Ben Cotton (he/him)
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funnelfiasco.bsky.social
Ben Cotton (he/him)
@funnelfiasco.bsky.social
580 followers 550 following 1.9K posts
Author of "Program Management for Open Source Projects" and all-around opinion haver. Always looking for my next tornado. I get too invested in sports.

https://funnelfiasco.com
https://duckalignment.academy
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Ben Cotton (he/him)
whippoorwont.bsky.social
stupid young people, stop buying a new phone every year if you don't want to be broke. wait no, not like that.
November 25, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Reposted by Ben Cotton (he/him)
themattmcd.bsky.social
My microwave sings a little song when my Hot Pocket is done. Should it have the right to vote?
abeba.bsky.social Dr Abeba Birhane @abeba.bsky.social · 19h
can’t fucking catch a breath

make it stop
Is ChatGPT Conscious? Many users feel they’re talking to a real person. Scientists say it’s time to consider whether they’re onto something. By Jeff Wise, a science journalist and private pilot.
November 25, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Reposted by Ben Cotton (he/him)
kriswernowsky.com
A package hasn't "shipped" if you've only "created the label"
The Norman Rockwell guy standing up to give a speech at a town hall meeting. He looks like a youngish Abe Lincoln.
November 25, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Reposted by Ben Cotton (he/him)
python.org
The PSF Grants Program has supported #Python conferences around the globe, helping make events more welcoming & accessible for all- because Python is for everyone. While the program is on pause, your support moves us closer to bringing it back.

