kylecain

Developer

[kylecain @kylecain0]

I won’t ever tell them how I did it, it was magic

[jtriley2p @jtriley2p]

if you're in the same niche internet bubble as me, chances are you're an engineer. but not just any engineer. you're an engineer on the frontier, in the fringes of a niche intersection of military, hippy, and deeply academic technologies, in the part of the venn diagram so small you zoom in to see it.

the intersection of tech fields is where true magic happens and we have the privilege to be a part of that; to inscribe dick jokes into ssd's around the world, to race to create the first program with a new instruction in the big machine in the sky, to push the boundaries of computer science itself.

but there is something you should know.

we are all familiar with the infamous nerd snipes, with suspiciously free merch, with grandiose events, with globe trotting, with validation from those we thought would always remain out-of-reach idols.

these are good things. we like these things.

and every organization competent enough to have a familiar name is intimately aware of what we like. and they know how to trade these for the only thing worth more to than attention in the information economy, engineering talent.

underpaid contract work masquerades as hackathon bounties. the xkcd nerd sniping comic has been hijacked to exploit unpaid engineering and mindshare. validation is traded for insights, for discoveries, for edge.

just as the upper echelon of mev is an unfathomably sophisticated optimization game of coin movement, the upper echelon of engineering talent extraction is a convoluted industry of attention farming, meritocratic optics tuning, and deeply strategic information games.

you are valuable. you have edge. you would not be here if you didn't.

if you don't determine your value, the market will determine it for you. opting for naivety is opting for maximal extraction. i have been fortunate enough to receive more than i was worth before and i have been unfortunate enough to have handed over months of my life for next to free before. this volatility stems solely from ignorance.

these counterparties are not evil. they are not unworthy of our collaboration. however, they are rational, they are pragmatic, and alignment is coincidental, not guaranteed. if you are not fully aware of the value being exchanged, then you are gambling on an altruistic sacrifice of game theory optimal in the absence of information. consider the same strategy in the context of a poker room.

no amount of product managers can push product without engineering. no amount of visionaries can change the world without engineering. you're not the only piece of the puzzle, but you're a damn important piece.

all of this to say..

have fun, enjoy the kebap, collect the silly stickers on your laptop, talk about the interesting problems of the world on the rooftops with strangers, don't be afraid to philanthropically share your unique insights, but develop a keen eye for the flows of value in everything you see.

you have edge. use it wisely.

[Time Capsule Tales @timecaptales]

A thread of how American cities looked a century ago

1. Buffalo, New York, 1908

[kylecain @kylecain0]

@MeetHubGG 😂😂😂 don’t download this virus software if they dm you. Pathetic scam attempt

[Benoit Dubosson @beniduboss]

Lots of people are talking about being rich again because price is up

Which is fantastic, and I truly do wish y’all to make bank, but let me tell you something about money

I’ve gone through periods when I had it and lost it all, ran it back and lost it again and so on

People on CT love to glorify being worth 6-7-8 figs, truth is my friends, it don’t change shit when it really matters

I was born with a rare blood disorder, no amount of money is gonna save me. I need my injection every 48h otherwise I die simple as that.

My little sister is bedridden, will never be able to live a normal life no matter how much money I throw at her health.

My girlfriend wake me up in the middle of the night due to her PTSD and panic attacks, she’s getting help from the best fucking therapists on this planet, but there is no easy way to forget trauma

You might think you’ll be happier in a bigger house, a nicer car and all that but you won’t I can guarantee you. You’ll be happy for a few months and then it will just be normal.

Money is great, I am not saying it isn’t, but make sure you do it for the right reasons. I foolishly thought it was gonna solve everything and it didn’t solve shit and that’s not a realization you wanna go through believe me

I hope y’all make it,I hope you can help and provide for your family, but no matter who you are and what you do, you’ll never be god

[Jason Fried @jasonfried]

What do they got?

A big team, lots of money, a strong brand, seemingly unlimited resources, panache, reputation, all that. They’re established.

They’re your competitors.

You want to look away, but you see them everywhere. Their ads on your social, their name in the media, your dream clients on their website.

But you know what else they got?

Bigger company bloat. Overflowing obligations. Narratives to uphold. Appearances to maintain. Entitlement. Too much overhead.

They’re slow. They’re conservative. They talk too much. They’ve stopped taking risks. They’re resting on their laurels, gliding on their reputation. They’re on defense.

What they’ve really got is a lot to lose.

What do you got?

Hunger. Drive. Grit. Scrappiness. Independence. You’re on offense.

You don’t have enough, which is why you’re dangerous. You have no choice but to be clever and creative. To make up for what you don’t have with something they can’t have: The underdog spirit.

You can move. You can adjust. You can adapt. You can get it done while they’re still stuck deciding what to do.

Small is not a stepping stone. Small is not less than. It’s greater than. It’s faster than. It’s better than.

Savor your position. You don’t get to be the underdog forever. The baton will be passed. But for now, it’s your magic wand. Use it.

We stand with the underdogs.

[kylecain @kylecain0]

My GitHub Sponsors profile is live! You can sponsor me to support my open source work 💖 https://t.co/n33KYTxAOC

[kylecain @kylecain0]

this is for the nonbelievers

[Ava @noampomsky]

I want to do a post about avoiding cult leaders but some basic advice: 1) well-intentioned ppl don’t try to obscure things 2) charisma doesn’t imply correctness/intelligence 3) healthy people don’t try to control you 4) almost all ppl w grand sweeping messages are egomaniacs

[kylecain @kylecain0]

Leslie Lamport: Thinking Above the Code https://t.co/MiKDCx21wi

[kylecain @kylecain0]

what you create defines you, not what you consume

[The Chosen One @KiDCuDi]

As an artist, its our job to explore and try new things. A lot of cats dont take risks. They just make the same ol thing over and over. All my albums were diff from each other. Thats always been my mission. To provide new experiences. I always hoped people would see that.

[Garry Tan @garrytan]

Been thinking about this meme all week

Are you the kind of person who just rolls up your sleeves and plugs the hole?

Our world needs a whole lot more of that

[kylecain @kylecain0]

@hedsDAO heds

[kylecain @kylecain0]

Being Free of Photography Dogmas -- Walkie Talkie with Reuben Radding https://t.co/eh0YHi6Jz2

[kylecain @kylecain0]

@plazmicalex @Dice4ADA What kind of nonsense lol.... ALGO is literally being used to settle BTC transactions in El Salvador.

[kylecain @kylecain0]

@BrennerSpear @Metagame @the_meta_bot kylecain.eth

[Sahil Bloom @SahilBloom]

Harsh Truth: Most of your friends aren’t really your friends.

They’re just along for the ride when it’s fun, convenient, or valuable.

Your real friends are the ones who are there for you when it's none of those—when you have *nothing* to offer in return.

Cherish them.

[Brandon Thurber @lifeofthurbz]

Exploring these rooftops and the people I met doing it saved my life. When you reach the top of these buildings, everything else disappears. You put in countless hours, days, weeks, months, years for these photos and missions.

[kylecain @kylecain0]

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