Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

M@

@matthewsinclair.com

Wow. The is _really_ good.

youtu.be/hlVBYEx8L4Q

#forgivethhaters

FORGIVE THE HATERS | Found Footage from the Present

YouTube video by KNGMKR

youtu.be

August 20, 2025 at 6:47 PM

Reposted by M@

I’m a software engineer ~ what next?

@whatnext.dev

This was a great chat with Alexandros Pouroullis. We've previously spoken to great older folks with years of experience, but here, James and I spoke to someone at the other end of their career. Alé has managed to achieve SO MUCH so soon! I'm sure you'll love our latest #WhatNext! whatnext.dev/feed

August 20, 2025 at 11:15 AM

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Dan Moore

@mooreds.com

Enjoyed this episode from @whatnext.dev:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQSt...

AI is neither the cure for all things nor a hoax. Just another tool (a powerful one).

I liked @matthewsinclair.com 's argument that it is one step further towards declarative programming. Like TF but for software.

Is AI going to take software engineer jobs?

YouTube video by I'm a software engineer - what next?

www.youtube.com

August 9, 2025 at 2:44 PM

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I’m a software engineer ~ what next?

@whatnext.dev

Well, look who has a shiny new website! And not a dodgy AI-generated pirate anywhere to be seen! Check it out at: whatnext.dev

August 11, 2025 at 9:26 PM

M@

@matthewsinclair.com

I can’t tell you how happy this makes me! github.com/manzaltu/cla...

GitHub - manzaltu/claude-code-ide.el: Claude Code IDE integration for Emacs

Claude Code IDE integration for Emacs. Contribute to manzaltu/claude-code-ide.el development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

August 6, 2025 at 10:13 PM

M@

@matthewsinclair.com

Crikey, this is _so_ good:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Dvn...

Complex Workflows in Elixir with Reactor (+ AI Agents)

YouTube video by Code and Stuff

www.youtube.com

July 18, 2025 at 10:36 AM

M@

@matthewsinclair.com

It never ceases to amaze me the cognitive mismatch that occurs when non-tech people try to reason about "the things in tech that they think are hard" versus "the things in tech that they think are easy". It seems to be the source of so much tension between tech and non-tech folks. 🤔

July 18, 2025 at 10:31 AM

Reposted by M@

Zach Daniel

@zachdaniel.dev

hexdocs.pm/usage_rules now includes powerful docs-search tasks, and instructs agents to use them for research. Please, if you are working with LLMs and Elixir, try it out. It helps even when packages haven't written usage-rules files, thanks to the new docs tools!
#ElixirLang

July 17, 2025 at 9:40 PM

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ThinkingElixir

@thinkingelixir.com

News includes Phoenix LiveView 1.1.0 release candidates, @josevalim.bsky.social's DevLabs interview on building authentic tools, 9 reasons to choose Elixir, Fgma's $300K daily AWS costs, and more! #ElixirLang www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di-4...

Thinking Elixir Podcast 261: Why Elixir and a $300K Daily Bill?

YouTube video by Mark Ericksen

www.youtube.com

July 15, 2025 at 12:12 PM

M@

@matthewsinclair.com

I am tired of having to justify “Why Elixir?” so I decided to compile all the reasons in one place.

"#0181: Why Elixir? A Rebuttal to Common Misconceptions
Why Elixir is not just a good platform for modern development, but a great one!"
matthewsinclair.com/blog/0181-wh...

A stylised image of a vile of magic purple elixir.

I am sick and tired of having to justify “Why Elixir?” so I decided to write down all of the reasons why in one spot!

#0181: Why Elixir? A Rebuttal to Common Misconceptions
Why Elixir is not just a good platform for modern development, but a great one!

July 8, 2025 at 12:04 AM

Reposted by M@

Simon Willison

@simonwillison.net

Quitting programming as a career right now because of LLMs would be like quitting carpentry as a career thanks to the invention of the table saw.

July 3, 2025 at 2:36 PM

M@

@matthewsinclair.com

#til A “higgs-bugson” is a bug that is predicted to exist, but is very hard to find. Thanks, Wikipedia. Well played.

July 3, 2025 at 9:20 PM

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Ken Burnside

@kenburnside.bsky.social

"The problem with AI isn't that it can do your job. It can't. The problem with AI is that your MBA-brained boss's boss doesn't know how your job works and thinks AI can do your job at fractions of a penny on the dollar, and hears the siren song of 'maximize shareholder value'."

MBA-brain is real.

David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · Jul 3

They’re literally advertising it.

