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Rian van der Merwe

@rianvdm.com
459 followers 110 following 194 posts

👋 Product person, curious learner, and music fanatic. 👨‍💻 Data & Observability at @cloudflare.social ✍️ Blog → elezea.com

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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 22/06/2025
An engineer recently sent me some questions about the #productmanagement role. I took a long time to respond because I saw it as a great opportunity to reflect on the role and what it means to me. I decided to share my answers here, in case it’s useful for anyone else! elezea.com/2025/06/prod...
elezea.com
Product Management: The Good, the Hard, and How to Know If It's Right for You
What I like most about the job, what makes me sometimes want to take a break, and how to choose between PM and EM roles.
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 16/06/2025
“MCP Is RSS for AI” is a good analogy, but my analogy would be that MCP is like “Dynamic FAQs”, with the difference being that any question you ask could be considered “frequent” enough to be vetted and correct. thenewstack.io/mcp-is-rss-f...
thenewstack.io
MCP Is RSS for AI: More Use Cases for Model Context Protocol
MCP's simplicity means that, like RSS autodiscovery and OpenSearch, it can catch on quickly and deliver powerful leverage for developers.
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 16/06/2025
I’ve been completely nerdswiped by MCP servers... here’s one I made for Lastfm. Use Claude Desktop to ask questions about your personal listening data. Try it out, let me know what I should add! github.com/rianvdm/last...
github.com
GitHub - rianvdm/lastfm-mcp: A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides seamless access to a user's Last.fm listening data and music information for AI assistants like Claude.
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides seamless access to a user's Last.fm listening data and music information for AI assistants like Claude. - rianvdm/lastfm-mcp
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 28/05/2025
@richeholmes.bsky.social Hey, any chance you’ll ever move off Substack? I stopped giving them money, but will happily become a paid subscriber if you move to something like @ghost.org or @buttondown.com.
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 26/05/2025
Love this take on the “10x engineer”. Ubuntu (the African principle, not the OS) strikes again… “I am because you are.” “It doesn’t matter how fast an individual engineer can write software. What matters is how fast the team can collectively write, test, […] and revise the software that they own.”
spectrum.ieee.org
Why Great Engineering Orgs Thrive on "Normal" Engineers
Software engineer Charity Majors challenges the "10x engineer" myth, arguing that true productivity lies in team performance, not individual brilliance. She encourages building workplaces where "norma...
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 03/05/2025
Any celebration of Reid Miles gets an automatic boost from me. Legend. “Miles fulfilled the Blue Note manifesto. His album covers pushed the envelope of graphic design just as the artists on the records inside continued to break new ground in jazz.”
matthewstrom.com
The history of album art
I speak and write about design, front-end code, leadership, and (occasionally) math.
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 19/04/2025
This is a wonderful thread started by @ftrain.bsky.social, asking what makes your town special—but I’m obviously biased to @antichrista.bsky.social’s response.
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 15/04/2025
Every once in a while a preorder shows up before release date and it’s always such a wonderful thing when that happens. Mdou Moctar’s band made a 4-track EP. It comes out on Friday but it showed up today and this thing goes so hard. It’s like post-punk desert blues.
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 14/04/2025
I love this essay so much. I want to be this dad for my kids. “The single-most important thing he gave me, besides unconditional love, was modeling how to use music in my life.“
hearingthings.co
I Learned to Listen From My Dad
He taught me a crucial survival skill when he passed down his rock’n’roll fandom.
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 11/04/2025
Interesting data on which movies aged poorly (and well), but it’s the genre data that stood out to me. “According to our rating-change data, horror movies age notably well, while comedy and drama see a marked decline in appraisal over time.” www.statsignificant.com/p/which-movi...
statsignificant.com
Which Movies Have "Aged Poorly"? A Statistical Analysis
Which films have not stood the test of time?
