LLMs are not getting better, SQL in Haskell, and maths!
We note an oddity in the data on how often LLMs write mergeable code, learn how to write complicated SQL in Haskell, and then talk about maths for a few seconds.
You have arrived at the mid-week hump. Have a $container of $beverage and enjoy some reading before you speed along with the rest of your life.
New articles
Are LLMs not getting better?
When it comes to looking at data, I am a pessimist. If something maybe slightly looks like a positive trend, I'm going to call it no trend. When it comes to how often LLMs write mergeable code, there was apparently no trend in 2025, despite multiple people claiming throughout the year that there was. What if the claims of improvements now in early 2026 are just as wrong?
Full article (2–4 minute read): Are LLMs not getting better?
Esqueleto Tutorial
If you're into Haskell in production, this is for you. Advanced-but-still-type-safe SQL queries.
Full article (15–40 minute read): Esqueleto Tutorial
Getting to know you
I have some questions I would like to ask you over the coming weeks. Some of the results may end up in aggregated form as illustrative examples in future articles. Others might inform my writing.
How much maths have you studied? (Alternatives ordered loosely by "advancedness"; choose the last you have formally studied.)
- Counting, recognising numbers (IIIIII, 6)
- Addition/subtraction (3+9, 9-3)
- Negative numbers (-3, 4-12)
- Multiplication (6×5)
- Fractions, division (3/4, 50/8)
- Percentages (3 % of 8, 154 increased by 14 %)
- Variables and functions (x, f(x), y=3x)
- Integer powers (3^8, x^2)
- Integer roots (square roots, cube roots)
- Fractional powers and roots (x^1.2, x^(1/12))
- Finding solutions to linear equations (3x-4=5)
- Finding solutions to quadratic equations (x² + 3x - 3 = 15)
- Finding solutions that require logarithms (3^a = 5)
- Basic trigonometry (sin 180°, cos π/2, finding the size of the hypotenuse)
- Basic differentiation (d/dx 3x + x², f'(x)/f(x) when f is known)
- Basic integration (∫ t^3 dt)
- Complex numbers (3+5i, 8e^(iπ/12))
- Differential equations (dy/dx = 5y)
By "formally studied" I mean that your study has been under the oversight of someone whose job it is to teach other people that kind of maths.
There is a point to this, I promise! The scale is not great but it's the best I could put together without spending too much time on it.
Flashcard of the week
If α and β are roots of f(x) = ax² + bx + c = 0, how else can we write f(x)?
This one is fairly obvious with some thinking, but oh how often I don't do the thinking needed.
f(x) = a(x-α)(x-β)
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