Hacker News: BigHatLogan

New comment by BigHatLogan in "My Friend Bob Cringely"

BigHatLogan — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 23:26:44 +0000

Thanks for writing this comment. You captured something in words that I was feeling as well, a longing for more friendship in my own life (assuming that's what you meant).

New comment by BigHatLogan in "It's still ok to enjoy programming"

BigHatLogan — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 18:51:22 +0000

Really wonderful comment. Thanks for sharing. I've noticed myself spiraling into doom-and-gloom scenarios about the future of this job (and therefore my future), and I've found it really unhelpful and really unproductive, in the sense that it sort of narrows my mind into a tunnel vision of decreasing possibilities.

New comment by BigHatLogan in "Amazon cuts 16k jobs"

BigHatLogan — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 22:48:21 +0000

What is your repurposing plan, if you don't mind my asking? I am trying to think of alternatives too, but it's quite stressful.

New comment by BigHatLogan in "Has the cost of building software dropped 90%?"

BigHatLogan — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 20:14:30 +0000

Thanks for the response. When you say "one slice of the industry", is the suggestion to understand the core business of whatever I'm building instead of being the "specs to code" person? I guess this is where the advice starts to become fuzzy and vague for me.

New comment by BigHatLogan in "Has the cost of building software dropped 90%?"

BigHatLogan — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 20:12:32 +0000

I think you're right about trying to stay one step ahead of product requirements. Maybe my issue here is that I'm looking for another "path" where one might not exist, at least not a concretely defined one. From childhood to now, things were set in front of me and I just sort of did them, but now it feels like we're entering a real fog of war.

It would be helpful, as you suggest, to start shifting away from "I code based on concrete specs" to "I discover solutions for the business."

Thanks for the reply (and for the original essay). It has given me a lot to chew on.

New comment by BigHatLogan in "Has the cost of building software dropped 90%?"

BigHatLogan — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 19:58:54 +0000

Good write-up. I don't disagree with any of his points, but does anybody here have practical suggestions on how to move forward and think about one's career? I've been a frontend (with a little full stack) for a few years now, and much of the modern landscape concerns me, specifically with how I should be positioning myself.

I hear vague suggestions like "get better at the business domain" and other things like that. I'm not discounting any of that, but what does this actually mean or look like in your day-to-day life? I'm working at a mid-sized company right now. I use Cursor and some other tools, but I can't help but wonder if I'm still falling behind or doing something wrong.

Does anybody have any thoughts or suggestions on this? The landscape and horizon just seems so foggy to me right now.

New comment by BigHatLogan in "‘No Other Land’ consultant Awdah Hathaleen killed by Israeli settler"

BigHatLogan — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 17:23:21 +0000

Really well said. I would even go further and say that the "smart people with expertise" even disagree on matters like this and are operating on imperfect, vague information. Knowing that, it seems even more ridiculous to ask passersby about their opinion on this. Of course you can have an opinion, but keep in mind you're likely operating in 99% fog. Just my two cents.

New comment by BigHatLogan in "Books for Game Developers"

BigHatLogan — Sat, 16 Sep 2023 04:32:15 +0000

You should write them down. I would love to read them, and I'm positive many others would, too. The 90s gaming scene is incredibly fascinating to read about, especially as it started to shift from the cowboy ethic to the corporate ethic (both have their pros and cons). I think I speak for a lot of us when I say we'd love to hear what you have to share.

New comment by BigHatLogan in "Books for Game Developers"

BigHatLogan — Sat, 16 Sep 2023 00:40:01 +0000

Really enjoyed this comment--thanks for sharing. Game development really sounds like such a different beast from standard line-of-business programming. Always enjoy hearing stories about it and reading books about it (Masters of Doom comes to mind).

New comment by BigHatLogan in "On writing (or not)"

BigHatLogan — Fri, 15 Sep 2023 00:16:30 +0000

Thanks. I love that. #3 and #4 are helpful. I need to get out of the "This is the most important thing ever!" impulse when it arises. My mind goes into a complete overhaul in that direction, and I find the whole thing incredibly discomforting. I like what you said about having a list of things along with priorities. I'm trying to do that a little more--I call them "anchors", things you can sort of rally around when the impulses start firing uncontrollably. Thanks again--appreciate your response!

New comment by BigHatLogan in "On writing (or not)"

BigHatLogan — Thu, 14 Sep 2023 21:57:25 +0000

Thanks for the response. Really appreciate it. This is really helpful.

