William David Louth
@humainary.io
Systems Architect & Product Designer | Enterprise SaaS & Big Data Expert | Startup & Scaleup CTO | Observability | Cybersemiotics https://humainary.io
Reposted by William David Louth
Good piece. Also echoes the terrific book "The AI Mirror" by @shannonvallor.bsky.social
Interesting column by John Naughton at the Observer on AI as cultural technology. Claude agrees with us! Farrell et al (2025) Science, 387(6739), 1153-1156. Or rather the summary of information on intelligence the Claude system provides is reasonably accurate.
observer.co.uk/news/columni...
observer.co.uk/news/columni...
Musk and co should ask an AI what defines intelligence. T...
The X owner thinks that artificial general intelligence is ‘smarter than the smartest human’. But it’s not as clever as he thinks it is
observer.co.uk
July 4, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Good piece. Also echoes the terrific book "The AI Mirror" by @shannonvallor.bsky.social
Observability was supposed to bring clarity. Instead, it risks becoming the IT equivalent of a waste management cartel — collecting endless data, burying it out of sight, and billing handsomely for the privilege.
#observability #otel #opentelemetry #o11y
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
#observability #otel #opentelemetry #o11y
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
#observability #o11y #monitoring #data #logs #traces #otel | William David Louth
Observability was supposed to bring clarity. Instead, it risks becoming the IT equivalent of a waste management cartel — collecting endless data, burying it out of sight, and billing handsomely for th...
www.linkedin.com
April 29, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Observability was supposed to bring clarity. Instead, it risks becoming the IT equivalent of a waste management cartel — collecting endless data, burying it out of sight, and billing handsomely for the privilege.
#observability #otel #opentelemetry #o11y
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
#observability #otel #opentelemetry #o11y
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
"The observability crisis isn’t about missing data; rather, it’s about missing meaning."
#observability #o11y
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
#observability #o11y
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
Beyond Pixels: Reframing Observability | William David Louth
𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗶𝘅𝗲𝗹𝘀: 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 The observability crisis isn’t about missing data; rather, it’s about missing meaning. While we’re inundated with metrics, traces, and logs, we’re simultaneously...
www.linkedin.com
April 13, 2025 at 11:03 AM
"The observability crisis isn’t about missing data; rather, it’s about missing meaning."
#observability #o11y
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
#observability #o11y
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
Modern observability suffers from an existential void, mistaking metric abundance for genuine understanding. Observability frameworks, particularly #OpenTelemetry, have inadvertently cemented a fundamental architectural inversion.
#observability #o11y #monitoring
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
#observability #o11y #monitoring
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
#observability #o11y #monitoring #opentelemetry #beyondthedarkrainbow | William David Louth
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Modern observability suffers from an existential void, mistaking metric abundance for…
www.linkedin.com
April 3, 2025 at 8:20 AM
Modern observability suffers from an existential void, mistaking metric abundance for genuine understanding. Observability frameworks, particularly #OpenTelemetry, have inadvertently cemented a fundamental architectural inversion.
#observability #o11y #monitoring
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
#observability #o11y #monitoring
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
Europe needs to put tariffs on data and hit the US tech sector.
April 3, 2025 at 7:04 AM
Europe needs to put tariffs on data and hit the US tech sector.
#OpenTelemetry uses ‘signal’ to mean ‘stream of telemetry data’. But that’s like calling a weather report a ‘signal’. In semiotics, a signal isn’t the data—it’s the act of expressing something meaningful about a situation
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
#observability #o11y #monitoring #devops #sre #serventis #opentelemetry | William David Louth
OpenTelemetry uses ‘signal’ to mean ‘stream of telemetry data’. But that’s like calling a weather report a ‘signal’. In semiotics, a signal isn’t the data—it’s…
www.linkedin.com
March 31, 2025 at 7:46 PM
#OpenTelemetry uses ‘signal’ to mean ‘stream of telemetry data’. But that’s like calling a weather report a ‘signal’. In semiotics, a signal isn’t the data—it’s the act of expressing something meaningful about a situation
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
We don’t need better metrics.
We need better minds in the middle.
We need observers, not exporters.
We need assessments, not aggregations.
We need stability and confidence, not latency and errors.
#observability #o11y #opentelemetry 💩
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
We need better minds in the middle.
We need observers, not exporters.
We need assessments, not aggregations.