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 03/04/2025
@taylorlorenz.bsky.social Hey there, just wanted to mention a data point that I would become a paid subscriber the moment you move off Substack, to something like Ghost or Buttondown.
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 01/04/2025
@therealadam.com Hey there, I’m subscribed to your RSS feed and every article title shows up as “Adam Keys is Thinking”. If possible, it would be great to change that to a title That helps RSS readers like me quickly parse the topic. Thanks for considering!
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 26/03/2025
I love this deep-dive on the little interjections we use in everyday speech. One example: “Other interjections serve as ‘continuers,’ such as ‘mm-hmm’—signals that the speaker should keep going. Because ‘mm-hmm’ is made with a closed mouth, it’s clear that the signaler does not intend to speak.”
knowablemagazine.org
Huh? The valuable role of interjections
Utterances like um, wow and mm-hmm aren’t garbage — they keep conversations flowing
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 15/03/2025
I wrote a bit about the importance of “Visibility of System Status” in #productmanagement. elezea.com/2025/03/ack-...
elezea.com
"Ack, think, act"—building trust as a product manager
A short post about how important is for PMs to provide "visibility of system status" to the teams they work with.
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 03/03/2025
This is a good @harper.lol primer on how to “brainstorm a spec, then plan a plan, then execute using LLM codegen.” If you have an idea for a product this is such a great way to get a working prototype out there.
harper.blog
My LLM codegen workflow atm
A detailed walkthrough of my current workflow for using LLms to build software, from brainstorming through planning and execution.
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 13/02/2025
This tracks (lol) and seems obvious, but the data is fun. “Younger listeners tend to exhibit a ‘discovery mindset,’ actively seeking novelty. Older listeners may approach streaming from a ‘maintenance mindset,’ knowing what they want and using a given platform to reinforce established preferences.”
statsignificant.com
How Do Music Listening Habits Change With Age? A Statistical Analysis
How does music listening change as we grow older?
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 04/02/2025
Omg it’s a Gen X dream come true. The original “friend of the show” is back. Subscribed!
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 27/01/2025
When @andrewliptak.com writes about Lord of the Rings, I pay attention. This is one if his best, y’all. “A critical theme throughout Tolkien’s work is the decline of a once-great people, with weak men failing to live up to the lives and stories of their predecessors.”
transfer-orbit.ghost.io
Middle-earth disinfo campaigns
Denethor, Palantírs, and propaganda in J.R.R. Tolkien's Return of the King
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 27/01/2025
Struggling on new ways to say “no”, #productmanagement? This site might help. letsnotdothat.com
letsnotdothat.com
Master the Art of the Product Manager 'No'
Keep your meetings smooth and your priorities on track!
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 22/01/2025
Went to the Post Office today and get this—thanks to modern technology I got to listen to music on the way there and back! This is a game changer. Imagine always having 12 songs in your pocket!
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 19/01/2025
I finally had a chance to make my way through this well-researched Spotify exposé, and dang it’s infuriating. “A model in which the imperative is simply to keep listeners around, whether they’re paying attention or not, distorts our very understanding of music’s purpose.”
harpers.org
The Ghosts in the Machine, by Liz Pelly
Spotify’s plot against musicians
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 10/01/2025
I wrote a little bit about the unhelpful language we sometimes use when teams "slip" on deadlines.
elezea.com
Regarding "missed" and "slipped" deadlines
One of the issues with quarterly planning cycles and committing to due dates on that cadence is that teams are often asked to commit to dates before they have figured out all the unknowns.
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 06/01/2025
I am trying to read more books in 2025 so I am testing a theory that it’s the Kindle that puts me to sleep as soon as I open it. So here is an actual TBR pile! This year’s non-fiction theme is music. Fiction theme is all SF/F (with the exception of the new Orphan X novel because I love that guy).
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 02/01/2025
@smore.bsky.social Thanks for your music discovery post, very useful! I am also heavily invested in Bandcamp. Also, I find the weekly www.allmusic.com email another good way to keep up with new releases. And the iOS app MusicHarbor alerts you of new releases by artists in your library.
