Red-green rally
I'm still iterating on my experimental Claude Code verification harness, prove_it. This week my focus has been on nudging agents to practice test-driven development. Traditionally, we called this "TDD", but which has recently been renamed to "red-green TDD" as it has been discovered that this is what LLMs interpret as "real TDD".
Anyway, so that I could watch it steer an agent in a fresh codebase in real time, I opened a new directory and asked Claude Code to one-shot a terminal-based tennis game, replete with scoring and an AI that I couldn't beat. In OCaml. And it worked! It actually test-drove everything. Neat!
Claude's electron app for macOS is such a buggy mess that I've uninstalled it and sequestered it to a Safari tab, just like I did to Slack, Discord, etc., six years ago. ChatGPT is a native app where things like the stop button actually work (usually) tonsky.me/blog/fall-of-native/
I'll admit, it's hard not to get frustrated by all the posts about coding agents going viral lately that are saying the same shit I've been blogging and podcasting for multiple years at this point with little to no fanfare. blog.lmorchard.com/2026/03/11/grief-and-the-ai-split/
GPT 4.1? In 2026? Is the State Department on a budget? Is every diplomatic cable just going to have 300 space-delimited emdashes now? nextgov.com/acquisition/2026/03/state-offloads-claude-underpinning-model-flagship-statechat/412022/
Want to buy Becky's iPhone Air? I can vouch that it's in excellent condition (unlocked, $300 less than MSRP). Buy here on Swappa or send me your best offer justin@searls.co swappa.com/listing/view/LACO93287
Barely a month goes by where I can check the news without being reminded of the Cracked skit about two comedy writers who were hired to run a fake Donald Trump campaign and then accidentally got him elected youtu.be/8qIQbydyHwc?si=COq7K0HLng3LHI1R
Video of this episode is up on YouTube:
Today, we're joined by a very special guest, Len Testa! You might know him from The Disney Dish podcast or from his excellent theme park travel planning app Touring Plans. Or you might not know him at all! No wrong answers.
This episode is all about Disney's ill-fated Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser live action role-playing hotel—which we both had the opportunity to experience right when it first launched. It was a life-changing experience for both of us, so why did it fail? Is it true that the top Disney brass learned all the wrong lessons from that failure? And will the CEO-in-waiting Josh D'Amaro ever have the courage to attempt something so ambitious again? Listen to this episode, in which we speak with an unearned confidence that suggests we have all of these answers!
You can reach out to Len at len@touringplans.com and you can write into the show at podcast@searls.co. He'll read your e-mail and reply to it, but I may only skim it.
For the extremely narrow Venn diagram of people who love both I Think You Should Leave and Disco Elysium, this is amazing youtu.be/6OKgdTXLWIg?si=RyS95BqxFBSEVwyQ
If Nothing releases a folding phone, they should absolutely name it the Nothing Burger pcmag.com/news/hands-on-nothing-4a-series-midrange-phones
Dear prospective sponsors,
You can't pay me to say nice things about you, but you CAN pay me to not say mean things about you. Please send inquiries to sponsorship@searls.co theverge.com/news/889595/tim-sweeney-signed-away-his-right-to-criticize-google-until-2032
Can confirm, Claude Cowork is very cool, but if you actually use it for more than a few minutes it'll bring any Mac to its knees. Entire system becomes unresponsive eventually. github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/22543
The M4 iPad Air is notable, because it will set Apple apart as the only company to release a product in 2026 sporting more RAM for the same price as the outgoing model. (8GB to 12GB) macrumors.com/2026/03/02/apple-announces-ipad-air-with-m4-chip/
Video of this episode is up on YouTube:
Sure feels like some combination of AI, the US military, and the AI military could bring an end to the world any day now, so I figured I'd better record one last show for posterity. Welcome me on this version's speedrun to the apocalypse!
So long as the EMP blasts don't nuke all our ham radios, write in to podcast@searls.co and I'll read it on the next release of the program. Over.
Be sure to click all these links while the clickin's good:
Was always so inspired by that speech where JFK said "we will go to the moon... or do some other stuff instead" theguardian.com/science/2026/feb/27/nasa-changes-delays-moon-missions
Sushi Izuki
Finally got a chance to visit @izukiorlando with @instantsal this week.
Generally, I set my expectations for sushi in Florida to quite low, especially if the restaurant isn't Japanese-owned. Izuki blew away those admittedly reserved expectations with one of the best sushi courses I've ever had—and it's just around the corner from our place!
Beyond having a direct relationship with a supplier that ensures several shipments a week, what really sets Izuki apart (other than excellent preparation) is their dry aging technique. The true flavor of each fish is bolder and more distinctive, and the textures really melt in your mouth. If you're in Orlando, you've got to try it. One of the few Japanese restaurants in the United States I wouldn't be ashamed to bring my Japanese friends to.
