Abe Usher

I have three passions in life: people, data, and beverages.

[Yun-Ta Tsai @yunta_tsai]

We have reached an era where some people have not touched a steering wheel and have simply let their cars drive them around for a whole year, whereas others do not know this is possible at all.

[Abe Usher @abeusher]

Laser-like focus is a superpower. #FTW

[François Chollet @fchollet]

In the era of algorithmic distraction, the ability to maintain a single thread of thought for four hours is a superpower. It is the only way to solve hard problems.

[Abe Usher @abeusher]

I love Eric Raymond's thoughts about his identity as a Wizard of software engineering and creating outcomes (spells that affect the world), and *not* associating his identity with hand-crafted code (very specific ways of making spells). 🧙‍♂️

[Eric S. Raymond @esrtweet]

Is it weird that AI coding assistance is not giving me identity fracture?

A lot of software developers are feeling disoriented and threatened these days. Programming by hand is clearly going the way of the buggy whip and the hand-cranked auger. Which is how we're finding out that a lot of people have their identities bound up in being good at hand-coding and how it feels to do that.

That's not me. It's not me at all. Rather to my surprise, I don't miss coding by hand, not any more than I missed writing assembler when compilers ate the world and made that unnecessary. (That was in a couple years back around 1983, for you youngsters.)

Maybe the fact that I'm not feeling any of this disorientation disqualifies me from having anything to say to people who are. On the other hand...if you can learn to emulate my mental stance and be completely unbothered, maybe that would be a good thing?

So. If you're a programmer, and you're feeling disoriented, try this on for size:

I like being a wizard. I like being able to speak spells, to weave complex patterns of logic that make things happen in the world. Writing code is a way to manifest my will.

Yes, I've piled up a lot of arcane knowledge over the 50 years I've been doing this. But languages of invocation, they come and they go. Been a long time since I've had any use for being able to program in 8086 assembler, and that's okay. I have better spells now, and these days some rather powerful familiars.

What I'm inviting you to do is think of yourself as a wizard. Not as a person who writes code, but as a person who is good at assuming the kind of mental states required to bend reality with the application of spells.

And if that's who you are, does it matter if the spells are painstakingly scribed in runes of power, versus being spoken to an obedient machine spirit?

It's all one; it's all the manifestation of will. Arcane languages come and go, machine spirits appear and then diminish to be replaced by more powerful ones, but you? You are the magic-wielder. Without you, none of it happens.

Same as it ever was. Same is it ever was. And so mote it be.

[Abe Usher @abeusher]

Captivating combat at @BattleBots Las Vegas!

Go Skye Symon!

[Abe Usher @abeusher]

I'm Riding to Make a Difference – Please consider contributing to this worthy activity

https://t.co/UeB4lln5yV

From May 15–17, 2026, I’ll be participating in Face of America: Gettysburg, a two-day cycling challenge that honors and supports adaptive athletes, military veterans, first responders, and civilians from across North America and beyond. This inspiring event, organized by the nonprofit World T.E.A.M., brings together riders of all abilities—creating one of the nation’s most inclusive athletic experiences.

Why It Matters

In the U.S., 1 in 4 people live with a disability. Since 2015, over 706,000 American service members have sought or received compensation for service-related injuries. World T.E.A.M. (The Exceptional Athlete Matters) is dedicated to empowering these individuals through inclusive outdoor sporting events that promote teamwork, resilience, and personal achievement.

For more than 30 years, World T.E.A.M. has challenged children and adults with disabilities to reach new heights through adventure sports—cycling, rafting, climbing, and more—alongside able-bodied teammates.

How You Can Help

I'm riding to raise funds that will directly support adaptive athletes and veterans on their journey to healing and achievement. Your donation, no matter the amount, will make a lasting impact.

Please help me reach my fundraising goal—and be part of changing a life.

Thank you so much for your support!

[Eric S. Raymond @esrtweet]

If you are a software engineer "experiencing some degree of mental health crisis", now hear this, because I've been coding for 50 years since the days of punched cards and I have a salutary kick in your ass to deliver.

Get over yourself. Every previous "programming is obsolete" panic has been a bust, and this one's going to be too.

The fundamental problem of mismatch between the intentions in human minds and the specifications that a computer can interpret hasn't gone away just because now you can do a lot of your programming in natural language to an LLM.

