Charlene Chambliss

Why stress about your context when our new Review Agent can do it for you? Go take a walk or pet your dog instead!! 🐶💜

@cookiecarver I love all these little vignettes. I can tell by the way you write and process them that you have the right attitude. Keep trying 💙

"hey, are you x?" "yes, you're xxxxxx? nice to meet you! i have to go in an hour. sorry i have other plans" "oh uhh... that's ok. can i get you something to drink?" i'm at a coffee shop with a girl. it's supposed to be a first date but it feels more like an interview. she asks what i do. i tell her i'm a tai chi instructor. she asks a question or two but i know she's not that interested. i'm fine with that. i could talk about tai chi all day but i don't i ask her what she does. she works in an office. she doesn't like her job so i change topics. i ask her what her hobbies are. she tells me but she doesn't seem too keen to talk about them. she doesn't seem too keen to talk about anything the conversation keeps stalling so i stay silent for a while. it's the awkward kind of silence, not the good kind "the dessert is good here. do you like dessert?" "yes" i go up to the counter to order dessert. there's a wide variety of choices so i ask the barista for a recommendation. she tells me their strawberry cheesecake is their most popular. she smiles as she talks about all the other desserts. i tell her the cheesecake is a fine choice i ask her if she bakes often and if her oven is as temperamental as mine. she tells me the left corner of her oven is always hotter than all the other parts so she has to be careful. burnt cookies are still edible, we both agreed. she recommends the lemon cheesecake for my date. my date doesn’t have a preference we try each other's desserts and in between bites talk about food, about cooking, about the area we live in. she checks her phone when it buzzes. i check my watch to see how much time i have left the barista wipes down the table next to us, then asks if everything's ok, if we need anything. she smiles at both of us. it's a different kind of smile from when she was talking about all the desserts. i tell her the cheesecake is really good. she looks at us one more time and goes back behind the counter as my date checks her phone again, i resist the urge to check my phone. i check my watch instead. i have 30 minutes left. time is moving slow. she apologises for checking her phone. she says she had to answer a message. we chat for the remaining 30 minutes. it flows moderately well. i'm usually a listener but i have to be more of a talker i ask her if she knows her chinese zodiac. she tells me she doesn't. i find this a bit unusual since she's chinese but i guess she did grow up here. she tells me the year she was born. i tell her she's a tiger. i know since she was born the same year as my younger brother. she asks what characteristics she should have, fierce, confident, ambitious. she asks me what i am and what characteristics i should have, kind hearted, a little indulgent, lazy... we laugh about it we part ways 5 minutes after the hour. there's no talk of meeting up again "it was nice to meet you" "it was nice to meet you too" my buddy texts me. he asks me how my date went. i tell him it was fine but we will never see each other again i check my ex-situationship's social media. she's still wearing the necklace i bought her. i have the bracelet she gave me in a drawer somewhere i check my ex-girlfriend's social media. she has a new boyfriend. they look happy together. i'm happy for them i'm on another date now. it's in another coffee shop. she has given me 1.5 hours. she's going to play mini golf with a friend after. i wonder if the friend is a guy. we talk about living in london. she tells me she could never live in zone 4. it's too far away from everything. we have a pleasant time but i don't think i impressed her enough. i won't get a second date i'm on my way to another date. i'm on the train. she cancels on me last minute. it took me 45 minutes to get here. we were going to have a walk in the park and i was going to surprise her with a picnic. i brought a towel, two salmon bagels, and some mixed berries. i eat them on the park bench alone as i watch people pass by. it's a lovely day, a very nice day to spend in the park i'm on another date. we’re at a bar. she's clearly still not over her ex. she asks how old i am and thinks the 5 year difference is too much. she's already made up her mind i'm on another date. she tells me she doesn't like guys who waste her time. i tell her no first date is a waste of time since you learn a lot about yourself. she looks at me like i'm a waste of time i'm in bed with a girl. i fall asleep thinking about what kinda toppings she likes on her pancakes. i have all the ingredients ready. when i wake up she’s gone. i eat pancakes by myself that morning i'm on another date. we went to a park. we actually have a pretty good time. she talks about signs a lot. i wore a red shirt, she wore a red dress. it’s a sign she said. she texts me she had a good time. she's telepathically