Mastodawn

Kicking off 2026 with a reading list focused on understanding how things work, not just using them. 📚
I’m revisiting Python internals, exploring Linux under the hood, digging into Docker beyond Dockerfile snippets, and even building a large language model from scratch.
Curious? Check out the full list here:
https://michalcichon.github.io/notes/2026/01/24/books-i-want-to-read-at-the-beginning-of-2026.md.html
#ReadingList #Books #Python #Linux #Docker #AI #MachineLearning #LLM #SoftwareEngineering #DevLife

Books I Want to Read at the Beginning of 2026 | Michał Cichoń · iOS Software Engineer

A curated reading list for early 2026 focused on mastering the fundamentals of programming, systems, and AI. These books go beyond tutorials, offering deep insights into how Python, Linux, Docker, and large language models really work.

Michał Cichoń · iOS Software Engineer

Michał Cichoń Dec 12

🚀 New blog post on code reviews!

Learn practical habits to make your team stronger.

#CodeReview #SoftwareDevelopment #Teamwork #Programming #CleanCode

Effective Code Reviews: Habits That Make Teams Stronger | Michał Cichoń · iOS Software Engineer

A practical guide to building a healthy, effective code review culture. Learn how curiosity, communication, small pull requests, and a structured checklist can improve code quality, strengthen teamwork, and make the review process faster and more enjoyable.

Michał Cichoń · iOS Software Engineer

Michał Cichoń Nov 25

Just published a new post on Dependency Injection in Swift.
I compare three approaches: initializer-based, property, and method injection, and show how they affect testability, modularity, and code clarity.

Do you use DI in your Swift/iOS projects?

📖 https://michalcichon.github.io/software-development/2025/11/25/dependency-injection-patterns-in-swift.html

#Swift #iOS #DependencyInjection #CleanCode

Dependency injection patterns in Swift | Michał Cichoń · iOS Software Engineer

When I first learned about it over a decade ago, I started using it everywhere possible. It’s a simple idea with a surprisingly big impact.

Michał Cichoń · iOS Software Engineer

Michał Cichoń Oct 17

🧠 New from MIT: SEAL (Self-Adapting LLMs) — a framework where language models update their own weights by generating and applying their own training data + optimization steps.
In short: LLMs that learn by themselves.

Paper 👉 https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.10943

Self-Adapting Language Models

Large language models (LLMs) are powerful but static; they lack mechanisms to adapt their weights in response to new tasks, knowledge, or examples. We introduce Self-Adapting LLMs (SEAL), a framework that enables LLMs to self-adapt by generating their own finetuning data and update directives. Given a new input, the model produces a self-edit-a generation that may restructure the information in different ways, specify optimization hyperparameters, or invoke tools for data augmentation and gradient-based updates. Through supervised finetuning (SFT), these self-edits result in persistent weight updates, enabling lasting adaptation. To train the model to produce effective self-edits, we use a reinforcement learning loop with the downstream performance of the updated model as the reward signal. Unlike prior approaches that rely on separate adaptation modules or auxiliary networks, SEAL directly uses the model's own generation to control its adaptation process. Experiments on knowledge incorporation and few-shot generalization show that SEAL is a promising step toward language models capable of self-directed adaptation. Our website and code is available at https://jyopari.github.io/posts/seal.

arXiv.org

Michał Cichoń Oct 16

https://www.modular.com/blog/modular-25-6-unifying-the-latest-gpus-from-nvidia-amd-and-apple

#Modular #AIinfrastructure #GPU #NVIDIA #AMD #AppleSilicon #crossplatform #machinelearning #hardwareacceleration #softwareoptimization #performance #unifiedcompute

Modular: Modular 25.6: Unifying the latest GPUs from NVIDIA, AMD, and Apple

We’re excited to announce Modular Platform 25.6 – a major milestone in our mission to build AI’s unified compute layer. With 25.6, we’re delivering the clearest proof yet of our mission: a unified compute layer that spans from laptops to the world’s most powerful datacenter GPUs. The platform now delivers:

Michał Cichoń Oct 11

Every developer knows this tension — code that’s either too simple to scale or too complex to change.
I wrote about how to find the balance between both:
👉 “Finding the Sweet Spot: Between Overengineered and Underengineered Code”
https://michalcichon.github.io/software-development/2025/10/11/finding-the-sweet-spot-between-overengineered-and-underengineered-code.html
#SoftwareEngineering #Programming #CleanCode #Swift #iOSDev #Architecture

Finding the Sweet Spot: Between Overengineered and Underengineered Code | Michał Cichoń · iOS Software Engineer

There’s a moment in every developer’s career when you realize that both too little and too much engineering hurt a project just the same — only in different ways.

Michał Cichoń · iOS Software Engineer

Michał Cichoń Oct 8

What if our GPUs could do more than mine coins or render games? 💡
I wrote about the real cost of computing power — and how we can use it for something meaningful.
👉 https://michalcichon.github.io/technology/2025/10/08/ethical-computing-cryptocurrencies-ai-protein-folding-at-home.html

#EthicalComputing #FoldingAtHome #TechForGood

Ethical computing: cryptocurrencies, AI and protein folding at home | Michał Cichoń · iOS Software Engineer

I bought a gaming PC — and ended up questioning how we use our computers, our time, and our energy. From games to crypto mining, this is a story about finding purpose in computing.

Michał Cichoń · iOS Software Engineer

Michał Cichoń Oct 2

Take a look at my new article — this time, I’m vibe-coding a simple game with ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.

https://michalcichon.github.io/programming/2025/10/01/game-vibecoded-in-chatgpt-gemini-and-claude.html

#ai #vibecoding #chatgpt #openai #claude #gemini

How I Vibe-Coded a Game Using ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini | Michał Cichoń · iOS Software Engineer

Coding without actually writing any code sounds tempting. In this article, I tested the capabilities of three popular LLMs: ChatGPT 5, Claude (Sonnet 4.5), and Gemini (2.5 Pro).

Michał Cichoń Sep 9, 2025