battybattybat's recent activity
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Comment on Graduating college, starting work, and being lonely in ~talk
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Comment on Where does your username come from? (Following up on last year's thread) in ~tildes
battybattybat LinkOne of my all-time favorite musical numbers: https://youtu.be/N7yAe2MBIpEOne of my all-time favorite musical numbers: https://youtu.be/N7yAe2MBIpE
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Comment on Great examples of explaining an algorithm (or even just a process) in ~engineering
battybattybat (edited )LinkI love this explanation of Raft's distributed consensus protocol by Ben Johnson: https://thesecretlivesofdata.com/raft/ The source code for the animations is available here:...I love this explanation of Raft's distributed consensus protocol by Ben Johnson: https://thesecretlivesofdata.com/raft/
The source code for the animations is available here: https://github.com/benbjohnson/thesecretlivesofdata
Honorable mention
Bartosz Ciechanowski's blog does an incredible job making complex topics accessible while still getting into the details. The focus is mostly physics and machines. https://ciechanow.ski/archives/
Most posts have interactive diagrams to demonstrate key concepts. Highlights:
- https://ciechanow.ski/alpha-compositing/ -- maybe the most directly related to software
- https://ciechanow.ski/mechanical-watch/ -- really impressive and useful diagrams
One more honorable mention
The Illustrated TLS 1.3 Connection by Michael Driscoll: https://tls13.xargs.org
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Comment on Columbus Blue Jackets' Johnny Gaudreau killed in NJ crash involving suspected drunk driver in ~sports.hockey
battybattybat LinkI’m not sure if the site updated the headline, but can we change the post title to reflect that his brother Matthew was killed as well? My thoughts go out to the family, I can’t imagine what...I’m not sure if the site updated the headline, but can we change the post title to reflect that his brother Matthew was killed as well?
My thoughts go out to the family, I can’t imagine what they’re going through right now.
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Comment on Can athletics win a big audience outside the Olympics? The sport has less media coverage and prize money than many rivals. Three new projects are competing to raise its profile beyond the Games. in ~sports
battybattybat Link ParentThank you, I’m sure it sounds silly to a lot of people but I did not realize athletics was a sport! I’m familiar with the specific events but probably would have grouped them all under “track and...Thank you, I’m sure it sounds silly to a lot of people but I did not realize athletics was a sport! I’m familiar with the specific events but probably would have grouped them all under “track and field” until today.
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Comment on Can athletics win a big audience outside the Olympics? The sport has less media coverage and prize money than many rivals. Three new projects are competing to raise its profile beyond the Games. in ~sports
battybattybat (edited )LinkThe site is paywalled. Can anyone tell which sport(s) the article is about? Edit: I should have done a bit more research before making this comment. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_of_athleticsThe site is paywalled. Can anyone tell which sport(s) the article is about?
I don’t think there is a sport called “Athletics” but for me that’s what seems implied from the headline.Edit: I should have done a bit more research before making this comment. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_of_athletics
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Comment on What to know before you implement public-facing APIs in ~comp
battybattybat (edited )LinkOof. There’s some okay advice mixed in here, but I wouldn’t recommend this to someone actually working on their first public API. The whole introduction reads like lightly edited AI generated...- Exemplary
Oof. There’s some okay advice mixed in here, but I wouldn’t recommend this to someone actually working on their first public API. The whole introduction reads like lightly edited AI generated slop.
Since this is tildes, I’ll try to be constructive. A few points of feedback on the article:
- Cover some security basics: what is authentication and authorization, why are they important, and what are some common security pitfalls to avoid? The OWASP “top ten” list is a good resource.
- The act of versioning isn’t actually very hard, but knowing what is a breaking change vs. backwards compatible is much more tricky. Talk more about how to reason about and detect breaking changes. Also, sticking version numbers in individual payloads is not going to end well.
- API frameworks can help address a lot of these challenges. Link to some popular frameworks for different languages and protocols.
- Talk about reasons and tradeoffs for different protocols and API conventions (REST, gRPC, graphql, etc)
- Mention a few techniques for documentation like OpenAPI. Also related to the point about frameworks.
- Link to an external resource that covers how to host, scale, and monitor a backend service. This is a huge topic, but it makes sense to at least talk about choosing between a serverless offering, a lower level container orchestrator, or simple “rent a server” IaaS platforms.
- Maintaining client libraries that other engineers use to consume your APIs is an option which can save your users lots of time, clarify correct usage patterns, and help reduce the impact of protocol level breaking changes. Lots of API frameworks can help generate client libraries.
- Run the final edit through a grammar checker before publishing.
