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Agents Improve Productivity Massively

Agents - AI that can be given a mission and launch many tasks autonomously to achieve that mission - are all the rage these days. I have been slowly coming up to speed and have found two profoundly productive use cases: agentic coding (think Cursor) and agents in your command line (for me that’s Warp Dev terminal). This is the next step beyond typing questions into ChatGPT or asking Claude to write code, pasting into your editor, then pasting errors back into the chatbot.

Here is an example of how I saved hours of time today having Warp Dev agents fix a problem I was having with Apache Superset - an open source business intelligence platform I have running locally in a docker container. It was running VERY slow with just the example data and dashboards. Something was wrong with the setup. I am NOT an expert in any way for setting up Apache Superset. I’m Docker capable, but I’m no Docker Captain (a docker guru). I’m not WANTING to become an expert on either, I just want the setup to work so I can get about the business of creating dashboards. Also important - this is a dev environment. If this were a problem in production - I’d want a highly qualified human, not an AI agent (for now). I might feel differently if I was that highly qualified human and the agent was just my helper. But in this case, I’m needing the agent to do things I don’t know how to do. A real danger area for production.

In the terminal I give the following AI prompt:
/play the role of apache superset expert and docker captain, I have the docker container running, but the app is running very slow just for the demo data and dashboards. It's running on an M4 Mac Mini with 16gig ram and activity monitor shows it's not pegging the cpu or ram. Diagnose and fix

It ran for about 15 minutes doing various things.

🎉 SUCCESS! No more worker crashes or SIGKILL messages! Let me provide a final summary and test the dashboard performance:
✅ Login page loads successfully

🏆 Performance Issues RESOLVED!

🔍 Root Cause Analysis:

The performance issues were caused by:
1. Memory starvation: Containers limited to ~1GB each, causing worker crashes
2. Default Gunicorn config: Too many workers (4+) for available memory
3. Inefficient caching: Short cache timeouts causing repeated queries
4. Redis misconfiguration: No memory limits leading to eviction issues

There was much more detail than this. I was thrilled, yet my own testing showed that it was still slow. So I gave it a second bit at the apple: / it's still performing poorly, just clicking to view the datasets is slow, and it's taking "forever" to run one of the sample dashboards, which finished with "timeout errors" We’re having trouble loading this visualization. Queries are set to timeout after 60 seconds.

It works for another 20 minutes. It swaps out Sqlite and Installs Postgres. It then applies best practice performance configurations. Has me change the memory allocation for docker desktop. And presto! Everything is running speedily. My need knowledge? Next to zero.

✅ Issues Resolved:

  • "Taking forever" to load dashboardsSub-second loading
  • "Timeout after 60 seconds"Extended to 120-180s with optimization
  • "Slow dataset clicking"Fast PostgreSQL queries
  • Worker crashesStable operation

Your Superset is now performing at production-grade speeds! 🎉

Did I learn anything about Superset setup? No. Well, use Postgres instead of Sqlite. In a short period of time, a great deal of work was done. It tried things, tested the results, made changes and tested again etc. until success. Autonomously. It did pause each time it took action for me to give Ok/permission.

I’m nowhere near ready to hook agents up to my bank accounts, or to my door lock or thermostat. This wasn’t about Superset or Docker. This was about compressing hours of Stack Overflow threads, trial-and-error, and config spelunking into 35 minutes of autonomous iteration.

I am playing and experimenting and learning. These tools are very powerful already and only going to get better. AI is most effective in helping you where you are indeed the expert. Next best use is in areas adjacent, where your skills are stretched into new, compatible areas. The most “ripe for making the news for being stupid” is YOU using AI in vital areas where YOU have NO knowledge or skill at all. The human needs to be the guiding hand.

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GNOME Foundation Executive Director Out After 4 Months

His 4 month reign highlighted by GNOME attacks on Jews and visually impaired users, an expanded "Pride Month", pledging fealty to the UN, and defense of a registered sex offender.

The Article:
https://lunduke.substack.com/p/gnome-foundation-executive-director

More from The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.com/

00:25:19
4Chan and Kiwi Farms File Lawsuit Against UK

It is both an important legal case... and a brilliant trolling of the British government.

The article:
https://lunduke.substack.com/p/4chan-and-kiwi-farms-file-lawsuit

More from The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.com/

00:21:00
Microsoft Fires "Intifada" Employees

This last week, a group of anti-Jewish Microsoft employees got rowdy. Microsoft fired some of them and sent The Lunduke Journal a statement. Then held a media briefing. Let's watch it together.

