Ben Chalmers
@ben.cha.lmers.co.uk
Founder & CTO Engaged Intelligence
Geek, Tabletop Roleplayer, Programmer, Thinker.
Geek, Tabletop Roleplayer, Programmer, Thinker.
Pinned
Ben Chalmers
@ben.cha.lmers.co.uk
· Nov 21
While my top priority remains my startup Engaged Intelligence, it occurs to me that I might be able to help others as a fractional technical co-founder.
I'm also working on personal coding projects: I'm building a React based stack which is aimed at quickly building MVPs for early stage startups
I'm also working on personal coding projects: I'm building a React based stack which is aimed at quickly building MVPs for early stage startups
I don't see a marching order or a caller anywhere in this picture. These kids today are too woke for encumbrance rules. And what about the mind bondage spells they're meant to be casting on their parents? Bring back THAC0 and the d6 bell graph.
November 30, 2025 at 10:30 AM
I don't see a marching order or a caller anywhere in this picture. These kids today are too woke for encumbrance rules. And what about the mind bondage spells they're meant to be casting on their parents? Bring back THAC0 and the d6 bell graph.
Medieval artist draws a UK plug
My usual experiment to find out how bad LLMs are at technical instructions (wiring a UK plug) as applied to grok. It's just as bad as any other LLM out there:
November 26, 2025 at 9:55 AM
Medieval artist draws a UK plug
Medieval artists were an early form of generative AI
An ‘elephant done by a medieval artist that had never seen one’ - 15th century, London, Wellcome Library, MS.626, f. 228r
November 26, 2025 at 9:52 AM
Medieval artists were an early form of generative AI
My home-made dairy free Baileys has now ruined all other Bailey's for me (I think mine has more sugar and chocolate)
November 25, 2025 at 6:10 PM
My home-made dairy free Baileys has now ruined all other Bailey's for me (I think mine has more sugar and chocolate)
Last night I dreamt about wandering lost for ages, not being able to find the way to my destination. But also that I had clocked up surprisingly few steps in the process.
November 19, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Last night I dreamt about wandering lost for ages, not being able to find the way to my destination. But also that I had clocked up surprisingly few steps in the process.
This is missing busses, swimming pools and Wales.
November 18, 2025 at 11:41 AM
This is missing busses, swimming pools and Wales.
Got a text from the AA telling me to expect a call from them from a particular phone number (and including my membership number). So far, by the standards of this kind of thing, fairly reasonable. (would have been better if the message came from their app)
November 17, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Got a text from the AA telling me to expect a call from them from a particular phone number (and including my membership number). So far, by the standards of this kind of thing, fairly reasonable. (would have been better if the message came from their app)
Be the person your AI thinks you are. (Posting because apparently this was an extraordinary insight)
November 17, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Be the person your AI thinks you are. (Posting because apparently this was an extraordinary insight)
Tim Davie has been banished, but was he a traitor?
November 10, 2025 at 8:20 AM
Tim Davie has been banished, but was he a traitor?
When I make coffee, I sing "coffee coffee coffee goes the coffee machine" to the tune of a Canon photocopier advert from the 80s.
When I put cutlery into the drawer I sing to myself "forks knives spoons and friends" to the tune of gypsies, tramps & thieves
November 10, 2025 at 8:19 AM
When I make coffee, I sing "coffee coffee coffee goes the coffee machine" to the tune of a Canon photocopier advert from the 80s.
This is a reminder that societal collapse is only really a collapse of the elites.
It's also a pitch for the setting of the next roleplaying game I run.
It's also a pitch for the setting of the next roleplaying game I run.
A Map Of Britain After The 2029 Technology Crash, by me and my dad.
November 5, 2025 at 8:52 AM
This is a reminder that societal collapse is only really a collapse of the elites.
It's also a pitch for the setting of the next roleplaying game I run.
It's also a pitch for the setting of the next roleplaying game I run.
I've begun exploring my thoughts about Bluesky and AT Proto. Hopefully more to come as I look into this further.
Blue Sky Potential
And where it is AT
awesome.leaflet.pub
November 4, 2025 at 11:15 AM
I've begun exploring my thoughts about Bluesky and AT Proto. Hopefully more to come as I look into this further.
In this world of vibe coded software written by AI, I'm rebranding as an artisanal software engineer.
My code is no longer ugly and buggy, it is rustic.
And I get to charge a premium for my creations
My code is no longer ugly and buggy, it is rustic.
And I get to charge a premium for my creations
October 28, 2025 at 8:31 AM
In this world of vibe coded software written by AI, I'm rebranding as an artisanal software engineer.
My code is no longer ugly and buggy, it is rustic.
And I get to charge a premium for my creations
My code is no longer ugly and buggy, it is rustic.
And I get to charge a premium for my creations
Thought I'm pondering:
In order to find the others, the first (and highest leverage) step is to make it easy for the others to find you.
In order to find the others, the first (and highest leverage) step is to make it easy for the others to find you.
October 24, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Thought I'm pondering:
In order to find the others, the first (and highest leverage) step is to make it easy for the others to find you.
