I wrote down some of my thoughts and fears about AI and software development.
https://blakewatson.com/journal/the-terrifying-liminal-space-between-code-writer-and-bot-prompter/
Microblog
RE: https://social.lol/@bw/117453097589029365
Often times, to get any writing done, I have to use iA Writer. It looks great by default and doesn't give me a million settings to configure (which is my wont).
But sometimes I really want to write with a particular font. And when the situations happen, I found that I really enjoy an app called Paper.
I wanted something that imitated the spirit of typewriters, not the literal look, but I wasn't sure such a thing was possible. To avoid looking silly it had to be designed as if for a computer, but somehow incorporate the logic of typewriters.
A great font for writing.
Perk of using a wheelchair: can't do daily standup
(ok I'll see myself out...)
This video from exurb1a about the Hugging Face attack is absolutely wild. The behavior of these agents is terrifying. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do_55I-LzfE
"You’re right—my previous suggestion was wrong."
Blog post or it didn't happen.
Is it just me or do apps in the aftermath of the AI explosion incessantly ask to be updated and seem buggier than they used to be? Has anyone written or know of a blog post about this?
And because people are creating stuff with LLMs all the time, whatever your position on that, I will point out that I had a rule in this rewrite not to let an LLM write code for me on this project. That said, I did copy a snippet of JavaScript math that I was struggling with from an LLM to help me solve an animation glitch. And I asked occasional questions about ways to approach something.
So this is a human-coded, not vibe-coded, project but I did use an LLM for small assists. I'm mentioning this for no other reason than transparency.
I made a web-based version of Zachtronics' Sawayama Solitaire back in 2023. I just finished a rewrite. It includes snappier animations and an undo/redo system. It's also more mobile-friendly.
This version of Solitaire is quite fun to me because of the extra strategy involved compared to the regular Klondike rules.
Of course, if you find you like it, you should totally buy the Zachtronics version, which has exquisite retro graphics.
I say this as someone who has a somewhat beige and orange website (in light mode). But I designed my site before LLMs were pumping these things out, dagnabbit.
Every vibe-coded app is beige and orange.
One of my favorite things is when someone becomes obsessed with a craft, no matter how trivial, and makes it their Thing™. This guy was one of those people.
https://blakewatson.com/journal/polyhedral-dice-showmanship-and-loss/
I actually really love coffee, but my server is being contrarian. https://blakewatson.com/coffee/
I don't trust myself around while loops, so if I absolutely must use one, I set it up like this.
1let sanity = 0;23// make sanity a high number you don't expect4while(SOME_CONDITION && sanity < 10000) {5 sanity++;6 // do stuff7}No infinite loops from yours truly.
The absolute worst use of AI imagery I've seen is restaurants using it for pictures of their food. Show me a real picture of your food, or don't show anything, please.
This post by @bell.bz expresses one of my fears around the effects of AI: the disincentive for independent developers to produce high-quality learning content.
https://blakewatson.com/links/2026-09-18-youll-miss-publishers-when-theyre-gone/
RE: https://beep.town/@initech/117283435848945386
Pretty soon, all our answers will be the same: I type words in the chat box
RE: https://hachyderm.io/@ttscoff/117275782830531604
Yes! I've implemented user requested features on both my new-tab-page browser extension and my web-based D&D character sheet app.
Sometimes the users will have a use case I haven't thought of and have a smart idea of how to handle it. Sometimes their ideas are horrible.
Either way, I always write back to thank them, and I don't make any promises. But if I end up doing the thing they asked later on, I email them to let them know.