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I stole the title and thesis of this post from the great etirabys and arguably I should just link her post.
I used to wonder why I see so many more bugs than most people. I easily observe hundreds to thousands of bugs per week and nothing seems to work, but most people I talk to don't see anything like this. For a long time, I thought this had something to do with how I use computers but, over time, I've realized that it's mostly that people are hitting the same bugs and don't notice.
If you're not a programmer, that's probably a better way to see the world, but I think curing …
The other day, I saw a viral tweet saying that people talking about how LLMs are causing slow, bloated, code are going to eat crow once they re-write everything in super-optimized assembly. We're not quite at the point where we want to write everything in assembly, but some variant of what Nolan Lawson said about testing, you can choose how many bugs you want now, which I less eloquently noted here, is becoming more true for performance.
In response to a comment in my last post that the cost…
There's been a lot of talk about the vulnpocalypse, to which I don't have much to add because I'm not a security person, but I haven't seen much discussion on the closely related (and to be fair, less serious, issue), the benchmarkpocalypse.
While it's become easier than ever to make serious performance gains, it's also become easier than ever to reward hack a benchmark and make fake performance gains. The former is probably happening quietly across many different compani… I, and a lot of other people I know, seem to believe something like this:
This somewhat widely cited post (I keep seeing it cited, anyway) suggests that dynamic languages and/or languages that represent things more concisely are more token efficient. It seems to be cited enough that LLM search results agree. For example, when I searched for "dynamic vs static language token cost" (no quotes), Google's AI summary opened with
Dynamically typed languages generally have a lower LLM token cost than traditional statically typed languages because omitting explici… Announcement: for the next while, I’ll be writing the Effective Altruism Newsletter! [Mod note: comments on this post about how I’m a good person who should feel better about myself will be deleted. If you’re anything like me, you may have a lot of notes from various introspective activities – annual / monthly reviews, worksheets, therapy notes, etc. Often these notes are just gathering dust in a paper folder or some forgotten corner of Google Drive. There may be some insights there – how personal problems change over […]
We're going to look at three different kinds of benchmarks, one set of calculations for baseline numbers for performance "napkin math" estimates, one set of AI model evals, and one on car tires. To build my intuition for things, I like thinking about them before seeing the explanation, so these are presented with the benchmark information first and the explanation later in case you want to think about your answer before seeing my thoughts.
29. A friend of mine is reviewing performanc… My recommendation for donors who are American citizens or permanent residents is that they donate directly to high-value political candidates. It’s been said, “if you’re not paying for it, you’re not the customer, you’re the product.” This is overly simple¹ but the core of truth is that if a company has a functional business model that’s not based on extracting and abusing user data, it’s less likely to do so. Incentives aren’t the only thing that matters, but they help!
I wish this weren’t the world we lived in. I wish the excesses of surveillance capitalism were illegal, that we didn’t have to worry that everything we did on the web … I make a lot of webpages. I also use Lockdown Mode on iOS and MacOS for a bit of extra security. Sometimes I realize that I forgot to test on Safari and it looks like crap, or I test and don’t notice that there’s been a problem for months (as was the case with this blog).
Regardless I’ve now resolved the same problem like 5 times in the last few months and I always forget how I resolved it (mainly because it’s quite subtle), so I figured writing this down will help me and hopefully help you (or …
I have a new pony. I got her from the Goodwill. Her name is
"Rainbow" and her nickname is "Sparkles". We went the usual way, in
the pink stroller. We went downstairs and I played with some of the
toys. I found the pony in the toy area. We payed for it, then I
ripped off the pay thing, and now it's off! Sometimes its horn has
lights and it makes noise.
For a while I wasn't learning how to play violin very well because
whenever it was time to practice I didn't want to. I didn't really
like practicing, because (1) it's boring, (2) I have better things to
do, and (3) actually I guess there isn't any three. Practice would
take ages and ages and ages because I wasn't really focusing on
actually practicing, and instead focusing on complaining on how
boring it was.
So for a while I wasn't doing too well during lessons becaus…
Jerry Lapiroff · February 11, 1947 – March 22, 2026
When I was an elementary schooler my father would read me such bedtime stories as Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis,” Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron,” and Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game” – stories well above my recommended reading level, in vocabulary and in their general vibes. He passed on to me an early love of literature and also a fascination with the darker elements of human nature.
He also taught me to love the theater. We’d go to pla… a story of middle school Ben • a not-very-illuminating description of the mechanics • flow, joy, and community • the antidote to the rest of life • how to try contra I use AI to write a little bit: I ask it for high level feedback on blog post drafts, make mechanical edits, and sometimes use it to brainstorm options for wording at a paragraph level. It’s unusual that I accept its wording or changes without modification. I think AI has helped make my posts better, but I never use it to write large amounts of text. I think that’s disrespectful to the reader. A few microfictions, very much inspired by Quiet Pine Trees. I hope to add more over time. No LLMs.
