2026-04-17 03:31:12
I've been struggling with setting up an AI Agent for a client. I mentioned it in my recent weeknotes and suggested it's because I'm used to a specific type of computer and LLMs don't marry with my mental model.
Then I thought, the fuck am I blaming myself for?
I feel non-technical people get along with LLMs better than tech workers because, to them, the computer has always done magic stuff they don't understand. They just treat it like a person and deal with the "hallucinations" because humans are fallible.
There are so many ways an LLM can provide an incorrect answer; the most common being "any answer is higher scoring than zero in the probabilistic sense".
But LLMs can fail because of context collapse where they "forget" what happened earlier in the conversation. Or because of ontological misattributions; where they mistake one thing for another. Or because of ambiguous instructions where it is faced with two conflicting instructions and descends into gibberish — if one of those instructions is in the LLMs system prompt, the user may never be able to debug the issue.
With a human, forgetfulness and misunderstanding and confusion are all tolerated, in many cases expected, and we course-correct accordingly. But we've spent years and dollars ensuring computers don't forget and, if they get confused, they tell us they are confused and need correcting, and they always tell us that 0.1 + 0.2 = 0.3 (unless it's JavaScript).
So, yeah, if you've got years of experience and are struggling, chances are it's not you, it's a pseudo-computer silently failing in a way that's impossible to debug.
That's the future.
2026-04-13 01:55:40
This week has gone so quickly!
Forget-me-nots are carpeting the wood and the desire paths are lined with yellow tulips and daffodils. An angry blackbird suggests I fuck off.
A tree fell in the woods, bright down by Storm Dave. I was not there. I did not hear it.
I've been struggling at work seeing up one of those AI agents for a client workshop.
I've spent my life and career dealing with deterministic computers so my mental model is useless for debugging probabilistic environments — very frustrating and helped, I might add, by it being a Microsoft product and, therefore, dogshit UX.
I feel like this is why so many experienced programmers struggle and non-tech people don't; to people who don't understand computers, AI is just another flavour of magic.
I learned that, when it comes to cheese, English and German are closer to Latin than Italian is.
2026-04-10 17:24:23
I managed to return my wife's favour after she introduced me to Kill Karl a couple of weeks back by introducing her to The Scratch. A dark indie band from Ireland that blends traditional Irish music with heavy metal in a way that sounds quite a bit like Tool but also Iron Maiden, Cave In, and The Mary Wallopers. Atmospheric 7-minuter, "Trom I (The Harrowing Sun)" is the most Tool but "Cheeky Bastard" absolutely fucken slaps. Get it on and turn the volume up!
Inhabiting a very appealing space between Editors and Echo & The Bunnymen, lowercase-letter-haters MELTS bring a touch of Scouse-like arrogance to their brand of Irish indie. Nothing traditional about it. Lovely stuff. Check out "Maelstrom" for a taster.
On the bloody unhinged end of the spectrum we find Pretty Happy. I wholeheartedly recommend "Husband" as your introduction. Incredible lyrics, Mclusky-esque music.
About as far from Pretty Happy as you can get and still be "Irish indie" (have you clocked the theme yet?) would be Cliffords. Female-frontend acoustic indie-folk that smells of the sea breeze coming over the cliffs, a hint of gorse, and the distant call of gulls — all captured in three-and-a-half minutes on "Dungarvan Bay", fair play.
2026-04-05 21:08:07
The clocks did that thing they do each Spring but I didn't really notice. The wall clock in the bedroom had needed a new battery for about a week, my phone updated automatically, weirdly my wristwatch died at 00:55, and the clock on the oven hasn't worked for months since a powercut reset it to midday and I couldn't be bothered fixing it.
⌚ Watch battery replaced by the lovely guy in the market. £8 and five minutes; long enough to buy pastries from the deli across the aisle. I really enjoying shopping locally when I can. The market is my kind of vibe!
Came across the photorealistic portraits of Anne-Christine Roda and I am always amazed at the incredible talent and dedication of humans. There will always be a need for this in the world. "la jeune fille au châle" ("the girl in a shawl", if my high school French holds up) is phenomenal; I honestly thought it was a photo until I read the description.
Storm Dave (The Irish Met are really putting us to shame with their storm names (Apologies to all Daves everywhere (from a Tom) is making me glad we're getting the leaky window seals repaired soon!
I checked the BBC and we're technically outside the yellow warning zone. That means it's much worse than this elsewhere. I hope everyone is fine!!
There's a trio of juvenile crows playing in the wind. Hovering and dive-bombing each other around the church spire they clearly live in. Excited and distinctive "caw" call carrying across the graveyard.
That was before the Skulls threw us onto their ships.
Before they stripped us of all we had.
Before they dragged me away from those I loved, held me down, and shaved my head.
Before I looked into the eyes of my abductors and could only see the blood runes carved into their masks.
I think of all the maji who were stolen from their lands.
Tomi Adeyemi, "Children of Anguish and Anarchy"
2026-04-03 21:59:52
This sequel to "Children of Blood and Bone" follows all the sequel rules; much action! bigger plot! such characters! wow!
In all seriousness, it's a rollicking good fantasy. It feels like a classic "middle book" — a stopgap between the rush of the first book and the sweet climax.
There's is absolutely nothing wrong with it. Full of lovely character development –even from the villains– which is something usually a bit sparse in young adult fantasy.
If you liked the first book, you'll like this. Maybe not as much, but you will.
2026-04-02 00:51:43
Happy April!
Here are a few photos from my phone from the last month with neither rhyme nor reason to the theme.
