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David Brownman

@xavd.id
1.6K followers 263 following 274 posts

Software developer, tinkerer, enthusiast. Currently slinging bits at Stripe. For my media reviews, see: @david.reviews. Blog & more: xavd.id

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by David Brownman
Stephanie 🍉 @ageofoddish.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
mmygod
the slut gnomes of false berlin jeopardy bluesky posttoday's jeopardy categories. the last 2 are "false berlin" and "bizarre little men"
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 23/08/2026
Wrote a bit about Reddit's best feature and how I'm doing my part to bring support for it to other sites (like #Tildes and #lobsters). I've been using it while testing and it's been great! xavd.id/blog/post/highlightin...
xavd.id
Replicating Reddit's best feature on other forums
Being able to recognize users on a social network is what turns a website into a community
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 12/07/2026
Today's reading en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
en.wikipedia.org
List of inventors killed by their own invention - Wikipedia
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Reposted by David Brownman
Thinky Games @thinkygames.com · 28/05/2026
Thinky Direct 2026 is LIVE!! 🎉 thinkygames.com/even...
Thinky Direct 2026
LIVE NOW!
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Reposted by David Brownman
Thinky Games @thinkygames.com · 07/05/2026
🎉 Yes, it's true! Thinky Direct is returning for 2026, with a whole new line-up of exclusive trailers and reveals for the most amazing thinky games. Keep an eye out for more info very soon! Puzzle sicko content creators and journalists, reach out! More info below 👇
Thinky Direct 2026 - Coming Soon!

The image depicts the thinky mascot holding a sign above their head with the words "COMING SOON" written on it in cartoon bubble font. Behind them appears to be a large skyscraper within a bustling major city, with various references to puzzles and Thinky Dailies on banners and signs. On the skyscraper is a large screen with the "Thinky Direct 2026" logo.
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 20/04/2026
The baby screamed through her last nap and didn't sleep at all, so she's now been awake longer than she's ever has before. She's either gonna sleep great tonight or really bad and we don't know which yet. #parenting
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 14/04/2026
Pronouncing "tentacles" like a Greek hero
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 07/04/2026
Who's ready for some Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba Basketball?? Go Blue! www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-uSW...
youtube.com
Roundball Rock - SNL
At the NBC Sports offices in 1990, three executives (Vaughn, Thompson, McKinnon) meet with John Tesh (Sudeikis) and his brother Dave Tesh (Robinson) who perform their new song "Roundball Rock" as a potential theme for NBA on NBC. [Season 38, 2013] #SNL Subscribe to SNL: https://goo.gl/tUsXwM Get more SNL: http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live Full Episodes: http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-liv... Like SNL: https://www.facebook.com/snl Follow SNL: https://twitter.com/nbcsnl SNL Tumblr: http://nbcsnl.tumblr.com/ SNL Instagram: http://instagram.com/nbcsnl SNL Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/nbcsnl/
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 15/03/2026
Who has two thumbs and the exact right cable (USB-B!) to connect to a 3D printer? 👍THIS GUY👍
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Reposted by David Brownman
Thinky Games @thinkygames.com · 11/03/2026
This is today! Hope to see you there!
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Reposted by David Brownman
Rachel Watts @rachelwatts.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
⭐️Season 2 of Thinky Dailies has begun!⭐️ No account needed! No ads! Puzzles from the VERY BEST puzzle designers! Look at that artwork!
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 25/02/2026
Ordered business cards from @jukeboxprint.bsky.social and they turned out SO WELL. Plus their support has been above-and-beyond helpful. Real people actually reading my email and solving my problem. Unreal awesome.
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 05/02/2026
It's wild that they're still putting cameras on the back of iPads. People use them enough to justify the weight, cost, and inability to lie flat??
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 02/02/2026
Gonna leave this open for another couple of weeks. Get in while you can!
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 01/02/2026
Here's my 2025 day 3 #AdventOfCode solution (in #Python, per usual)! An extra clean little dynamic programming problem. advent-of-code.xavd.id/writeu...
advent-of-code.xavd.id
Advent of Code 2025 Day 3: Lobby
A step-by-step Python walkthrough for solving Advent of Code 2025 Day 3.
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 30/01/2026
PSA: if you use @mullvad.bsky.social with any openvpn-specific docker images, you should know that they recently sunset those servers and your stuff is broken. Luckily, there's a similar, wireguard-specific docker imager that takes just a little fiddling to get working.
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 26/01/2026
We've been taking a lot about whether our new baby will ever learn to drive. I love long bets, so we thought it'd be fun to put together a #survey about the state of the world when she turns 16. It's short and fun, so hit us with your boldest predictions! xavdid.fillout.com/predictions
xavdid.fillout.com
Predictions for the year 2041
Made with Fillout, the best way to make forms, surveys and quizzes your audience will answer.
