Sam Rose
@samwho.dev
That guy who makes visual essays about software at https://samwho.dev.
Developer Educator @ ngrok.com. Want to pair on something ngrok related? Let's do it! https://cal.com/samwho/workhours
He/him.
Developer Educator @ ngrok.com. Want to pair on something ngrok related? Let's do it! https://cal.com/samwho/workhours
He/him.
Reposted by Sam Rose
RIght, I've got analysis paralysis, here are my top 3 ideas for my next project that keep me awake at night. I'm gonna do an elevator pitch for each, and would love to know how interested you would be in any/all/none of them 🙏
Drop a like/comment/DM, whatever you want - thank you!
🧵
Drop a like/comment/DM, whatever you want - thank you!
🧵
January 11, 2026 at 2:56 PM
RIght, I've got analysis paralysis, here are my top 3 ideas for my next project that keep me awake at night. I'm gonna do an elevator pitch for each, and would love to know how interested you would be in any/all/none of them 🙏
Drop a like/comment/DM, whatever you want - thank you!
🧵
Drop a like/comment/DM, whatever you want - thank you!
🧵
Reposted by Sam Rose
One very familiar pattern in AI and science right now is going from a lot of false starts on hard tasks (there have been near-misses where AI appears to solve an Erdos problem but just finds an old solution no one knew about) to actually doing the thing soon after.
Three Erdos problems in 3 days.
Three Erdos problems in 3 days.
January 11, 2026 at 12:39 PM
One very familiar pattern in AI and science right now is going from a lot of false starts on hard tasks (there have been near-misses where AI appears to solve an Erdos problem but just finds an old solution no one knew about) to actually doing the thing soon after.
Three Erdos problems in 3 days.
Three Erdos problems in 3 days.
But it still wasn’t perfect and this is very anecdotal. I haven’t done any sort of rigorous verification that it helps.
January 11, 2026 at 12:04 PM
But it still wasn’t perfect and this is very anecdotal. I haven’t done any sort of rigorous verification that it helps.
Something that helped when I was writing my prompt caching post was constraining it to a smaller grid. I created a little SVG library in React where I could create nested grids for easier positioning and the LLM seemed to appreciate that. It also made it easier to clean up when it got it wrong.
January 11, 2026 at 12:02 PM
Something that helped when I was writing my prompt caching post was constraining it to a smaller grid. I created a little SVG library in React where I could create nested grids for easier positioning and the LLM seemed to appreciate that. It also made it easier to clean up when it got it wrong.
We’ve reached identical conclusions. If you figure this out I’d be very keen to hear how you did it!
January 11, 2026 at 12:00 PM
We’ve reached identical conclusions. If you figure this out I’d be very keen to hear how you did it!
Missed an opportunity to say strange one. Charming.
January 11, 2026 at 10:00 AM
Missed an opportunity to say strange one. Charming.
Wordle 1,667 4/6*
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Weird one.
⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
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🟩🟩🟩⬛🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Weird one.
January 11, 2026 at 9:43 AM
Wordle 1,667 4/6*
⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
🟩🟩🟩⬛🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Weird one.
⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
🟩🟩🟩⬛🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Weird one.
I suspect, as time has gone on, the reasons that folks have made the jump have switched from wanting what Bluesky has to not wanting what Twitter has become. I’ve seen many people complain that it’s hard to find your people on Bluesky in absence of an algorithm.
January 11, 2026 at 7:02 AM
I suspect, as time has gone on, the reasons that folks have made the jump have switched from wanting what Bluesky has to not wanting what Twitter has become. I’ve seen many people complain that it’s hard to find your people on Bluesky in absence of an algorithm.
Reposted by Sam Rose
My first OSS contribution of the year 🥰 enjoyed playing with the CSS animations for @2048.blue today
January 10, 2026 at 7:26 PM
My first OSS contribution of the year 🥰 enjoyed playing with the CSS animations for @2048.blue today
Are you running it locally?
January 10, 2026 at 4:22 PM
Are you running it locally?
I’ve only noticed it today when browsing on my phone but it’s made the site entirely unusable. Here’s hoping it’s on their radar and a fix is imminent 🤞
January 10, 2026 at 4:18 PM
I’ve only noticed it today when browsing on my phone but it’s made the site entirely unusable. Here’s hoping it’s on their radar and a fix is imminent 🤞
There’s a bug on @github.com web on mobile that causes pages to arbitrarily scroll back to the top and it’s absolutely infuriating.
January 10, 2026 at 4:04 PM
There’s a bug on @github.com web on mobile that causes pages to arbitrarily scroll back to the top and it’s absolutely infuriating.
3-4x?! I barely manage 2x.
January 10, 2026 at 3:56 PM
3-4x?! I barely manage 2x.
I had a very similar reaction to the book as you did, namely that I knew it was bad but didn’t know it was _that_ bad.
