Nat Torkington
@gnat.bsky.social
Beloved banjo player of the people. Co-owner and CTO of an apparel ERP company. In former lives: open source, Perl, O'Reilly Media, new technology. Bereavement is sadder and weirder than you can imagine.
The most amazing thing about using programming LLMs trained on web forums is that they can deliver code reviews with more depth than "is it web scale?" and "lol ur programming language sucks" and "actually Linux is just a component of the GNU/Linux system".
February 16, 2026 at 10:23 PM
The most amazing thing about using programming LLMs trained on web forums is that they can deliver code reviews with more depth than "is it web scale?" and "lol ur programming language sucks" and "actually Linux is just a component of the GNU/Linux system".
Reposted by Nat Torkington
mom they’re roasting the US economy on mastodon again
February 16, 2026 at 7:37 AM
mom they’re roasting the US economy on mastodon again
Reposted by Nat Torkington
Reposted by Nat Torkington
i often think about this review
February 14, 2026 at 3:13 AM
i often think about this review
Reposted by Nat Torkington
can you imagine how disappointed you’d be if you knew nothing about this book and only picked it up for this particular cover
February 14, 2026 at 8:23 AM
can you imagine how disappointed you’d be if you knew nothing about this book and only picked it up for this particular cover
Reposted by Nat Torkington
@xeiaso.net Browsing Claude Code issues is one of my favourite hobbies currently github.com/anthropics/c...
[MODEL] seedance 2.0 · Issue #25671 · anthropics/claude-code
Preflight Checklist I have searched existing issues for similar behavior reports This report does NOT contain sensitive information (API keys, passwords, etc.) Type of Behavior Issue Other unexpect...
github.com
February 14, 2026 at 12:07 PM
@xeiaso.net Browsing Claude Code issues is one of my favourite hobbies currently github.com/anthropics/c...
Reposted by Nat Torkington
Dude, you gotta just go to live shows. Go see live music. You don’t have to pay $400 for a ticket. You can pay $40 for two tickets and see two incredible bands that will stick with you forever, AND get half the band to sign your shirt at the merch table and it’s the coolest shit on the planet.
February 7, 2026 at 6:40 AM
Dude, you gotta just go to live shows. Go see live music. You don’t have to pay $400 for a ticket. You can pay $40 for two tickets and see two incredible bands that will stick with you forever, AND get half the band to sign your shirt at the merch table and it’s the coolest shit on the planet.
Reposted by Nat Torkington
BDSM enjoyers LLM enthusiasts
🤝
“Let me show you my custom harness”
🤝
“Let me show you my custom harness”
February 6, 2026 at 3:47 PM
BDSM enjoyers LLM enthusiasts
🤝
“Let me show you my custom harness”
🤝
“Let me show you my custom harness”
Reposted by Nat Torkington
I decided to write a movie for Jason Statham in which ICE invades the small midwestern town of Tinyville and EX-DELTA FORCE SAS NAVY SEAL SHERIFF MASON MCKILLCHAIN must choose between the law and revenge, but not for long.
My pitch to Jason Statham.
Sorry, couldn't stop myself.
open.substack.com
February 6, 2026 at 5:46 AM
I decided to write a movie for Jason Statham in which ICE invades the small midwestern town of Tinyville and EX-DELTA FORCE SAS NAVY SEAL SHERIFF MASON MCKILLCHAIN must choose between the law and revenge, but not for long.
Reposted by Nat Torkington
I do enjoy the Guardian style guide:
start up verb; startup noun (as in business startup); star tup top-performing ram
start up verb; startup noun (as in business startup); star tup top-performing ram
February 7, 2026 at 1:45 AM
I do enjoy the Guardian style guide:
start up verb; startup noun (as in business startup); star tup top-performing ram
start up verb; startup noun (as in business startup); star tup top-performing ram
Current state: watching Claude lurch closer and closer towards a lobotomy.
February 6, 2026 at 4:13 AM
Current state: watching Claude lurch closer and closer towards a lobotomy.
Reposted by Nat Torkington
on the whole, I would not recommend “the long september 11th” as an era in which to spend one’s entire adult life
I don’t particularly like living in the “leadup to” paragraph
February 5, 2026 at 2:27 AM
on the whole, I would not recommend “the long september 11th” as an era in which to spend one’s entire adult life
Reposted by Nat Torkington
A holographic glass cube with Alberts Molecular Biology Of The Cell in it.
In 24 hours, you’ll be stepping through a time gate into 1970. You can only take one non-electronic item with you to prove you’re from the future—but books and paper can’t survive the trip.
What do you take?
What do you take?
February 5, 2026 at 12:20 AM
A holographic glass cube with Alberts Molecular Biology Of The Cell in it.
Reposted by Nat Torkington
ohhh ‘democracy dies in darkness’ was aspirational
February 4, 2026 at 3:47 PM
ohhh ‘democracy dies in darkness’ was aspirational
Reposted by Nat Torkington
Do something small and meaningful for your future self: go and save the voicemail messages on your phone from loved ones. Download them to your own storage.
