Ludicity

Note: This has been cross-posted to my company's blog, in case you think there is some use in sharing with someone in a format that looks more authoritative.

Pre-script: I've got a podcast episode out with Ed Zitron available here.

It’s my last day of writing for the year, so I’m going to try keep this one quick – it was knocked out over three hours, so I hope you can forgive me if it’s a bit clumsier than my usual writing.

I haven’t written anything in four months.

A few days ago, I was presented with an article titled “My AI Skeptic Friends Are All Nuts” by Thomas Ptacek.

Note: This is an edited re-post of something I wrote in 2019 on a now-defunct blog, apparently a month before I started my first job in tech.

Can't leave rap alone, the game needs me 'Til we grow beards, get weird and disappear Into the mountains, nothin' but clowns down here I.

The steps in this guide have generated A$1,179,000 in salary (updated 13th April, 2025), measured as the sum of the highest annual salaries friends and readers have reached after following along, where they were willing to attribute their success actions…

I.

I've been absolutely slammed over the last few weeks, between moving to a new house, a large number of readers visiting Melbourne over the holidays and wanting coffee, and doing work for clients at the ol' consultancy.

Why do I bother getting angry about software?

It is 9:59 AM in Melbourne, 9th October, 2024.

With the decision to focus on our consultancy full-time in 2025, my time as an employee draws to a close.

I gave you the chance of aiding me willingly, but you have elected the way of pain!

Mecatol Rex.

I.

This blog did so many hits last week that the host platform experienced timeouts.

Synergy Greg would like to see you in His office, it is the one down the hall, past the cubicles and dreary faces, uplifted only when He deigns to venture forth.

The recent innovations in the AI space, most notably those such as GPT-4, obviously have far-reaching implications for society, ranging from the utopian eliminating of drudgery, to the dystopian damage to the livelihood of artists in a capitalist society,…

A few weeks ago, friend of the blog Nat Bennett wrote this article on lying to get jobs.

Growing up, my friends and I were in the unenviable position of being first language English speakers who were enamored by Western culture.

I.

A few weeks ago, I popped open the Y-Combinator application form and saw that one of the only things they ask for is a story about hacking a non-technical system.

It is a cold Anzac day in Melbourne, and I am brooding.

It has been about a year and a half of working three days a week in response to burnout.

PS: This blog post has been converted into a talk, which GDG Melbourne very generously hosted.

The time is upon us.

This post is enormous, clocking in at 7.5K words.

Last week, I received the following invitation to a compulsory on-site meeting, following management's repeated engagements with some sort of Agile shaman.

We need to talk about the kind of person that loves "flexible" schemas, and why I am unable to disclose what I will do the next time I see one without going on a watch list.

I am just a poor boy, though my story's seldom told I have squandered my resistance for a pocketful of mumbles Such are promises All lies and jest Still a man hears what he wants to hear And disregards the rest I.

Two things are true.

This is the view from my window at this second.

I've believed for a while that, if my company died, the most likely scenario would be dying without a single dollar earned.

Over the holidays, I picked up a book titled The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity, recommended by Nassim Taleb as a "masterly" work.

... and a Happy New Year, as I won't be writing until January.

I was recently introduced to the following paper on the Australian fire service, which is an absolute banger.

A few months ago, I wrote about saving my employer about half a million dollars by clicking a few buttons in Snowflake.

We're trying something new today.

The most talented data engineer I know, and my first manager, is a man that loves cooking.

Bad news everyone - today's post is high on reflection and low on inarticulate rage.

I've mentioned that I'm starting a company with friends - no, this isn't a plug for us.

In 1985, I murdered a man in cold blood over something petty.

Before I get into it, I'm on Mastodon now.

I had my first interview with a serious tech company - the kind that isn't Google but actually has some name recognition amongst people deeply into the tech space.

Sweet merciful Jesus, I woke up this morning and my inbox was flooded with horrific stories about how employers treat people.

I saved my company half a million dollars in about five minutes.

This year, I've attended my first two large tech conferences.

I woke up one morning this week to find out that we're YouTube famous now - my all-time favourite tech YouTuber, Primeagen, ended up reading my post on the social fiction of most organizations wanting to improve things on his stream.

This is a list of all my favorite articles, accompanied by some brief discussion.