Simple is Complex
I started reading Vehicles, by Valentino Braitenberg. Braitenberg asks us to consider the implications of extremely simple notional machines. For instance, the very first machine has only a single motor…
Faking Method Inputs with OpenStruct feat. Kerri Miller
During my RubyTapas script review with upcoming guest chef Kerri Miller, we spent some time refactoring a method toward lower complexity. In the process we needed to isolate it from…
SIGAVDI #39: Bird and Book Edition
Hello friends, It’s been a couple weeks. I just got back from visiting Jessica Kerr in St. Louis. We saw the St. Louis City Museum, which I can only describe…
SIGAVDI #35: Jetlag edition
Hello friends, I’m just back from the YOW! conference series in Sydney/Brisbane/Melbourne, and boy howdy there is a lot to unpack from that trip. It was remarkable experience that I’m…
How to be a shy newbie at a conference
A friend was asking me for some advice on how to have a successful first conference experience (at a non-tech conference) and I had some thoughts that might be useful…
Making local friends: a technical breakdown
An experience report on the process of intentionally making nearby friends, after years of neglecting my local network.
Retrospective 2007-2017: Losing the Joy of Coding
At the transition of 2017-2018, prompted in part by upheaval in my personal life, I did some reflecting on my intellectual journey as a software developer over the last decade….
Please help me find a web design mentor
My wife Stacey is getting back into web design after a 15-year hiatus, with a goal of having a job in the field a year from now. She may also…
Looking for a donor RoR app
Hi, folks. I’m in the market for a hand-me-down app. Specifically: Open-source or public domain Smallish, but real. Not just a “hello world” app. Does something that most people would…