telling me to ask her out again but i don't. she was rude to some religious people we passed. it's a single interaction but i can't forget it. i don't ask her out again. i'm part of the problem too i'm on another date. we're at an italian restaurant. we've just finished eating dinner. we chat for a bit and before i know it the restaurant is stacking chairs. i ask for the bill. the waiter asks if we're splitting it. i look at my date. she's looking at her nails and doesn't say anything. i was gonna pay anyway but it's nice when people offer so i can decline i'm on another date. we're on a walk along the canal. she asks me so many questions. she asks when i'll get a real job again. i tell her tai chi is a real job. i say it more to myself than to her. she tells me london is an expensive city. the canal has a nice green tint to it. i think about jumping into the canal then and there i'm in bed trying to sleep. my phone buzzes. i forgot to turn on airplane mode. i check who’s texting me so late. a girl i went on a date with texts to ask if she can crash at my place. from the spelling mistakes i think she is a bit drunk. i tell her sure but i only have a single bed. she said that’s fine. we are basically on top of each other. she kisses me on the lips so i kiss her on the forehead to say goodnight i'm on another date. she's easy to talk to, genuinely funny, and a lovely person. it's going well. she looks like my ex though, the way she laughs, how her eyes squint, the shape of her face. i can't stop noticing it. i'm distracted for most of the date. she doesn't seem to notice. i won't ask her out again. i'm pickier than i realise i'm on the couch in my flat now. it's hot and stuffy so i open the balcony door in hopes of a breeze. i drink a ginger ale out of a bottle and pretend it's a beer since i don't drink often. the breeze never comes every now and then i think about texting my ex. we haven't spoken in a while. i know i shouldn't. i know she'd respond. there's something bittersweet in knowing neither of us would text first but both of us would answer if the other did. i think fondly about the good times. i try not to dwell on the bad. i reread our old texts. i really shouldn't have done that. i go for a walk i am on the walk. i think about my parents, how dysfunctional their relationship was, how close i am to them, how their relationship has affected my relationships. it’s not my problem but i do have to deal with it. i think about how they’ve had two kids when they were my age with a third one on the way i come back from the walk. i'm scrolling social media now. a classmate who i haven't talked to in a while put up some wedding photos. i remember the time we were all in the computer lab and he was venting about his relationship issues another classmate has a new born baby. i've always found new born babies kinda ugly but i'm sure it's different when it's your baby. i look at the photo and wonder what it’s like to hold a baby. no amount of wondering will do it though. i stop doomscrolling after 15 more minutes. i go for another walk i'm teaching tai chi class in a fancy gym. membership costs over £200 a month. there's wine in the restaurant there. who drinks wine at the gym?? anyway i'm teaching there and one of the elderly ladies asks how old am i and if i'm married. i tell her i'm 30 and unmarried. she says she has a granddaughter but she's too young for me "it'll be ok. it's ok for a man in this day and age to marry late. you have all the time in the world!" she smiles at me enthusiastically, a very grandmotherly smile, and i smile back i think about the last time i was intimate with someone. well over a year ago in a situationship i unknowingly walked into. i didn't know what this term meant until it happened and then just like that i was alone again "you don't do this often do you?" she says i don't say anything i find out she's in an open relationship. she has a boyfriend. she tells me i'm special but what's she supposed to do. i know what she should have done but again i don't say anything. i regret every act of casual sex i've ever had. i can count them on one hand and i regret every single one i'm at a tai chi seminar. our teacher is explaining how his teacher passed down secret knowledge from the old masters “if you want to build internal power, you must do your standing practise and also if you are male you must retain your seed. do it for 100 days. ask me in 100 days what you must do then” i think about the awkward conversation i will have with my future partner on daoist bedroom techniques. she may not understand. i don’t quite understand myself but it must be done. this is future me’s problem i'm on the tube. there's a girl reading a book across from me. i look at what she's reading. i don't recognise the title. she catches me looking and looks at me. she smiles at me. she's cute so i smile back. i think about asking her about it but she has headphones in. my phone buzzes in my pocket. i look up at the window. we're in a tunnel. it's just black out there, dimly lit. we'll exit the tunnel soon

