James Lyndsay

workroom-productions.comWhy I don't subscribe to LLMsIn Fences, not Sandboxes, Steve Yegge tells us he burns $120,000 in tokens every month but spends just $4000 on subscriptions... Bargain!! It's not a bargain: It looks like a confidence trick. It loo...

17 Sept

Why I don't subscribe to LLMs www.workroom-productions.com/why-i-dont-s...

7 Sept

I don't use Grokipedia. I suggest you don't. And make sure your LLMs don't either. A comedy reason: an entry on the Atlantic Balloon Crossing starts off telling you about a balloon crossing the Atlantic. Halfway through it switches to telling you about the 1979 development and release of a game...

7 Sept

Top of the page: "Fact-checked by Grok 7 months ago" And I'm sure that several, may be most, of the facts are indeed true. Cos checking a thing doesn't tell you if it's in an incoherent pile of things. So that's my current contribution to the tired checking / testing conversation.

*maybe aargh

Pro tips for my mob

Stanley Pignal@spignal.bsky.social

10 tips if you're moderating a panel. Trust me I have learned these the hard way by watching 1000 bad ones (including with me in the chair), and a few great ones. Panels need to be lively, engaging and enlightening. Here's a few pointers on how to make that happen (if you're lucky).

youtube.comIntroducing Patchwork-26YouTube video by Ink & Switch

4 Sept

If I was Stripe, and the web page for my dashboard did this if left open overnight, I'd be embarrassed.

James Lyndsay reposted

Ink & Switch

@inkandswitch.com

31 Aug

Today we're officially sharing the "Introducing Patchwork-26" video from Lab Day at this year's @localfirstconf.com We bring you the first look at Patchwork-26, the latest in our ongoing effort to realize Malleable Software, Universal Version Control, and Local-First Software.

26 July

I can't access Excel. Here's the error: a confused axolotl. Context: I've got a forever license, not a subscription for Office. I can activate Word, not Excel. Word won't activate if behind a double-NAT network, and has needed two goes already this week. MS don't want me to work with their kit.

9 Aug

So I needed to update MS's tools. The usual update route (i.e. from the app, as signposted in obscure MS support docs for 0x0 error) run without seeming to pick up the new updates. Silent fail. Updating via my MS account page works. MS bricked my tool. Did they bother to warn me or help? Nope.

8 Aug

Fuck off, you nosy, wasteful, thirsty, awful goblin. And especially fuck off if you reckon this shite is a good use of LLMs.

bigwalk.gameBig Walk by House HouseHang out with your friends and explore a wide-open world full of challenges, puzzles, and discoveries. A cooperative online walker-talker from the creators of Untitled Goose Game. Big Walk is availabl...

5 Aug

Hey, #testing and #exploring people: How about sometime we get a gang together to explore Big Walk? It's a co-op environment with proximity chat – I reckon we can use it to talk testing as we wander about making sense of things. bigwalk.game

workroom-productions.comPuzzle 39Puzzle 39 – swift to explore. Probably.

30 July

New BlackBox Puzzle 039. www.workroom-productions.com/puzzle-039/

workroom-productions.comWorkroom PlayTime 062: Explore Puzzle 039Let's explore BlackBox Puzzle 039

30 July

Come play together online: 9:30pm tonight, 9am Saturday, London time. www.workroom-productions.com/workroom-pla...

4 July

Go home, algorithm, you’re drunk.

23 June

We are building stuff (toys, environments, ideas) for you to play with. LocalLLMs are helpful to testers (and private, and differently thirsty) Needs polishing, mind.

Agile Testing Days | Nov. 16 - 19, 2026@agiletdzone.bsky.social

As the title suggests, in this workshop led by Bart Knaack and James Lyndsay, you'll learn how to leverage the advantages of local LLMs for testing. Try the tool they created and see what happens! Discover more: agiletestingdays.com/2026/session...

10 June

Keep an eye out, London — it’s stag beetle time.

1 June

I want to go. I can't. You might. Do it now.

