Image: UnsplashWhy I Don't Use AI to Write
At /dev/null digest, we don't use AI to write content and we never will (at least here on this blog).
THE FEED
Recent posts.
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Image: GeminiWhat Is /dev/null, Anyway?
Learn what /dev/null is on Unix-like systems, how it discards data, and why developers use the null device in shell commands and scripts.
Image: FreepikWhat Is a VPN Really Doing to Your Internet Traffic
A practical, no-nonsense breakdown of what a VPN actually does to your internet traffic, how it tunnels, encrypts, and reroutes your data, and what privacy it truly delivers.
Image: FreepikManager Adds New Process, Swears He Doesn’t Have a Problem and Can Quit Anytime
A local software engineering manager applies workplace process optimization techniques to his everyday life, insisting he remains fully in control and that this is completely normal behavior.
Image: Notepad++Wait - What happened to Notepad++?
Our old friend Notepad++ was hijacked by Chinese state-sponsored actors via its update mechanism. Most users were fine, but it’s a cold world out there. Stay frosty.
Image: UnsplashHow to Write Requirements So Your Engineers Don't Hate You
It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s gotta do it. Writing a good requirement is the secret sauce for finishing projects on time without traumatizing your engineering teams.
Image: John Minchillo/The AP.Company No Longer Provides Free Celsius; Shareholder Value Drops $200M
Chicago-based LoopBetAI faces chaos as ditching free Celsius from the office fridge slashes $200M in shareholder value.
Image: FreepikTop 5 Myths About Getting a Software Engineering Job
Everybody and their mother has advice about breaking into software engineering, and much of it is wrong. This post debunks common hiring myths and explores what actually helps you land the job.
Image: FreepikIs It Worth Learning New Programming Languages in the Age of AI?
Reflections on whether learning new programming languages and frameworks is moot in the age of AI-assisted tools.
Image: UnsplashCute Code is Not Helpful
Cute code is fun to write but hard to read. Write for clarity and maintainability, your future coworkers will thank you.
Image: UnsplashMan Awakes from 2018 Coma, Founds Blockchain Startup
San Francisco man wakes from a seven-year coma and immediately launches blockchain startup.
Image: Monty PythonWhy Do We Call It Spam?
A brief history of how a Monty Python sketch from the 1970s became synonymous with unwanted communication
Image: UnsplashEmail Security is Kind of Sketchy
Email is old, weird, and full of surprising quirks. It's the internet's tortoise, slow, stubborn, yet somehow indispensable.
War Against the Em Dash
A eulogy for the em dash, a misunderstood punctuation mark that has become the center of AI accusations and workplace finger-pointing.
Image: NasdaqAnalysts Raise Outlook 34% After Team Implements New Jira Sprint Planning Process
Millennium Technology Solutions sees a 34% stock boost after announcing a new Jira sprint planning process with updated metrics, swimlanes, and alignment meetings.
Image: FreepikCompany Seeks 10 Years Experience to Maintain Internal Dashboard With Six Users
Startup responds to criticism: ‘Maintaining internal dashboards requires top-tier talent’
Buzzword Swear Jar: Volume 2
We return to buzzwords, roasting "low-hanging fruit," "best practices," and "build vs. buy" because leadership often means stating the obvious.
ELI5: How Do LLMs Work?
LLMs are here to destroy us or help us, sources say is too early to tell. In effort to know thy enemy, let's take a bit of a deep dive.
Image: FreepikMan Afraid of Project Planning Solves Problem by Inviting Entire Team to “Quick Sync”
A profile on Jason Washington, the project manager revolutionizing procrastination with "quick syncs." No agenda, no decisions, just vibes. Discover how avoiding accountability and blaming others has become his strategy for success.
Image: GettyFirefighter Says He Is on Hose Platform Team, Refuses to Put Out Fire
Seattle firefighters watch a house burn to the ground while debating the responsibilities of the hose platform team. The lack of coordination and refusal to act leaves city officials and homeowners furious, with $7 million in damages and no clear resolution in sight.
Did AI Kill Stack Overflow? A Postmortem for the Living
Did AI kill Stack Overflow? Not quite. This postmortem dives into how developers now turn to AI for help, and why Stack Overflow’s still around, though its role has definitely evolved.
Image: The New York TimesWe’re Not Ready to Regulate AI
AI is transforming society, but who's in charge of regulating it? From self-driving car accidents to AI errors in customer service, current laws are struggling to keep up. This post dives into the risks of AI and how lawmakers, who can barely understand basic tech, are nowhere near ready to regulate it.
Image: Sotheby'sNFTs Proved Just as Stupid as We Always Thought
NFTs were once hailed as the future of digital ownership, but they devolved into a speculative mess that left many holding the bag. From celebrity endorsements to outright scams, let's take a look at the rise and fall of the NFT craze.
Image: UnsplashAI Startup Revealed to Be Three OpenAI API Wrappers in a Trenchcoat
AI startup Promptly, fresh off a $350 million valuation, has been exposed as nothing more than three OpenAI API wrappers in a trenchcoat. Analysts predict its next funding round will be valued even higher.
HBO's Silicon Valley 10 Years Later: Ranking Jared's Best Lines
Celebrating 10 years since Silicon Valley debuted, we’re honoring one of the show’s most bizarre and unforgettable characters: Jared Dunn. In tribute to this iconic character, let’s revisit some of his most memorable and absurd lines.
Buzzword Swear Jar: Volume 1
We take a dive into the most overused corporate jargon like the 80/20 rule and "tiger teams," revealing how these buzzwords turn real conversations into the least-fun version of Mad Libs.
What the Hell Are You Guys Doing on Blind?
Blind, once a hub for transparency in tech, has evolved into a space dominated by toxic negativity, career insecurities, and personal frustrations. How did it get here, and what can we do about it?
Image: UnsplashLocal Engineer Masters 7th JavaScript Framework, Still Has No Idea How Company Makes Money
A profile of local engineer Gus Manchot, a 10x developer who has reportedly mastered his 7th JavaScript framework. While executives at his company secure multi-million-dollar deals, Gus remains steadfastly focused on what truly matters, rewriting internal tools, optimizing analytics dashboards, and staring with contempt at product managers.
Image: UnsplashWhat Even Is Agile Anymore?
Some opinions and rants examining the current state of "Agile" practices (or what masquerades as Agile these days) and how modern software development has drifted from the original principles of Agile.
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