some thoughts on writing software in nov 2026:
- it feels like magic
- the first 80% is 100x faster
- rewriting systems is also 100x faster
- opus 5.5 is very good at a lot of things
- "deep flow state" is much easier to reach
- almost anything can be built in typescript and rust
- building secure things is very, very hard
the optimization function is how to maximize agents working on goal with the fewest interruptions needed. some things that help:
- know where to trust vs guide (and keep retesting)
- give them agency like "i'm going to bed, get this done"
- if there is a reward function, ask them to hillclimb
- the socratic method works wonders
- skills and memories can often hinder
- asking agents to review themselves still helps
- cowriting a plan/spec/invariants helps sometimes
managing your own psychology is equally important:
- be a lot more ambitious about what you can achieve
- avoid dopamine traps / false signals of progress
- get good at parallelizing and context switching
there are also some things that don't quite work fluidly yet, but will get unlocked in the very near future:
- software factory or "find and fix the bugs"
- multiplayer agentic workflows
- agents managing other agents for high level outcomes
- organizational memory
underdog has a 10/10 consumer onboarding experience and the fastest setup path to a getting a local model
very exciting to see local ai get easier to use!
san francisco is safer than it's been in a long time
- violent crime down 30%
- property crime down 50%
- car breakins down 70%
these are against 2013 marks too. goes to show how much of an impact a strong city government can make!
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