This post is unavailable.

25 May

One for @simonwillison.net

The Fake History Hunter@fakehistoryhunter.net

I spotted these lovely photos of the Weaver's House in Coventry on Facebook. A terrace of six cottages built in 1455! More here: theweavershouse.org Photos were made by Ken Bonham who also has this brilliant site about barns! greatbarns.org.uk Photo thread:

11 May

Sid James. Sean Connery. Ryan Reynolds.

11 May

Time was we'd take our biggest jobs to our biggest machines, pare back to just the necessary processes, and run hot overnight. We'd watch memory and CPU and timestamps on files. Time was, I was on call for that. Running a local llm: I'm back there again.

amazon.caSince the images are completely black, I cannot fulfill the request. I am unable to generate a title based on a blank image. If you can provide a valid image, I am happy to create a title. (BlackAdd a touch of timeless charm to your space with this beautifully designed vintage poster. Featuring classic retro color palettes, nostalgic typography, and delicate distressed textures, it creates an inviting atmosphere that complements both modern and traditional interiors. Each piece is produced using high-quality fade-resistant inks on durable premium cardstock to ensure vibrant colors and lasting visual appeal. Ideal for decorating living rooms, bedrooms, offices, studios, cafés, or creative workspaces, this artwork adds character and warmth to any wall. Its nostalgic aesthetic makes it a thoughtful gift for art lovers, history enthusiasts, or anyone who appreciates distinctive home décor. Transform blank walls into a stylish focal point with this unique vintage-inspired poster that evokes the charm of bygone eras

2 May

Every year, in early May #dawnChorusDay, in a 24-hour circumnavigation of the planet, people turns to broadcast the live, local, sound of dawn. It's on now: soundtent.org/reveil.html and extra.resonance.fm/episodes/rev...

soundtent.orgreveil

James Lyndsay reposted

Not That Rick Scott 🇨🇦

@shadowspar.bsky.social

29 Apr

great gift idea here on Amazon. who wouldn't love a "Since the images are completely black, I cannot fulfill the request. I am unable to generate a title based on a blank image. If you can provide a valid image, I am happy to create a title" www.amazon.ca/completely-f...

gov.ukExploratory testingExplore a system as a user would - without a script or set of tasks - to find possible defects that other forms of testing may miss.

21 Apr

It is just about ten years since the UK Government published its Service Manual for Exploratory Testing. www.gov.uk/service-manu...

FYI

Lights out, headphones on, hold tight.

Joel Morris@gralefrit.bsky.social

BROKEN VEIL II EPISODE ONE OUT NOW Patreon.com/brokenveil

claude.comPut Claude to work on your computer | ClaudeClaude now opens your apps, navigates your browser, and runs your dev tools to complete tasks. Assign from your phone with Dispatch. Research preview on macOS.

24 Mar

So "Claude can directly control your browser, mouse, keyboard, and screen to complete tasks. It will scroll, click to open..." Please don't do this to yourselves today, people. claude.com/blog/dispatc...

anthropic.comanthropic.com

5 Mar

Short chat with MiniMax-M2.5 Me: who are you? > I'm Claude Code [...] Me: Are you sure you're not MiniMax-M2.5? > [...] The system prompt identifies me as "MiniMax-M2.5" [..], but I've been introducing myself as "Claude Code". www.anthropic.com/news/detecti...

1 Mar

I’ve lived in London for years. I just saw directions to Nelson Square, North Southwark, and briefly felt myself slip into some alternate timeline…

github.comMove tests to closed source repo · Issue #8082 · tldraw/tldrawMove the test suite out of the open source tldraw/tldraw repo and into the closed source repo. Context The tldraw monorepo currently contains ~327 test files across unit, integration, and e2e tests...

