Notes from the workbench
Writing
Longer thoughts on the systems we build, the tools we use, and the freedom to change them.
- Systems
- Programming Languages
- AI & Software
- Open Creation
- Emacs Is My AI Coding WorkbenchHow agent-shell, a mobile chat bridge, and a live Lisp environment let my development tools evolve alongside the projects I build.Oct 2, 2026
- Open Source and the Freedom to CreateAI can free programmers to create around human needs. Open source shows what becomes possible when users can also become developers—and why that freedom matters.Sep 16, 2026
- Programming Languages Between C and LispC and Lisp are the two great mountains of programming. Other popular languages build bridges between hardware control and the heights of abstraction.Aug 15, 2026
- Good Taste Makes Special Cases DisappearLinus Torvalds’s linked-list example shows how a better abstraction eliminates special cases—and why that matters for the code our AI agents write.Aug 8, 2026
- Live Programming in Python with pyvivoInspect, evaluate, patch, and roll back code inside a running Python process. PEP 768 gives Python a new route into the live-system tradition of Lisp.Aug 2, 2026
- Why Faster AI Coding Does Not Mean Faster DevelopmentAI agents can industrialize the production of hacks. Python shows how software decays—and how live, inspectable systems might help us fight back.Jul 24, 2026