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 31/12/2024
I love reading end-of-year music wrap-ups from the personal blogs I follow, so this year I decided to make one of my own... elezea.com/2024/12/my-2...
elezea.com
My 2024 in Music
The albums I listened to the most this year, and some brief thoughts on the year ahead.
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 30/12/2024
Simon had me at #1 (totally agree that SOALW is such a gift). Going to spend some leisurely time with this excellent list over the next few days. I am also now really committed to get my list done in the coming week.
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 26/12/2024
A reminder that we are now officially in Dead Week. Please act accordingly.
theatlantic.com
All Hail Dead Week, the Best Week of the Year
The week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve is a time when nothing counts, and when nothing is quite real.
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 25/12/2024
This is a really interesting rebuttal of modern parenting methods. “The job of a parent is not to prevent any potential trauma, it is to love the child even when they are bad, and to punish them, and most importantly to forgive them.”
unherd.com
The cruelty of gentle parenting
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 25/12/2024
I own very few Christmas records, but this one is not only a very pretty splatter pattern, it’s also wonderful (not cheesy!) music. Highly recommended.
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 24/12/2024
I love the Murderbot books, and this Martha Wells interview is a delight. “Of all her characters, Wells has said, Murderbot is the one she’s put the most of herself into. She feels a distance from other humans, even as she’s spent a life trying to relate to them, to understand them.”
wired.com
How Murderbot Saved Martha Wells' Life
Martha Wells created one of the most iconic characters in 21st-century science fiction: Murderbot, reluctant savior of humanity. Then she faced an existential threat of her own.
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 23/12/2024
Interesting stats here, and great commentary from @taylorlorenz.bsky.social. “We’ve officially entered the age where social media is more about entertainment and education than one-to-one personal connections.”
usermag.co
The 2024 state of social media
+ The gingerbread plushie Gen Z is going feral over, climate change paint, 'Fartcoin' to the moon, Alex Cooper unveils new college ambassadors, and Kamala Harris’ digital chief speaks out
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 23/12/2024
I look forward to this @smore.bsky.social post every year, and this year it’s such a banger. Personal music stats and reflections, followed by a deep dive on Spotify genres and why Wrapped wasn’t great this year? Yes please!
thisisimportant.net
How did my listening evolve? Spotify Wrapped 2024
Exploring the data behind Spotify Wrapped, including comparisons to SoundCloud Playback and Last.fm listening data, including a deep dive into the music evolution descriptors and Pink Pilates Princess...
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 08/12/2024
A great intro to a great essay about #jazz and what the genre is all about. “In the 1999 film The Talented Mr. Ripley, Dickie Greenleaf, a jazz head living in the 1950s, owns a copy of Miles Davis’ Tutu, which was released in 1986.”
buff.ly
The Talented Mr. Davis
What a funny, Miles Davis-related production error in ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ tells us about jazz, class, and—maybe, just maybe—America itself.
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 08/12/2024
Oh, preach. This is why I obsess over my side project & reach out to indie Workers devs to see if I can help. “I'd forgotten what it feels like to make pull requests. There's a momentum to this sort of work because it doesn't rely on meetings or quarterly planning or going up the chain of command.“
robinrendle.com
Code shufflin’
Every day there’s progress.
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 03/12/2024
This is brutal, but Ben knows Intel *so* well, so it's always enlightening to read his thoughts. TL;DR: The Board got cold feed about their foundry efforts. Ben also touches on something I've always wondered... why are massive company failures never *the Board's* fault? Who watches the watchmen?
stratechery.com
Gelsinger Out at Intel, What Happened, Ten Years Too Late
Pat Gelsinger is out as Intel CEO. It seems likely that the board has cold feet about the foundry business, and a split may be forthcoming.
