Once again, I used my job's learning and development stipend to purchase some books. The second I finished in 2026 is Exit, Voice, and Loyalty: Responses to Decline in Firms, Organizations, and States by Albert O. Hirschman.

I just finished reading Brian Merchant's Blood in the Machine. I'd received many glowing recommendations of it from other workers in tech, and frankly, my opinion of those recommenders has fallen a bit. But I do think it's worth reading, despite its flaws.

I mentioned to my father that I was heading out this afternoon to Berkeley Espresso, which is where I sit as I write this. It not being one of his usual haunts, it took him, a third-generation Berkeleyan, a moment to remember it, but it soon clicked. "Oh yeah! I like that place! One of the last old Berkeley coffee shops." I knew immediately what he meant by this description, even though I'd never used it myself. They're slowly dying out, and I remember them fondly, so I figured I'd contribute my own small written memorial.

I've been asked more than once by junior coders: "When will I start feeling like I know what I'm doing?" They're not usually prepared for my answer, which is "never."

I saw my first dead body today.