Computer, Enhance!
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Programming courses, interviews, commentary.
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The Pattern Behind x64 CMPPS/PD Immediates
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18 Aug 2026
If you're wondering how the 5 bits used in the CMPPD/PS immediate got assigned the way they did, Pete Cawley's got your back.
SIMD Predicates
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17 Aug 2026
Although counterintuitive at first, using purpose-built comparison instructions we can easily translate if/else branches into SIMD code.
Branchless Absolute Value
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10 Aug 2026
Some operations are uniform enough that, even though we might ordinarily think of them as using a predicate, they can nonetheless be done by direct manipulation of the underlying bit pattern.
What New Jobs?
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5 Aug 2026
Appeals to prior technological revolutions are often used to assuage fears that AI will lead to widespread unemployment.
Three Steps from Scalar to SIMD
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3 Aug 2026
When we want to change the interior of a loop (with complex control flow) from processing one thing to processing several at a time, it's best to tackle the problem in three sequential steps.
Let's Decode the Mystery Bytes!
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22 Jun 2026
In this follow-up to "Let's Answer Ray's Question!", we go all the way down the rabbit hole to decode the mysterious eight bytes that kept showing up in-between Ray's allocations.
Will AI End the Open Internet?
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16 Jun 2026
Listen now | With previously open source projects going closed, and artists increasingly concerned about posting their work online, is AI reversing the internet’s long-established trend toward
Intuitive Random Selection (with Marc LeBlanc)
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9 Jun 2026
After the ECS interview, Mahk shared a new random selection that's much more intuitive than the one typically used in game development.
Will AI Make Me Worse?
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4 Jun 2026
As people increasingly rely on AI to do some or all of their work, what effects will this have on people's work quality, skills, and emotional state?
The First Entity Component System
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1 Jun 2026
Marc LeBlanc walks me through how the development of Underworld I & II, System Shock, Flight Unlimited, and finally Thief: The Dark Project gave rise to the architecture we now call an "ECS".
How to Use uops.info
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30 May 2026
Now that we've done our own microarchitecture investigations, it's time to get familiar with one of the best x64 microarchitecture data sites.
Let's Answer Ray's Question!
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4 May 2026
Ramon Santamaria asked why one compiler appeared to produce different behavior than others. The underlying technical reason is much more interesting than a simple answer of "undefined behavior".
Block Interleaving
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28 Apr 2026
Breaking up dependency chains to better suit the processor's out-of-order scheduling gets most of the benefit of in-order interleaving without requiring a fully interleaved instruction stream.
The Ethics of Generative AI
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23 Apr 2026
Listen now | What is the appropriate ethical framework for thinking about generative AI?
"Am I Crazy?"
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16 Apr 2026
Listen now | Why do people seem to be having such drastically different experiences with AI from one another?
In-order Interleaving
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16 Apr 2026
By handing the CPU an instruction stream it can execute in order, we can exceed the limits we hit when we rely on its out-of-order execution capabilities.
My Thoughts on Notch's DLSS Post
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3 Apr 2026
The creator of Minecraft recently made a (controversial?) post about DLSS. I wanted to add some relevant context about GPU hardware.
Making Sense of the Hype
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13 Mar 2026
Listen now (74 mins) | Using the Anthropic C compiler post as an example, Demetri proposes a two-axis approach for assessing claims about AI.
Should You Be A Carpenter?
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5 Mar 2026
Listen now (108 mins) | Is entering the "knowledge economy" today too risky given the field's increasing focus on AI?
The Sitdown: Types of DRAM and the DRAM Shortage
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31 Jan 2026
On Wednesday mornings, I am often a guest on The Standup podcast. It’s a wide-audience podcast, so we don’t go too in-depth on any particular topic. To give myself more time to ramble, I’ve
DynamoDB, Don't Leave Me Hanging!
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5 Jan 2026
Please put the "root" back into "root cause analysis".
Dead Code Elimination Prevention Macros
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29 Dec 2025
Watch now (26 mins) | This is the eighth video in Part 5 of the Performance-Aware Programming series.