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Comment on The US Supreme Court just quietly handed a huge win to veterans seeking an education in ~life
battybattybat LinkThe headline got my hopes up, but it sounds like this only applies to veterans who served before September 11th 2001, and there is still a 48 month cap on educational benefits. The opinion is...The headline got my hopes up, but it sounds like this only applies to veterans who served before September 11th 2001, and there is still a 48 month cap on educational benefits.
The opinion is pretty accessibly written if anyone wants more detail.
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/22-888_1b8e.pdf -
Comment on Smallest folding bike suggestions in ~transport
battybattybat Link ParentThat sounds reasonable to me if it’s in good condition, but it’s also been a while since I went shopping for one. I would definitely go for a test ride on a two speed though! If you have any hills...That sounds reasonable to me if it’s in good condition, but it’s also been a while since I went shopping for one. I would definitely go for a test ride on a two speed though! If you have any hills then at least a 3 speed might be helpful.
Also just in case you haven’t seen it, Brompton makes an extended seatpost that people often pair with H bars. A bonus feature they don’t mention on the website is that this allows you to remove the saddle easily if you need to store the bike in a very tight space.
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Comment on Smallest folding bike suggestions in ~transport
battybattybat LinkI also live in a city with very limited apartment space, with four flights of narrow stairs and no elevator. My bike commute is about 15 minutes each way. When I decided to get a bike three years...I also live in a city with very limited apartment space, with four flights of narrow stairs and no elevator. My bike commute is about 15 minutes each way.
When I decided to get a bike three years ago my priorities were:
- Folded size (it needs to live under a desk in my apartment)
- Ease of carrying
- Riding experience
Brompton won out clearly on 1 (not sure if options have changed in the last year or so) and its folded carry ergonomics seemed best as well. In the end I purchased a 6-speed “superlight” model (the predecessor to the P-line).
Since then, I’ve discovered that:
- Brompton mania is very real. There’s a meetup group in my city that goes on rides and puts on a few neat events throughout the year. It’s a fun group of people! The bike is also a bit of a conversation starter when waiting at a light with other commuters.
- Brompton has some great accessories. I try to keep the weight as low as possible so I don’t use a rack, but their bag mounting system is really well designed and functional. I use “shopping cart mode” to buy groceries pretty often on my commute home.
- I’ve gone on a bunch of 100-150km rides, which I never expected to be able to do! Switching to 3-finger Ergon grips was essential though.
- When I rent a car or take a train to another town, it’s pretty easy to bring the bike and use it to explore when I get there.
- Most restaurants in my city are happy to keep the bike in a coat closet or let me leave it under the table. I call ahead when making a reservation.
Things I don’t like:
- Price (although I would buy again in a heartbeat if my bike was damaged or stolen)
- Changing flats is a little more tricky compared to a full size bike. I’ve only had one in three years though, and that’s with riding through all sorts of debris, potholes, construction zones, etc. on my commute. I use marathon racer tires.
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Comment on Another media outlet comment: Misuse of "gaffe" for Nikki Haley in ~talk
battybattybat Link ParentIf you replace the OP’s definition of gaffe with any dictionary definition, does it change the meaning of the post? I would say no. I find it a bit unfortunate that we’re so caught up on this when...If you replace the OP’s definition of gaffe with any dictionary definition, does it change the meaning of the post?
I would say no. I find it a bit unfortunate that we’re so caught up on this when the actual point is that the word used to label Haley’s actions also serves to help excuse them.
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Comment on Clicks: Physical keyboard for iPhone in ~tech
battybattybat Link ParentFYI iPhones have a one-handed mode that I find pretty easy to trigger temporarily: https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/use-reachability-iph145eba8e9/ios I think Android has a similar feature,...FYI iPhones have a one-handed mode that I find pretty easy to trigger temporarily: https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/use-reachability-iph145eba8e9/ios
I think Android has a similar feature, though I haven’t used it myself. https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/12652418?hl=en
When you get to San Francisco, I recommend going to check out a contra dance: https://www.bacds.org/series/contra/san_francisco/about/
Contra attracts lots of adorable weirdos of all ages, and it’s completely normal to go without a partner and with zero dance experience. It’s not everybody’s thing, but I guarantee you’ll find the community welcoming and gracious! I’d also recommend checking out swing, blues, west coast dance groups — most dances start with a free beginner’s lesson, and you don’t have to bring a partner. I’ve made lifetime friends from dancing, and it’s a great way to find community in any new city!
Also if you ever feel like getting into funny little British folding bikes, these people are probably fun to hang out with: https://www.meetup.com/BromptonSF/