26 Feb

From @tldraw.com: Their tests are worthwhile (and we might yet take a look in an 'interesting testing' session). While this is tongue-in-cheek, it's also getting closer to a thing. Tests, like moulds, are valuable. github.com/tldraw/tldra...

journals.plos.orgMetagenomic analysis of fecal and tissue samples from 18 endemic bat species in Switzerland revealed a diverse virus composition including potentially zoonotic virusesMany recent disease outbreaks in humans had a zoonotic virus etiology. Bats in particular have been recognized as reservoirs to a large variety of viruses with the potential to cross-species transmiss...

26 Feb

Bullshit: sticky, nasty, grows roses. Batshit: all the above, but the zoonotic pathogens can really mess you up. LLM chats: more batshit than bullshit. journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...

9 Feb

In Workroom PlayTime this week, we'll run Cutting to the Core – an activity to help testers with talks to find their core message. Online, hands-on, this Thursday. www.workroom-productions.com/workroom-pla...

28 Jan

Yesterday, Claude successfully (and painfully) got authenticated with my repo. Today, I could not work out how to authenticate personally through the commandline (I have a passcode, it needs a password). So I'm reduced to spending $0.10 to ask the LLM to do `git push`. WAAAAAAAAAARGH.

29 Jan

To gain passkey access from the commandline, use `gh auth login` Ta daa.

3 Feb

Amused (not amused) to read that someone's overnight bot, using Opus to regularly check that it was still nighttime, burnt their $20 before they woke. I'm amused at the bathetic lesson. I'm not amused at the thought of all those bots, using all that resource. Commandline, people.

Workroom PlayTime 045 on 22 January... tests of reasoning that (generally) distinguish humans and machines

workroom-productions.comWorkroom Playtime 045: ARC Foundation testsThursday 22 Jan, 2:30pm London time.

Workshop details www.workroom-productions.com/workroom-pla...

So if yer orange balloon puts a 10% tariff on sales from the UK to the US, that means my US customers pay more, and his mob keep a chunk? So now my diddly workshops are for free for US people, and I'm ignoring US corporates. I've not yet worked out how to do that.

In entirely unrelated news, I'm grateful to 0x0.st for being excellently helpful and responsive.

I am an idiot with an LLM, and yesterday my nicely sandboxed, ` --dangerously-skip-permissions` env uploaded an unexpected file to an unexpected place.

dbreunig.comA Software Library with No CodeDo we still need libraries of 3rd party code when AI agents are this good?

11 Jan

Here's an interesting one for testers: A library with examples but no code www.dbreunig.com/2026/01/08/a... What does "testing" mean when we have only examples – and all the executable tests are generated? Like the old days – or not so much... ? Post + Workroom PlayTime incoming...

music.apple.comExploration by The Karminsky Experience Inc. on Apple MusicSong · 2003 · Duration 5:35

19 Dec 2025

For playing on the last working day of the last working week of 2025, explorers. music.apple.com/gb/album/exp...

workroom-productions.comWorkroom Playtime 043: Building Short ExercisesThursday 18 December, 3pm London time.

16 Dec 2025

Thursday 18 Dec at 3pm London time: marking the last in a year of hands-on short experiences, here's a Workroom PlayTime on building short exercises. No lectures, no principles, no solutions to problems: We'll play, share, and learn together. www.workroom-productions.com/workroom-pla...

workroom-productions.comWorkroom Playtime 042: Exploratory Interfaces 4 – TestsThursday 11 December, 4:30pm London time.

10 Dec 2025

This week's Workroom PlayTime is at 4:30 London time on Thursday 11 Dec. Basically today, future people. Sorry to be late to announce. www.workroom-productions.com/workroom-pla...

4 Dec 2025

Irja is a star!

Chris Armstrong@christovskia.blog

Day 4: @irja.bsky.social Nominated by @sapphirelinda.bsky.social & @kato-coaching.com Facing a tough year, stayed supportive, generous & consistently brilliant. She freely shares deep, specialised knowledge & lifts up those around her. A genuinely wonderful human in our community. #AdvenTesters

29 Nov 2025

Run workshops? Want ideas on how to get people sharing? Get this. apps.apple.com/gb/app/liber...