I still like to code a lot "by hand" but appreciate the AI based auto-complete/tab completion. What are folks using these days instead of Cursor in that respect? VSCode + Copilot?

I used to be a heavy shell and IDE user and now I ask my local AI to do the majority of computing tasks I used to do by hand.

Codex/similar harnesses allow me a digital workspace where I can organize both short-term and long-horizon tasks and build a "journal" of my computational history. I journal less and talk with my agents more. When I need to remember something, I can Ctrl+K in my harness or ask my agent to search previous conversations.

In Codex in particular, each workspace is unassuming, offering several panes with various functionality that I can customize to suit each particular task, and Codex remembers the layout for each conversation. You can structure some tasks to offer an IDE-like workspace, while others can just be a simple conversation pane. Cursor feels ham-fisted in comparison with non-coding tasks.

If I need to rename a few files, that's a job for my agent. If I need to convert something with ffmpeg, I'm never looking up reference again, because that's a job for my agent. If I need to change more than a word or two in a line of code, that's a job for my agent.

My job is to build a conceptual map of my work environment so that I can understand how each interface communicates without needing to know the exact implementation (and I still do quality/security review passes). I plan out work with the agent, design acceptance criteria and then monitor my agents as they work on various tasks across several projects. The agents' ability to design bespoke diagnostic programs, use a browser, etc. have allowed me to offload some amount of QA testing as well. I still have to test and review, but I don't have to write regressions by hand anymore or test for the more obvious UI/UX issues.

It's not a perfect system but from top-to-bottom, my computing experience has radically changed in a relatively short period of time. Putting this level of trust into cooperative agents was simply not possible a year ago, and not even six months ago. Harnesses have gotten better, and the last few rounds of cutting edge models in particular have really changed the landscape.

I'm sure I will grow to miss writing code by hand, some engineers have already expressed this to me, but I also have RSI to manage and honestly these agents have been a godsend. My wrists hurt less than ever after a long day of working, and yet I'm working on more things at once with a higher velocity without sacrificing architectural quality, security, robustness or the other big reasons why I previously could not trust agents.

Of course, like many others have expressed, this new paradigm is a lot more exhausting. That's also a good thing, because I have lifelong chronic insomnia. I'm still able to care for my mind and body more as I'm able to take more frequent short breaks to stretch, walk around or clear the cobwebs out of my brain as I know that progress is still being made. And I can still work from my phone while I walk.

Won’t kids just make a new secret account that doesn’t belong to the family? Like you said, they will do it anyway

Still better than what we have now.

The most evil part of this is that drivers have been conditioned to click on these “surprise waiting for you” notifications. BMW usually had fairly cute holiday animations that were a fun surprise. I actually looked forward to them until I got bamboozled by this one…

Anything that relies on manipulating your emotions is a dark pattern.

I always assumed it was because they had storm resistant cabins for sleeping and supply storage.

Daily use boats probably don’t need as much in that respect.

200 horsepower vehicles are also obsolete. Any modern car should have 500 horsepower with the braking and safety systems to back it up.

My first thought is that it would be the very successful YouTubers that get approached by hollywood. And those people are already doing well for themselves independently and would most likely not want to move to the corporate culture without creative control.

The Backrooms kid got to spend three years working on a project he was clearly passionate about. He wasn't chasing clicks, creating daily content to keep the algorithm happy or worrying about ever mysterious ebb and flow of Google's payouts. He had an agent and manager that got him a deal and probably points on profit and who will make sure he gets paid. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me.

That's the exactly the role talent scouts fill - spot the ones that show glimmers of promise before it's obvious, and offer them opportunity.

This story at Deadline really does a good job of outlining the strategy for the film. https://deadline.com/2026/05/backrooms-kane-parsons-box-offi...

Hollywood is looking for a slightly different skill set than what YouTubers do, but what they do want is that relationship with an audience. Filmmaking chops can be taught and nurtured, but that trust that some of these creators have earned is gold to them.

I was once gifted a $100 bottle of alcohol after a project finished. I don’t drink much booze. I would have rather had the $100.

It very much depends on the gift.

We gave out frozen turkeys. Terrible gift if you do not cook.

at a startup i worked on they gave everyone a ps4, but also the option to exchange it for cash

I think that’s how many were actually found over the limited testing areas. You would need to multiply by the testing area ratio

Most people share their result with friends and family in text threads. It’s for fun and starts discussions, many times out of a solution being surprising or tough. The best times are when one of us can’t figure out a solution and we give each other hints.

This announcement in its current form is quite useless and not actionable. As least people won’t be able to say “why didn’t you say something sooner?” They said _something_