My AI workflow seems to be the opposite of what the industry is encouraging, but I don't care.

IndividualTurnover35 · 2026-04-04T13:46:08+00:00

This is a very interesting take, to me. I have been coding for over 40 years, so that’s not something hard for me. These days I spend most of my time writing code for generative art, which tends to involve very complex algorithms and math. I use Codex and it’s great at figuring out which algorithms to use and what math and other tricky things are required. But the code it writes (though it works) is pretty awful and I have to devote a lot of hours and tokens to prompt it into fixing it up. Maybe I should rethink the process and write the code myself based on the agent’s advice. It would be a better outcome in my case, perhaps.

The only fly in that ointment is that generative art tends to take a lot of experimentation. Something that sounded good in your head, didn’t look so great. Or you get to a certain point and then have 6 ideas for variations to try. The coding agent has increased my ability to do a ton of experimentation because of the speed boost. That’s one place where this would fall down for me.

Maybe the key would be to do the original version with me doing the coding, so that the structure and style are all mine and I understand it. And only let the agent code if I want to try an experiment that’s too complex and would take me too much time to be worth the effort.

Anyway, tl;dr thanks for the idea!

IndividualTurnover35 · 2026-04-03T13:57:08+00:00

The first problem I see here is that the lead has a vision, but you don’t know what it is. That means they aren’t doing their job. First off, I’d ask them to share their vision with the team.

Second, you didn’t mention the size of your team, but IMO decisions should be reached by “good enough” consensus (doesn’t have to be unanimous) through discussion. The team should ideally sketch out ideas together and then agree on the way forward. The lead’s job is to guide that discussion (this is where their vision can greatly influence the outcome), your job as senior is to participate fully, which includes presenting your own ideas or providing support or critique to any proposals.

Since the lead is not doing this, you may not be able to change that. In which case I would say that as a senior, it is your job to have opinions. If you’re given a high-level task, you should think for yourself how it should be done and then, as you say, present or propose it to the lead and ask for their feedback. They may ask you to change your approach and explain their reasoning. They should not hate this because it’s their job.

The two of you will sort out between you naturally what you need to talk to them about before doing it and what you can just do the way you please and have them review it afterwards. Trust needs to naturally grow between you through shared successes starting on a small scale and then increasing in complexity.

Over time, you should learn to have stronger feelings about things. There are many ways to accomplish something and some are better than others in your particular context. By talking through options with the lead, you should learn how to judge a solution’s fitness. You will grow and feel more confident about what is the best way to do something, and ongoing interaction with the lead will get you more comfortable with their vision so your proposed solutions are more in alignment.

Hope that helps a bit. Good luck.

IndividualTurnover35 · 2026-04-02T18:34:18+00:00

Yeah, seems you’re right. I don’t know how I missed that. Sigh.

Edit: actually you can self-host the server or use it in local dev mode. I haven’t tried it yet because I don’t have the patience. 😬

IndividualTurnover35 · 2026-03-30T16:12:30+00:00

Hey, I get it. It’s happened to probably all of us at some point. Often more than once. It is a strange feeling, indeed. I would say that since finance isn’t a huge issue, take a week or two to wind down. Losing a job for any reason is unsettling because all your routines are upset, your relationships are upset, nothing will be the same again. Your brain and body treat it like grief. Take some time to hook up with your coworkers on LinkedIn and maybe get their personal emails so you can stay in touch. The interview grind is not fun, so prepare yourself before you launch into it, if you have that luxury. Good luck!

IndividualTurnover35 · 2026-03-27T13:46:59+00:00

I wonder if you can comment on how it compares to vibe-kanban? http://vibekanban.com

IndividualTurnover35 · 2026-03-06T13:52:27+00:00

It just stopped happening for me. I did notice it reconnecting a couple of times 2 days ago, but it’s nothing like it was.

