Kent Beck
@kentbeck.com
Independent I guess these days you'd say content producer, artist, programmer, musician, pokerist. More about me at https://KentBeck.com.
SF history in the gloaming
June 18, 2025 at 1:15 PM
SF history in the gloaming
I've been trying for years to get a decent shot of a bird of paradise flower. I finally got one. Still not perfect but that's what the quest is for.
May 15, 2025 at 1:12 PM
I've been trying for years to get a decent shot of a bird of paradise flower. I finally got one. Still not perfect but that's what the quest is for.
How Long Should Functions Be?
Hint: The Answer's a Distribution, Not a Number
tidyfirst.substack.com/p/how-long-s...
I'd love to be contradicted with data.
Hint: The Answer's a Distribution, Not a Number
tidyfirst.substack.com/p/how-long-s...
I'd love to be contradicted with data.
March 11, 2025 at 1:03 PM
How Long Should Functions Be?
Hint: The Answer's a Distribution, Not a Number
tidyfirst.substack.com/p/how-long-s...
I'd love to be contradicted with data.
Hint: The Answer's a Distribution, Not a Number
tidyfirst.substack.com/p/how-long-s...
I'd love to be contradicted with data.
One way to look at tests is as a filter that lets (most) good changes through & keeps (most) bad changes out. Tests make (most) mistakes reversible. Layer these filters & you get better discrimination at the cost of longer delays & more maintenance.
February 24, 2025 at 3:44 PM
One way to look at tests is as a filter that lets (most) good changes through & keeps (most) bad changes out. Tests make (most) mistakes reversible. Layer these filters & you get better discrimination at the cost of longer delays & more maintenance.
February 14, 2025 at 6:35 PM
I'm not anti-metric. I'm anti metric abuse. Data mostly asks questions, not answers them. Here's an example of using data to ask questions about who are influential programmers on a project. tidyfirst.substack.com/p/measuring-...
January 27, 2025 at 5:29 PM
I'm not anti-metric. I'm anti metric abuse. Data mostly asks questions, not answers them. Here's an example of using data to ask questions about who are influential programmers on a project. tidyfirst.substack.com/p/measuring-...
Here's a sequence I haven't heard discussed. You have a system with tests. You break the system into parts. You add tests for the parts. Now you have redundant coverage. You have the opportunity to trim the system-level tests without losing any confidence in the behavior of the system. Do you?
January 17, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Here's a sequence I haven't heard discussed. You have a system with tests. You break the system into parts. You add tests for the parts. Now you have redundant coverage. You have the opportunity to trim the system-level tests without losing any confidence in the behavior of the system. Do you?
"Space Needle", 12" x 4", acrylic on glass. I love painting scenes with strong emotional connection, in this case my parents taking me to Seattle frequently as a kid.
January 15, 2025 at 3:59 AM
"Space Needle", 12" x 4", acrylic on glass. I love painting scenes with strong emotional connection, in this case my parents taking me to Seattle frequently as a kid.
Untitled, 10” x 8”, oil pen on acetate. One of the cool things about drawing on clear plastic is the background completely changes the picture. Also, new gear inspires—I got the Overseas PMA-520 pen set.
January 7, 2025 at 5:17 AM
Untitled, 10” x 8”, oil pen on acetate. One of the cool things about drawing on clear plastic is the background completely changes the picture. Also, new gear inspires—I got the Overseas PMA-520 pen set.
My second favorite photo of mine now graces my desk
December 27, 2024 at 6:17 PM
My second favorite photo of mine now graces my desk
In the 3X: Explore/Expand/Extract model people ask about the transition from Explore to Expand. How do you know when it's time?
Answer: The market tells you. Like this. You can't force it.
Answer: The market tells you. Like this. You can't force it.
November 20, 2024 at 12:21 AM
In the 3X: Explore/Expand/Extract model people ask about the transition from Explore to Expand. How do you know when it's time?
Answer: The market tells you. Like this. You can't force it.
Answer: The market tells you. Like this. You can't force it.
