Thorsten Ball
@thorstenball.com
Author of interpreterbook.com and compilerbook.com. Working at Sourcegraph. Previously Zed. Programming where the rubber hits the road. Writing Register Spill at: registerspill.thorstenball.com
Oh yeah. Wait for that 1 Mile chapter. Or battery park.
July 19, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Oh yeah. Wait for that 1 Mile chapter. Or battery park.
Don't they support "!<command here>" in there?
July 15, 2025 at 10:42 AM
Don't they support "!<command here>" in there?
Arriving with the sound of two thousand angry tambourines, here it is:
New issue of Joy & Curiosity!
registerspill.thorstenball.com/p/joy-and-cu...
New issue of Joy & Curiosity!
registerspill.thorstenball.com/p/joy-and-cu...
July 12, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Arriving with the sound of two thousand angry tambourines, here it is:
New issue of Joy & Curiosity!
registerspill.thorstenball.com/p/joy-and-cu...
New issue of Joy & Curiosity!
registerspill.thorstenball.com/p/joy-and-cu...
Oh my god, Marty, would you look at that!
What is it, Barbara? Are you okay?
Marty, it's... it's... two made-up names and...
a new issue of Joy & Curiosity!
registerspill.thorstenball.com/p/joy-and-cu...
What is it, Barbara? Are you okay?
Marty, it's... it's... two made-up names and...
a new issue of Joy & Curiosity!
registerspill.thorstenball.com/p/joy-and-cu...
July 6, 2025 at 7:35 AM
Oh my god, Marty, would you look at that!
What is it, Barbara? Are you okay?
Marty, it's... it's... two made-up names and...
a new issue of Joy & Curiosity!
registerspill.thorstenball.com/p/joy-and-cu...
What is it, Barbara? Are you okay?
Marty, it's... it's... two made-up names and...
a new issue of Joy & Curiosity!
registerspill.thorstenball.com/p/joy-and-cu...
So sorry to hear, Brian. Man that sucks. Virtual hug
July 2, 2025 at 6:57 PM
So sorry to hear, Brian. Man that sucks. Virtual hug
Look, look, look! It's back!
The two week break is over.
A new Joy & Curiosity.
Read it here (if you're not subscribed — wow): registerspill.thorstenball.com/p/joy-and-cu...
The two week break is over.
A new Joy & Curiosity.
Read it here (if you're not subscribed — wow): registerspill.thorstenball.com/p/joy-and-cu...
June 28, 2025 at 8:55 AM
Look, look, look! It's back!
The two week break is over.
A new Joy & Curiosity.
Read it here (if you're not subscribed — wow): registerspill.thorstenball.com/p/joy-and-cu...
The two week break is over.
A new Joy & Curiosity.
Read it here (if you're not subscribed — wow): registerspill.thorstenball.com/p/joy-and-cu...
I wrote about it in the last or second to last newsletter :)
June 25, 2025 at 12:02 PM
I wrote about it in the last or second to last newsletter :)
Extending the summer break: no newsletter this weekend.
June 21, 2025 at 9:57 AM
Extending the summer break: no newsletter this weekend.
Not sure I'm following, tbh
June 19, 2025 at 7:32 AM
Not sure I'm following, tbh
I think it comes from gaming
June 13, 2025 at 11:31 AM
I think it comes from gaming
CARO: Robert Moses, who replaced corruption in New York City, was worse than corruption for the democratic processes. In the postwar era many forces were coming together to destroy those processes in New York. But he was the most import—
THORSTEN, CARO'S FRIEND: fuck him up bob
THORSTEN, CARO'S FRIEND: fuck him up bob
June 13, 2025 at 6:43 AM
CARO: Robert Moses, who replaced corruption in New York City, was worse than corruption for the democratic processes. In the postwar era many forces were coming together to destroy those processes in New York. But he was the most import—
THORSTEN, CARO'S FRIEND: fuck him up bob
THORSTEN, CARO'S FRIEND: fuck him up bob
Well, just ask someone who says agents can't code?
June 10, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Well, just ask someone who says agents can't code?
I don't think agents commit that much, but write a lot of code. 80%?
June 10, 2025 at 5:15 PM
I don't think agents commit that much, but write a lot of code. 80%?
ampcode.com
June 10, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Amp now supports subagents.
They're very powerful and I wonder whether they will change a lot of things.
So I wrote about them: ampcode.com/agents-for-t...
They're very powerful and I wonder whether they will change a lot of things.
So I wrote about them: ampcode.com/agents-for-t...
![Screenshot of the blog post that starts with this text:
"Amp now has subagents. Here’s what they look like in action:
<screenshot of app showing subagents>
But chances are that the first sentence and even that screenshot didn’t cause your facial expression to change.
After all: who even knows what a subagent is? So let’s start there.