The existential need you mentioned is really powerful. Now that you mention it, the last time I felt really mentally aligned, well, and focused was when I was out of work. I also had a situation where people were depending on me, and it…it wasn’t perfect but it really filtered out a lot of these other thoughts and impulses. Maybe there’s something there about a goal that exists beyond ourselves. Good callout, I’d totally forgotten about that.

I hear you on the consistency. I’m trying that myself too. Just committing to a few actions even if my brain is completely working against me. Again, mixed results, but I’m finding that something is better than nothing, and that, like you said, success begets success.

New comment by BigHatLogan in "On writing (or not)"

BigHatLogan — Thu, 14 Sep 2023 20:53:58 +0000

Thanks for the suggestion! I tried this a decade ago, for something unrelated, and I recall it not having much of an effect, but if I’m being honest I don’t remember if I gave it enough time either.

It’s been circling around in my head for a few weeks now. This might be the kick in the ass I need to give it another go. The stuff you said about getting locked onto a topic is something I have a lot of trouble with. It’s been a little jarring for me to “realize” that you’re not really in control of your mind, just parts of it, and maybe fewer than we like to think. It can just have all these thoughts and patterns without your consent, so to speak. It’s the locking on / latching on that uproots me.

New comment by BigHatLogan in "On writing (or not)"

BigHatLogan — Thu, 14 Sep 2023 20:30:38 +0000

Cheers! Thank you for the link. I will give this a watch this evening. I’ve enjoyed a lot of Rich’s podcast guests in the past actually.

New comment by BigHatLogan in "On writing (or not)"

BigHatLogan — Thu, 14 Sep 2023 20:21:34 +0000

Can you share how you got through this period and found alignment? I’m going through something similar to what you’ve described. Not the hospital situation—I’m sorry to hear about your mom—but more so the thoughts darting rapidly on their own. I can’t seem to get ahold of them either, and I notice it getting worse. Lots of intrusive thoughts, lots of “open cycles” that cause me mental strain, lots of down cycles too. If you could share, I’m curious how you channeled it into something positive and grew* as a result.

New comment by BigHatLogan in "On writing (or not)"

BigHatLogan — Thu, 14 Sep 2023 20:16:44 +0000

Wow, what a perfect description—“impulses happening erratically in my mind.” I’ve been trying to…get to the root of this in my own life lately. I also find myself writing feverishly during these states. I call them “soft manic” states, soft because I know that mania is a real thing, and so I don’t want to co-opt that term completely.

I had one this past weekend actually. I ended up writing about 15-20,000 words, but most of it doesn’t make any sense. I mean the sentences and paragraphs do, but there’s no coherence to any of it. “Impulses on the mind”, like you said. They’re really affecting my day to day life. I’ll have a period where I feel content and motivated—about my job, for example—and then I’ll have a sharp drop off where, sometimes for days, I’ll find myself in one of these down cycles.

In fact I’m unsure if anything I’ve even said makes sense. How have you dealt with these mental impulse?

New comment by BigHatLogan in "Ask HN: How do you become smarter?"

BigHatLogan — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 00:26:37 +0000

Well said! I was thinking something along these lines--that there must be some sort of correlation between physical health and mental sharpness. Maybe that's why professors are typically fairly lean.

New comment by BigHatLogan in "Ask HN: How do you become smarter?"

BigHatLogan — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 23:57:07 +0000

Thanks. That's good advice. I have noticed a tendency to shy away from things more often lately--when I'm diving into one of our legacy systems at work, for example, if I come across something I don't understand, I immediately start to get frustrated, panicked, and look for a way to get this assignment off my back. Spending a bit more time not knowing, and more time diving in, might be the better approach here.

New comment by BigHatLogan in "Ask HN: How do you become smarter?"

BigHatLogan — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 23:55:50 +0000

Appreciate it. I was thinking of reading more books, too, but it might be better to think about what I want to achieve, as you mentioned. It's all quite vague in my head. I just feel a lot more mentally sluggish / sloppy than I used to when I was younger. I get the feeling my 20-year-old self would run [mental] circles around me. Who am I kidding--physical ones too!

New comment by BigHatLogan in "Ask HN: How do you become smarter?"

BigHatLogan — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 23:53:49 +0000

You may be onto something here--I definitely have slipped in taking care of the whole organism. My sluggishness might be a symptom of that.

New comment by BigHatLogan in "Ask HN: How do you become smarter?"

BigHatLogan — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 23:37:50 +0000

Heavy books and scientific papers about anything I find interesting? Or about things in my work domain?