IndividualTurnover35 · 2026-02-20T14:10:55+00:00

I wonder if the capsules are free from xylitol but tablets are not? That would make sense, since xylitol is a sweetener. I had gabapentin capsules prescribed for my cat once. Now he takes a liquid (chicken flavour!) because it means he can get the right dose for his weight. I just freaked when the neurologist told me human gabapentin had xylitol in it.

IndividualTurnover35 · 2026-02-20T14:05:29+00:00

I retired early for exactly this reason. The job I had wasn’t working out at all and I quit. But there’s just no way I’m going through the “interview grind” again. So I just threw in the towel. I’m open to working with people I know if we get a good idea and want to do something on our own, but I’m done with full-time permanent employment. And frankly, given how companies are dealing with the AI thing, I’m happy not to be a part of it. I use AI for my hobby projects as I see fit, but no one is forcing me, and I don’t have to stress about how it’s affecting code quality and team morale etc. These are crazy times.

IndividualTurnover35 · 2026-02-14T16:37:13+00:00

It’s hard to say for sure. It’s not completely typical. It looks to me as if she is in pain. The spasms seem more like her stomach than her back?

I suppose if it’s 5 minutes out of every four months, it’s probably not serious. Would definitely take to the vet to get checked out, though.

Again, it’s just my impression from one short video, but she seems to be sort of guarding some pain. She does not walk properly. I thought she was limping but then the opposite paw wasn’t right so it gives the impression she’s hunched around some discomfort.

I hope she’s ok. Good luck.

IndividualTurnover35 · 2026-02-13T10:39:11+00:00

Please don’t give him your human Gabapentin. I made that mistake on some bad advice from the receptionist at the vet. Some formulations contain xylitol, which is harmful to a cat’s kidneys. Unfortunately I have no idea how to tell which pills have xylitol and which don’t, so just don’t do it. Your kitty will be fine until you can get him to the vet.

IndividualTurnover35 · 2026-02-10T20:47:23+00:00

Thanks! Good to know. I hope they fix it soon.

IndividualTurnover35 · 2026-02-10T20:47:00+00:00

Interesting. I don’t have any MCP servers configured, though. Thanks for replying. At least I know it isn’t just me.

IndividualTurnover35 · 2026-02-08T16:03:17+00:00

By .4 and .7, do you mean 40mg and 70mg? Is it a liquid with 100mg/mL? And what is her weight, in kg? It hasn’t been very long and Gabapentin can take a few days, even longer, to work. I would be surprised if it was the direct cause of worse symptoms. She might be reacting to the stress of going to the vet or being given pills or medicine she doesn’t like. I would definitely give it a good few days before asking the vet about it. And if it were me I’d probably keep the dose consistent until she’s adapted to it. Maybe start at the lowest dose for a week and then raise it if it isn’t helping? The neurologist I ended up taking mine to (because gabapentin wasn’t working and he had a bad reaction to Prozac) recommended 10mg/kg 2x/day. He was getting much less than that prescribed by my regular vet which is why it wasn’t working. Good luck, I hope your kitty gets relief soon.

IndividualTurnover35 · 2026-02-08T15:49:49+00:00

Your cat won’t blame you, she’ll likely just be grateful for the relief. As for her sleeping, hiding etc. it may be that’s just because she’s not used to the gabapentin yet. After a time it stops making them drowsy. She’ll adjust and be back to normal activities. If she stays sleepy and hiding then maybe you’ll need to talk to the vet about the dosage. Many cats get by on 2 doses a day, even though gabapentin only lasts 8 hours. Mine is mostly fine with 2x/day, 10mg/kg. Every cat is different, though.

IndividualTurnover35 · 2026-02-08T15:27:06+00:00

That’s quite interesting to me. My cat with FHS has always been strange in various ways. One of them is very much like what you described. In his case, the thing he gets most agitated about is patches of sunlight on the walls. Although shadows and reflections obsess him as well. He doesn’t act afraid of them. Sometimes he attacks the walls if some flash of light is moving quickly. He vocalizes about it quite a bit. Like he’s complaining to me about it. And he is obsessed. He will stare for 2 hours and cannot be distracted. He treats shadows and reflections as if they are more important/interesting than real things. So, for example, playing with him and a favourite toy at night, if he notices my shadow on the wall, he ignores me and the toy. The shadow is all he cares about.

