Ben Serrette
@benserrette.bsky.social
Fighting for Truth, Justice, and the American way.
IT Director for the Observatory on Social Media
https://osome.iu.edu/
https://benserrette.com
IT Director for the Observatory on Social Media
https://osome.iu.edu/
https://benserrette.com
Marketing: "The Copilot sidebar in Edge is great! It can summarize the page you're reading!"
Meanwhile, in the real world: "Short answer: No, I cannot read any dynamically generated content on a website."
Meanwhile, in the real world: "Short answer: No, I cannot read any dynamically generated content on a website."
December 18, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Marketing: "The Copilot sidebar in Edge is great! It can summarize the page you're reading!"
Meanwhile, in the real world: "Short answer: No, I cannot read any dynamically generated content on a website."
Meanwhile, in the real world: "Short answer: No, I cannot read any dynamically generated content on a website."
I may be arrogant, but not enough so that I'm unable to change my opinion based on new information. My world view has been shaken.
andyatkinson.com/avoid-uuid-v...
andyatkinson.com/avoid-uuid-v...
Avoid UUID Version 4 Primary Keys
Introduction Over the last decade, when working on databases with UUID Version 41 as the primary key data type, these databases have usually have bad performance and excessive IO. https://datatracker....
andyatkinson.com
December 15, 2025 at 5:28 PM
I may be arrogant, but not enough so that I'm unable to change my opinion based on new information. My world view has been shaken.
andyatkinson.com/avoid-uuid-v...
andyatkinson.com/avoid-uuid-v...
I thought I subscribed to Amazon prime for free 2 day shipping, but it seems I can't get anything delivered before next Tuesday. I know Amazon will miss my drop in the bucket, but I'm sure my bank account won't mind the cancelation.
December 12, 2025 at 5:19 AM
I thought I subscribed to Amazon prime for free 2 day shipping, but it seems I can't get anything delivered before next Tuesday. I know Amazon will miss my drop in the bucket, but I'm sure my bank account won't mind the cancelation.
If I have to get approval from 18 different people before the account is created, can you really describe it as "self service"?
December 11, 2025 at 5:15 PM
If I have to get approval from 18 different people before the account is created, can you really describe it as "self service"?
The worst part of working your way up from web developer to IT director in the same department over 10 years is that a lot of answers are still in your email from 8 years ago, so you have to go back and read about the foolish decisions that your younger self made that are causing you problems today.
December 3, 2025 at 10:12 PM
The worst part of working your way up from web developer to IT director in the same department over 10 years is that a lot of answers are still in your email from 8 years ago, so you have to go back and read about the foolish decisions that your younger self made that are causing you problems today.
Reposted by Ben Serrette
We're wrapping up the semester with THREE OSoMe Awesome Speakers!
📅 November 12 @ 12 PM ET
Petter Törnberg, University of Amsterdam
📅 November 19 @ 12 PM ET
Michelle Amazeen, Boston University
📅 December 3 @ 12 PM ET
James Evans, University of Chicago
Register: osome.iu.edu/events/speak...
📅 November 12 @ 12 PM ET
Petter Törnberg, University of Amsterdam
📅 November 19 @ 12 PM ET
Michelle Amazeen, Boston University
📅 December 3 @ 12 PM ET
James Evans, University of Chicago
Register: osome.iu.edu/events/speak...
October 29, 2025 at 5:26 PM
We're wrapping up the semester with THREE OSoMe Awesome Speakers!
📅 November 12 @ 12 PM ET
Petter Törnberg, University of Amsterdam
📅 November 19 @ 12 PM ET
Michelle Amazeen, Boston University
📅 December 3 @ 12 PM ET
James Evans, University of Chicago
Register: osome.iu.edu/events/speak...
📅 November 12 @ 12 PM ET
Petter Törnberg, University of Amsterdam
📅 November 19 @ 12 PM ET
Michelle Amazeen, Boston University
📅 December 3 @ 12 PM ET
James Evans, University of Chicago
Register: osome.iu.edu/events/speak...
It's been a long Monday, and somehow it's still Monday.
October 28, 2025 at 1:15 AM
It's been a long Monday, and somehow it's still Monday.
I'm not behind at work this week. I'm just ahead of schedule on next week's stress.
October 23, 2025 at 1:48 PM
I'm not behind at work this week. I'm just ahead of schedule on next week's stress.
Being an extrovert with social anxiety is wild. I crave people, then panic the second I find them. Thank God for drugs. Prescribed legally, of course...
#mentalhealth
#mentalhealth
September 26, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Being an extrovert with social anxiety is wild. I crave people, then panic the second I find them. Thank God for drugs. Prescribed legally, of course...
#mentalhealth
#mentalhealth
Airports work not because of control, but because strangers choose to collaborate (and usually complain together).
September 24, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Airports work not because of control, but because strangers choose to collaborate (and usually complain together).
