Pistos's recent activity

  1. Comment on How have you improved your living spaces? in ~life.home_improvement

    Pistos
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    I have set up my office so that my (digital) piano is literally a chair swivel away from being playable. That lets me noodle around on the piano during builds, test suite runs, downloads, long app...

    I have set up my office so that my (digital) piano is literally a chair swivel away from being playable. That lets me noodle around on the piano during builds, test suite runs, downloads, long app startup times, etc. The incremental practice time adds up.

    Honourable mention to https://mynoise.net/ , which has already been shared on Tildes in the past.

    1 vote

  2. Comment on Just got laid off. Now what? in ~life

    Pistos
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    #1 thing I would say to you (based on experience!) is: Do not wait to start searching for work. In my case: I got let go, got some severance, and thought: "Severance should last me S months. I'll...

    #1 thing I would say to you (based on experience!) is: Do not wait to start searching for work. In my case: I got let go, got some severance, and thought: "Severance should last me S months. I'll take some down time for N months, search for work and land a job in N+M months, for N+M < S." Reality: "N+M > S". I should have set N = ~0.

    #2 is get comfortable with using AI (LLMs in particular) if you're not already. I don't see this tech going away, and I think more and more workplaces will be looking for people that are experienced AI users.

    2 votes

  3. Comment on Software engineers / programmers: how’s it going? in ~comp

    Pistos
    Link
    Work has changed massively for me in the past year, but that's because of a combination of two factors: changed companies, and current company is using AI heavily. Irrespective of employers,...
    • Exemplary
    • Work has changed massively for me in the past year, but that's because of a combination of two factors: changed companies, and current company is using AI heavily. Irrespective of employers, professionally speaking, in the past 1.5 to 2.0 years, with respect to AI, I have gone from "near zero use, just testing the waters" to "prime seating on the bandwagon".
    • I'm enjoying my work more, but a big part of that is more about me (change of mindset, attitude) than the industry changing.
    • I'm working a little more than before, but that's my choice. Also, I'm finding a fair bit of my time is spent herding AI sessions (multiple in parallel).
    • I am both hopeful and fearful for the mid-term future of SWE. Few can deny that recent developments and the current state of AI/LLMs with respect to SWE are an upheaval, an historic kind of change. I don't think humans will be completely yanked from the overall SWE process (yet?), but I do think that demand will shrink by anywhere from "a bit" to "moderately". At the same time, I think a certain subset of SWEs will stay in demand, or even be more sought out, namely, the senior ones who have years of experience doing things the traditional way (pre-LLM), and who can spot when an AI does something wrong, and guide it back on track. I fear for the quality level of software that will be created by those who don't have this knowledge, experience, and intuition. I also don't know if the fledglings in the industry (who don't have these things) can pick these things up, or at least, whether they can pick them up without serious, concerted effort and discipline ("no, I won't commit 5000 lines of unreviewed AI-generated code"). That all said, I think the possibilities are interesting and even exciting, if the code-writing (and planning, and system-architecting) capabilities of AI continues to improve at the same pace it has been in the last year or so.
    • Advice? Don't dismiss or ignore AI in SWE. At least give it an honest try and make an assessment. Some people are drinking the kool aid, other people are abstaining on moral grounds, some people have had bad experiences, but it only makes sense to make a decision based on facts ("I tried it and..."), not assumptions. IMO, those who have not tried it are missing out. Furthermore, I think there will be a rising trend in the industry that hiring will be based on AI(-using) skills, and, in my experience, that actually takes a bit of time to develop and hone, similar to other skills in our field. I don't think it's something that you just get good at in under a week after you flip a switch and decide to start using AI.
    • My career trajectory... I think the main thing that has and will change is how much I use AI/LLMs in my work. I don't see this going away, except maybe if they raise consumer prices to exorbitant levels. I don't see my company cutting AI even if they raise corporate pricing, though.
    • Background: big company (>1k employees); "many" years of experience (don't want to date myself); I'm a senior SWE; working remotely.
    30 votes

  4. Comment on How to find a new calling in life? in ~life

    Pistos
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    I don't know what the pay is like, but have you considered teaching English to speakers of the language(s) that you know? Possibly even in another country.

    I don't know what the pay is like, but have you considered teaching English to speakers of the language(s) that you know? Possibly even in another country.

    1 vote

  5. Comment on Why normal people aren’t using AI agents in ~tech

    Pistos
    Link Parent
    I get what you're saying, but the key differentiator for me is that I can go back and forth with an LLM. This lets me refine, filter, zero-in, course-correct, or ask spinoff questions. A given...

    I get what you're saying, but the key differentiator for me is that I can go back and forth with an LLM. This lets me refine, filter, zero-in, course-correct, or ask spinoff questions. A given conversation becomes an increasingly-sharpening picture of the overall context of my goal. It just seems like a naturally better fit for the way I think and work (than using search engines).

    (To be clear, I completely agree that nobody should be using LLMs as substitutes for interpersonal interaction with real people, like friendship, companionship, "companionship", therapy, etc.)

    3 votes

  6. Comment on Choosing a printer in ~tech

    Pistos
    Link Parent
    Seconding Brother printers [for use with Linux]. I've been using a Brother MFC-9330 CDW for many years, through many Linux upgrades. No major issues with drivers once they're set up. Old drivers...

    Seconding Brother printers [for use with Linux]. I've been using a Brother MFC-9330 CDW for many years, through many Linux upgrades. No major issues with drivers once they're set up. Old drivers tend to last quite a while (they continue to work).