💝 Donate: donate.python.org/

#PythonForEveryone
Graphic with the quotation at the top "The PSF's generous grant enabled us to provide services such as a free creche to make our event as inclusive as possible" with credit to PyCon UK. On the right side there is a black color block and it says "Python is for Everyone", and underneath that is the PSF logo. On the bottom half of the image is a photo collage of kids at PyCon UK. A white snake flows through the entire image. At the bottom left it states "Photo credit to Mark Hawkins".
November 25, 2025 at 10:45 AM
funnelfiasco.bsky.social
Give the gift of knowledge this year. You can save 50% off of my book ("Program Management for Open Source Projects") or most other titles at @pragprog.com when you use offer code save50 through December 1.
pragprog.com/titles/bcosp...
Save 50% at pragprog.com with code save50 Applies to all ebooks except The Pragmatic Programmer Offer ends December 1
November 25, 2025 at 2:50 PM
funnelfiasco.bsky.social
Taunting Isaac Chotiner into doing his homework is like the dumbest possible thing to do online.
karenho.bsky.social Karen K. Ho @karenho.bsky.social · 1d
A new kind of rapid Chotining. Please appreciate the alt-text.
Isaac Chotiner: "You would have to be brain-dead to read this piece and not immediately wonder who is funding Semafor Gulf." Quote post of Ben Smith saying: "Fascinating @msergie piece on covering a monarchy" about a Semafor article on Saudi Arabia's crown prince Smith responds to Chotiner: "That's a hell of an allegation/implication, Isaac. To figure out the literal answer to your question, you'd either have to look and see who the sponsors are in the email (I haven't checked today!) or read our publicly disclosed list of investors. I believe you're trying to imply that it's the Saudi government? Have you read more of our coverage, or just this tweet? My impression — correct me if I'm wrong — is that you're working on zero information and smearing us in general, and an experienced journalist @msergie whose work I suspect you're totally unfamiliar with in particular." Chotiner responds:"I’m not making any allegation. I’m making a simple point about how an average reader—myself included—might respond after reading this ridiculous piece" Ben Smith: "Just asking questions! Come on. You genuinely know better. Or read Mohammed's long career of work covering the Gulf and the Syrian war before you imply he's some kind of stooge." Noah Kulwin: "The point is not about who funds your reporting/if your colleague is a “stooge”. Isaac’s comment is that the reporting is so bad so as to make a reader wonder who is funding it" Smith: A reader, sure. A journalist who can do very basic homework, kind of lame. Chotiner: "You are right, I’ll do some homework now by perusing Jay Solomon Semafor pieces, and reading Jason Greenblatt Semafor columns. In the meantime, I will formally say that I am making no accusation and was just astonished at how inane the piece was" Chotiner quote-posts with "I see Semafor loves running column after column by this guy (https://semafor.com/author/faisal-j-abbas), who also publishes pro-Saudi conspiracies about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi https://arabnews.com/node/1386291" Ben Smith's post says "I hope I'm not overreacting, but it makes me crazy when people I think of as reporters do this "just asking questions" stuff. Feel free to report it out by googling/asking me/reading our various scoops and reports about the region — these two just now" and links to two Semafor articles Chotiner quote posts Ben Smith: "You might have heard that the UAE is helping destroy Sudan, but at the next Semafor event, all is well." Screenshot says "Held at Abu Dhabi Finance Week, Semafor will spotlight insights from the Global Findex 2025 report and the Global Digital Connectivity Tracker, translating global research into actionable, locally relevant conversations. As the third stop on The Next 3 Billion Tour, this edition explores how the Gulf's growing investments in Africa can accelerate digital connectivity and financial inclusion. With Abu Dhabi's focus on sustainable finance, digital transformation, and cross-border collaboration, it offers a strong platform to examine how technology and capital can work together to expand access and opportunity." Ben Smith's post says "Just asking questions! Come on. You genuinely know better. Or read Mohammed's long career of work covering the Gulf and the Syrian war before you imply he's some kind of stooge."
November 25, 2025 at 2:33 PM
funnelfiasco.bsky.social
Objection: Elon Musk has never made anyone laugh at a party. Well...apart from laughing *at* him.
wapplehouse.bsky.social Kristi Yamaguccimane @wapplehouse.bsky.social · 2d
Everything about this might be the saddest thing I’ve ever seen
November 24, 2025 at 7:46 PM
funnelfiasco.bsky.social
Me: "The SCaLE CfP deadline is December 1. I should work on my proposal next week."
My calendar: "I hate to break this to you, but..."
November 24, 2025 at 7:26 PM
funnelfiasco.bsky.social
Attention millennials: you are excused from work for the rest of the day to celebrate a new SBEmail.
strongbadnofoolin.bsky.social Strong Bad @strongbadnofoolin.bsky.social · 2d
It's Monday. So I thought I'd checka my email.
flashy: homestarrunner.com/sbemails/210...
tubey: youtu.be/-zhsNdk1_Vc?si
November 24, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Reposted by Ben Cotton (he/him)
jperrin.bsky.social
Got a talk you've been thinking about? Want to GIVE a talk you've been thinking about?

You should submit your proposal soon, the CFP for SCALE is closing soon.

This is hands-down one of the best community-organized conferences you can attend, and Pasadena is great in the spring...
November 24, 2025 at 1:26 AM
funnelfiasco.bsky.social
When I become the ruler of the world, it will be illegal to have a house listing that doesn't include a floor plan.
November 23, 2025 at 7:52 PM
funnelfiasco.bsky.social
Everyone is forgetting he's Chicago Pope. Clearly the correct caption is

🎶Staring blindly into space
Getting up to splash my face
Wanting just to stay awake
Wondering how much I can take
Should I try to do some more?
25 or six to four🎶
Pope Leo speaking (singing, perhaps?) into a microphone surrounded by various clergy
November 23, 2025 at 2:17 AM
funnelfiasco.bsky.social
Is it a straight line to today's mess or does it go back and to the left? Back...and to the left.
willbunch.bsky.social Will Bunch @willbunch.bsky.social · 3d
My first political memory - exactly 62 years ago right now, a 4-year-old boy trying to understand his mom's tears - is still the biggest event in my lifetime. We still (IMO) don't *really* know who killed JFK, but we know the public's trust was shattered. It's a straight line to today's mess
November 23, 2025 at 1:10 AM
Reposted by Ben Cotton (he/him)
aubreyjones.bsky.social
The cops don't break crypto. They go to the poorest person in the group chat and say, "we're going to arrest you, harass you, assault you, and ruin your life if you don't let us read your chat."