CEOs Start Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud: AI Will Wipe Out Jobs

Ford chief predicts AI will replace “literally half of all white-collar workers.”

www.wsj.com

July 3, 2025 at 6:57 AM

Reposted by M@

I’m a software engineer ~ what next?

@whatnext.dev

In our fourth "Summer Shorts" post for the What Next podcast, James and @matthewsinclair.com chat about a very hot topic: Is AI making things better or worse for software engineers?

🎧 25 minutes. Zero fluff. Tune in now.

#whatnext #summershorts

open.spotify.com/episode/5KCl...

Matt and James with the title "Is AI helping software engineers or making it worse?"

In our fourth "Summer Shorts" post for the What Next podcast, James Wilson and I chat about a very hot topic; Is AI making things better or worse for software engineers?

🎧 25 minutes. Zero fluff. Tune in now.

June 16, 2025 at 8:38 AM

Reposted by M@

The Quantum Fax Machine

@quantumfaxmachine.com

QUANTUM FAX MACHINE: Spring/Summer Double Issue: 8 Reading Lists Published!

Check out the reading lists here: quantumfaxmachine.com

**QUANTUM FAX MACHINE**

**Spring/Summer Double Issue: 8 Reading Lists Published**

I was so busy in April and May that I ran way behind publishing the April and May editions of the Quantum Fax Machine reading lists. Here they are, better late than never!

**Machine Intelligence:**

- AI agents prioritise reliability over capability. Novel prompt injection techniques bypass major LLM guardrails. Claude Code and Model Context Protocol reshape development workflows. Human judgement remains the bottleneck as AI accelerates output production.

**Elixir:**

- New RAG library demonstrates Elixir's fault-tolerance advantages for AI systems. Tidewave embeds MCP servers into Phoenix apps, enabling AI agents to interact with live applications. WYSIWYG editors in LiveView with S3 integration showcase practical Phoenix development.

**Engineering Leadership:**

- VPs must take full responsibility for plan outcomes rather than hide behind group consensus. AI tools function as capability amplifiers requiring human oversight. Post-developer era confirms human guidance remains crucial despite AI advancement.

**Irresponsible AI:**

- Recent model progress delivers minimal practical economic value despite marketing claims. North Korean agents use generative AI for fake LinkedIn profiles. AI-generated code creates phantom package dependencies, enabling supply-chain attacks.

Each post curates 10-15 articles with analysis across technology trends, practical implementations, and industry implications.

June 13, 2025 at 5:55 PM

M@

@matthewsinclair.com

Today's #braingasm post explains how to make Emacs appear in macOS Finder’s “Open With” menu for .md files by manually associating file types using duti.

#0180: Making Emacs Appear in macOS Finder's Open With Menu for Markdown Files
matthewsinclair.com/blog/0180-ma...

An AI-generated example screenshot of an Emacs-like editor editing a Markdown file.

Today's #braingasm post explains how to make Emacs appear in macOS Finder’s “Open With” menu for .md files by manually associating file types using duti.

June 13, 2025 at 12:40 PM

M@

@matthewsinclair.com

A lot about this makes me very happy. pitchfork.com/news/talking...

Talking Heads Share New “Psycho Killer” Video Starring Saoirse Ronan

Mike Mills directs a video for the classic early single as the band celebrates its 50th anniversary

pitchfork.com

June 10, 2025 at 9:36 PM

Reposted by M@

Gergely Orosz

@gergely.pragmaticengineer.com

This is a VERY interesting observation in how devs use Cursor vs non-devs doing so.

Seems like devs use Cursor more economically. Which... should not be a surprise?

The more you are a domain expert, the more efficient you can use a tool to get your work done (including LLMs!)

June 3, 2025 at 10:59 AM

Reposted by M@

I’m a software engineer ~ what next?

@whatnext.dev

In our third #summershorts post for the #whatnext podcast, James and I chat about The Title Trap: rethinking titles and career progression in tech.

🎧 16 minutes. Zero fluff. Tune in now.

www.linkedin.com/posts/james-...

May 28, 2025 at 7:55 PM

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Zach Daniel

@zachdaniel.dev

😎 New package `usage_rules` released! Just place a `usage-rules.md` file in your package and users can sync it to their own rules. Good rules leads to a *night and day* difference when using LLMs. But we shouldn't all be having to teach LLMs how to use our tools right 😅
#AshFramework #ElixirLang

May 24, 2025 at 4:16 AM

Reposted by M@

I’m a software engineer ~ what next?

@whatnext.dev

In our second #summershorts post for the #whatnext podcast, James and I discuss a recent (controversial?) post he made on engineers tying themselves too tightly to a particular tech stack.

🎧 15 minutes. Zero fluff. Tune in now.

www.linkedin.com/posts/matthe...