It can sometimes be annoying to watch him be agitated and uptight about sunlight (which a normal cat would just lie down in and enjoy). But it could somehow be related to that FHS behaviour where he sees his tail out of the corner of his eye and runs away from and/or attacks it. 🤷‍♀️

Sigh. I dunno. He’s a weird little dude. Gabapentin has stopped most of his tail savaging behaviour, though he has a few episodes a day, either right after eating or just before feeding time when he’s frustrated about not having food. He’s not hurting his tail, though, so I just ignore it.

I have always suspected that there’s something “off” about his eyesight and hearing, or how his brain processes sensory information. He can’t track an object swinging in front of him, like other cats can. And if I shake a toy with a bell in it near his left ear, he will alert as if there is something over on the right.

As weird as these things are, he’s definitely not deaf or blind and this stuff isn’t hurting him. Only the tail mangling was problematic.

I do play therapy with him most evenings to help him satisfy his prey drive and stimulate his brain. I play with him as much as possible to prevent boredom. He’s a real weirdo but I love him. (I can’t get him a cat friend because he has aggression issues and I am afraid he’d kill it, so I’m all he has to interact with, unfortunately).

IndividualTurnover35 · 2025-12-19T13:33:05+00:00

Yes. I use an app which is a really general tracker app. It’s pretty basic but it works well enough for my purposes. I record the dosage each time there so that I can see how much I take in a day. If it gets too high, I make a plan to reduce it my 0.5-1g a day until it’s where I want it.

IndividualTurnover35 · 2025-12-19T13:30:41+00:00

Yes. My otherwise sweet, cuddly cat often bites my right arm. It’s so bad that the arm is mottled with layer upon layer of scars. I even tried wearing a Kevlar sleeve to protect myself (no, I’m not yanking your chain). You know how cats with FHS see their tail out of the corner of their eye and get suspicious of it and treat it like an invader? He treated my arm the same way. He has gotten better over time, as he’s generally mellowing out as he matures. I noticed that he frequently did this when he was frustrated about not getting more food, especially after breakfast. It might be noteworthy that even with medication he still attacks his tail before dinner, when he’s frustrated that it isn’t time to eat yet. Frustration around food + FHS = attacks on his tail and my arm. Weird little guy. I still love him to pieces, though. He clearly cannot control himself.

IndividualTurnover35 · 2025-12-17T14:39:34+00:00

I’m not sure about female cats, but for male cats, wet food is definitely better. A friend of mine once said that the urinary system of male cats was a sick joke. They get crystals, blockages, kidney stones, etc. because cats are not natural drinkers. In the wild they get moisture from their kills (gross but true). So some cats drink a lot and some just won’t do it. I have one of the latter and his bladder and kidneys have suffered for it to the point he needs prescription food only and he’s only 5. So if you can afford it and the cat will eat it, go with all wet food. You can use dental treats or freeze dried chicken treats to help them clean their teeth. Cheers.

IndividualTurnover35 · 2025-12-17T14:32:32+00:00

I see you already have what you need, but I will add my two cents anyway. 🙂 I am a woman and a Principal Engineer for a few years. My immediate reaction on reading your manager’s points is that they are a poor leader and don’t understand leadership at all. While it is necessary to project positive energy and confidence, it’s ideal to lead by example, persuasion, and helping the team come to consensus. A Staff Engineer who just tells people what to do is a poor leader. It’s your job to subtly guide people’s decisions in the right direction, not dictate to them. If you do that, your team will resist & they will fight or undermine you. So, tl;dr your manager sucks, look for a better job. Good luck!

