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Simon Dickson

@s1m0nd.bsky.social

Enjoys cycling in circles: 2x Irish masters medallist & world top 20. Making fun stuff with #WordPress since the noughties.

37 Followers  |  51 Following  |  51 Posts  |  Joined: 14.08.2024
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Posts by Simon Dickson (@s1m0nd.bsky.social)

Yeah, Codex 5.3 doesn't get a lot wrong. It's been designed so you don't need to have a code editor open. I'm not brave enough for that yet! - but it's not inconceivable.

20.02.2026 11:22 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Yeah, the drone footage of the downhill skiing is spectacular. Gonna be amazing for the ski and board cross races!

07.02.2026 10:52 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Introducing GPT-5.3-Codex GPT-5.3-Codex is a Codex-native agent that pairs frontier coding performance with general reasoning to support long-horizon, real-world technical work.

'GPTโ€‘5.3โ€‘Codex is our first model that was instrumental in creating itself.' openai.com/index/introd...

06.02.2026 10:44 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Spotlighting The World Factbook as We Bid a Fond Farewell Somewhat devastating news today from the CIA: One of CIAโ€™s oldest and most recognizable intelligence publications, The World Factbook, has sunset. There's not even a hint as to why they โ€ฆ

The CIA just stopped publishing their World Factbook and took every page, including the archived copies of previous versions!

This sucks. It was public domain, so I recovered the 2020 edition (the last one published as a zip file) and shared it to GitHub simonwillison.net/2026/Feb/5/t...

05.02.2026 00:25 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 6058    ๐Ÿ” 2185    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 177    ๐Ÿ“Œ 196
Call Me Maybe? Liv AlUla Jayco's Version (GreenEDGE remake)
YouTube video by Ella Wyllie Call Me Maybe? Liv AlUla Jayco's Version (GreenEDGE remake)

Woke up to find this in my YouTube feed this morning: a beautiful present-day tribute to a historic moment in cycling. It's been making me smile all day. @greenedgecycling.bsky.social ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘ www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAK2...

04.02.2026 17:16 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Nine months in, I realise that the extra-wide 21:9 monitor I bought last year no longer feels ridiculously wide.

Honestly, it was a gamechanger. The more time I spend coding with AI assistance, often using multiple platforms at once, the more windows you need in front of you at the same time.

19.01.2026 12:23 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Switching on the last 5 minutes of the #Afcon final was the right decision

18.01.2026 21:36 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 3    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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A Year in the Plugins Team โ€“ 2025 If there is one thing worth highlighting this year, it is how AI has impacted the WordPress plugin ecosystem. This impact is evident both in the number of submissions sent for review to be publisheโ€ฆ

'If there is one thing worth highlighting this year, it is how AI has impacted the #WordPress plugin ecosystem.' Repository is getting 2x as many plugin submissions as a year ago. make.wordpress.org/plugins/2026...

16.01.2026 09:38 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
The Specials - Enjoy Yourself It's Later Than You Think (2015 Remaster)
YouTube video by The Specials The Specials - Enjoy Yourself It's Later Than You Think (2015 Remaster)

Probably time I switched my attention over here, instead of that other place. It hasn't been a profitable use of my attention for quite some time.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6liD...

16.01.2026 08:59 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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FAIR Package Manager Project FAIR Package Manager Project has 8 repositories available. Follow their code on GitHub.

I installed the Fair Package Manager (@fairpm) on my personal site last night. I'm excited to say it worked flawlessly. A couple of plugins were updated from Fastly's servers, & a paid plugin updated from its servers as normal. I'm excited to see what else comes from this interesting development.

10.06.2025 08:13 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 33    ๐Ÿ” 14    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 2

A dose of immodium will sort that out.

06.06.2025 20:28 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Got my new Xiaomi Android phone working exactly how I want it, by: installing the Microsoft launcher instead of the Xiaomi default one, then turning off all the Microsoft stuff. ๐Ÿช„

24.05.2025 20:29 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Dodged a bullet #eurovision

17.05.2025 23:00 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Litter tray

17.05.2025 21:16 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Samsung LS34C652UAUXXU WQHD Viewfinity S6 34" Monitor - 3440x1440, 1000R Curved, Speakers, USB-C, LAN, Height Adjust Ultra-WQHD in 1000R curvature Immerse yourself in games, movies or design projects. A 34" 1000R curved display surrounds you with a 21:9 aspect ratio. The curve closely matches the human field of sigh...