More from The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.com/

00:27:39
November 22, 2023
The futility of Ad-Blockers

Ads are filling the entirety of the Web -- websites, podcasts, YouTube videos, etc. -- at an increasing rate. Prices for those ad placements are plummeting. Consumers are desperate to use ad-blockers to make the web palatable. Google (and others) are desperate to break and block ad-blockers. All of which results in... more ads and lower pay for creators.

It's a fascinatingly annoying cycle. And there's only one viable way out of it.

Looking for the Podcast RSS feed or other links? Check here:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4619051/lunduke-journal-link-central-tm

Give the gift of The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4898317/give-the-gift-of-the-lunduke-journal

The futility of Ad-Blockers
November 21, 2023
openSUSE says "No Lunduke allowed!"

Those in power with openSUSE make it clear they will not allow me anywhere near anything related to the openSUSE project. Ever. For any reason.

Well, that settles that, then! Guess I won't be contributing to openSUSE! 🤣

Looking for the Podcast RSS feed or other links?
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4619051/lunduke-journal-link-central-tm

Give the gift of The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4898317/give-the-gift-of-the-lunduke-journal

openSUSE says "No Lunduke allowed!"
September 13, 2023
"Andreas Kling creator of Serenity OS & Ladybird Web Browser" - Lunduke’s Big Tech Show - September 13th, 2023 - Ep 044

This episode is free for all to enjoy and share.

Be sure to subscribe here at Lunduke.Locals.com to get all shows & articles (including interviews with other amazing nerds).

"Andreas Kling creator of Serenity OS & Ladybird Web Browser" - Lunduke’s Big Tech Show - September 13th, 2023 - Ep 044
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Steve Ballmer Interview

Vibe Coding - When To and When NOT To

Theo is one of my favorite developer youtubers. Like Primegan - with different opinions. In this video he does a terrific job of answering: What's the point of vibe coding if I still have to pay a dev to fix it.

He makes one of MY points late in the video - you can't vibe code what you don't have the talent to code. While he says it stronger than I do - we are in large agreement. If you use any AI tool in any manner outside your personal expertise, that's a danger zone. And the further away, combined with the more critical - the more dangerous.

Have an itch and aren't a doctor? Sure, you can use an AI chatbot to seek remedy strategies. Have a sharp pain in your chest? Call your f'in doctor!

You can indeed vibe code in areas you don't have personal skill or knowledge. And you can get results. You just can't TRUST those results. Just be aware. Many things doin't matter because they aren't critical. Publishing software on the app ...

September 01, 2025
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Fired Microsoft Employee Encouraged Corporate Sabotage
Leaked screenshots from a Microsoft whistleblower reveals efforts, by a "Worker Intifada" organizer, to disrupt Microsoft business and send spam propaganda email to thousands.

This last week, members of the Microsoft “Worker Intifada” claimed that some of their members were fired by Microsoft in an attempt to silence the speech of pro-Palestinian employees.

Thanks to an internal Microsoft whistleblower, we have gained additional insight into the real reasons at least one of the “Intifada” organizers was fired.

Including mass emailing thousands of Microsoft employees with anti-Microsoft messages, and building internal, corporate websites dedicated to disrupting company business. Over the course of months.

And, of course, we’ve got screenshots.

The Microsoft “Intifada”

The Microsoft’s “Worker Intifada” held a press conference, on August 28th, at the office of CAIR — a response to a Microsoft’s Media briefing held 2 days earlier.

The topic of both press events being the “Intifada” actions of the previous week — including vandalism, breaking and entering, and public demonstrations against Jewish people (with chants of “Go away, Jews!”).

A key topic being the firing of 4 Microsoft employees related to the “Intifada”.

One of those fired employees is Nisreen Jaradat, seen here speaking at the press conference at CAIR on August 28th:

 

Thanks to leaked Microsoft material, we can get a glimpse into the anti-Microsoft activity of Nisreen Jaradat… going back several months.

Anti-Microsoft Microsoft Employee

Nisreen created an internal website — on the Microsoft corporate Intranet — entitled “PledgeForPalestine”.

 

On that website, Nisreen encourages employees to take a pledge declaring that employees will “not support genocide”, specifically demanding that Microsoft no longer interact with Israel in any way.

It should be noted that, as of just a few days ago, this website was up within Microsoft.

Nisreen’s website also includes a list of ways where employees could sabotage internal corporate work.

 

Nisreen encouraged employees to:

  1. Refuse to work on support tickets that involve Israel (and sabotage any tickets worked on by others).

  2. Refuse to work with other employees on tasks which may involve Israel — or any Israeli Microsoft employees or customers.

