Pinned Tweet
I had no traction, no users, and no funding. Actually, I had no company nor immediate plans to start one. And yet I was accepted to one of the most prestigious entrepreneurship programs in the world.
Here’s how I became one of the first Thiel Fellows.
Here’s how I became one of the first Thiel Fellows.
17
13
360
56,851
There's a trap in the lowly time.Now() function.
On New Year's Day 2017, it brought down parts of Cloudflare's DNS.
What does that have to do with the secret of fast programming?
On New Year's Day 2017, it brought down parts of Cloudflare's DNS.
What does that have to do with the secret of fast programming?
1
0
3
223
Write a loop that counts the 1 bits in a number.
The Clang compiler throws your loop away and swaps in the chip's own bit-counting instruction.
How did it know what your loop does?
The Clang compiler throws your loop away and swaps in the chip's own bit-counting instruction.
How did it know what your loop does?
0
0
4
295
An ex-Googler built a Protocol Buffers replacement that's "infinity times faster."
The trick is one you can basically only do in C.
Most think C survives because it's fast.
What's the real reason?
The trick is one you can basically only do in C.
Most think C survives because it's fast.
What's the real reason?
2
3
5
268
PHP2Shell explained
One ordinary HTTP request could run an attacker's code on a PHP server.
The bug hid in PHP for nearly 15 years, under most of the web.
How does an ordinary request take over a server?
One ordinary HTTP request could run an attacker's code on a PHP server.
The bug hid in PHP for nearly 15 years, under most of the web.
How does an ordinary request take over a server?
0
3
15
1,922
Visited my hometown, met a former Space Shuttle engineer. Talked about driverless cars, and he told me we would never get to Level 5 autonomy. Wasn't phased that I had ridden in one to the airport.
Distance between SF and the rest of the world is unbelievable
Distance between SF and the rest of the world is unbelievable
5
0
27
1,887
The most popular library in all of software has a deadly trap.
You've probably written lots of code with the same trap.
What is it, and how do you defuse it?
You've probably written lots of code with the same trap.
What is it, and how do you defuse it?
0
0
0
238
In 1999, NASA's $300 million Mars Climate Orbiter program was lost due to a type error.
How does a type error destroy a spacecraft?
How does a type error destroy a spacecraft?
1
0
3
464
The tech lead says this code is a problem.
The engineer says it's fine. It's only ever called right before the benchmark runs.
Same code. Why can't they agree?
The engineer says it's fine. It's only ever called right before the benchmark runs.
Same code. Why can't they agree?
1
0
6
440
There are two ways to write bad tests. Most programmers only know one.
Test too little, and you miss bugs.
But how can a test check too much?
Test too little, and you miss bugs.
But how can a test check too much?
1
0
6
515
The worst part is that someone thought posting this would make their reputation go up
We keep improving performance across Claude, and you may have noticed it starts responding sooner!
Claude Code now gzips the conversation it sends on every turn, so it reaches the model faster. Cloud sessions also start up as soon as you start typing.
3
1
22
1,410
An engineer on my team needed one function from a file in another project.
But importing that file would drag in everything else in it too.
What could they do?
But importing that file would drag in everything else in it too.
What could they do?
0
0
4
282
Want to know what a program can do?
Don't look at what it does.
You can tell what a kitchen can make without reading a single recipe.
So what do you look at?
Don't look at what it does.
You can tell what a kitchen can make without reading a single recipe.
So what do you look at?
1
0
5
366
Here's a paradox: why are more senior engineers willing to leave more code messy? Is there a deeper wisdom?
0
1
0
282
You are using software right now that has a flaw that will never be fixed
In the early '90s, the people writing the HTTP standard misspelled "referrer".
Now your browser still sends that typo almost every time you visit a web page.
Not even an AI can fix it. Come learn why.
In the early '90s, the people writing the HTTP standard misspelled "referrer".
Now your browser still sends that typo almost every time you visit a web page.
Not even an AI can fix it. Come learn why.
0
2
4
286
Moving messy code into its own function makes it look cleaner.
But is that actually refactoring?
Or just boxing?
But is that actually refactoring?
Or just boxing?
1
1
6
593
In college, my top 4 interests were ML, ML, ML, and ML
* Machine Learning -- teaching computers to learn
* Machine Language -- reverse eng and game modding
* Meta Language -- OCaml, SML, and functional programming
* Meta-Learning -- teaching myself to learn
Seems I had a type.
* Machine Learning -- teaching computers to learn
* Machine Language -- reverse eng and game modding
* Meta Language -- OCaml, SML, and functional programming
* Meta-Learning -- teaching myself to learn
Seems I had a type.
3
0
24
846
Imagine a microwave that checks you didn't type a negative number. Or that it isn't causing a nuclear reaction.
Absurd, right? Yet a lot of code does something morally similar.
Why checking errors is bad
Absurd, right? Yet a lot of code does something morally similar.
Why checking errors is bad
1
1
8
537
The junior said two days. It took a month.
The senior said two weeks. It took two weeks.
The ninja said an hour. It took an hour.
How?
Music: "Ishikari Lore" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), CC BY 4.0
The senior said two weeks. It took two weeks.
The ninja said an hour. It took an hour.
How?
Music: "Ishikari Lore" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), CC BY 4.0
0
0
3
319