I ordered an extra-wide monitor. The more I do with JS, and the more I do with AI, the more I'm finding a need to have multiple windows open (wide) in front of me at once.

Found a great deal on Samsung 34" 21:9 with USB-C. Productivity gains await! amzn.to/4cJANnE

18.04.2025 08:19 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Get FreeAgent for free with your Mettle business account FreeAgentโ€™s easy-to-use accounting software is free for Mettle business account customers. Find out how to access this offer.

Still happily on FreeAgent. You get it free if you bank with Mettle (NatWest). Here, have a referral code for some free cash: G4LWY www.freeagent.com/mettle/

13.04.2025 13:09 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
This Is What a Digital Coup Looks Like | Carole Cadwalladr | TED
YouTube video by TED This Is What a Digital Coup Looks Like | Carole Cadwalladr | TED

'We now have to start acting as if we live in East Germany. And Instagram is the Stasi.' This is a tough watch, but an essential one. www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZOo...

11.04.2025 08:42 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Matthew Richardson - Global Keirin

I hear you! I'm doing something similar over at @globalkeirin.com - I had to build a special nationality change function to handle, well, globalkeirin.com/rider/matthe... specifically

05.04.2025 17:35 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Your stats page is still showing Esther Wong as GB: she switched to Ireland ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ช last autumn

05.04.2025 16:27 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

I switched to Raycast a while back. I like it more than Alfred but there's not a lot in it tbh

04.04.2025 12:31 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Wayne McCullough and "Danny Boy".
YouTube video by tadpoletudor Wayne McCullough and "Danny Boy".

But the one that moves me the most is this one. That note... but the opposite. Never been prouder. youtu.be/mtVpnIQEokE?...

17.03.2025 15:32 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Tom Jones "Danny Boy" on The Ed Sullivan Show
YouTube video by The Ed Sullivan Show Tom Jones "Danny Boy" on The Ed Sullivan Show

Then, Tom Jones. Because Tom Jones singing anything is (almost) always better than the original. That note. www.youtube.com/watch?v=1i_W...

17.03.2025 15:32 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
The Rumjacks - Danny Boy [Official Music Video]
YouTube video by The Rumjacks The Rumjacks - Danny Boy [Official Music Video]

To mark #stpatricksday โ˜˜๏ธ, my three favourite renditions of Danny Boy, starting with this brand new belter. You know, there isn't enough Irish trad punk in the world. www.youtube.com/watch?v=K18u...

17.03.2025 15:32 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

I built a thing today using AI - well, several different AIs actually - that I don't fully understand, but it all works. Yes this revolution is happening.

12.03.2025 21:36 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

"Lloyds Track Super League" ๐Ÿคจ

11.03.2025 08:00 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

The BBC News app really has stretched the definition of 'breaking news' this week. Not good.

08.03.2025 10:39 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

18F, the federal governmentโ€™s technology shop, was demolished by Muskโ€™s team shortly after midnight. It was a cost-recoverable org, charging agencies for their expertise, using a consulting model. Its cost to government was negligible, its benefits huge. My team there once saved DoD $500 billion.

01.03.2025 14:25 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 6258    ๐Ÿ” 2370    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 87    ๐Ÿ“Œ 194
We're not done yet | 18F

I got laid off today, with the rest of 18F.

18F was an elite federal software shop. We made gov't websites work better, more efficiently for the American people. We saved taxpayers from getting screwed over by contractors. And were fired for it.

We made this website to tell our story:
18f.org

01.03.2025 22:38 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 93163    ๐Ÿ” 31040    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 3189    ๐Ÿ“Œ 1402

Netflix cutting both its Six Nations and Tour de France series? It didn't help either one that they decided to release it the week before the next real-time edition. I'm a fan of both and I didn't watch either in full.

22.02.2025 17:15 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

The best way to follow the British track cycling national champs today is via PDFs in a Dropbox folder. ๐Ÿคฆโ€โ™‚๏ธ

21.02.2025 19:16 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0