technosophist
@technosophist.thoughtfull.systems
Having fun discovering how things work and why they're here.
Find me at https://www.thoughtfull.systems/
Find me at https://www.thoughtfull.systems/
TIL that `tac` exists. It will print the lines of a file in reverse order.
January 6, 2026 at 1:34 PM
TIL that `tac` exists. It will print the lines of a file in reverse order.
Coming to work for one day between two days off is weird, because it's like yesterday was Saturday and today is Monday but tomorrow is Saturday because today is Friday.
January 2, 2026 at 10:14 PM
Coming to work for one day between two days off is weird, because it's like yesterday was Saturday and today is Monday but tomorrow is Saturday because today is Friday.
On the one hand when people are like, "LLMs just reproduce other people's 'stolen' code." I'm like, aaaand so do humans?
But on the other hand when I google and the AI summary just shows some guy's SO code verbatim without attribution, I'm like, "That's messed up!"
But on the other hand when I google and the AI summary just shows some guy's SO code verbatim without attribution, I'm like, "That's messed up!"
January 1, 2026 at 2:32 PM
On the one hand when people are like, "LLMs just reproduce other people's 'stolen' code." I'm like, aaaand so do humans?
But on the other hand when I google and the AI summary just shows some guy's SO code verbatim without attribution, I'm like, "That's messed up!"
But on the other hand when I google and the AI summary just shows some guy's SO code verbatim without attribution, I'm like, "That's messed up!"
TIL you can add an SSH key fingerprint to your DNS records. (NOTE: You cannot trust it without DNSSEC.) Does anyone use this?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSHFP_r...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSHFP_r...
SSHFP record - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
December 31, 2025 at 8:44 PM
TIL you can add an SSH key fingerprint to your DNS records. (NOTE: You cannot trust it without DNSSEC.) Does anyone use this?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSHFP_r...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSHFP_r...
I'm at the "struggling with multiple layers of shell quoting" stage of my project
December 31, 2025 at 1:49 PM
I'm at the "struggling with multiple layers of shell quoting" stage of my project
Reading "The Psychology of Computer Programming" by Gerald M. Weinberg and so much of my developed and developing thoughts about making software were already there in 1971!
December 14, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Reading "The Psychology of Computer Programming" by Gerald M. Weinberg and so much of my developed and developing thoughts about making software were already there in 1971!
This is an amazing read! Bob Nystrom's process for writing "Crafting Interpreters" is inspiring. It makes me want to love something the way he loved his book, to make something so completely. journal.stuffwithstuff.com/2020/04/05/c...
Crafting “Crafting Interpreters” – journal.stuffwithstuff.com
journal.stuffwithstuff.com
November 20, 2025 at 11:54 AM
This is an amazing read! Bob Nystrom's process for writing "Crafting Interpreters" is inspiring. It makes me want to love something the way he loved his book, to make something so completely. journal.stuffwithstuff.com/2020/04/05/c...
Been reading "Great Expectations" and it feels kind of slow and meandering and I realized it felt episodic and that's when it clicked for me that these old serialized novels were basically the TV shows of their time.
November 15, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Been reading "Great Expectations" and it feels kind of slow and meandering and I realized it felt episodic and that's when it clicked for me that these old serialized novels were basically the TV shows of their time.
Alternate timeline story where the Nazis never existed, so no one knows how to smear their political enemies, and we all live in peace.
Like "The Invention of Lying," but no one invents the Nazis??
Like "The Invention of Lying," but no one invents the Nazis??
November 8, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Alternate timeline story where the Nazis never existed, so no one knows how to smear their political enemies, and we all live in peace.
Like "The Invention of Lying," but no one invents the Nazis??
Like "The Invention of Lying," but no one invents the Nazis??
You can get candy at my house tonight...if you can arrive before I eat it all
October 31, 2025 at 8:15 PM
You can get candy at my house tonight...if you can arrive before I eat it all
I'm sorry to report that my wife is a "soft white" (a.k.a. yellow) light bulb enjoyer. She prefers everything have a jaundiced glow. :(
October 25, 2025 at 1:32 AM
I'm sorry to report that my wife is a "soft white" (a.k.a. yellow) light bulb enjoyer. She prefers everything have a jaundiced glow. :(
Love this! Love the ridiculously nerdy detail. Love the obsessive problem solving. Love the mind bending philosophical import of it all.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4Td...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4Td...
