The UI at GitHub limits the size of the gist you can create. The way around this is via the gh command line. For example: $ gh gist create path/to/big.txt- Creating gist big.txt✓ Created secret gist big.txt

There is also joy in its restraint. The snowdrop does not compete. It does not dominate a landscape. It invites you to look closely. You must stoop to see it properly, which feels appropriate. Hope, at this time of year, should make us bow our heads a little. Perfect from: The Snowdrop – flower of hope, Sussex Bylines,...

The view from the bench: I should probably get myself along to Soho to complete the set.

Sometimes I want to review a PR by looking at the changes in my editor locally. Once I'm happy, I throw away the changes.  The command sequence to do this is: git checkout maingit merge --squash branch-name-here# <do productive and important review work here>git reset --hard HEADAnd if I forget the --squash, it's git...

On the east side of Brighton Marina there's a jumble of sea defence blocks. It has been lovingly labelled: That was spotted on a walk back along the undercliff walk:

Reading: If a therapy bot walks like a duck and talks like a duck then it is a medically regulated duck, npj Digital Medicine, 5 December 2025. Medical device regulation depends on the claims and intended purpose of the device—amongst other things. In the case of Claude Sonnet, the system prompt suggests it does have an...

I'm still stunned that regular human beings, who somehow aren't super famous, can get on a stage and make such perfect sounds together. Without amplifiers screwing up the sound.  This was at a BPO concert at the Dome. A two parter, with a trumpet concerto in part one. I don't count myself as a fan of the trumpet, but...

We hired a car over Christmas because Fiat are taking months to get parts to fix ours (after an accident—nobody was hurt). We specified "electric" but didn't have a choice and ended up with a Polestar 2. I knew nothing about Polestar. It's way too big for us, so daunting, but it was great to try something different for...

Reading: Immunological sin: how a person’s earliest flu infections dictate life-long immunity, Nature, 17 December 2025. The term OAS [original antigenic sin] comes from researchers who, in the 1950s, recognized that most of the flu-binding antibodies circulating in people’s blood match whichever influenza strains were...

Reading: What does it take to ship Rust in safety-critical?, Rust Blog, 14 January 2026. Rust, the programming language, is already used in safety-critical systems. For example, in IEC 62304 one medical device engineer reports: All of the product code that we deploy to end users and customers is currently in Rust. We do...

It's the first anniversary of our air source heat pump install. It's been good: our house is more comfortable; our bills have dropped by £500/year; and we're not burning gas anymore. Cost savings We've aimed to optimise running costs. It's tricky to compare this year to last year: our electricity unit cost went up...

I'm getting lots of joy from some superb nonsense: Time of the Week Strong Message Here (not nonsense) It's a Fair Cop The Unbelievable Truth and of course The Bugle. Wow: I need to diversify where I get my laughs from. This is all pretty much BBC Radio 4.

There's an upbeat article in The Economist: An AI revolution in drugmaking is under way (5 January 2026).  It rehashes figures from a 2024 study: AI-designed drugs are whizzing through the preclinical phase (that before human trials begin) in only 12-18 months, compared with three to five years previously. And the...

Of all the hot takes on what will happen to AI in 2026, I'm drawn to this one from Philip Ball: It’s unlikely that 2026 will be a make-or-break time for AI – many aspects of it are here to stay – but there could be turbulence for the industry, particularly if the investment bubble bursts, as many anticipate....

Reading: Four ways to get out of bed in the morning – and beat grogginess, The Conversation, 16 April 2025. […] dopamine dips are functional because we feel discomfort and that propels us to seek relief […] When we reach for a smartphone [after waking], we’re met with rapid, bite-sized dopamine hits – notifications,...