What’s a subagent? If you’ve read How to Build an Agent you know that we define an agent as “an LLM with access to tools, giving it the ability to modify something outside the context window.”
Subagents are tools, too. They are agents that can be started by the main agent, the one you’re interacting with when you use Amp.
[...]"](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:mqqgy3lhxf37sp5nx2zc23mn/bafkreideiejxotc4g4cebcha2l257zyj3ahpnrdueaggblc32j7kiek5qm@jpeg)
June 10, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Amp now supports subagents.
They're very powerful and I wonder whether they will change a lot of things.
So I wrote about them: ampcode.com/agents-for-t...
They're very powerful and I wonder whether they will change a lot of things.
So I wrote about them: ampcode.com/agents-for-t...
(And yes! Brilliant post!)
June 8, 2025 at 6:11 PM
(And yes! Brilliant post!)
Since you like Go: I've found that implementing an agent yourself and playing around with that is the best learning experience
ampcode.com/how-to-build...
ampcode.com/how-to-build...
How to Build an Agent
Building a fully functional, code-editing agent in less than 400 lines.
ampcode.com
June 8, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Since you like Go: I've found that implementing an agent yourself and playing around with that is the best learning experience
ampcode.com/how-to-build...
ampcode.com/how-to-build...
Drums being drummed on, rattles, cymbals—
A group of people shouting hey, hey, hey—
Something's falling out of the sky, thrown out of a plane, what is it?
The group of people is pointing towards it.
"Hey, it's a new Register Spill!"
registerspill.thorstenball.com/p/joy-and-cu...
A group of people shouting hey, hey, hey—
Something's falling out of the sky, thrown out of a plane, what is it?
The group of people is pointing towards it.
"Hey, it's a new Register Spill!"
registerspill.thorstenball.com/p/joy-and-cu...
June 8, 2025 at 5:50 AM
Drums being drummed on, rattles, cymbals—
A group of people shouting hey, hey, hey—
Something's falling out of the sky, thrown out of a plane, what is it?
The group of people is pointing towards it.
"Hey, it's a new Register Spill!"
registerspill.thorstenball.com/p/joy-and-cu...
A group of people shouting hey, hey, hey—
Something's falling out of the sky, thrown out of a plane, what is it?
The group of people is pointing towards it.
"Hey, it's a new Register Spill!"
registerspill.thorstenball.com/p/joy-and-cu...
Haha, es wurden mir PIN/PUK gegeben damit man auch Online was freischalten kann, aber gleich dazu gesagt: "das müssen sie nicht! sie können den brief erstmal irgendwohin legen"
June 3, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Haha, es wurden mir PIN/PUK gegeben damit man auch Online was freischalten kann, aber gleich dazu gesagt: "das müssen sie nicht! sie können den brief erstmal irgendwohin legen"
Municipal office in my town let me know that my new personal ID is ready.
The Reply-To here translates to:
"Please use email from attachment"
Welcome to small-town Germany
The Reply-To here translates to:
"Please use email from attachment"
Welcome to small-town Germany
June 3, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Municipal office in my town let me know that my new personal ID is ready.
The Reply-To here translates to:
"Please use email from attachment"
Welcome to small-town Germany
The Reply-To here translates to:
"Please use email from attachment"
Welcome to small-town Germany
Yesterday I told my wife "you have to watch this" and showed her the Dyson keynote with the PencilVac and the FluffyCones and said stuff like "look! double lasers!" and "haha, no, wait, the best is yet to come"
Today I'm wondering whether she looks at me the same.
Today I'm wondering whether she looks at me the same.
June 1, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Yesterday I told my wife "you have to watch this" and showed her the Dyson keynote with the PencilVac and the FluffyCones and said stuff like "look! double lasers!" and "haha, no, wait, the best is yet to come"
Today I'm wondering whether she looks at me the same.
Today I'm wondering whether she looks at me the same.
Wait, what is tha—
Someone slipped something under the door. It's...
Look, it's a new Register Spill!
(Special Saturday Morning Delivery with Special Jujutsu Intro)
registerspill.thorstenball.com/p/joy-and-cu...
Someone slipped something under the door. It's...
Look, it's a new Register Spill!
(Special Saturday Morning Delivery with Special Jujutsu Intro)
registerspill.thorstenball.com/p/joy-and-cu...
May 31, 2025 at 5:00 AM
Wait, what is tha—
Someone slipped something under the door. It's...
Look, it's a new Register Spill!
(Special Saturday Morning Delivery with Special Jujutsu Intro)
registerspill.thorstenball.com/p/joy-and-cu...
Someone slipped something under the door. It's...
Look, it's a new Register Spill!
(Special Saturday Morning Delivery with Special Jujutsu Intro)
registerspill.thorstenball.com/p/joy-and-cu...
Okay, okay, `jj split` — that's nice.
May 29, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Okay, okay, `jj split` — that's nice.