Posts

Posted on

2026-01-19 21:53:11

I’m gonna shut up about LLMs and vibe coding now.

For all my skepticism of new AIs and my many objections, I like to think I’m curious and open minded.

The experiment is done. My thoughts are out of my head. Back to normal.

Posted on

2026-01-19 21:43:35

And yes, yesterday I was telling you not to do this. You still shouldn't! Unless, like me, you know what you're doing.

I can because I've been here before and have a system that lets me do it without risk.

This whole process has only reinforced my opinions from yesterday.

Posted on

2026-01-19 21:36:03

Yes, despite being an AI doom-speaker, I tried using a app-builder to make a simple, social-media-like, private, journalling web app.

This post explains what I did and why, and outlines the development process I took, including the point at which I decided the AI wasn't up to it and started making it manually. 🤷

rosswintle.uk/2026/01/building

The app has no instructions, but you can try it out. It’s all private local data. No login. You can see it at yousky.veryuseful.app/

Posted on

2026-01-18 22:31:11

RE: crikey.social/@ross/1159183603

Regarding this, I have literally seen a public web app app today that lets me type any message I like into a box and have it saved as content on a URL on the internet that I can send.

Totally anonymous.

All fun and well-intentioned stuff. But no thought about the implications.

Does the LLM not ask if you are really sure this is a good idea?

Apparently not.

Posted on

2026-01-17 10:15:29

Lol. I asked Base44 (AI app builder) to re-write my simple app that I got it to generate as a single-file HTML + AlpineJS app rather than a React app with a build process.

The output start like this…

export default function Home() {
return (
<div dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: `
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>

Posted on

2026-01-16 23:23:55

After hearing about Base44 – Wix’s AI app builder – on the WP Cafe podcast today, I gave it a quick try.

Sure it built me a pretty good app. I guess that was impressive. But … I dunno. It has a ton of dependencies and it’s all over-complicated ReactJS and…

It’s another of those good-prototype things. But it takes real skill to make something of true quality.

More thoughts coming soon.

Posted on

2026-01-15 22:37:47

I’m reading a book about how to do my job well. This quote stands out about doing the simple thing:

“If you can’t resist the urge to include your most brilliant ideas in the process, then you can include them in your pre-work. Write all of your best ideas in a giant document, delete it, and never mention any of them again. Now… your head is cleared for the work ahead.”

😂

Posted on

2026-01-14 23:35:58

Oh, also… I'm really scared that one day I'll open Ivory/Mastodon or Bluesky instead of Zeitgeist and post a public rant that's not meant to be public. They look and work so similar. I can see it happening.

Here's hoping that it never happens!!

Posted on

2026-01-14 23:29:20

I do genuinely wish sometimes that I had an alt account where I could vent anonymously. But would anyone follow? Would it matter?

For now I've found this little iOS app called “Zeitgeist" that's a private, me-only social network-like journal!

It takes my post-size thoughts and lets me post them… but in private.

It's kinda cool. Though I think the subscription is a bit expensive.

Might have to build me own web-app version of this! 😃

Posted on

2026-01-10 19:02:01

As I read more posts than normal this week from people who are really into AI software development, and as I continued to think about my own career and future, I found myself wanting to double-down on the idea of being a software craftsperson.

Do we need a guild of some sort? A space where discussion about AI is off the table? Where we revel in the process of using our brains to write code by hand to solve problems?

(Yes, probably inspired by the story about authors: sightlessscribbles.com/the-col )

Posted on

2026-01-10 18:53:07

I’ve been wanting to use a small keyboard with my phone for some note taking and journaling.

Does anyone have a nice, small, Bluetooth keyboard that works well with iOS and doesn’t cost several hundred £/$?

Posted on

2026-01-09 08:10:23

I keep an X account and very occasionally dip in to see what’s going on.

The AI grifters are REALLY giving off NFT-like vibes.

I don’t know what the future of this tech is, but the culture around it is very off.

Posted on

2026-01-06 22:34:38

…starlings move on. The smaller ones dart about nervously getting their fill while disappearing at the slightest possibility of a mammal seeing them.

Eventually the corvids turn up. The pigeons thought they ruled, but it’s actually the jackdaws and magpies that own the place. Everyone else is gone. They dine majestically.

Posted on

2026-01-06 22:31:45

It’s such a joy feeding birds in the winter. We have a feeder outside our garden office. The birds different characters really show.

First the big pigeons proudly swoop in and look like the boss.

Then a starling arrives and spooks the pigeons. Pigeons seem confused that they got usurped, but they’re not up for the fight.

Starlings go beserk like it’s some bird rave!

Tits, robin and sparrows turn up. They’re hungry, but nervous. They sit on the fence and wait their turn…