A laser pointer at 2 billion fps makes the speed of light look... kinda weird
YouTube video by AlphaPhoenix
www.youtube.com
October 22, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Love this! Love the ridiculously nerdy detail. Love the obsessive problem solving. Love the mind bending philosophical import of it all.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4Td...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4Td...
If you receive a large blood transfusion how long do you have to wait for it to become "your" blood? If they did a blood test would it show antibodies from the donor?
October 21, 2025 at 12:19 AM
If you receive a large blood transfusion how long do you have to wait for it to become "your" blood? If they did a blood test would it show antibodies from the donor?
Pouring one out today for the Amazon engineers
October 20, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Pouring one out today for the Amazon engineers
There's some irony here. Teachers simultaneously want the best for their students, but also want similar low standards for themselves archive.ph/akoYI
October 16, 2025 at 12:58 PM
There's some irony here. Teachers simultaneously want the best for their students, but also want similar low standards for themselves archive.ph/akoYI
When I search for an obscure book at the library and find it is already checked out I'm like "who is this person? we should be friends!"
October 14, 2025 at 2:19 AM
When I search for an obscure book at the library and find it is already checked out I'm like "who is this person? we should be friends!"
I recently realized that Liz from Magic School Bus, is short for "lizard." This might seem astoundingly obvious to you, but I'm reminded of "Obvious to you. Amazing to Others." (sive.rs/obvious)
It made me wonder what I don't share because it seems too obvious...
It made me wonder what I don't share because it seems too obvious...
Obvious to you. Amazing to others. | Derek Sivers
sive.rs
October 14, 2025 at 1:59 AM
I recently realized that Liz from Magic School Bus, is short for "lizard." This might seem astoundingly obvious to you, but I'm reminded of "Obvious to you. Amazing to Others." (sive.rs/obvious)
It made me wonder what I don't share because it seems too obvious...
It made me wonder what I don't share because it seems too obvious...
Me: You have to do the thing.
You (while doing the thing): See, the problem with your view is you believe we have to do the thing.
You (while doing the thing): See, the problem with your view is you believe we have to do the thing.
October 14, 2025 at 12:42 AM
Me: You have to do the thing.
You (while doing the thing): See, the problem with your view is you believe we have to do the thing.
You (while doing the thing): See, the problem with your view is you believe we have to do the thing.
"It's gonna be a low-key day"
More like a Loki day amirite?
More like a Loki day amirite?
October 1, 2025 at 2:34 PM
"It's gonna be a low-key day"
More like a Loki day amirite?
More like a Loki day amirite?
The existence of Spotted Lantern Flies implies the existence of Striped Lantern Flies
September 29, 2025 at 1:32 AM
The existence of Spotted Lantern Flies implies the existence of Striped Lantern Flies
Monday night tradition: I fold laundry while my youngest kids and I watch "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy!", but our HDTV antenna has stopped receiving that station, so now we just watch "How It's Made" on the Roku channel.
September 1, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Monday night tradition: I fold laundry while my youngest kids and I watch "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy!", but our HDTV antenna has stopped receiving that station, so now we just watch "How It's Made" on the Roku channel.
The hardest part of having dreams is killing them
August 29, 2025 at 9:43 AM
The hardest part of having dreams is killing them
Just recently read "The Cold Equations" by Tom Godwin and "Fondly Fahrenheit" by Alfred Bester and enjoyed them both.*
* by "read" I mean I listened to them in _The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 1_ collection, if you want to be pedantic
* by "read" I mean I listened to them in _The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 1_ collection, if you want to be pedantic
August 21, 2025 at 10:19 AM
Just recently read "The Cold Equations" by Tom Godwin and "Fondly Fahrenheit" by Alfred Bester and enjoyed them both.*
* by "read" I mean I listened to them in _The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 1_ collection, if you want to be pedantic
* by "read" I mean I listened to them in _The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 1_ collection, if you want to be pedantic
I scored 11/21 on e-mail.wtf and all I got was this lousy text to share on social media.
Email is Easy
Everyone knows what an email address is, right?
e-mail.wtf
August 21, 2025 at 10:09 AM
I scored 11/21 on e-mail.wtf and all I got was this lousy text to share on social media.