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Reposted by Rian van der Merwe
Clyde Radcliffe @clyderadcliffe.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
Found some good advice in an old manual I was reading
Instructions from the MS-DOS 3.20 manual advising users to turn off their computer and monitor.
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 02/12/2024
This is my first time going deep and trying to understand what these drugs do, and it seems pretty amazing? “GLP-1 drugs seem not only to shrink appetite but to rewrite people's desires. They attack our acclimatization to the tastes and textures of artificial flavors and preservatives.”
nytimes.com
Ozempic Could Crush the Junk Food Industry. But It Is Fighting Back. (Gift Article)
As revolutionary new weight-loss drugs turn consumers off ultraprocessed foods, the industry is on the hunt for new products.
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 30/11/2024
Another awesome use of @cloudflare.social Workers.
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 30/11/2024
No surprises. “A new analysis estimates that over half of longer English-language posts on LinkedIn are AI-generated.”
wired.com
Yes, That Viral LinkedIn Post You Read Was Probably AI-Generated
A new analysis estimates that over half of longer English-language posts on LinkedIn are AI-generated, indicating the platform’s embrace of AI tools has been a success.
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 28/11/2024
I can’t event write a summary or grab my usual pull quote from this. Perfect post by @robinrendle.bsky.social. No notes.
robinrendle.com
Safety and stability
When the world feels so unstable I find solace in the work.
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 27/11/2024
Love this idea, and now I’m going to make a page like this on my site too! “WWIC” would be on my list as well, along with: www.anildash.com//2011/07/20/... www.npr.org/2011/04/18/1... www.43folders.com/2011/04/22/c...
anildash.com
If your website's full of assholes, it's your fault - Anil Dash
A blog about making culture. Since 1999.
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 27/11/2024
Thankful that Jason saved me a click on this one.
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 26/11/2024
This was a rough incident for our team, but if you want to know more about our data pipeline, you might enjoy this post...
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 25/11/2024
@antichrista.bsky.social I assume I’m roughly the millionth person to send this to you, but... Playdate shoutout! www.usermag.co/p/have-we-re...
usermag.co
Tech companies are clamoring to re-buttonize their products
Have we reached peak touchscreen?
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 24/11/2024
This is such a great concept for an interview (and you should read it), and now I want to know... what lyrics changed *your* life? I guess that’s a little dramatic, so it doesn’t have to be that serious. What lyrics have really stuck with you for a long time?
hearingthings.co
Mount Eerie’s Phil Elverum on the Lyrics That Changed His Life
How the historical references and emotional fortitude of Sinead O’Connor, Sade, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, and more influenced the indie rock lifer’s own songwriting.
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 24/11/2024
What a wonderful use of the Bluesky Firehose feed. Find Bandcamp music people are posting about!
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 24/11/2024
Just put Led Zeppelin II on the turntable and every time I listen to it I think about how Oblivion is one of my favorite movies but when Tom Cruise drops the needle on “Ramble On” it’s not on the correct track. He was actually playing “Heartbreaker” in that scene! This is fine. I’m fine.
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 23/11/2024
Finally, a perfect use for AI. “O2 has created human-like Daisy, an AI 'Granny' to answer calls in real time from fraudsters, keeping them on the phone and away from customers for as long as possible.”
youtube.com
AI Scambaiters: O2 creates AI Granny to waste scammers’ time
O2 has created human-like Daisy, an AI ‘Granny’ to answer calls in real time from fraudsters, keeping them on the phone and away from customers for as long a...
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 22/11/2024
Today's new music recommendation. Magnificent neo-soul vibes.
listentomore.com
Small Changes by Michael Kiwanuka
Streaming links and album details for Small Changes by Michael Kiwanuka. Powered by Listen To More, your home for music discovery.
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Rian van der Merwe @rianvdm.com · 22/11/2024
Agree with this. I do think the "middle management" layer's biggest job is to do everything they can do increase the size of the circles. When Directors successfully develop a strategy to implement the overall company strategy, teams are set up to prioritize and deliver incredible value.
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