#philosophy
33 posts
2025 - June
1 post2018 - July
1 post2017 - May
1 post2017 - February
1 post2016 - September
1 post2016 - April
2 posts2015 - January
1 post2014 - September
1 post2014 - July
1 post2013 - October
1 post2013 - January
1 post2012 - September
2 posts2012 - May
1 post2011 - December
1 post2011 - May
1 post2011 - February
3 posts2010 - March
1 post2009 - November
1 post2009 - September
3 posts2008 - October
1 post2008 - September
1 post2008 - March
1 post2007 - August
2 posts2007 - June
1 post2007 - January
1 post2006 - October
1 post2025 - June
1 postAGI or Skynet Isn't Coming Anytime Soon
Why the current LLM architecture cannot reach AGI, and why the hype from Big Tech CEOs and media-anointed experts is mostly backroom negotiation noise.
2018 - July
1 post[Off-Topic] The Pity Evolution of Modern Society
Akita criticizes online lynch mobs, echo chambers, and the idea of a right never to be offended. To him, social media turns outrage into public trials without dialogue or due process.
2017 - May
1 postProgrammers Guild - Religion and Sports
Technology communities resemble religions and sports teams, with identity and confirmation bias distorting technical choices. Professionals accept trade-offs and take ownership of their decisions.
2017 - February
1 post[Off-Topic] Carpe Diem and the Myths of Happiness
I take apart the myths of constant happiness, motivation, and “do what you love.” Hedonic adaptation explains the frustration, while learning and enjoying the present restore agency.
2016 - September
1 postThe Next 10 Years
I announce I’m stepping away from conferences tied to a language or platform, without abandoning Ruby. The next phase is defending freedom, critical thinking, and code that delivers value.
2016 - April
2 posts[Off-Topic] Free Software: An Exercise in CAPITALISM
The author argues that free software remains private property under usage licenses, with voluntary exchanges and competition. That’s why projects can fail, be forked, or disappear.
[Off-Topic] If You Need "Validation," You're Probably Wrong
Drawing on his Rails journey, the author argues for producing on your own terms and rejecting moral authorities and dogmas. To him, critical thinking, falsifiable ideas, and personal responsibility are the antidote.
2015 - January
1 post[Off-Topic] Compilation: "Processes and Methodologies Won't Help You!"
The collection criticizes ready-made recipes such as Agile, Kanban, and #noEstimates and argues for the scientific method, skepticism, and continuous study to make better decisions.
2014 - September
1 post[Off-Topic] DO NOT Do What You ("THINK") You Love
I question “do what you love” and show how pursuing only what you think you love ignores responsibilities and unstable passions. My conclusion: seek Kaizen by always improving how you produce something useful.
2014 - July
1 post[Off-Topic] Someone Important Left the Community! Now What??
TJ Holowaychuk’s departure does not determine Node.js’s future. Resilient communities renew themselves when established figures make room for new contributors, without turning people into idols.
2013 - October
1 post[Off-Topic] Math, Trolls, Haters, and Internet Discussions
The text uses mathematics and complex systems to question formulas without understanding and confusing correlation with causation, including Lean Startup. Self-help does not become science through cases or consensus.
2013 - January
1 post[Off-Topic] The World Today Is Very Good! Happy 2013!
Using data from Gapminder, Hans Rosling, and Steven Pinker, the author argues that the world has improved in longevity, poverty, and violence, while criticizing alarmism and guilt tied to donations.
2012 - September
2 posts_Why, Ruby Dramas, and Dynamiting Courtlandt
Comparing _Why to Howard Roark, the author defends independent creation and interprets the programmer’s disappearance as a reaction to people who tried to control his work.
Ruby is Beautiful? What is Beauty?
Based on a talk by Richard Seymour, the author argues that beauty isn't a choice between form and function: it's felt, and depends on knowledge and experience.
2012 - May
1 post[Off-Topic] Great Artists Steal
Starting from Picasso's phrase, the author argues that artists and developers begin by copying techniques, advancing only when practice helps them adapt, refine, and make them their own.