Untitled, 150 cm x 45 cm, acrylic on glass. These abstracts often start with a single gesture, in this case the sort of squid-looking figure on the left. The rest fills itself in around that.
November 18, 2024 at 12:02 AM
Untitled, 150 cm x 45 cm, acrylic on glass. These abstracts often start with a single gesture, in this case the sort of squid-looking figure on the left. The rest fills itself in around that.
Untitled, acrylic on plexiglas mirror, 28cm x 23cm, 2022. Of my abstracts people ask, "What does it mean?" The best answer I've found it that this is what the inside of my head looks like. What does it mean? Everything & nothing.
November 15, 2024 at 2:10 PM
Untitled, acrylic on plexiglas mirror, 28cm x 23cm, 2022. Of my abstracts people ask, "What does it mean?" The best answer I've found it that this is what the inside of my head looks like. What does it mean? Everything & nothing.
Deepgeek. I found a new fat-tail distribution. If a line of code is deeply indented, well, it's more likely than a random line to need to be indented further. Voila!
November 13, 2024 at 2:56 PM
Deepgeek. I found a new fat-tail distribution. If a line of code is deeply indented, well, it's more likely than a random line to need to be indented further. Voila!
One response to #ForestAndDesert has been “I don’t find your distinction helpful because my place is not as bad as the desert you describe”. There’s a big difference depending on where you want to go, even if the current situation looks similar. Cc @bethcodes.bsky.social
November 12, 2024 at 12:20 PM
One response to #ForestAndDesert has been “I don’t find your distinction helpful because my place is not as bad as the desert you describe”. There’s a big difference depending on where you want to go, even if the current situation looks similar. Cc @bethcodes.bsky.social
?!, 150x45cm, acrylic on double sided mirror. Suspended so it turns with air currents. The viewer & their background become a deliberate part of the image (this is fun to watch).
November 11, 2024 at 7:58 AM
?!, 150x45cm, acrylic on double sided mirror. Suspended so it turns with air currents. The viewer & their background become a deliberate part of the image (this is fun to watch).
When searching for topic/audience fit, rather than try & guess whether people will be interested, just publish pretty much everything you write. https://tidyfirst.substack.com/p/publish-everything-pretty-much
August 10, 2023 at 2:21 PM
When searching for topic/audience fit, rather than try & guess whether people will be interested, just publish pretty much everything you write. https://tidyfirst.substack.com/p/publish-everything-pretty-much
Today/Tomorrow, 45cmx150cm, acrylic on glass.
I've wanted to try this format for a while. Turned out to be harder to think about that I expected so I just fell back on intuition. (Not the final base.)
I've wanted to try this format for a while. Turned out to be harder to think about that I expected so I just fell back on intuition. (Not the final base.)
July 13, 2023 at 5:36 PM
Today/Tomorrow, 45cmx150cm, acrylic on glass.
I've wanted to try this format for a while. Turned out to be harder to think about that I expected so I just fell back on intuition. (Not the final base.)
I've wanted to try this format for a while. Turned out to be harder to think about that I expected so I just fell back on intuition. (Not the final base.)
Untitled, 150cmx45cm (60inx18in), acrylic on glass mirror.
This from a series described as "what the inside of Kent's brain looks like". The rainbows in the corner came first this time. The rest filled itself in.
A note about the presentation--BlueSky's 4:3 aspect ratio dictated a black background
This from a series described as "what the inside of Kent's brain looks like". The rainbows in the corner came first this time. The rest filled itself in.
A note about the presentation--BlueSky's 4:3 aspect ratio dictated a black background
July 10, 2023 at 2:19 PM
Untitled, 150cmx45cm (60inx18in), acrylic on glass mirror.
This from a series described as "what the inside of Kent's brain looks like". The rainbows in the corner came first this time. The rest filled itself in.
A note about the presentation--BlueSky's 4:3 aspect ratio dictated a black background
This from a series described as "what the inside of Kent's brain looks like". The rainbows in the corner came first this time. The rest filled itself in.
A note about the presentation--BlueSky's 4:3 aspect ratio dictated a black background