We need stability and confidence, not latency and errors.
#observability #o11y #opentelemetry 💩
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
We don’t need better metrics.
We need better minds in the middle.
We need… | William David Louth
We don’t need better metrics.
We need better minds in the middle.
We need observers, not exporters.
We need assessments, not aggregations.
We need stability…
www.linkedin.com
March 29, 2025 at 2:00 PM
We don’t need better metrics.
We need better minds in the middle.
We need observers, not exporters.
We need assessments, not aggregations.
We need stability and confidence, not latency and errors.
#observability #o11y #opentelemetry 💩
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
We need better minds in the middle.
We need observers, not exporters.
We need assessments, not aggregations.
We need stability and confidence, not latency and errors.
#observability #o11y #opentelemetry 💩
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
The @opentelemetry.io experiment is over. Time to sunset it.
#observability #o11y
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
#observability #o11y
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
#observability #o11y #devops #sre #monitoring | William David Louth
True innovation requires organizational courage and conviction, something that isn't always sustained beyond the tenure or influence of key individuals.
A…
www.linkedin.com
March 28, 2025 at 12:49 PM
The @opentelemetry.io experiment is over. Time to sunset it.
#observability #o11y
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
#observability #o11y
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
Why Observability Can’t Save Us
#observability #o11y #situationalawareness
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
#observability #o11y #situationalawareness
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
#observability #o11y #monitoring #situationalawareness #sre #devops | William David Louth
Dazzling dashboards, collapsing systems: Has observability become a beautiful lie? We’ve instrumented our complex digital world, yet meaningful insights remain…
www.linkedin.com
March 27, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Why Observability Can’t Save Us
#observability #o11y #situationalawareness
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
#observability #o11y #situationalawareness
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
"OpenTelemetry’s deployment of terms like “signals” and “semantics” with casual imprecision creates a veneer of sophistication that masks profound conceptual weaknesses"
#observability #o11y #opentelemetry #otel
humainary.io/blog/the-fal...
#observability #o11y #opentelemetry #otel
humainary.io/blog/the-fal...
The False Promise of “Semantic” Observability – Humainary
humainary.io
March 26, 2025 at 3:26 PM
"OpenTelemetry’s deployment of terms like “signals” and “semantics” with casual imprecision creates a veneer of sophistication that masks profound conceptual weaknesses"
#observability #o11y #opentelemetry #otel
humainary.io/blog/the-fal...
#observability #o11y #opentelemetry #otel
humainary.io/blog/the-fal...
"Our current approach to observability is fundamentally backward—we're trying to solve tomorrow's problems with yesterday's thinking."
#observability #o11y
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
#observability #o11y
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
#observability #o11y #opetelemetry #grafana #devops #sre | William David Louth
It's time to admit that our reverence for observability has become a comfortable excuse for inaction. We've built cathedrals to data collection while our…
www.linkedin.com
March 26, 2025 at 3:25 PM
"Our current approach to observability is fundamentally backward—we're trying to solve tomorrow's problems with yesterday's thinking."
#observability #o11y
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
#observability #o11y
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
"Labeling OpenTelemetry conventions as “Semantic Conventions” isn’t merely inaccurate; it actively undermines our ability to develop genuinely useful insights into complex systems."
#observabilioty #o11y #opentelemetry #otel #cncf
humainary.io/blog/the-fal...
#observabilioty #o11y #opentelemetry #otel #cncf
humainary.io/blog/the-fal...
The False Promise of “Semantic” Observability – Humainary
humainary.io
March 26, 2025 at 3:23 PM
"Labeling OpenTelemetry conventions as “Semantic Conventions” isn’t merely inaccurate; it actively undermines our ability to develop genuinely useful insights into complex systems."
#observabilioty #o11y #opentelemetry #otel #cncf
humainary.io/blog/the-fal...
#observabilioty #o11y #opentelemetry #otel #cncf
humainary.io/blog/the-fal...
"The prevailing model of event-based computing oversimplifies the nature of events by treating them as objective, transmissible units...."
#observability #o11y #events
humainary.io/blog/the-obs...
#observability #o11y #events
humainary.io/blog/the-obs...
The Observer’s Construct: Rethinking Events in Systems Design – Humainary
humainary.io
March 26, 2025 at 3:21 PM
"The prevailing model of event-based computing oversimplifies the nature of events by treating them as objective, transmissible units...."
