Joseph Krall
Principal Software Engineer · Practical AI in Engineering · PhD, Computer Science
And a philosopher who writes in search of enlightenment.
I write about games, software, philosophy, and keeping your own voice when AI does more of the work.
Series
Game design · PsychologyWhat Makes a Game FunWhy some games keep you coming back for years and others are forgotten by the weekend: design, psychology, and the philosophy underneath.2 postsNotes from the fieldSoftware EngineeringThings I've found along the way as a software engineer: habits, tools, and lessons worth passing on.3 postsPhilosophy & AIThe Philosopher's PotPreserving your self in a world of AI-written everything: why AI output sounds like no one, and how to make it sound like you.3 postsMetaphysical philosophyThe Search for GnosisGnosis, ascension, descent, and transcendence: how religions try to explain them, how they show up in games, and where those fantasies might lead.1 postOld and newGames I've PlayedNES classics, new releases, and everything between: games I've played and have something to say about.1 postGardening & DIYAround the HomeGardening in the high desert and building things by hand: a backyard garden amphitheater, a homemade greenhouse, and a long list of DIY projects.1 post
Latest
Software EngineeringPysteroidsMy 2013 Asteroids Game in Python, Rebuilt to Play in the BrowserPysteroids, my 2013 Asteroids game, remade in the browser: Pot and Flame join in, bosses from the metaphor, and the faults and aspects from What Makes a Game Fun. · 8 min readWhat Makes a Game FunCreativity CurvesShow, Don't Tell: How the Best Games Teach You to Play Without a WordWhy the best games teach by showing, not telling: Mega Man X, Mario's World 1-1, and how constraint made old games more creative than any tutorial. · 15 min readThe Philosopher's PotPavlovian PuppetOnboarding Your AI Like a New CoworkerOne "no" at a new job can last a career. What Pavlov, Skinner, and the office teach us about onboarding, and how to onboard your AI the same way. · 14 min readSoftware EngineeringZelda RupeesCounting Past 255 on an 8-Bit System: My Favorite Interview ProblemLink can only carry 255 rupees. How do old 8-bit games count higher? My favorite interview problem, a short history of counting, and why I asked it. · 12 min readAround the HomeA Sky-Collared GuyCatching Up on My DIY Projects: A Garden Amphitheater, a Custom Greenhouse, a Bathroom Remodel, and MoreA software engineer with a Ph.D. and a spade shovel: a hand-dug garden amphitheater, a bathroom remodel, a greenhouse, a dining nook, and a rebuilt trailer. · 7 min readThe Search for GnosisAscension in GamesGames, Gnosticism, and Whether We Could Ever Quit This WorldTo play a game is to descend; to quit is to ascend. An intro to games, gnosticism, the simulation question, and whether we could ever quit this world. · 13 min read