I’ve joked that the book’s subtitle could be “Why I hate Sheryl Sandberg, and why you should too.” She really doesn’t come across well at all.
I’ve joked that the book’s subtitle could be “Why I hate Sheryl Sandberg, and why you should too.” She really doesn’t come across well at all.
January 10, 2026 at 2:28 PM
I had a very similar reaction to the book as you did, namely that I knew it was bad but didn’t know it was _that_ bad.
I’ve joked that the book’s subtitle could be “Why I hate Sheryl Sandberg, and why you should too.” She really doesn’t come across well at all.
I’ve joked that the book’s subtitle could be “Why I hate Sheryl Sandberg, and why you should too.” She really doesn’t come across well at all.
Bro you spend 10% of your life listening to podcasts what
January 10, 2026 at 2:22 PM
Bro you spend 10% of your life listening to podcasts what
What podcast listening app are you using and why?
I used to pay for Overcast but realised I don’t use anything in the paid tier and can use Apple’s built in podcast app for free.
What can’t you live without in your podcast listening experience?
I used to pay for Overcast but realised I don’t use anything in the paid tier and can use Apple’s built in podcast app for free.
What can’t you live without in your podcast listening experience?
January 10, 2026 at 2:01 PM
What podcast listening app are you using and why?
I used to pay for Overcast but realised I don’t use anything in the paid tier and can use Apple’s built in podcast app for free.
What can’t you live without in your podcast listening experience?
I used to pay for Overcast but realised I don’t use anything in the paid tier and can use Apple’s built in podcast app for free.
What can’t you live without in your podcast listening experience?
Yes 😊 I still consider myself a software engineer, but with a focus on educating other software engineers now instead of shipping product features.
You’re very welcome, thanks for the thoughtful question.
You’re very welcome, thanks for the thoughtful question.
January 10, 2026 at 12:03 PM
Yes 😊 I still consider myself a software engineer, but with a focus on educating other software engineers now instead of shipping product features.
You’re very welcome, thanks for the thoughtful question.
You’re very welcome, thanks for the thoughtful question.
I’m aiming to be very knowledgeable about the technology that makes us all redundant, if mass redundancy of software engineering happens. If it doesn’t, I expect deep knowledge of LLMs to still be very relevant and valuable.
January 10, 2026 at 12:00 PM
I’m aiming to be very knowledgeable about the technology that makes us all redundant, if mass redundancy of software engineering happens. If it doesn’t, I expect deep knowledge of LLMs to still be very relevant and valuable.
Agreed. The line I use is that there are plenty of legitimate reasons to hate the tech, but how good it is at writing code isn’t one of them.
My decision to do what I’m doing now is very intentional. I think the world is going to be very different in 5 years, and I want to be relevant within it.
My decision to do what I’m doing now is very intentional. I think the world is going to be very different in 5 years, and I want to be relevant within it.
January 10, 2026 at 11:45 AM
Agreed. The line I use is that there are plenty of legitimate reasons to hate the tech, but how good it is at writing code isn’t one of them.
My decision to do what I’m doing now is very intentional. I think the world is going to be very different in 5 years, and I want to be relevant within it.
My decision to do what I’m doing now is very intentional. I think the world is going to be very different in 5 years, and I want to be relevant within it.
Thanks, Andreas! ❤️
I do find it genuinely fascinating, and I feel very privileged to be in a position to indulge that fascination for money.
I do find it genuinely fascinating, and I feel very privileged to be in a position to indulge that fascination for money.
January 10, 2026 at 11:20 AM
Thanks, Andreas! ❤️
I do find it genuinely fascinating, and I feel very privileged to be in a position to indulge that fascination for money.
I do find it genuinely fascinating, and I feel very privileged to be in a position to indulge that fascination for money.
I know some of you are annoyed that my focus has shifted almost entirely to LLMs lately. I hear you, and I’m sorry it’s not the content you want to see. All I can really do is promise you I’m doing my best to maintain my quality and integrity, and cover the tech in a balanced and grounded way. 🫡
January 10, 2026 at 11:09 AM
I know some of you are annoyed that my focus has shifted almost entirely to LLMs lately. I hear you, and I’m sorry it’s not the content you want to see. All I can really do is promise you I’m doing my best to maintain my quality and integrity, and cover the tech in a balanced and grounded way. 🫡
Having too much fun, so here’s the rest of my work from the last few years. 1/3
January 10, 2026 at 11:09 AM
Having too much fun, so here’s the rest of my work from the last few years. 1/3
Ran my ngrok.com/blog/prompt-... post through Pangram to test first hand and it correctly says it’s 100% human written. Hilariously the plagiarism check says I have plagiarised myself 72 times 🫠
January 10, 2026 at 10:24 AM
Ran my ngrok.com/blog/prompt-... post through Pangram to test first hand and it correctly says it’s 100% human written. Hilariously the plagiarism check says I have plagiarised myself 72 times 🫠