#observability #o11y #events
humainary.io/blog/the-obs...
#observability #o11y #events
humainary.io/blog/the-obs...
"It’s time to admit that our reverence for observability has become a comfortable excuse for inaction. We’ve built cathedrals for data collection while our systems burn."
#observability #o11y #opentelemetry #grafana
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
#observability #o11y #opentelemetry #grafana
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
#observability #o11y #opetelemetry #grafana #devops #sre | William David Louth
It's time to admit that our reverence for observability has become a comfortable excuse for inaction. We've built cathedrals to data collection while our…
www.linkedin.com
March 26, 2025 at 9:19 AM
"It’s time to admit that our reverence for observability has become a comfortable excuse for inaction. We’ve built cathedrals for data collection while our systems burn."
#observability #o11y #opentelemetry #grafana
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
#observability #o11y #opentelemetry #grafana
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
"OpenTelemetry looks to have been designed by a sysadmin rather than a systems engineer whose core competency is understanding complexity, systemic interactions, and meaningful abstraction."
#opentelemetry #otel #observability #o11y
humainary.io/blog/why-obs...
#opentelemetry #otel #observability #o11y
humainary.io/blog/why-obs...
Why Observability Needed a Systems Engineer – Humainary
humainary.io
March 25, 2025 at 9:12 PM
"OpenTelemetry looks to have been designed by a sysadmin rather than a systems engineer whose core competency is understanding complexity, systemic interactions, and meaningful abstraction."
#opentelemetry #otel #observability #o11y
humainary.io/blog/why-obs...
#opentelemetry #otel #observability #o11y
humainary.io/blog/why-obs...
"We’ve built complicated systems for collecting, standardizing, and transmitting telemetry ... somewhere along the way, we conflated the means with the end. We’ve allowed data collection to become synonymous with understanding."
#observability #o11y #opentelemetry
humainary.io/blog/why-obs...
#observability #o11y #opentelemetry
humainary.io/blog/why-obs...
Why Observability Needed a Systems Engineer – Humainary
humainary.io
March 25, 2025 at 9:10 PM
"We’ve built complicated systems for collecting, standardizing, and transmitting telemetry ... somewhere along the way, we conflated the means with the end. We’ve allowed data collection to become synonymous with understanding."
#observability #o11y #opentelemetry
humainary.io/blog/why-obs...
#observability #o11y #opentelemetry
humainary.io/blog/why-obs...
In contrast to the challenges posed by fragmented telemetry, Serventis introduces semantic cohesion—signals that are purposeful, interpretable, and sequenced to convey meaning.
#observability #otel
humainary.io/blog/servent...
#observability #otel
humainary.io/blog/servent...
Serventis – A Semiotic Framework for Observability – Humainary
humainary.io
March 25, 2025 at 4:54 PM
In contrast to the challenges posed by fragmented telemetry, Serventis introduces semantic cohesion—signals that are purposeful, interpretable, and sequenced to convey meaning.
#observability #otel
humainary.io/blog/servent...
#observability #otel
humainary.io/blog/servent...
Traditional #observability tells you what happened. Serventis moves toward situational awareness—a system’s ability to...
humainary.io/blog/servent...
humainary.io/blog/servent...
Serventis – A Semiotic Framework for Observability – Humainary
humainary.io
March 25, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Traditional #observability tells you what happened. Serventis moves toward situational awareness—a system’s ability to...
humainary.io/blog/servent...
humainary.io/blog/servent...
What if simplicity isn’t about wielding a machete to prune the excess, but about constructing a lighthouse whose beam remains clear and steadfast, piercing through any fog?
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
#substrates #serventis | William David Louth
𝙎𝒊𝙢𝒑𝙡𝒊𝙘𝒊𝙩𝒚 𝒂𝙨 𝘾𝒐𝙣𝒕𝙚𝒙𝙩𝒖𝙖𝒍 𝑰𝙣𝒕𝙚𝒈𝙧𝒊𝙩𝒚: What if simplicity isn’t about wielding a machete to prune the excess, but about…
www.linkedin.com
March 25, 2025 at 4:43 PM
What if simplicity isn’t about wielding a machete to prune the excess, but about constructing a lighthouse whose beam remains clear and steadfast, piercing through any fog?
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
Current #observability approaches, such as #OpenTelemetry, are shackled by fundamental limitations:
- Data Without Context
- Volume Without Meaning
- Separation Without Integration
- Collection Without Interpretation
humainary.io/blog/servent...