In order to find the others, the first (and highest leverage) step is to make it easy for the others to find you.
They say the cause of the Aws issue is DNS.
Can we just assume all problems everywhere, up to and including the problem of evil are caused by DNS?
Can we just assume all problems everywhere, up to and including the problem of evil are caused by DNS?
October 20, 2025 at 2:43 PM
They say the cause of the Aws issue is DNS.
Can we just assume all problems everywhere, up to and including the problem of evil are caused by DNS?
Can we just assume all problems everywhere, up to and including the problem of evil are caused by DNS?
I blame Eddie Murphy. Sellers would have stopped the Louvre robbery. (Martin? Might have eventually solved it if it happened in his building)
October 20, 2025 at 7:53 AM
I blame Eddie Murphy. Sellers would have stopped the Louvre robbery. (Martin? Might have eventually solved it if it happened in his building)
Wait! Hear me out! Was Trump intending to send the army in to help Poland?
👀"Amid rising tensions, Poland urges citizens to 'immediately' leave Belarus" kyivindependent.com/amid-rising-...
Amid rising tensions, Poland urges citizens to 'immediately' leave Belarus
"In the event of a drastic deterioration in the security situation, border closures, or other unforeseen circumstances, evacuation may prove significantly more difficult or even impossible," Poland's ...
kyivindependent.com
September 28, 2025 at 4:29 AM
Wait! Hear me out! Was Trump intending to send the army in to help Poland?
In other news there is a company called "Fivetran"
Imagine the naming discussion:
"We've gotta be, what, 25% better than Fortran"
Imagine the naming discussion:
"We've gotta be, what, 25% better than Fortran"
Sources: data integration company Fivetran is in talks to acquire data management company dbt Labs in a deal valuing the combined entity at between $5B and $10B (The Information)
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
September 28, 2025 at 4:24 AM
In other news there is a company called "Fivetran"
Imagine the naming discussion:
"We've gotta be, what, 25% better than Fortran"
Imagine the naming discussion:
"We've gotta be, what, 25% better than Fortran"
There was only one place I had to visit in Dubai. Though apparently there is no 'us' in Museum
(Also apparently there are lots of coffee museums around the world - 3 in Germany alone - but none in the UK. Why don't we have a coffee museum? Maybe I should start a coffee museum... )
(Also apparently there are lots of coffee museums around the world - 3 in Germany alone - but none in the UK. Why don't we have a coffee museum? Maybe I should start a coffee museum... )
September 27, 2025 at 11:57 AM
There was only one place I had to visit in Dubai. Though apparently there is no 'us' in Museum
(Also apparently there are lots of coffee museums around the world - 3 in Germany alone - but none in the UK. Why don't we have a coffee museum? Maybe I should start a coffee museum... )
(Also apparently there are lots of coffee museums around the world - 3 in Germany alone - but none in the UK. Why don't we have a coffee museum? Maybe I should start a coffee museum... )
Glad I met Liz Truss
September 27, 2025 at 4:28 AM
Glad I met Liz Truss
I don't think I have had clafoutis before tonight.
I'm not sure I've really had it now, since it tasted more like a hot jellied custard than it looks like it should on Wikipedia...
I think what I had was clefairytis (which is the jellified remains of a boiled down clefairy).
It was delicious.
I'm not sure I've really had it now, since it tasted more like a hot jellied custard than it looks like it should on Wikipedia...
I think what I had was clefairytis (which is the jellified remains of a boiled down clefairy).
It was delicious.
September 25, 2025 at 3:42 PM
I don't think I have had clafoutis before tonight.
I'm not sure I've really had it now, since it tasted more like a hot jellied custard than it looks like it should on Wikipedia...
I think what I had was clefairytis (which is the jellified remains of a boiled down clefairy).
It was delicious.
I'm not sure I've really had it now, since it tasted more like a hot jellied custard than it looks like it should on Wikipedia...
I think what I had was clefairytis (which is the jellified remains of a boiled down clefairy).
It was delicious.
My first thought on hearing the rapture has been predicted for today was "cool, I'm in Dubai, the Burj khalifa would be a great spot to watch it from"
My second thought: "scratch that, Rapture will be underwhelming here. But there will be someone to serve me cocktails once I get left behind"
My second thought: "scratch that, Rapture will be underwhelming here. But there will be someone to serve me cocktails once I get left behind"
September 22, 2025 at 5:20 AM
My first thought on hearing the rapture has been predicted for today was "cool, I'm in Dubai, the Burj khalifa would be a great spot to watch it from"
My second thought: "scratch that, Rapture will be underwhelming here. But there will be someone to serve me cocktails once I get left behind"
My second thought: "scratch that, Rapture will be underwhelming here. But there will be someone to serve me cocktails once I get left behind"
This has got me asking so many questions about the unaired adventures of Mr Benn
Eyes Wide Shut was a cautionary tale about renting a costume
September 21, 2025 at 8:30 AM
This has got me asking so many questions about the unaired adventures of Mr Benn