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The most popular blog posts about life, learning & writing on Hacker News. 668 posts.
It began with a spark—a dormant passion reignited after many years away from motorcycling. Life had steered me in different directions, away from the saddle, but something deep inside pulled me back to the thrill and freedom that only riding offers. Returning to motorcycling after such an extended hiatus was daunting…
Learning in public helps me grow as an engineer and seems to benefit others too. Here's why I should do more.
The author Ray Bradbury is one of the early science fiction authors that moved science fiction into a literary form. As a writer Bradbury constructs beautifully written stories and novels. Bradbury's writing is in stark contrast to Bradbury as a speaker. The first time I heard Ray Bradbury speak was at the Association…
So, we are coming up on a little anniversary for me this weekend. On the 5th of January 2000, Steve Jobs unveiled the new Aqua user interface of Mac OS X to the world at Macworld Expo. The Age of A…
I started reading software blogs before I got my first programming job 20 years ago. At this point, I've read thousands of blog posts and essays, but a small handful stuck in my mind and changed the way I think about software.
Yesterday I shared a little program called Mark V. Shaney Junior at github.com/susam/mvs . It is a minimal implementation of a Markov text generator inspired by the legendary Mark V. Shaney program from the 1980s. Mark V. Shaney was a synthetic Usenet user that posted messages to various newsgroups using text…
Or: why I have a blog now.
What reminiscing is like without mental imagery
Loved reading through GReg TeChnoLogY Anthony Bourdain’s Lost Li.st’s and seeing the list of los...
The popular book from the "world's most famous living psychiatrist" is riddled with blatant misrepresentations
They made computers behave like annoying salesmen | exotext
I’ve been seriously traveling for more than 50 years. So now I’ve got a few tips. There are two modes of travel; retreat or engage. People often travel to escape the routines of work, to recharge, relax, reinvigorate, and replenish … Continue reading →
What happens when something we enjoy doing that took effort becomes effortless? And what happens if that original effort was a foundation on which we saw value…
on the Amtrak from Denver to Sacramento When I get to write or read on a screen that’s reflecting the sun back at me instead of needing to be shielded from it, I get a dose of this feeling that this is what all computing could feel like. I want so much more of this in my life. This is a piece of hardware that makes me…
We need a vibe shift on dependencies in programming.
I really like Ted Chiang’s writing.
It turns out I've always done weird things to my laptops.
The cargo cult metaphor is commonly used by programmers. This metaphor was popularized by Richard Feynman's "cargo cult science" talk with a...
My block list and some fun search lenses. Don't @ me that damn article about the guy whinging about Kagi.
I've never been known for my coordination, balance, or cardiovascular enthusiasm. In team sports, I was invariably the last one picked – probably only becaus...
A less romantic truth is that aesthetic standards rarely travel alone; power tends to follow in their wake. An episode at the U.S. State Department this month makes exactly this point.
Hi, it's Takuya. As your app grows in popularity, you occasionally start to attract attacks aimed directly at you—the developer or site owner. Just the other day, I got one that was honestly terrifying, so I'd like to share it. The Email Subject: Cookie consent prevents platform
I have an angel and a devil sitting atop each shoulder. The angel says, "Just code for fun! What you make can be just for your enjoyment and that's --" the devil interjects, "not enough to get ahead, loser. If you're not coding your next startup then how're you gunna get rich? Coding for fun? Pfft, sounds like the…
It's understandable why the guys who had big tech startup successes in the 90s and early aughts think that "DEI" is the cause of all their problems. Not understandable in the "gotta hand it to em" sense, but in the sense that it's not hard to follow the stupid mistake they all make.
Look, I'm an idiot. I know that, you know that, and the man on the moon knows that. Let's not get into why I'm an idiot; let's just accept that I have my peculiarities and you have yours. My idiocy is a quest to make sure all my portable electronics can recharge using USB-C. Modern smartwatches are tiny and they do a…
Non-verbal, blurry thinking is faster and can search in a broader way, but it is more error-prone than verbal thought.