- Data Without Context
- Volume Without Meaning
- Separation Without Integration
- Collection Without Interpretation
humainary.io/blog/servent...
Serventis – A Semiotic Framework for Observability – Humainary
humainary.io
March 24, 2025 at 11:25 AM
Current #observability approaches, such as #OpenTelemetry, are shackled by fundamental limitations:
- Data Without Context
- Volume Without Meaning
- Separation Without Integration
- Collection Without Interpretation
humainary.io/blog/servent...
- Data Without Context
- Volume Without Meaning
- Separation Without Integration
- Collection Without Interpretation
humainary.io/blog/servent...
"The Narrative Collapse: As systems scaled, however, our storytelling capabilities didn’t keep pace. Logs became noise. Metrics became disembodied. Events became wider..."
#observability #o11y #sre #devops #innovation
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
#observability #o11y #sre #devops #innovation
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
#observability #o11y #semiotics #situationalawareness #serventis | William David Louth
𝙎𝒆𝙧𝒗𝙚𝒏𝙩𝒊𝙨 – 𝘼 𝙎𝒆𝙢𝒊𝙤𝒕𝙞𝒄 𝑭𝙧𝒂𝙢𝒆𝙬𝒐𝙧𝒌 𝒇𝙤𝒓 𝑶𝙗𝒔𝙚𝒓𝙫𝒂𝙗𝒊𝙡𝒊𝙩𝒚: In the sprawling digital metropolis of modern software systems…
www.linkedin.com
March 23, 2025 at 7:19 PM
"The Narrative Collapse: As systems scaled, however, our storytelling capabilities didn’t keep pace. Logs became noise. Metrics became disembodied. Events became wider..."
#observability #o11y #sre #devops #innovation
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
#observability #o11y #sre #devops #innovation
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
"The prevailing model of event-based computing oversimplifies the nature of events by treating them as objective, transmissible units..."
#observability #opentelemetry #o11y #semantics
humainary.io/blog/the-obs...
#observability #opentelemetry #o11y #semantics
humainary.io/blog/the-obs...
The Observer’s Construct: Rethinking Events in Systems Design – Humainary
humainary.io
March 16, 2025 at 10:04 AM
"The prevailing model of event-based computing oversimplifies the nature of events by treating them as objective, transmissible units..."
#observability #opentelemetry #o11y #semantics
humainary.io/blog/the-obs...
#observability #opentelemetry #o11y #semantics
humainary.io/blog/the-obs...
Our modern #observability tools still rely on “fat” wide events—giant, bloated records where every conceivable detail is crammed into a single record.
humainary.io/blog/why-obs...
humainary.io/blog/why-obs...
Why Observability Needed a Systems Engineer – Humainary
humainary.io
March 14, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Our modern #observability tools still rely on “fat” wide events—giant, bloated records where every conceivable detail is crammed into a single record.
humainary.io/blog/why-obs...
humainary.io/blog/why-obs...
Why Observability Needed a Systems Engineer
#observability #o11y #logging #opentelemetry
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
#observability #o11y #logging #opentelemetry
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
William David Louth on LinkedIn: #java #observability #o11y #opentelemetry #otel #logs #sre #devops
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿
Imagine embarking on an ambitious project to construct a spacecraft capable…
www.linkedin.com
March 14, 2025 at 10:36 AM
Why Observability Needed a Systems Engineer
#observability #o11y #logging #opentelemetry
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
#observability #o11y #logging #opentelemetry
www.linkedin.com/posts/willia...
"The conflation of what should be a source-oriented message with an observer-oriented signal has created significant inefficiencies in observability and event-driven systems. Messages and signals serve fundamentally different purposes"
#observability #o11y #opentelemetry
humainary.io/blog/the-obs...
#observability #o11y #opentelemetry
humainary.io/blog/the-obs...
The Observer’s Construct: Rethinking Events in Systems Design – Humainary
humainary.io
March 12, 2025 at 4:11 PM
"The conflation of what should be a source-oriented message with an observer-oriented signal has created significant inefficiencies in observability and event-driven systems. Messages and signals serve fundamentally different purposes"
#observability #o11y #opentelemetry
humainary.io/blog/the-obs...
#observability #o11y #opentelemetry
humainary.io/blog/the-obs...