People + Tech = 🎉 Not a French publisher (👉 @editions_PUF), though I ❤️ books Not a pro-wrestler (👉 @pufthewrestler), though I ❤️ spandex he/him 🦋 https://xitter.cf/t.co/r0NBuB5VqL
San Francisco, CA
Joined April 2007
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Frank van Puffelen retweeted
I have huge respect for C++ programmers. To be able to get actual work done while constantly fighting this much accidental complexity is unbelievable.
Published in 1998, Octavia E. Butler's Parable of the Talents was set in a near-future post-apocalyptic world. By now its story begins just a few years into the future and is eerily recognizable.
A hard book to read, for all the right reasons.
★★★★☆
puf.io/books/parable-of-the-…
Mount Sutro Open Space Reserve in San Francisco has a dense forest area, with eucalyptus trees (up to 200 feet tall), and lots of underbrush (lots of ferns, blackberries, and ivy) rolling over the hills.
It's a great area for intermediate-level hiking on a hot day.
More 👇
1/2
All this greenery around Mount Sutro captures the fog, which makes the park a pretty constant damp spot right in the middle of San Francisco.
Full post: puf.io/socials/2026-07-09-mo…
2/2
📕💣 Based on Vonnegut's experience as a POW during the bombing of Dresden, Slaughterhouse-Five mixes war memoir, science fiction, and dark comedy in one very unusual book.
I found it an interesting read.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Full review: puf.io/books/slaughterhouse-…
📖🪐 I enjoyed the Veronica Mars TV show, movie, and audiobooks this year, so Neptune Noir seemed like a no-brainer.
However, the essays in this book are not written by the Veronica Mars creator, and I found them mostly uninteresting. ⭐⭐☆☆☆
Review: puf.io/books/neptune-noir---…
Frank van Puffelen retweeted
When I hiked in Mount Sutro Open Space Reserve recently, I noticed these "dollhouse" structures on a few tree trunks. A very cute distraction on an intermediate hike in one of the many beautiful parks in San Francisco.
More: puf.io/socials/2026-07-09-mo…
📙 The Amber Spyglass seems to be the most divisive book in Pullman’s oft-praised trilogy. Given how explicitly it deals with religion, I get how it may be hard to stomach for certain folks.
For me, though, it was a fascinating exploration of these ideas
puf.io/books/the-amber-spygl…
📕🕳️ While Terry Pratchett is best known for his Discworld series, he also wrote a decent number of books outside of the Discworld universe. Dodger came out in 2012, after The Long Earth and before Raising Steam.
Book details and my review 👇 in 🧵
1/3
*Dodger* is set in mid-1800s London. He starts off as a tosher, scavenging the sewers for a living. He rescues a young woman from a beating and develops into a detective, a folk hero, and finally a spy for Queen Victoria. Charles Dickens and Sweeney Todd also appear. More 👇
2/3
I really liked *Dodger*. While the protagonist is a bit over-capable and the central plot is not very strong, the book shows off many of the best traits Pratchett's writing is known for. Social critique at its finest.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Full review: puf.io/books/dodger---terry-…
3/3
📖🚀 Great setup and writing in John Scalzi’s 3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years, especially how the different travelers and their goals let the story explore several time-travel scenarios.
I found the ending less satisfying than I’d hoped for, though.
★★★☆☆
puf.io/books/3-days,-9-month…
📚🥏 I loved Lords and Ladies. Beautiful but cruel elves, Granny Weatherwax at her kind-but-not-nice best, and Magrat growing from a "wet hen" (Granny's words, not mine) into a confident warrior queen. 👸🗡️
Rating: ★★★★☆
Full review: puf.io/books/lords-and-ladie…
The first personal computer I owned was an Atari 600XL, which we then upgraded to 48KB memory.
Now, I know I'm probably not gonna do a lot with this device, but still... it's an awesome retro kit.
Google makes it easier to launch your vibe-coded apps | The Verge
theverge.com/tech/1009066/go…
The future of apps for hands full of users is bright 🌞
📗 Octavia Butler's Parable of the Talents started showing up in my book recommendations regularly in recent years. First published in 1998, its recent resurgence likely has to do with its narrative of a social and economic collapse of the US.
★★★★☆
puf.io/books/parable-of-the-…