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 13/01/2026
It's' time once again for my Favorite Media of the Year post! I can't believe it's my 10th. I truly don't know where the time has gone. Please check it out and let me know what your favorites from 2025 were!
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 13/01/2026
Better late than never, but I've got a solution post up for #AdventOfCode 2025 day 1 in #Python. It turns out babies make you tired?? But we got there anyway. advent-of-code.xavd.id/writeups/202...
advent-of-code.xavd.id
Advent of Code 2025 Day 1: Secret Entrance
A step-by-step Python walkthrough for solving Advent of Code 2025 Day 1.
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 28/12/2025
We're big fans of Yearly Themes in this house. As 2025 is wrapping up, I'm publishing a series of 5 blog posts over the next 5 days to reflect on 5 things we finished. Here's the first: xavd.id/blog/post/finishing-w...
xavd.id
Finishing What We Started
Why yearly themes are better than resolutions, plus how mine went and what else I'm covering soon.
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 22/12/2025
This post from @jhpot.bsky.social puts words to a feeling I've had for a while. It's a weird word out there and I'm glad (or at least hopeful) we can find joy in our own ways and places. justinpot.com/whats-worth-...
justinpot.com
What’s worth saying right now? – Justin Pot
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 04/12/2025
It's education stipend season! Any must-have technical books or courses you'd recommend? Topics could include: General software engineering, #Python, #Rustlang, #Typescript, or anything else extra cool.
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Reposted by David Brownman
Thinky Games @thinkygames.com · 04/12/2025
We’re very excited to announce Thinky Dailies! 🎉 Follow our thinky friend on an adventure through handcrafted daily puzzles! thinkygames.com/dail...
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 01/12/2025
Advent of Code is starting soon!! I'll be doing it in Python, per usual. But probably a day or two behind. When I _do_ solve them, I'll write about each puzzle on my AoC blog. There's an RSS feed if you want to stay up to date: advent-of-code.xavd.id
advent-of-code.xavd.id
@xavdid does Advent of Code
David's step-by-step Python solutions for Advent of Code.
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 18/11/2025
Go play this! It's such a fun game and I'm excited that there'll actually be people in the queue finally.
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 21/10/2025
This feels good and normal
A piece of stock news that says "AWS Outsge Disrupts Major Global Sites for Over 12 Hours" followed by the AMZN stock +1.83%
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 08/10/2025
Happy official #Pithon day to us all! It's got template strings, new interpreter options, some better error messages, and more! Big congrats to @hugovk.dev and all the #Python contributors that made this possible! mastodon.social/@xavdid/1111...
mastodon.social
David Brownman (@xavdid@mastodon.social)
I thought of a funny(?) joke that won't be relevant until the fall 2025 #Python release. I'm gonna post it now because I bet we'll see a lot of this joke then and i want to make sure I get it in first...
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 30/09/2025
They talked about my recent TypeScript blog post in this episode. It's a cool listen!
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 29/09/2025
Real life @xkcd.com 1105 sighting! xkcd.com/1105/
License plate reading "B8BB8BB"
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 22/09/2025
Wrote a little #blog post over the weekend about my favorite #TypeScript pattern: #Python kwargs! It's a great little pattern. xavd.id/blog/post/py...
xavd.id
Python-style kwargs in TypeScript
A pain-free way to write expressive, readable typed option bags in TypeScript.
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 30/08/2025
#Python f-strings have a super powerful templating language built in! But I always forget the exact syntax. Well, no longer! h/t @the-compiler.org fstring.help/cheat/
fstring.help
Python f-string cheat sheet
Get quick help with Python's f-string syntax
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Reposted by David Brownman
david.reviews @david.reviews · 20/08/2025
If you look closely, you might recognize the byline on that article... 👀
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 13/08/2025
I wrote a bit about my experience doing a bunch of Rust last year! As expected, there were good parts and less good ones. Neat language though. xavd.id/blog/post/my...
xavd.id
My Year of Rust
david.reviews: Rust! It's neat, but not without its warts.
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 12/08/2025
Feels like it's a good day to mention that it's pretty easy to archive your Reddit data for safekeeping
github.com
GitHub - xavdid/reddit-user-to-sqlite: Pull Reddit user data into a SQLite database
Pull Reddit user data into a SQLite database. Contribute to xavdid/reddit-user-to-sqlite development by creating an account on GitHub.
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 04/08/2025
A new #AdventOfCode solution? In #python? It's more likely than you think. Here's 2024 day 16! I'll finish these yet. advent-of-code.xavd.id/writeups/202...
advent-of-code.xavd.id
Advent of Code 2024 Day 16: Reindeer Maze
A step-by-step Python walkthrough for solving Advent of Code 2024 Day 16.