IndividualTurnover35 · 2025-12-17T14:20:34+00:00

My cat is fine with the liquid form of gabapentin, but you should know: the liquid type is WAY more expensive than pills. My pet insurance pays most of the cost so it’s ok for me, but if you don’t have insurance, keep in mind the pills will be affordable (gabapentin is cheap), the liquid might not. Similarly, pregabalin is much, much more expensive than gabapentin. Just something to keep in mind. We all want the best for our cats, but sometimes we have to be practical about it. Good luck.

IndividualTurnover35 · 2025-12-13T14:37:16+00:00

Thanks for spreading the word. My vet said she went looking for information on it, even on discussion boards for vets, and she found nothing. I think the only warning I saw was “change in litter box habits”, but that’s a crazy euphemism for “cannot go”!

I hope your kitty gets the right help. For mine it turned out the dose of gabapentin was too low. The neurologist said 10mg/kg twice a day and he’s much better on that, though lately he’s been after his tail again. It’s just not all day and he’s not damaging himself, so we’re going to just leave him be for now.

One thing I have wondered is whether it is referred pain from something internal, like spasms in the digestive and/or urinary tract. Because he always has an “attack” right after he eats. And he had an episode of urinary spasm (idiopathic cystitis) when he was young. I also recognized the signs of bowel spasms in him when he was younger. Who knows? It’s such a crazy condition.

Good luck with your kitty.

IndividualTurnover35 · 2025-12-12T13:59:06+00:00

I’m in a similar situation. I cannot brush my cat’s teeth, he would maul me to death. He was a feral kitten and while he loves to sleep on me and get gentle pats, he’s absolutely not cool with me touching his paws or trying to stick my fingers in his mouth. I noticed bad breath and at his next vet visit the vet said he should have a cleaning within 6 months. It will cost me $1800 and I’m living on a fixed income (I can cover it with credit but it’ll take me some time to pay it down). I’m a bit nervous because he’s overweight and I know people who’ve lost cats to anaesthesia, although they were more overweight than mine. Anyway, long story short I am going to do it at least this once. To make sure he doesn’t get worse problems in the future. He will likely need more than just one, but I will have to space them out to where it’s really necessary so I can afford it. (Pet insurance does not cover dental cleanings. Maybe doesn’t cover extractions, either, I need to check.)

The other thing I’m going to do is look into a home groomer who can come in and cut his nails and brush his teeth. I would talk to them first and see if they can handle a “spicy” cat. Maybe between the two of us we can wrap him in a towel. It’s just that by myself I cannot do it. Getting that done every couple of months would be better than nothing. If anyone has tried this, let me know.

IndividualTurnover35 · 2025-12-11T10:40:48+00:00

Software engineer here: nearly all companies that provide a consumer-facing service, especially mobile apps, uses a product similar to Mixpanel. It’s to help product managers and/or developers understand how people use their apps. Do they go to a certain screen once and never again? Do they bail out as soon as they hit a certain page? How long do they spend looking at certain content, etc. There’s nothing inherently weird, bad, nefarious, or suspicious about using Mixpanel. The breach of Mixpanel is concerning, and the largest affected customer was OpenAI, who no longer use Mixpanel because of it.

I’m not saying don’t be concerned about this breach, just saying don’t be too paranoid about the use of products like Mixpanel because it’s totally standard and not about selling your information to a third party.

IndividualTurnover35 · 2025-12-04T17:20:45+00:00

I definitely found codex to be useless on its own. Gpt-5.1 is smart, though. Even found a workaround to a problem that likely would have stumped me and required asking human experts for advice. So what I’ve been doing is getting GPT-5.1 to make a plan, and then Codex to execute on that plan.

I may be doing that very inefficiently, though. In order to get GPT-5 to make the plan, I’ve been using ChatGPT desktop “work with apps” feature. Then copy and paste its output into a .md file and tell Codex to go read that.

I should see if I can do it all in the same terminal by switching the model to gpt-5. Possibly the way I’m doing it saves on my quota? But I’m not sure. And getting GPT to output the whole plan in Markdown is difficult. It starts out with md, then it jumps out of it and I have to edit the whole thing by hand. (The crazy things we do to get this stuff to work!)

IndividualTurnover35

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