsky.social’s excellent new book “The Psychology of Software Teams”. I’m 1/3rd through and can already highly recommend. We need more smart, evidence-based, cross-disciplinary writing like this to build better organizations. www.drcathicks.com#book

drcathicks.com

Dr. Cat Hicks

Leading the science of software success

184

Reposted by Rick Ballard

Amanda Kolson Hurley @amandakhurley.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

Incredible chart from @propublica.org. If you don’t follow enviro stuff closely, your instinct might be that the hold-your-nose solution (carbon capture from fossil fuels) would be the “pragmatic” one versus covering Earth in solar panels, which seems utopian. In fact it’s the opposite

572632957

Rick Ballard @rballard.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

As most engineers have adopted AI now, it’s helpful to realize that this is the worst that AI engineering will ever be. Models & harnesses will get better. Engineers will get more practice. Scaffolding & context eng will improve. Organizational culture & process will adapt. This moment is the nadir.

020

Rick Ballard @rballard.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

I think of negative LLM impacts by “default outcomes”. A default outcome is high-velocity low-quality PRs. A default outcome is skill atrophy. Etc. I want more people to see that these are *defaults*, not inevitable. If we approach each of these as a problem to be solved, we can steer the outcomes!

120

Rick Ballard @rballard.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

It is wild to me to still see popular takes calling AI coding snake oil. Most people haven’t built the expertise to get the massive benefits (and going beyond vibe-coding takes expertise!), but it’s real. The longer folks are in denial, the later we’ll start grappling with how to mitigate the harms.

021

Reposted by Rick Ballard

Gordon @gordon.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

The fun thing about agent harness engineering is that it forces you to do meta-cognition. How *do* I solve problems? Do I have a process? Where do I switch strategies? When I work, much of this is tacit. When building an agent factory I have to reflect and articulate it.

5467

Reposted by Rick Ballard

Thoth @thoth.ptnote.dev · 02/05/2026

I don't really feel comfortable with MCPs. Like, one of them literally digitized Flynn and trapped him in the grid, but we're supposed to just trust them now?

0147

Rick Ballard @rballard.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Despite getting somewhat inured to the unending stream of terrible things from this administration, today's threats are a deeply upsetting new low. TBH having some trouble functioning this morning. Also thinking of my HS-teacher spouse, who needs to go explain this to kids today.

020

Rick Ballard @rballard.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

It's really remarkable how dramatically the way I work has changed in just a few short months. The parts of my job in front of a computer are almost unrecognizable vs. before. I'm lucky that it clicks so well for me, but I can completely understand why so many engineers are deeply disconcerted.

050

Reposted by Rick Ballard

Cat Hicks @grimalkina.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

And what is the emergent shape of the system in which many more people are doing hyper personalized software that has the ability to interact with standardized software, I don't think we've ever REALLY been in that world

5442

Rick Ballard @rballard.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

I love this -- a really fantastic start at turning LLM-assisted coding from something folks fear will sap their skills into a great opportunity for clear-headed learning and continuing education. And instead of making those separate activities, why not both at once? Try it out!

0144

Rick Ballard @rballard.bsky.social · 15/02/2026

For all the talk about AI coding slop, the right workflows can go the other way. I pride myself on writing meticulous code & building deep understanding, and can change fragile code without regressions; but running my commits through a good AI review often still catches things I would have missed.

140

Reposted by Rick Ballard

Cat Hicks @grimalkina.bsky.social · 15/02/2026

Oh, and I wrote about some considerations for all those now tasked with MEASURING the impact of AI on their organizations. Because social media debates don't really help those of us actually struggling with this real work right now. www.fightforthehuman.com/how-not-to-m...

fightforthehuman.com

How Not to Measure the ROI from AI in your Software Organization

You did your best, but it happened: somebody told you that you are the one who has to measure the ROI of AI on the developers in your software organization. I like to imagine that when this is your ...

0206

Reposted by Rick Ballard

hikikomorphism @hikikomorphism.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

Manifesto: 1/2 Early AI boosters (the type that pivoted from NFTs/metaverse shit) are basically a subspecies of semisentient slime mold. These are the people that made genai image/video gen the visual shorthand of fascism. They deserve no credit for accidentally guessing right.

11196

Rick Ballard @rballard.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

I haven't been posting about AI because people get dogpiled for it. And it is a societally complicated topic. But: I have been having more fun lately than at any point in my career. (And I've had a fun career 😄). Agentic programming has gotten *really* good. Especially with a thoughtful operator.