  7. Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp

    Pistos
    Link
    claude-command-highlighter Syntax-highlights Bash commands in Claude Code. Been working on this for over three weeks now, and am pretty pleased with it. I use it every day, and can't do without...

    claude-command-highlighter

    Syntax-highlights Bash commands in Claude Code.

    Been working on this for over three weeks now, and am pretty pleased with it. I use it every day, and can't do without the highlighting any more. It makes reviewing Claude Code's Bash calls easier and faster.

    3 votes

  8. Comment on Feedback for a beginner singer in ~creative

    Pistos
    Link Parent
    You're off to a good start in your journey! You can mostly stay on pitch and stay in time, following a melody you are hearing while you sing. As an interesting exercise, go find a vocals remover...

    You're off to a good start in your journey! You can mostly stay on pitch and stay in time, following a melody you are hearing while you sing.

    As an interesting exercise, go find a vocals remover online (they are myriad), and strip off the original artist's vocals from that track that you're singing with, then use that to try to sing the song without hearing the original artist at the same time.

    If you have the budget for it, learning from a teacher is recommended. They'll have the background and knowledge to guide you to the right places, and can work with you in person at the level you are at to help you get better by bit, giving you tailored exercises and repertoire that suit you.

    6 votes

  9. Comment on Chat control passed, on Thursday only an absolute majority can stop it in ~society

  10. Comment on So I fell for a phishing in ~comp

    Pistos
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    I haven't seen this mentioned yet in the threads, but I wonder: Isn't it the case that most major service providers (including Google/Gmail) send a notification email when there's a sign-in from...

    I haven't seen this mentioned yet in the threads, but I wonder: Isn't it the case that most major service providers (including Google/Gmail) send a notification email when there's a sign-in from an unusual location? I suppose the attacker could quickly delete that email, but if you had another device also refreshing email, you might have seen it first. And, if you have a secondary email set up, doesn't the service send this notification to that email address, too?

  11. Comment on So I fell for a phishing in ~comp

    Pistos
    Link Parent
    This is the way to go. In the last several years, I can't remember any important interaction that was them->me. Always me->them, except for fairly trivial stuff, like confirming that I am going to...

    and just initiate all

    This is the way to go. In the last several years, I can't remember any important interaction that was them->me. Always me->them, except for fairly trivial stuff, like confirming that I am going to an appointment that I am certain that I booked.

  12. Comment on Shopping around for a new-and-improved backup solution in ~comp

    Pistos
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    duplicity has been largely set and forget for me. I have it writing to an external HD which I have in mind to disconnect and take in the event of an emergency. Automatic full vs. partial backups,...

    duplicity has been largely set and forget for me. I have it writing to an external HD which I have in mind to disconnect and take in the event of an emergency. Automatic full vs. partial backups, and rotation/drop of old backups. I'm sure it could be set up to be part of a remote backup setup if one wanted.

    2 votes

  14. Comment on Custom LED light frames in ~creative

    Pistos
    Link Parent
    Same for me. I opened browser tools, though, and saw that the transfer rate was quite slow. Several seconds per MB. My guess: hosting on a residential connection.

    Same for me. I opened browser tools, though, and saw that the transfer rate was quite slow. Several seconds per MB. My guess: hosting on a residential connection.

    1 vote

  16. Comment on What change would make you quit Tildes? in ~tildes

    Pistos
    Link Parent
    Sure, but, in this case, there's a bit of a relationship between parties insofar as the one proposing this particular feature is a participating member of the community. Also, an analogy: other...

    Sure, but, in this case, there's a bit of a relationship between parties insofar as the one proposing this particular feature is a participating member of the community. Also, an analogy: other people around me looting stores during a street riot doesn't justify me doing so ("the stores are getting robbed right now anyway").

    2 votes

  17. Comment on What change would make you quit Tildes? in ~tildes

    Pistos
    Link Parent
    (I'm not whom you're replying to) Careful with that, re: piping people's Tildes content into an external LLM API without consent versus running a local (on Tildes server) LLM.

    (I'm not whom you're replying to) Careful with that, re: piping people's Tildes content into an external LLM API without consent versus running a local (on Tildes server) LLM.

    11 votes

  18. Comment on What change would make you quit Tildes? in ~tildes

    Pistos
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    I'd quit if too much of the population became too hostile towards people with different opinions than them on polarizing topics, especially if the differing opinions were expressed in a...

    I'd quit if too much of the population became too hostile towards people with different opinions than them on polarizing topics, especially if the differing opinions were expressed in a well-reasoned and respectful fashion. (I don't think this is the case right now to a tangible degree.)

    67 votes

  19. Comment on Tildes Survey #7: What is your gender identity? (Results) in ~talk

    Pistos
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    Something to consider: Perhaps another checkbox can be "prefer not to say". Now, in response to this, one might ask "well, why not just not participate the survey?". This might be a mild form of...

    Something to consider: Perhaps another checkbox can be "prefer not to say". Now, in response to this, one might ask "well, why not just not participate the survey?". This might be a mild form of selection bias, where only those who willingly share their gender identity are included in the results. I'm not saying including or not including this option will wildly alter results or anything, but it could reveal some interesting data.

    9 votes

  20. Comment on There's a hundred illegal erections in the hills behind my parents' house in ~hobbies

    Pistos
    Link
    Thanks for taking the time to write and share this. I don't mean to devalue your post, or the cultural phenomenon it describes, but: I'm reminded of the natural scenery in the Kingdom Come:...

    Thanks for taking the time to write and share this. I don't mean to devalue your post, or the cultural phenomenon it describes, but: I'm reminded of the natural scenery in the Kingdom Come: Deliverance series (game), which is set in 15th century Bohemia. Even seeing the structures and wood piles reminds me of it.

    4 votes