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 02/08/2025
PSA: It's both Bandcamp Friday AND there's a new 8-Bit Big Band album out!! album.link/i/1813061416 It's available on streaming, but some stuff is fun to own. Plus you can support them financially!
album.link
Orchestrator Emulator by The 8-Bit Big Band
Listen now on your favorite streaming service. Powered by Songlink/Odesli, an on-demand, customizable smart link service to help you share songs, albums, podcasts and more.
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 17/07/2025
I'm a software guy by trade, so it's always exciting to fix a household item by taking it apart. Pictured is my venerated #Kobo, who reset itself and refused to connect to WiFi or a computer after being left unattended for a year. Popped it open, got the SD card in my computer, and restored it!
The inside of an e-reader, showing a circuit board and battery.
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 14/07/2025
Latest review is up! It's from one of my favorite studios, so no real surprise- it was a slam dunk!
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 09/07/2025
Happy #Vantage launch day to all who celebrate #boardgames
stonemaiergames.com
Vantage
Vantage is an open-world, cooperative adventure game for 1-6 players designed by Jamey Stegmaier. Vantage features an entire planet to explore, with players communicating while scattered across the…
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 03/07/2025
Fun fact: As of today, we are now closer to 2050 than we are to 2000.
A screenshot showing that it's 8,950 days from Dec 31, 2000 to today, July 3, 2025A screenshot showing that it's 8,948 days from today, July 3, 2025, to Jan 1, 2050
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 29/06/2025
🕹️🎮 At long last, @vicky.science and I have BLOOPED THAT RINSE (aka we finished BLUE PRINCE). The game is massive and tricky and oh so tightly designed. Makes for great couch "co-op" where we're both working together to solve things! david.reviews/games/blue-p...
david.reviews
david.reviews: Blue Prince
★★★★: Stunning in its vastness and meticulousnes. Dense, deep puzzles and a continuous stream of discoveries kept us engaged for nearly 100 hours. That's extremely rare for any game, much less a puzzl...
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 23/06/2025
I did a lot of writing over the weekend! First up, I published a personal blog post all about my computer backup strategy (such that it is). Thinking through what you care about and how to back it up is a great exercise if you haven't done it before. xavd.id/blog/post/my...
xavd.id
My Backup Strategy (and how to build your own)
I don't back up my laptop; here's what I do instead.
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 16/06/2025
PSA: New Dispatch album dropped last week! www.dispatchmusic.com/music/yellow...
dispatchmusic.com
Dispatch - Music
Generated by create next app
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 16/06/2025
Great news! The team behind the Steam version of @roottrees.com have announced their second game: a remaster of the freeware deduction game TYPE HELP! store.steampowered.com/app/3641000/…
store.steampowered.com
The Incident at Galley House on Steam
In 1936, something terrible happened at Galley House. Decades later, with a strange contraption that reveals echoes of the past, you must uncover the truth behind this grisly mystery.
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Reposted by David Brownman
Coincidence @coincidence.games · 09/06/2025
The demo for Kaizen: A Factory Story is now live on Steam! store.steampowered.com/app/2275490 This is the first demo that I have made for one of our games since... 2011? I've been operating under the assumption that Bulletstorm killed the PC game demo, but apparently that's not true anymore.
store.steampowered.com
Kaizen: A Factory Story on Steam
Kaizen is an open-ended puzzle automation game from the original Zachtronics team, set in 1980s Japan. Design, build, and optimize production lines to create iconic products, like calculators, camcord...
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 07/06/2025
The Caltrain app needs a disclaimer if there's a Giants home game when you're checking the timetables. I always forget to do it myself and am always surprised when I get on a totally packed 11:30am train
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 01/06/2025
Lyft first: driver is listening to an audiobook. Little odd, but NBD. Come to realize it's not a full book, it's the first 5 minutes of _many_ audiobooks (presumably a continuous stream of free previews). This... is much worse.
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Reposted by David Brownman
david.reviews @david.reviews · 20/05/2025
Our friends over at Thinky are hosting their first "Direct"! It'll feature tons of puzzle game announcements, trailers, demo releases, and more. Be sure to tune in!
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 17/05/2025
This is an interesting thread about culverts and flood damage!
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David Brownman @xavd.id · 06/05/2025
Work post! I'm running a survey of #Stripe users who handle events (webhooks) from Stripe. We're working on the SDK+Webhook experience and we'd love to get some feedback! forms.gle/sqoMbCoxe5wy...
forms.gle
Handling Stripe Events in the SDKs
Hi there! Thanks for taking a quick survey about Stripe event handling. We're specifically interested in your experiences with handling Stripe events (webhooks) in your code. The survey will take appr...
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