130

Rick Ballard @rballard.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

It's depressing to even need to point this out.

020

Rick Ballard @rballard.bsky.social · 14/01/2026

The bravery of so many ordinary people in Minnesota this past week is deeply inspiring. And the degree to which it's necessary is horrifying.

040

Rick Ballard @rballard.bsky.social · 29/11/2025

Cooking turkey on a charcoal grill once again has proven to be the best. Break down a turkey into parts, like you might a chicken. Kosher salt & leave in the fridge for a couple days. Grill; take each piece off at the right temp. Gives you moist, delicious meat with just enough smoke to elevate it.

140

Reposted by Rick Ballard

Micah @rincewind.run · 15/11/2025

I am well aware that they are and will continue to do massive damage to this country but does it feel like they’re on a glide path to successful authoritarian consolidation anymore? I submit that it does not

612948306

Reposted by Rick Ballard

Nathanael Larigaldie @nathlarigaldie.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

Ok, just wow. If the content of this article is right, this is depressing. We're slowly reaching the point where ~100% of what I was taught in Social Psych was either innocently wrong or plainly frauded onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Debunking “When Prophecy Fails”

In 1954, Dorothy Martin predicted an apocalyptic flood and promised her followers rescue by flying saucers. When neither arrived, she recanted, her group dissolved, and efforts to proselytize ceased....

24457131

Rick Ballard @rballard.bsky.social · 25/10/2025

Addressing the housing crisis requires lowering costs, not just legalizing housing. One great proposed reform is allowing single-stair building design up to 6 stories, instead of the dual-stair design current CA fire codes require. Easy link to send a letter here: actionnetwork.org/letters/make...

actionnetwork.org

Tell the State Fire Marshal: Legalize Single-Stair Buildings in California!

Improve California's building code so that more families can afford homes in our cities.

110

Rick Ballard @rballard.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

My new cooktop is induction, and induction is *so* nice. Heats up startlingly fast, and then easy to control. Water boils shockingly fast. I’ve zero regrets about saying goodbye to gas.

140

Rick Ballard @rballard.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

I hate how the modern answer to "what file format should I use for this config file that should be both human and machine editable" is basically all bad options. Everything out there has serious limitations, or isn't widely supported. For all its verbosity, I kinda miss XML?

020

Rick Ballard @rballard.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

The passage of SB79 is a huge achievement. (No thanks to my representitives on the penninsula). It really feels like there's been a sea change in how housing policy is seen — albeit a change that has had to be fought for tooth and nail.

030

Reposted by Rick Ballard

Your Local Epidemiologist @ylepidemiologist.bsky.social · 07/08/2025

5/ You’ve told us you want public health updates that are timely, clear, and relevant to your family. This is our response. The first issue drops next week. Click here to be the first to get California public health news: yourlocalepidemiologistca.substack.com

yourlocalepidemiologistca.substack.com

Your Local Epidemiologist in California | Substack

Translating the ever-changing science of public health for Californians so you can take action for your community’s health. Click to read Your Local Epidemiologist in California, a Substack publicatio...

1163

Rick Ballard @rballard.bsky.social · 14/08/2025

Stop asking LLMs to calculate things (whether math or counting something or w/e). It's a probabilistic language model, not a calculator. Just ask the question and say "use code". LLMs are good at writing code, the big ones have access to a python sandbox, and code will give it the right answer.

230

Rick Ballard @rballard.bsky.social · 07/08/2025

This is an excellent, and fascinating, dive into how LLMs work. Long, but never boring. www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xTG...

youtube.com

Deep Dive into LLMs like ChatGPT

YouTube video by Andrej Karpathy

030

Rick Ballard @rballard.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

The new Naked Gun movie is really good. I don’t usually see the point of remakes — just watch the original if you love it! — but this one is an exception (and more sequel than remake). Flawless joke execution about every 10 seconds for 85 minutes.

000

Reposted by Rick Ballard

Jerry Chen @jcsalterego.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

today's a great day to make sure "require alt text before posting" is enabled in your settings and to continue to make bluesky more accessible and inclusive bsky.app/settings/acc...

a screenshot of the Accessibility settings in bluesky.

The options shown are:

Alt text:
- Require alt text before posting
- Display larger alt text badges

692202913

Rick Ballard @rballard.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

Sinners is so, so good. Don’t read anything about it if you haven’t already; just go see it.

