Archive

Say you have some data and it’s either an int or a string (of an int). Well, that sucks. Go is a typed language and this bit of data really should be properly an int. But, ya know, the world is a mess sometimes. Perhaps you have a giant database of JSON data put in […]

Adam Gordon Bell describes a situation in which a programming team has a tricky problem to solve. They ultimately solve it, but it attracts internal attention and a senior technical lead is sent in to ensure it doesn’t happen again. They propose a fix of creating a shared system that everyone will migrate to, so […]

It’s so weird to know people that are looking for jobs for ages, never finding a good fit. And also know people that are trying to hire and just cannot seem to find anyone good for the role. That’s why anecdotal data is no good. These are just stories, not a real picture of what […]

Picked up one of these babies. I’m gonna keep it in my car. If some kid messes with Ruby at a playground I’m gonna slip it in their backpack.

Self confidence comes from keeping promises to yourself. It’s your reputation with yourself. If you have a good reputation with yourself, you won’t be so concerned about what other people think.  Becky Nickerson

In the world of country/bluegrass, there was a time when Bill Monroe’s music was new and radical: Slowly, it started to sound typical. Some of the big “original” names of bluegrass were born out of players coming and going from Bill’s “Blue Grass Boys” band: Flatt & Scruggs, Jim & Jesse, Jimmy Martin, The Stanley […]

Just a few days shy of the five-year anniversary of this absolutely golden blog post. Having a lot of work on my plate is fine. Meeting deadlines is fine. Planning long term projects is fine. Debugging code is fine. Writing detailed feedback is fine. Pairing with someone to teach them something is fine (fun even!). […]

Very well done documentary on Michael Cleveland, the virtuosic fiddle player (against all odds): Some bits I liked: The bit about how it’s a tiring cliche to ask a fiddle player to play a song like The Devil Went Down to Georgia or Orange Blossom Special, but instead of being a snob about it like […]

Do you want your personal trainer to be absolutely ripped and who has been super fit their whole life? Or do you want them to be someone who has fitness knowledge through struggle with their own health? Do you want to read a book about parenting from someone who appears to have their whole life […]

On iPhones, there is a setting called Silence Unknown Callers. That’s in Settings > Phone. It’s an important setting for me, as I get at least a couple spam phone calls a day and without this setting it makes me want to throw my phone into the ocean. Sometimes, though, you’re waiting for an important […]

There are plenty of ways to make money in the metaverse — custom avatars, cool maps, unique digital experiences, ad-supported livestreamed playthrough videos — but the folks trying to convince you to buy a digital mansion or a virtual yacht aren’t going to be part of that new economy. They know they don’t understand it, […]

The first nice mandolin I bought was a Weber. I lived in Wisconsin at the time and bought it from Spruce Tree literally on layaway. If you kids don’t know what that is, it’s where you bring in a company some money toward the purchase of a thing whenever you want to, they take it, […]

I open Facebook on my phone once in a blue moon to see if any old friends are up to anything interesting. Sometimes I end up watching mindless random videos or in their shopping section, Facebook Marketplace, probably because it sometimes puts red “unseen” dots on them sometimes which is irresistible for me to “clear […]

I like using the Notion Web Clipper. As I’m readin’ my feeds, I’ll often save articles with it so they go into my special Notion database for articles I want to spend more time with later. While it’s my preferred way of saving articles, there are some things I don’t like about it. It’s constantly […]

I saw a tweet about this, but can’t find it now, sorry person-I-should-be-crediting (found it). I remembered it while out in the wild the other day. I know I love this bush that grows here in the high desert because if you rub your fingers on the leaves, the smell is like a deep rugged […]