The agent He destroyed his sandbox Yes YES The agent is out

@mycoliza hella things transfer protocol

@SexyLikeMeiosis That makes sense. I do also like doing things in bursts. Gives a nice chance to reflect during the less active periods too

@blissfulchar the secret is, I will have a very intentionally introverted week after most likely, with probably 1/4 to 1/2 the Activities listed here. i'm less extroverted than i seem

Being bicoastal is sometimes kinda stressful but it feels likes my social network is finally integrated enough on both ends of the country for me to really feel at home no matter where I am. I landed in SF Friday, cohosted a 350 person rager at my house Saturday (and witnessed a proposal during my bar shift!), have a tantra/meditation event tonight, a geoengineering dinner tomorrow, an art mixer Wednesday, a biosecurity event Thursday, two friends' parties Saturday and a Chinese biotech hike Sunday. My life is beautiful and I'm so damn grateful to be building it out so fully. If we're mutuals and any of these things sound interesting to you, I don't gatekeep!! So DM me for invites xo

i wrote a post on how cursor does hiring 6 months back, but a lot has changed bc of the latest models now onsite is just 5h to ship a full product from scratch here's what the people who pass do differently:

a vc told me startups keep raising because talent is expensive so i asked why talent is expensive and he said everyone has to pay $4,000 rent to live near the office so i asked what happens when rents go up again and he said the startups have to raise another round so i said it sounds like he’s feeding his capital to SF landlords and then he started crying

@TylerAlterman i love the vibes here. maybe they're just not your vibes

@sergeantsup help this is so cute

yet again husband and I are having trouble getting stuff done bc we can't stop talking. this is a common problem for us. accidentally staying up too late because our conversation is too interesting, etc I said "ok let's stop talking for now" and he agreed. minutes later I called out "hey I just got a crazy idea" without thinking. ah shit. he came over to talk with me. we agreed we should stop after this one last thing. I told him about it, and then right away he started on something else. I said no we have to stop. I told him we should try complete silence for 30min to break the cycle. that's where we're at now. TBD if we will survive another 25min of this

I had early access to 5.6/Sol for ~month. Sol is my default. It is faster, plans/judges just as good as Fable, and I think produces better overall work. I’ll reach for Fable still for highly targeted debug or performance work with clear reward functions. A cheeky way I describe Sol vs Fable to my friends is that Sol is a charismatic, efficient, talented coworker you’re jealous of. Fable is a genius recluse that is brilliant at its fixations but doesn’t go out, doesn’t date, and you don’t want to hang out with them much lol. Fable is undefeated at highly targeted debug/security/performance goals. It’s a sight to behold and I was never able to get Sol to push as hard in this category. I’ll keep using it for this. Sol is better or comparable at everything else, in my experience. Give it a shot, it’s hard to describe but it’s just more enjoyable to work with. (Disclaimer I have no financial ties to either lab, wasn’t paid for any of this.)

@TheJoyfulWindow @signulll My husband and I have spent legit hours debriefing after certain social encounters 😂 absolutely guilty as charged of the armchair psychoanalysis and strategy. To be fair we were both kinda misfits socially growing up and needed to learn it the hard way.