2011 - December
1 post[Off-Topic] New Year's Message — Philosophy
Drawing on Ayn Rand and Leonard Peikoff, the author defends capitalism as a moral issue: entrepreneurs should judge ideas rationally, not deceive the public, and recognize allies and enemies.
2011 - May
1 post[Off-Topic] Opinions, Truths, Democracy and Ethics
Akita separates opinion from truth and democracy from anarchy: teams can decide how to implement a strategy, but must respect inviolable principles, professional ethics, and the client's outcome.
2011 - February
3 posts[Off-Topic] Demystifying the "Evil" Microsoft
While translating a libertarian defense of Microsoft in its antitrust case, the author argues that vague laws give government arbitrary power and that the company's dominance came from competition, not coercion.
[Off-Topic] The Fountainhead: Howard Roark's Defense
After watching the 1949 adaptation, the author publishes Howard Roark's final speech with subtitles, Ayn Rand's defense of individualism against altruism, conformity, and servility.
[Off-Topic] Atlas Shrugged: Is Money the Root of All Evil?
Drawing on Francisco D'Anconia's speech in Atlas Shrugged, the author presents money as the result of production and reason, while condemning wealth gained through coercion, fraud, and favors.
2010 - March
1 post[Off-Topic] Penn & Teller and Larry Flynt, on Freedom
Flag burning and Hustler v. Falwell show that free speech protects even offensive symbols and satire against the government. The author extends this principle to companies.
2009 - November
1 post[Off-Topic] The Problem of Credentials
I question using certifications, titles, and celebrities as shortcuts for validating ideas, show common decision-making fallacies, and argue for testing arguments with skepticism.
2009 - September
3 posts[Off-Topic] The Argument from Intimidation
Ayn Rand's translation identifies argument from intimidation as a fallacy that replaces reasons with fear and guilt, defending evidence and carefully examined premises.
[Off-Topic] Man's Rights
Ayn Rand's translation defends individual rights as the foundation of freedom and capitalism, limits government to protection against force, and rejects economic rights requiring others' labor.
[Off-Topic] The Cult of Gray Morality
Commenting on Ayn Rand's The Cult of Gray Morality, the author distinguishes honest error from deliberate omission and criticizes those who use ambiguity to evade moral judgment.
2008 - October
1 postOff-Topic: Understanding the Economic Crisis
Drawing on Taleb and the financial crisis, the author explains why past data cannot prove theories. It can show an idea is false, while Black Swans expose its limits.
2008 - September
1 postOff-Topic: The Power of Myth, Redux
Akita criticizes the promise of manufacturing leaders through self-help, certifications, and ready-made methodologies. To him, leadership requires self-teaching, merit, and real challenges, not formulas crediting every success to the method
2008 - March
1 postOff Topic: We Are Mathematically Illiterate
While translating Bruce Martin, the author uses birthdays, presidents, sports, cards, and π’s digits to show that patterns naturally emerge in random data and do not prove supernatural causes.
2007 - August
2 postsOff Topic: Pale Blue Dot
An image of Earth captured by Voyager I inspires Carl Sagan to reflect on our fragility and responsibility, while the author recommends Cosmos as a legacy for raising curious children.
Off Topic: Enemies of Reason
Inspired by Richard Dawkins and Carl Sagan, the author argues for evidence, skepticism, and personal responsibility against dogma, superstition, and irrational disputes between technologies.
2007 - June
1 postOff Topic: Steve Jobs, Stanford Commencement Speech, 2005
In his Stanford speech translation, Steve Jobs connects chance, being fired, and illness to life’s choices. The message is to follow curiosity, work you love, and your own intuition.
2007 - January
1 postOff Topic: "Here's to the crazy ones ..."
The Think Different ad marked Apple and Steve Jobs’ comeback, celebrating people who challenge rules and change the world. The author links that defense of creatives to a possible Rails and 37signals manifesto.
2006 - October
1 postKathy Sierra: Dilbert and the Zone of Mediocrity
Kathy Sierra describes the zone of mediocrity as the space of safe products nobody loves, and argues for accepting the risk of provoking passion. Escaping it means silencing the voice that blocks ideas before they’re tested.