I'm usually quite a slow reader when it comes to fiction, so it feels awesome that I blew through Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler just in the course of this weekend! After reading Kindred last year, I feel like Butler is the master of the compromise ending - you got what you wanted, buuuuut there were some complications.

The Parable Series

Octavia E. Butler

I learned today, by way of Hyperkin showing off a new Sega Genesis compatible portable called the Mega95, about the Sega Nomad... a Sega Genesis compatible portable released in '95! As a Genesis kid I'm shocked I didn't know about this growing up and immediately want it.

Sega Genesis Nomad Review

The Chozo Project

When I started this blog last year, it replaced how I was hosting my custom built resume at the time. After some quick work this afternoon, I've now got that resume updated and hosted under a subdomain here (link at the top of the page). If you want to read more about why my resume is built in TypeScript and Preact, then head to the github repo for it.

I spent last evening transitioning this blog from using SASS and Bootstrap to Tailwind CSS. I use Cloudflare Pages which has excellent features like preview instances for branches (and being free). Of course, I shipped without previewing in production because I forgot about that feature.

I somehow missed the full album release, but Andrew W.K.'s latest from 2021 is an album I have been listening to on repeat lately. To me, the album is one of self-empowerment and remembering what you've fought for. 🤘🏻

The physical toll of code review

June 18, 2023

Reviewing code is a key part of software development, but it often sucks up more energy and time than it needs because of miscommunication or a misunderstanding of priorities. Rather than being a stressful negotiation, code reviews should be the chillest, clearest point of communication in the whole process of shipping software.

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I grew up in the generation on the cusp on the internet, so most of my adolescence was pre-cellphone and pre-internet. Partly because of that, I am always fascinated by non-electronic solutions to electronic problems. Old "clicker" remotes like the Zenith Space Command are an amazing example.

The SolarWinds hack of 2019-2020, even at a high level of understanding, is incredible to think about from both the hacking and mitigation perspective. Wired's article recounts what happened and, honestly, it's worth the extra long read.

Every now and again a new product or article comes along that is refreshing in all aspects. This review of Dyson's new, weird headset plus air purifier is fulfilling that role for me right now. I love everything about Victoria Song's write up and I encourage you to read it and take a break from thinking about serious things for a moment.

If you play indie roleplaying games, then you may have heard that "Swords Without Master is in Worlds Without Master, issue 3". Worlds Without Master (or "Worlds", for short) has long been one of my favorite indie publications and I'm excited to be working on something inspired by it. I expect to be sharing a preview of it in an upcoming post.

Swords Without Master

Worlds Without master

I've been busy playing with the new PlayStation VR2, which is the first VR headset I've been willing to purchase. It's been pretty awesome and the game I'm playing most often is easily Pistol Whip, which has been available on other VR platforms for a minute. The most pleasing moment came when I realized the developers were also fans of the 2002 movie, Equilibrium.

Being a mentor and giving a shit

Feb 2, 2023

Mentoring is a difficult thing to be good at, but it starts by focusing on the person you're helping and caring about how they work and learn. If you don't start with giving a shit then you may end up looking like it.

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Even 7 years later, Swedish metal band Tribulation's "Children of the Night" album is a fantastic listen. The application of a church organ and cello somehow keeps it both light and heavy at the same time making it easy to listen to as well. The only downside is they are not on Bandcamp, it seems.

I'm looking forward to Square Enix's new game, Forspoken, even if the advertisement writing has felt a little forced. It's rare to see new game properties from large studios like this, so I'm hoping the story and characters are filled out beyond the preview Polygon received.

Recoilless Feedback

Dec 9, 2022

Receiving feedback can sometimes be unsettling, disturbing, or downright annoying depending on how it's conveyed. Feedback should be made more recoilless so the same points can get across but without any of those crappy feelings.

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I've been a Tweetbot user for close to a decade, so I'm really excited to see Tapbots announce a dedicated Mastodon client.

Holy forking shirtballs!