As someone in Somerville I notice that there are quite high prices
regarding childcare. The average family in Somerville pays $1,100 to
$3,500 for daycare per month, and I want to make the costs more
affordable. I have also noticed that housing is quite expensive in
Somerville, and I have come up with a solution to fix both of these,
and, as some people might know, to fix the ongoing problem of what
should happen with the Winter Hill and the Brown School.
As a sixth grader who graduated the Brown …
There are lots of different things in Frozen that are new-ish, but my
dad and I were wondering: what is the actual newest thing in Frozen?
This led me to watch Frozen a lot while taking notes. Some of the
things I found included:
Elastic hair-ties
A safety bicycle
Sunscreen
Bottle of aloe
Lacquer
Pompoms, the kind you get at a store and not the kind with yarn
Off the shoulder
Paper straws
Sunglasses
Plastic shovels
Matches
Cupholder on Kristoff's sled
Notes from looking into things:
Elastic is actually q… This is an annual post reviewing the last year and setting intentions for next year. I look over different life areas (work, health, parenting, effectiveness, etc) and analyze my life tracking data. Highlights include a minimal group house, the usefulness of Oura’s resilience metric, a small set of habits worth tracking, getting laser eye surgery, […]
Unlike many families my family celebrates Christmas with really really
a lot of our family. This past year there were about 29 people at my
Grandfather's house in the week around Christmas. I know what you're
thinking: how does that work?
It's actually pretty simple. First, we have a spreadsheet so we know
who's coming and who's not, and who's cooking dinner each night.
While most people come out for the entire break, a lot of people only
stay part of the time. And famili…
A couple weeks ago, I got my braces off. I kind of wish I had never
had them, though.
When I was younger, two of my teeth were sticking out, and they looked
kind of funny. I thought that my teeth were just fine, and I didn't
want to get braces. But still, my parents made me get braces. I
started out with an expander, and then after that I had braces. They
were really annoying: I couldn't eat a lot of my favorite foods. I
couldn't eat nuts, carrots, caramel, or popcorn. It was
annoyi… This post is a collection of parenting takes that sometimes go through my head, based on my experience raising our two boys (5 and 2 years old). All of this is based on my experience and might not apply to others (see the law of equal and opposite advice). My overall parenting philosophy is pretty […]
Today, me, my sisters, and my dad went to a park. While we were there,
it started snowing! It was one of the first times it had snowed this
winter, so I was pretty excited. I ran around with my mouth open,
trying to catch snowflakes on my tongue.
The snowflakes were huge. Some of them were so big that they
were almost the size of a large bumblebee.
My little sister, Nora, was so
interested in playing kickball that she didn't want to run around with
me and Lily and catch snowflakes.
I was disap…
I love playing Carcassonne. Almost every time I play, I win. My
method for winning us usually you get into all the big cities on the
board, and you create a lot of big cities. I just think making a big
city is just so satisfying. I love being blue. Usually I play with
my dad and my sister.
Yesterday, I made a Christmas wreath. Here's how to make one.
First, find an evergreen tree near your house. Clip off a few
branches from the tree. Try to have as many leaves or needles on the
branches as possible. Next, bring them home. What I usually use as
the base is a wire or pipe cleaner circle. After that I cut the
branches from the tree so that I have a bunch of branches that are
about, I don't know, six inches long. Once I've cut the branches I
make them into bundles of th…
She's very little and she likes to do stuff with me. She also likes
to bark around and run around and jump around. She also likes to go
to places with me and that's all I have.
I am one of the students who goes to the Somerville Public Schools. I
just graduated from the Brown School, and have been hearing about how
there are some plans about how the Brown School might be combined with
the Winter Hill School. I really don't like this because I think the
Brown School is a really great place and it would be really sad to
have it gone.
I am the oldest of three sisters, one of which is already at the Brown
and one of which will be starting next year. I really want them t… I’ve been doing life tracking for around 10 years, and this post is looking back at some things I learned from the data (since my previous retrospective in 2017). Highlights include what I get out of the Oura ring, correlations between sleep and deep work / distraction, seasonal patterns in health, and regret patterns for […]
On May 18th, the contra dance band Elixir had their last gig
ever. The dance was packed: there were three hundred people. It was
the only dance BIDA has ever done where they sold tickets. People flew
from across the country just to hear Elixir play one last time.