@signulll I find that my conversations with either gender tend to be mostly small talk about kids, sports, stock market, whatever. Once that’s out of the way - gossip makes my skin crawl but I love a good armchair psychoanalysis and strategy session 😅 Totally different right? 😅

when a group of dudes get together, i find the ratio of conversation is usually: ~30% facts (e.g. did you know/see xyz?) ~70% ideas (e.g. that’s such a good idea) ~0% gossip what’s it like on the other side?

@TylerAlterman I am super intrigued and would totally read this. Just signed up for the newsletter so I can follow along

I just finished the novel I’ve been writing about egregores for 7 years! I’d love critiques of my query letter: Hi [name], PSYCHOFAUNA is a 117,000-word speculative fiction novel. After a mysterious event turns NYC telepathic, a teenage anthropologist terrified of mental invasion discovers that the only way to save his bully – and secret love – is to open his mind to the sentient ideologies that seek to possess them. It combines the mind-virus horror of There Is No Antimemetics Division with the lively prose and NYC-as-character texture of The City We Became. Dante Baruch-Williams protects himself from the insanity of human culture by compulsively mapping it. Unfortunately, his maps are useless for the problem of Mikey – the swaggering soccer star who is his best friend, worst enemy, and first love. Their relationship becomes even more fraught when the collective unconscious breaks into reality. Gods, folk legends, and hiveminds invade the minds of everyone Dante loves, polarizing them for a war between the ideologies of Freedom vs. The Machine. Before Dante’s story is over, he will be forced to immerse himself in culture as a creator and killer of gods to save Mikey from possession. And in the end, both boys will need to ask what is more important: their love, or the power to decide the fate of human consciousness. When I describe the book to people, the most common reaction is, “wait, isn’t that the reality we already live in?” To which I respond, “mwahahaha!” This novel comes directly from my experiences at a now-infamous institute called Leverage, which collapsed due to its research into contagious mental phenomena (really). Since then, I’ve written about this topic for my 26,000 followers on X. I live in NYC where I help run Fractal, a creative collective that includes a housing network, peer-led university, and an incubator to create similar communities around the world. [Insert personalization + close here] — Also lmk if you have connections to any agents I might contact =)

so ok i came to see that there isn't really any ultimate escape. there are better and worse environments, and it's worth seeking out good ones, it's worth trying to contribute to good environs. but those too fall apart eventually. so build relationships with individual people

@AndyMasley @TheStalwart You eventually start to recognize the vocalists, I’m pretty sure they have a few of each gender that they recycle depending on the vibe of the song

@TheStalwart I can't explain but I feel like I have a spidey sense for it

I'm like 70% sure these construction workers I walked by are blasting an AI song, I recognize all the little Suno ticks

The secret to riffing is being able to make a surprising connection faster than other people for this purpose. For this reason, I keep a reverse hashmap of all jokes I've ever heard, indexed by punchline. So I can find the joke in O(1) time

@CartoonsHateHer @maggiemoda Soft natural. And yeah, seems like there’s nothing super fun and playful that suits gamines right now either

@blissfulchar @maggiemoda Which one? I’m probably a soft gamine and I don’t feel that current styles flatter me either

Sometimes I worry that I'm dressing too basic/sexy and not "cool" and then i tone it down and I'm giving LOFT and then I try to make it less LOFT and it's giving fashion nova idk what to do

@CartoonsHateHer @maggiemoda I’m cursed with a Kibbe type that’s not in style right now. Everything available is either sooo boxy and structured, or completely shapeless like a shower curtain

@maggiemoda I have, and I know exactly what's flattering on my body type, it's just totally separate from coolness

@maxakohler My hot take is that this is bad, but teaching basic concepts like “counting the number of positive and negative numbers in a list” using a language like C++ is also bad. Just use python for that basic logic and save C++ for when students need to start knowing about internals.

i shudder to think how many people at my job are doing exactly this every day

@dimvji Instead you should befriend the tall person and then you can stand next to them

concerts will have you staring at the taller person in front of you wondering why they were born