Systems are still complicated. This shit is still difficult. The need for people who specialize in bridging that gap isn't going to go away.

As usual, the answer is: upskill yourself and adapt. If a crusty old fart like me can do it, you can too.

[Abe Usher @abeusher]

The #RalphWiggum loop blew up because brute-force persistence works… sometimes.

But for truly robust, efficient agentic AI we need something smarter.
Enter #SPARK — a better paradigm for human-AI collaboration:

Sense — Humans + machines gather context, data, algos, and expert guardrails needed for the task (decision / prediction / recommendation / generation)
Plan — Craft a tight, specialized task list + clear operational rules to shape and guide AI behavior
Action — AI executes step(s) with focus
Reflect — AI evaluates outputs, measures progress against the goal, spots gaps
Knowledge-Update — Log lessons learned → refine future Plans & Actions for continuous improvement

From dumb persistence (#RalphWiggum) → intelligent, self-improving loops.

Who's building with a similar pattern? What would you tweak? @AndrewYNg @Steve_Yegge @OfficialLoganK @sama @karpathy @bobgourley @jeremyphoward

#AIagents #AgenticAI

[Abe Usher @abeusher]

@Steve_Yegge Buckle up - it is quite a creative journey. In the style of this previous (2008) epic Steve Yegge post https://t.co/yxqkoR8Ka4

[Abe Usher @abeusher]

Best blog post of 2026 by @Steve_Yegge - highly recommended! #mustread "Welcome to Gas Town" https://t.co/b5xpoRVe3w

[OpenHands @OpenHandsDev]

Introducing the OpenHands CLI, a new coding CLI that:

- Has top accuracy (similar to Claude Code)
- Is completely open source, MIT licensed
- Is model agnostic, use an API or bring your own
- Is simple to install and run `pip install openhands-ai` and `openhands` (no Docker!)

[Abe Usher @abeusher]

It’s just a fun coding game.

[Abe Usher @abeusher]

I just completed "Trebuchet?!" - Day 1 - Advent of Code 2023, with help from @jeremyphoward and the answerAI solveit platform https://t.co/DR7kn3PpuB #AdventOfCode

[Christopher Gardner @GardnerPhD]

Plant-Protein & Heart Health

New research: Eating more plant protein may cut heart disease risk. The key isn't just protein—it's the fiber & lower saturated fat in plant-based options vs. animal proteins.

Prioritize fiber & cut sat fat for heart health

https://t.co/uiVzBxv9hL

[Logan Kilpatrick @OfficialLoganK]

Most of the limitation of AI today is in the product, not the model. Stop waiting and start building!

[Abe Usher @abeusher]

All of my major health markers (blood pressure, resting heart rate, bodyweight, body composition, LDL-C, HDL-C, total cholesterol, hs-CRP, and others) returned to ideal ranges once I switched to a eating pattern focused on eating plant foods and minimizing junk food. 🏆

I eat mostly oatmeal, blueberries & strawberries, apples, bananas, dates, potatoes, rice, beans, lentils, peas, carrots, spinach, broccoli, onions, garlic, walnuts, peanuts, almonds, and chia seeds. For fun and flavor I add some sauces or spices -- easy-peasy! 🍎

Thank you @DrNealBarnard and @PCRM ! ❤️

[Neal Barnard, MD @DrNealBarnard]

Eat more plants. Your body will thank you.

[Abe Usher @abeusher]

And preceding @DrNealBarnard @ChuckCarrollWLC gave a very personal talk explaining the danger of food addiction and how liberating it is to eat all you want while remaining slim and fit

[Abe Usher @abeusher]

. @DrNealBarnard giving a great talk at the National Press Club on the new book “The Power Foods Diet: the Breakthrough Plan that traps, tames, and burns calories for easy and permanent weight loss”

If you care about your health and the health of your loved ones, I give the book my highest recommendation 10/10

https://t.co/2CqWxADWmA

@PCRM

[Abe Usher @abeusher]

Happy Superb Owl Day! 🦉 https://t.co/1DYRfFvctl

[Nick Hedley @nickhedley]

California's solar duck curve has gotten deeper every year. Now, there's pretty much zero demand for electricity from the grid during the middle of the day.

[World of Engineering @engineers_feed]

Optimist: The glass is 1/2 full

Pessimist: The glass is 1/2 empty

Engineer: The glass is twice as big as it needs to be

Excel: The glass is January 2nd