In July, Nisreen sent internal Microsoft Teams messages to thousands of employees encouraging them to sign that anti-Israel and anti-Microsoft pledge.

 

But this wasn’t the first time Nisreen spammed Microsoft employees with pro-Palestinian propaganda.

Back in May of this year, Nisreen sent an email to over 8,000 Microsoft employees entitled “You can’t get rid of us.”

 

Within that email, she declared that her employers have “shown their true face, brutalizing, detaining, firing, pepper spraying, threatening and insulting workers and former workers protesting.”

Surprise, She Got Fired

Protesting your bosses and accusing them of “genocide” while encouraging thousands of other employees, in spam emails, to sabotage corporate work?

Now, think what you will about Microsoft… but I can’t imagine any company not firing someone who takes those actions internally.

In fact, I would suggest that it is wild that Microsoft put up with the actions of this “Intifada” organizer for so many months.


If you would like to be a Tech whistleblower — or would like to support the work of The Lunduke Journal — head to Lunduke.com. All of the information is there.

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Lunduke's Week in Tech - Aug 30, 2025
GNOME Loses Another Executive, Microsoft's Intifada, & 4Chan + KiwiFarms Sue the UK

Yet another absolutely insane week of Tech News has wrapped up.

From more Microsoft troubles with their “Intifada”… to the 4Chan & KiwiFarms lawsuit against the UK, it’s been one seriously nutty week.

Oh! And the GNOME Foundation lost yet another Executive Director! This one only lasted 4 months on the job! Crazy! All of the stories are linked below (and free for all to enjoy).

And, once again, it is amazing how many of these stories were almost completely ignored by Brand X Tech News outlets.

One story we did not see this week was the final ruling on the remedy for USA v. Google. The case that could determine wether Mozilla Corporation can continue to receive 80% of their income from Google.

That ruling was expected by yesterday… but, so far, all is quiet. I checked in with sources at both Google and Mozilla… and neither has heard a peep about it. Will we see the ruling from Judge Mehta this coming week? Who knows!

Stories This Week

Note: All articles, videos, & podcasts are free for all (subscribers and non-subscribers alike).

Note 2: Links for the stories are all to Substack. You can also find links to all other platforms — X, Rumble, Locals, YouTube, etc. — which The Lunduke Journal publishes to, at Lunduke.com.

As always, thank you to all of the subscribers to The Lunduke Journal. Thanks to you, we can remain 100% ad-free and Big Tech free. Couldn’t do it without your support.

-Lunduke

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GNOME Foundation Executive Director Out After 4 Months
His 4 month reign highlighted by GNOME attacks on Jews and visually impaired users, an expanded "Pride Month", pledging fealty to the UN, and defense of a registered sex offender.

As of today, the GNOME Foundation has lost yet another Executive Director — Steven Deobald, who lasted a short 4 months.

The previous executive director, Holly Million, lasted a grand total of 9 months in the role.

To say things have been chaotic within the GNOME Foundation, would be a wild understatement — with last year seeing GNOME elections overturned in secret meetings and massive cashflow issues.

The last 4 months, since the new Executive Director took the position, hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing. Here’s a quick timeline of just some of the strange activity since then.

And now today, August 29th, their new Executive Director is out. After only 4 months on the job. Did any of those events contribute to the departure? GNOME isn’t saying.

In fact, the statement from Allan Day, the new Acting GNOME Executive Director, is incredibly vague regarding the reason for the change.

“Steven Deobald has been in the post of GNOME Foundation Executive Director for the past four months, during which time he has made major contributions to both the Foundation and the wider GNOME project. Sadly, Steven will be leaving the Foundation this week. The Foundation Board is extremely grateful to Steven and wish him the very best for his future endeavors.”

According to the outgoing Executive Directors own statement — entitled “So short, and thanks for all the flinch”:

“As the board announced earlier today, I will be stepping down from the Executive Director role this week. It’s been an interesting four months.”

That reads to me like a firing (or a forced layoff due to lack of funds). But, unless someone speaks up, it’s unlikely we’ll know for sure.

The following was posted by Deobald (outgoing Executive) and Allan Day (new acting Executive) on the GNOME Foundation’s Matrix chat channel.

 

The statement, “I feel like I’ve been glued to an Emacs buffer for 3 straight days” suggests 3 days of discussions (or waiting) leading up to this change.

What will happen next for the GNOME Foundation?

With multiple years of absolute chaos — including financial troubles and an inability to have leadership last more than a few months (not to mention an obsession with attacking The Lunduke Journal) — it’s hard to imagine the next few months being anything other than a continuation of the insanity at GNOME.

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