How to Learn Nix
It's like a Let's Play, but for obscure software documentation. I tried to learn Nix, and it was pretty hard. I kept a diary of every command I tried, every wrong assumption that I made, and every realization that I had along the way.
Software Infrastructure 2.0: A Wishlist
Erik Bernhardsson
Every engineer should do a stint in consulting
I will die on this hill.
Found at Goodwill: WebPad 1001 Prototype
I found this strange looking device at Goodwill yesterday. Originally, owing perhaps to the bright blue color, I thought it was some sort of educational or kids device. It had no branding on it, so…
OKRs masquerade as strategy
Desire is not a Strategy
That's not how 2FA works
Another day, another high-profile website cloned to phish credentials. Tess Rinearson@_tessrIs this a phishing attempt? Goes to "githubverification.com" and asks for username and pw (if so, it nearly got me!) /cc @github pic.x.com/jgt4oNvjF2❤️ 2,243💬 111🔁 016:12 - Sat 16 January 2021 In the replies, you’ll see lots of…
Is your son a computer hacker? (2001)
As an enlightened, modern parent , I try to be as involved as possible in the lives of my six children. I encourage them to join team sports. I attend their teen parties with them to ensure no drinking or alcohol is on the premises. I keep a fatherly eye on the CDs they listen to and the shows they watch, the company…
My experience of losing a friend to heroin (2020)
Note – This is a true story based on my own experiences and what I’ve heard from the people involved, but for privacy, all of the names have been changed. Note 2 – This is an old piece, repub…
Never update anything
Here's a fair warning: this article is reductio ad absurdum , therefore you shouldn't take it as gospel. However, i do believe that this point of view is extreme enough that it usually gets shut down immediately, yet doesn't have any frank discussion about it, which makes it the perfect subject for me to write about!…
I Really Blew It (2020)
I recently realized that I have been wasting my time on a dumb effort for the last 35 years. It all started back in 1983. My game for the Atari, Eastern Front (1941), had been a big hit, and Dale Yocum of the Atari Program Exchange suggested that I release the source code for it. This was an exciting idea, as nobody…
GC progress from JDK 8 to JDK 17
JDK 17 has been out for a few months and it’s not just packed with new language features. The performance boost compared to older JDK versions is also really significant. It becomes especially clear when compared to the previous LTS releases, JDK 8 and JDK 11. Much of the improved performance comes from new features…
Software Architecture Patterns: 5 minute read
Main software architecture patterns in a nutshell.
AirPods Max: An Audiophile Review
Surprising sound let down by serious comfort problems
Are software engineering “best practices” just developer preferences?
My housemate the other day asked me something to the effect of “How can Software Engineers call themselves engineers when there’s no rules, governing bodies, or anything to stipulate what true Software Engineering is?”
What is the inverse of a vector?
If vector multiplication were invertible, we could treat vectors just like any other variable. We could do simple algebra like:
A realization of why email is critical infrastructure for the Internet
You're probably reading this page because you've attempted to access some part of my blog (Wandering Thoughts) or CSpace , the wiki thing it's part of. Unfortunately you're using a browser version that my anti-crawler precautions consider suspicious, most often because it's too old (most often this applies to versions…
The mortifying ordeal of pairing all day
I had to confront a lot of my fears about myself, sometimes every day. I had to learn to show someone else all the things I didn’t know, my limitations as a human and a software engineer.
The Martians of Budapest
The Martians of Budapest”, sometimes referred to as simply “The Martians” is a colloquial term used to describe a group of prominent Hungarian physicists and mathematicians who emigrated to the United States following the Great Purge of 1933. The term refers to—what appeared, from the perspective of Americans—to be a…
An introverts guide to increasing energy
As an introvert, learning how to recharge, protect, and increase your energy is vital to taking care of yourself. Learn how!
Monkey Island PC-speaker music player
The Monkey Island (TM) PC-Speaker music player
MeiliSearch: A Minimalist Full-Text Search Engine
Benchmarks & Tips for Big Data, Hadoop, AWS, Google Cloud, PostgreSQL, Spark, Python & More...