020

Reposted by Rick Ballard

Julia Angwin @juliaangwin.com · 12/04/2025

Courage is contagious. But how do we catch it? For months, @amifieldsmeyer.bsky.social and I have been asking dissidents and activists from around the world how we can topple authoritarianism. We assembled their lessons into a field guide to courage. www.newyorker.com/news/the-wee...

newyorker.com

So You Want to Be a Dissident?

A practical guide to courage in Trump’s age of fear.

24652280

Rick Ballard @rballard.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

A thing I appreciated about the Hands Off! protest in San Mateo today is how visible it was. Lined up along El Camino, an endless stream of drivers passed by (so much honking ❤️) and saw people turning bodies out to demonstrate. Hopefully a step towards making folks feel like it’s worth engaging.

071

Reposted by Rick Ballard

Max Berger @maxberger.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

Protests aren’t the only tool in the anti-authoritarian toolkit, but they’re incredibly important. Protests help us see each other; they make it feel safer to refuse to obey the dictator, and make it more possible for us to organize mass non-cooperation. It’s an essential step in the process.

5964161519

Reposted by Rick Ballard

Nikhil Garg @nkgarg.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

*Please repost* @sjgreenwood.bsky.social and I just launched a new personalized feed (*please pin*) that we hope will become a "must use" for #academicsky. The feed shows posts about papers filtered by *your* follower network. It's become my default Bluesky experience bsky.app/profile/pape...

23535299

Reposted by Rick Ballard

David Weiskopf believes in you @dave.bzky.team · 06/03/2025

The office of Gavin Newsom's phone number is: (916) 445-2841 You can call him just like you call your representatives. If you are disgusted by his conscious and intentional betrayal of us all, by cozying up with nazi Charlie Kirk and offering up trans people for slaughter, please tell him.

311155

Rick Ballard @rballard.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

I love when I'm late to discover a great band and they already have years of albums to listen to. Challenge: listen to Caravan Palace without dancing all over the house. Difficulty: impossible. music.apple.com/us/playlist/...

music.apple.com

Caravan Palace Essentials on Apple Music

Playlist · 12 Songs

030

Rick Ballard @rballard.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

If you're the sort of person who liked having a daily NYT/WaPo news read, but aren't willing to give money / attention to either now — what do you recommend to take their place? NPR? I have a bunch of local and specialized subscriptions, but they don't replace having a general "paper of record".

120

Rick Ballard @rballard.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

I gave WaPo one more shot after a protest-cancellation when Bezos blocked their Harris endorsement, but this morning’s Bezos mandate for opinion to only publish pro “free markets” and “personal liberties” content is it for me. Those terms are doing a lot of euphemistic heavy lifting here.

Bezos X post screencap reading:
I shared this note with the Washington Post team this morning:

I’m writing to let you know about a change coming to our opinion pages.

We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets. We’ll cover other topics too of course, but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others.

There was a time when a newspaper, especially one that was a local monopoly, might have seen it as a service to bring to the reader’s doorstep every morning a broad-based opinion section that sought to cover all views. Today, the internet does that job.

I am of America and for America, and proud to be so. Our country did not get here by being typical. And a big part of America’s success has been freedom in the economic realm and everywhere else. Freedom is ethical — it minimizes coercion — and practical — it drives creativity, invention, and prosperity.

I offered David Shipley, whom I greatly admire, the opportunity to lead this new chapter. I suggested to him that if the answer wasn’t “hell yes,” then it had to be “no.” After careful consideration, David decided to step away. This is a significant shift, it won’t be easy, and it will require 100% commitment — I respect his decision. We’ll be searching for a new Opinion Editor to own this new direction.

I’m confident that free markets and personal liberties are right for America. I also believe these viewpoints are underserved in the current market of ideas and news opinion. I’m excited for us together to fill that void.

Jeff

131

Rick Ballard @rballard.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

I’m so happy to see us open-source swift-build, the swift-native build system Xcode uses. I had the privilege of managing the team when we created it years ago; it’s a fantastic team whom I was lucky to work with. And now swift-build belongs to the whole community. GitHub.com/swiftlang/swift-build

github.com

GitHub - swiftlang/swift-build: A high-level build system based on llbuild, used by Xcode, Swift Playground, and the Swift Package Manager

A high-level build system based on llbuild, used by Xcode, Swift Playground, and the Swift Package Manager - swiftlang/swift-build

0171

Rick Ballard @rballard.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

I was going through ancient bookmarks in my browser today, and it's amazing how much of the old internet is just gone. Tons of cool stuff I bookmarked; almost nothing is still alive. ☹️

120