One day the most trivial becomes precious
One day the most trivial becomes precious
February 4, 2026 at 8:28 AM
Do something small and meaningful for your future self: go and save the voicemail messages on your phone from loved ones. Download them to your own storage.
One day the most trivial becomes precious
One day the most trivial becomes precious
"Beating people up in little rooms…he knew where that led. And if you did it for a good reason, you’d do it for a bad one. You couldn’t say ‘We’re the good guys’ and do bad-guy things."
Pratchett knew what was talking about.
Pratchett knew what was talking about.
February 4, 2026 at 4:53 AM
"Beating people up in little rooms…he knew where that led. And if you did it for a good reason, you’d do it for a bad one. You couldn’t say ‘We’re the good guys’ and do bad-guy things."
Pratchett knew what was talking about.
Pratchett knew what was talking about.
Reposted by Nat Torkington
Anyway my new startup is IndirectNuclearFusion and we just install solar panels and batteries, it was easier to get NZ government funding that way. Our reactor? It’s 150M km away, for safety reasons
February 3, 2026 at 8:30 PM
Anyway my new startup is IndirectNuclearFusion and we just install solar panels and batteries, it was easier to get NZ government funding that way. Our reactor? It’s 150M km away, for safety reasons
Gas Town is the Stanford prison experiment for LLMs. We can all discover our inner Zimbardo. It's a genius art work and social commentary, albeit perhaps one that's difficult to engage with because of the comical amounts of peyote that seem to have gone into its design and documentation.
February 3, 2026 at 4:41 AM
Gas Town is the Stanford prison experiment for LLMs. We can all discover our inner Zimbardo. It's a genius art work and social commentary, albeit perhaps one that's difficult to engage with because of the comical amounts of peyote that seem to have gone into its design and documentation.
Wait what? It's called "Gobbler's Knob" and people are able to say this without sniggering to death? How is that even possible?!
PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) — Punxsutawney Phil is said to have seen his shadow, predicting 6 more weeks of winter weather.
February 3, 2026 at 4:34 AM
Wait what? It's called "Gobbler's Knob" and people are able to say this without sniggering to death? How is that even possible?!
Reposted by Nat Torkington
David Seymour says kiwis are squeamish about handing state assets - paid for by everyone - to ACT party donors to make profits they don’t need & reduce services & supports we require for a dignified life. #nzpol
Yeah David we’re as understandably squeamish as you are self-serving. Hugely. #ACTout
Yeah David we’re as understandably squeamish as you are self-serving. Hugely. #ACTout
David Seymour says Kiwis are too squeamish about privatisation – history shows why they lost the appetite
The ACT Party leader believes government assets should provide a return or be sold. But a majority of New Zealanders are consistently opposed to more privatisation.
theconversation.com
February 2, 2026 at 8:56 AM
Hard recommend. Took them to Taylor Swift in Sydney. They let the love in, and kept the hearing loss out. 🥰
On a friendly note, it's difficult times, workwise. If you were ever thinking about getting some really nice earplugs for that gig you've got tickets for, I'd love you to consider mine. They're very good, I just quite suck at *checks* spending money on advertising.
pocomoto.co.nz/shop/earplug...
pocomoto.co.nz/shop/earplug...
Attenuators - Best value earplugs in Aotearoa - Poco Moto
These are the best value earplugs you can find in Aotearoa! 'Earplugs' is not the right word here - strictly speaking, they're attenuators...
pocomoto.co.nz
February 3, 2026 at 4:27 AM
Hard recommend. Took them to Taylor Swift in Sydney. They let the love in, and kept the hearing loss out. 🥰
Reposted by Nat Torkington
I can recommend these. I'm perennially amazed that so many of my more (ahem) vintage friends go to gigs without earplugs. You might not use them every time, but you really want the option.
On a friendly note, it's difficult times, workwise. If you were ever thinking about getting some really nice earplugs for that gig you've got tickets for, I'd love you to consider mine. They're very good, I just quite suck at *checks* spending money on advertising.
pocomoto.co.nz/shop/earplug...
pocomoto.co.nz/shop/earplug...
Attenuators - Best value earplugs in Aotearoa - Poco Moto
These are the best value earplugs you can find in Aotearoa! 'Earplugs' is not the right word here - strictly speaking, they're attenuators...
pocomoto.co.nz
February 3, 2026 at 1:13 AM
I can recommend these. I'm perennially amazed that so many of my more (ahem) vintage friends go to gigs without earplugs. You might not use them every time, but you really want the option.
Reposted by Nat Torkington
they should make a movie series about how it’s irresponsible to use technology to mess with the natural order of things for profit
Xfinity has just released its Jurassic Park-themed Super Bowl ad that features a digitally de-aged Sam Neil, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum. https://bit.ly/4rmRhrK
February 3, 2026 at 3:32 AM
they should make a movie series about how it’s irresponsible to use technology to mess with the natural order of things for profit
Reposted by Nat Torkington
Definitely seems like they destroyed the country on purpose.
February 2, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Definitely seems like they destroyed the country on purpose.
Reposted by Nat Torkington
I’ve lost my replacement bus service of thought
February 2, 2026 at 2:49 AM
I’ve lost my replacement bus service of thought