Relevant xkcd:
November 22, 2025 at 4:25 PM
funnelfiasco.bsky.social
A @bookshop.org ad on Facebook that says "Shop stories that make the season bright" and the book it shows is "Maus".
November 22, 2025 at 2:45 PM
funnelfiasco.bsky.social
Big missed opportunity for @merriam-webster.com not having "felching" in the dictionary.
November 22, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Reposted by Ben Cotton (he/him)
alexshephard.bsky.social
it's so funny to watch the far right White House press pool try to bait Trump to say something nasty about Mamdani and every time he's just like "nah this guy rocks"
November 21, 2025 at 9:08 PM
funnelfiasco.bsky.social
The only time I can remember puking outside of the house was at Chumley's in downtown Lafayette after I overate at dinner and drank a beer that didn't sit well.
amybrown.xyz amy brown @amybrown.xyz · 4d
what's the most exotic place you've ever puked? mine's not exactly exotic but i did once have a hangover at the nyc facebook office and barfed in their very nice bathroom
chibdm.bsky.social Chibdm @chibdm.bsky.social · 4d
Got food poisoning from Fogo De Chao. Puked out the side of a moving cab along beautiful Copacabana Beach. The most exotic place I'll probably ever puke!
November 21, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Reposted by Ben Cotton (he/him)
mike.contribsys.com
Announcing the Gem Fellowship, a grant program for improvements to Ruby-related open source projects. gem.coop/fellowship/ Want to improve your favorite gem? Submit a proposal, starting next month.
gem.coop
gem.coop
November 21, 2025 at 12:20 AM
Reposted by Ben Cotton (he/him)
cstross.bsky.social
Looks like LLMs are *very* vulnerable to attack via poetic allusion: "curated poetic prompts yielded high attack-success rates (ASR), with some providers exceeding 90% ..."

https://arxiv.org/html/2511.15304v1
November 20, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Reposted by Ben Cotton (he/him)
kentuckypublicradio.org
A newly released preliminary investigation has found cracks in hardware meant to hold the left engine to the UPS cargo plane that crashed, killing and injuring dozens of people in Louisville. From @justinhicks.lpm.org
Early UPS crash report indicates failure of left-engine hardware during takeoff in Louisville
A newly released preliminary investigation has found cracks in hardware meant to hold the left engine to the UPS cargo plane that crashed, killing and injuring dozens of people in Louisville.
www.lpm.org
November 20, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Reposted by Ben Cotton (he/him)
kjhealy.co
Every day he plumbs new depths of Can You Believe This Loser Shit. You think you’ve reached the bottom of the Marianas Trench of Can You Believe This Loser Shit but then there’s a bang and a lurch and your little internet bathyscaphe plunges into a new fissure of Can You Believe This Loser Shit.
November 20, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Reposted by Ben Cotton (he/him)
beecdn.bsky.social
This is you annual reminder that we don’t need to descend into a moral panic any time we discuss ‘Fairytale of New York’. Just change the lyrics - have fun with it! In our house we sing “you scumbag, you maggot, you’ve taped over ‘Taggart’”.
November 20, 2025 at 12:12 PM
Reposted by Ben Cotton (he/him)
marypcbuk.bsky.social
good news, you no longer have to worry about running faster than either the bear or your colleague
timfduffy.com Tim Duffy @timfduffy.com · 6d
A friend of mine has early access to cutting edge corporate jargon, I heard the phrase "let's double-click on that" from him long before anywhere else. I asked him what's new these days and he says it's "the shark closest to your body" for the most urgent issue.
November 19, 2025 at 9:50 PM
funnelfiasco.bsky.social
Man, I have just had e-fucking-nough of computers for today.
November 19, 2025 at 9:14 PM