Good teams don't run on fear. They run on trust, curiosity, and shared purpose. Fear might get obedience, but trust builds results that actually last.
September 23, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Good teams don't run on fear. They run on trust, curiosity, and shared purpose. Fear might get obedience, but trust builds results that actually last.
Collaboration is king because dictators make poor project managers.
September 22, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Collaboration is king because dictators make poor project managers.
Friday is the weekend's boss fight. Now is the time to use all those elixers you've hoarded over the week.
September 19, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Friday is the weekend's boss fight. Now is the time to use all those elixers you've hoarded over the week.
Mondays are the tutorial level for the rest of the week.
September 8, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Mondays are the tutorial level for the rest of the week.
Is it still a snack if it's the size of a full meal but eaten standing up in the kitchen?
September 6, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Is it still a snack if it's the size of a full meal but eaten standing up in the kitchen?
Friday's code: more bugs than features, but at least it compiles. Maybe I'll deploy before I head out. Try to make my Monday more interesting.
September 5, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Friday's code: more bugs than features, but at least it compiles. Maybe I'll deploy before I head out. Try to make my Monday more interesting.
Every project has a "quick fix" that lives in production for the next 5 years. If you're lucky.
September 4, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Every project has a "quick fix" that lives in production for the next 5 years. If you're lucky.
Every project has two codebases: the one in GitHub, and the one in everyone's head. Only one of them ever compiles. I'll give you one guess as to which one that is.
September 3, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Every project has two codebases: the one in GitHub, and the one in everyone's head. Only one of them ever compiles. I'll give you one guess as to which one that is.
Debugging isn't just for code. Broken CSS and broken communication both require the same thought process: what changed, what's the state, how do we fix it?
September 2, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Debugging isn't just for code. Broken CSS and broken communication both require the same thought process: what changed, what's the state, how do we fix it?
Tech debt is like credit card debt. Except the interest rate is your weekends.
August 28, 2025 at 9:53 PM
Tech debt is like credit card debt. Except the interest rate is your weekends.
Reposted by Ben Serrette
🚨 First OSoMe Awesome Speaker of the year! 🚨
📅 Sept 12 | 12pm ET
🎤 Patrick Warren (Clemson University)
📍 Zoom
Measuring the Impact of a Large State-Sponsored Narrative-Laundering Campaign: The case of the Storm-1516 attack on Zelensky
🔗 Register: iu.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
📅 Sept 12 | 12pm ET
🎤 Patrick Warren (Clemson University)
📍 Zoom
Measuring the Impact of a Large State-Sponsored Narrative-Laundering Campaign: The case of the Storm-1516 attack on Zelensky
🔗 Register: iu.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
August 28, 2025 at 4:00 PM
🚨 First OSoMe Awesome Speaker of the year! 🚨
📅 Sept 12 | 12pm ET
🎤 Patrick Warren (Clemson University)
📍 Zoom
Measuring the Impact of a Large State-Sponsored Narrative-Laundering Campaign: The case of the Storm-1516 attack on Zelensky
🔗 Register: iu.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
📅 Sept 12 | 12pm ET
🎤 Patrick Warren (Clemson University)
📍 Zoom
Measuring the Impact of a Large State-Sponsored Narrative-Laundering Campaign: The case of the Storm-1516 attack on Zelensky
🔗 Register: iu.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
Reposted by Ben Serrette
We’re kicking off this year’s OSoMe Awesome Speakers with Patrick Warren!
📅 September 12 | 12pm ET
🎤 Talk: Measuring the Impact of a Large State-Sponsored Narrative-Laundering Campaign: The case of the Storm-1516 attack on Zelensky
🔗 iu.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
📅 September 12 | 12pm ET
🎤 Talk: Measuring the Impact of a Large State-Sponsored Narrative-Laundering Campaign: The case of the Storm-1516 attack on Zelensky
🔗 iu.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
August 27, 2025 at 4:14 PM
We’re kicking off this year’s OSoMe Awesome Speakers with Patrick Warren!
📅 September 12 | 12pm ET
🎤 Talk: Measuring the Impact of a Large State-Sponsored Narrative-Laundering Campaign: The case of the Storm-1516 attack on Zelensky
🔗 iu.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
📅 September 12 | 12pm ET
🎤 Talk: Measuring the Impact of a Large State-Sponsored Narrative-Laundering Campaign: The case of the Storm-1516 attack on Zelensky
🔗 iu.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
I like to think web development trained me pretty well for management. After all, both involve duct tape solutions and last-minute fixes.
August 27, 2025 at 12:41 PM
I like to think web development trained me pretty well for management. After all, both involve duct tape solutions and last-minute fixes.
Burnout isn't solved by free snacks. It's solved by saying no.
August 26, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Burnout isn't solved by free snacks. It's solved by saying no.