Elixir has been playing for twenty years, and is a very well-known
band among contra dancers. But if you asked someone who wasn't a
contra dancer or who had been dancing only a few times, they might say
"what on earth is Elixir?&#… Anthropic recently released Claude 4 Sonnet and Claude 4 Opus, and I’ve been using them at work for the last two days. 4 Opus seems okay, but 4 Sonnet feels “off” – less sharp than 3.7 Sonnet. My assessment is almost entirely vibes-based, just from chatting with the models and using Claude Code a bit. understand + work backwards from the root goal • don’t rely too much on permission or encouragement • make success inevitable • find your angle • think real hard • reflect on your thinking have accurate expectations of yourself • prioritize ruthlessly • unemploy your future self • a five-step “help, I’m overwhelmed” checklist • carve out focused time focus • maintain a detailed plan for victory • run a fast OODA loop • overcommunicate • break off subprojects • have fun • bonus content: my project management starter kit This is an annual post reviewing the last year and setting intentions for next year. I look over different life areas (work, health, parenting, effectiveness, travel, etc) and analyze my life tracking data. Overall this was a pretty good year. Highlights include adjusting to life with two kids, moving out of the group house, lots […] Remembering Max Chiswick, may his memory be a blessing. This post contains javascript content and must be viewed on site. I’m deeply fond of weighty phrases – little snippets with cultural gravitas and mystical overtones. Most of my favorites have biblical origin or are fragments of culturally foundational art, remixed memetically over the centuries until they become units of their own. A few of my favorites: Not by bread alone A thousand and one nights All men are created equal That the strong might not injure the weak Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind M… Where I'm donating in 2024, where I donated in 2022/2023, why, and how my approach changed from previous years.
I have some stuffies and I just have a bunny. Bunny is a rabbit.
Woof is a seal. My favorite stuffie is bun bun. I play with my
stuffies. Sometimes I jump up with them and I roll them. I can just
throw them in the air when I want to play bthululubp with them. I
like to quick get my stuffies and throw them in the air.
Selina watches me. When Selina has a different job Justina will watch
me. It's the same.
Warning: fully political post, which is not the typical genre here and not the vibe I’m mostly trying to cultivate. I pretty much stand by this, though my emotions have cooled in the weeks since the election. overall direction • people management • project management • technical leadership • example divisions of labor A clinical trial is a statistical problem multiplied by a logistical problem; some drugs are dramatically easier to study than others. Six things that make poker suboptimal for teaching about decision making under uncertainty, especially relative to Jane Street's card game Figgie. I wrote ~2 years ago that it was hard to find concrete ways to help the most important century go well. That’s changing. This post contains javascript content and must be viewed on site. This post contains javascript content and must be viewed on site. “Why can’t a robot be built without the First Law? What’s so sacred about it?”
Dr. Gerrigel looked startled, then tittered, “Oh, Mr. Baley.”... Early signs of catastrophic risk? Yes and no. Governments could be crucial in the long run, but it's probably best to proceed with caution. Major AI companies can increase or reduce global catastrophic risks. People are far better at their jobs than at anything else. Here are the best ways to help the most important century go well.
The odds are good and the goods are great
Bug blindness
There's no reason for software to be slow anymore
The benchmarkpocalypse
You can't join the secret inner circle of cool effective altruists
How does programming language affect token efficiency and correctness?
Linkpost for August
Coping with shame
Using AI to analyze life patterns
Bad benchmarks and evals: Senior SWE-Bench, napkin math, and winter tires
Donation recommendations for effective altruists (July 2026)
Paying for Software
Variable fonts aren't universally supported
New Pony
Fiddle Practice
Dad
You should try contra dancing
On AI writing in 2026
Microfictions
Daycares and the Brown School
The Newest Technology in Frozen
2025-26 New Year review
Family Christmas
Why I Don't Think My Braces Were Worth It
Opinionated takes on parenting
Snow
Carcassonne
How to Make a Christmas Wreath
Little Puppy
Making a New School
Retrospective on life tracking and effectiveness systems
Elixir's Last Dance
Claude 4 Sonnet feels off
Impact, agency, and taste
Advice for time management as a manager
How I've run major projects
2024-25 New Year review
When each proud fighter brags
Dance Calling By The Numbers, 2024
Weighty phrases
Donations 2022-2024
Stuffies
Reflections on the 2024 US Presidential Election
Categories of leadership on technical teams
Drug development costs can range over two orders of magnitude
Poker is a bad game for teaching epistemics. Figgie is a better one.
Good job opportunities for helping with the most important century
My first brush with covid
11ty and Observable
Asimov on building robots without the First Law
What does Bing Chat tell us about AI risk?
How major governments can help with the most important century
What AI companies can do today to help with the most important century
Jobs that can help with the most important century