ffmike's recent activity
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Comment on Please stop recommending Git Flow in ~comp
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~comp
ffmike LinkTook a few minutes to check all of the sites that I'm responsible for, but I applaud LetsEncrypt for doing the responsible thing here. People are going to complain when they get security warnings...Took a few minutes to check all of the sites that I'm responsible for, but I applaud LetsEncrypt for doing the responsible thing here. People are going to complain when they get security warnings from some of the stragglers today, but the alternative could be much worse.
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Comment on The case for limiting your browser extensions in ~tech
ffmike LinkI appreciate all the good work Krebs has done, but this seems more like "The case for vetting your browser extensions." Would the exact same headline appear in an app store story: "the case for...I appreciate all the good work Krebs has done, but this seems more like "The case for vetting your browser extensions." Would the exact same headline appear in an app store story: "the case for limiting your iPhone/Android apps"?
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
ffmike LinkMy usual medley: Tmux 2: Productive Mouse-Free Development - Just brushing up here Thinking in Bets - Just started this one. I try to have at least one leadership/management book going most of the...My usual medley:
- Tmux 2: Productive Mouse-Free Development - Just brushing up here
- Thinking in Bets - Just started this one. I try to have at least one leadership/management book going most of the time
- The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt - Slowly working my way through this one. Rather amused that $10M used to be enough to make you overwhelmingly wealthy.
- Dover Beach - Moderately interesting post-apocalpytic PI novel, though maybe not good enough for me to go on to the rest of the series.
- Bleak House - Reading this one with my home-schooled teen.
- The Radium Girls - Very interesting slice of history (though also pretty depressing).
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Comment on Do you run your own blog for personal use? in ~comp
ffmike LinkCurrently my blogging outlet is A Fresh Cup . I've been through many iterations of blogging over the last (close to 20?) years, but for right now, this is what's active. Published via Aerobatic at...Currently my blogging outlet is A Fresh Cup . I've been through many iterations of blogging over the last (close to 20?) years, but for right now, this is what's active.
Is it self-hosted, or do you rent server space?
Published via Aerobatic at the moment. They've been trouble-free and low-friction, which is what I currently care about.
Do you use Wordpress or another blog platform like that, publish through other means like a flat-file CMS, or did you build it from scratch?
I'm using Jekyll. A version back I think, but it works so I don't mess with it.
What topics do you write about?
I link to things that interest me in (mostly open-source) software development. Link blogging is one of the places where it all started and you kids can get off my lawn :)
How consistently do you post; or alternatively, why don't you post as often as you would like to?
Every weekday, with occasional misses due to holidays or travel.
Do you keep analytics, or do you write regardless of how many clicks you get?
I think Aerobatic has some metrics but I've never even looked. This is for me, and if other people derive benefit from it, that's great.
Is your site monetized with ads or otherwise?
Nope. I used to make a fair amount of money from my .NET link blog, but that was many years and several iterations of web advertising ago. It got to be not worth the bother.
How popular is your blog on average?
I dunno. I'd be throwing messages in bottles into the ocean if I didn't do this, so it doesn't really matter.
How do you keep up with other writers' posts?
RSS is my friend.
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Comment on What did you do this weekend? in ~talk
ffmike LinkWent on an off-trail guided cave trip with my 14- and 17-year old daughters (the Indiana Caverns "Deep Darkness" tour). Roughly: 93-foot ladder, 100 feet rope descent, half a mile or so of walking...Went on an off-trail guided cave trip with my 14- and 17-year old daughters (the Indiana Caverns "Deep Darkness" tour). Roughly: 93-foot ladder, 100 feet rope descent, half a mile or so of walking cave (well, walking and wading up to our hips in places), kayaking including a long stretch where there wasn't much headroom and you had to kayak by pulling yourself along with your hands on the roof, then reverse and come back out with a few side trips for crawls and squeezes.
It was fun and I survived, but at my age it's going to take a while to recover.
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Comment on Why six hours of sleep is as bad as none at all in ~health
ffmike Link ParentOh yes, absolutely. I could probably have made it more clear that this was amusement-based rather than information-based posting. Just something I got a chuckle from over my Sunday coffee.Oh yes, absolutely. I could probably have made it more clear that this was amusement-based rather than information-based posting. Just something I got a chuckle from over my Sunday coffee.
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Comment on Lilliputian: A Mobile Client for Tiny Tiny RSS in ~comp
ffmike LinkProjects like this give me a wistful happy feeling, reminding me of those lovely days long ago, when there were under a thousand weblogs total, before the word "blog" was coined, before atom...Projects like this give me a wistful happy feeling, reminding me of those lovely days long ago, when there were under a thousand weblogs total, before the word "blog" was coined, before atom became an alternative to RSS (in turn before atom became a text editor rather than a feed format), and it really felt some of the time like this evolving network of decentralized standards might keep the web non-corporate. Good on you for helping keep that feeling alive.
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Comment on How doctors die in ~life
ffmike LinkRegardless of whether you decide you want heroic end of life care or not, I'd urge anyone to take steps to be a participant in your care rather than a passive object for care. Even if you're young...Regardless of whether you decide you want heroic end of life care or not, I'd urge anyone to take steps to be a participant in your care rather than a passive object for care. Even if you're young and healthy, it's worth discussing your wishes with those around you and having an advance medical directive & durable power of attorney in place with someone who knows what you want. If you're getting older or sicker, and hospitalization looks imminent, having someone lined up as your patient advocate can be a (literal) lifesaver.
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Comment on Why six hours of sleep is as bad as none at all in ~health
ffmike LinkWell heck, I guess I might as well stop sleeping entirely.Well heck, I guess I might as well stop sleeping entirely.
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Why six hours of sleep is as bad as none at all
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech
ffmike LinkI think the article misses the boat in portraying this largely as a struggle within large company, and not trying to think through the larger ethical issues in most software companies. The "we're...I think the article misses the boat in portraying this largely as a struggle within large company, and not trying to think through the larger ethical issues in most software companies. The "we're paid to write code, now just write code for all comers" is pretty pervasive. And maybe that's OK, but the number of developers who haven't even thought about it disturbs me.
Mike Monteiro's Ruined by Design is a decent starting point on the wider issues.
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Comment on Fortnightly Programming Q&A Thread in ~comp
ffmike Link ParentContributing to Rails, way back when, was the fastest way for me to establish my credentials when abandoning Microsoft-land for open source work. These days, most of my contributions to public...Contributing to Rails, way back when, was the fastest way for me to establish my credentials when abandoning Microsoft-land for open source work.
These days, most of my contributions to public projects are typo fixes. I still commit tons of code at work, and I've started up a new private side project which may or may not go somewhere...
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Comment on What's the longest running quandary/debate you've had with yourself? in ~talk
ffmike Link ParentWell...it's an explanation, sure. Though personally, I'm an outlier in those voting patterns.Well...it's an explanation, sure. Though personally, I'm an outlier in those voting patterns.
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Comment on Feeding an ebook addiction in ~books
ffmike Link ParentI do, and I have about 7000 paper books of my own. But in many cases, the Kindle is just more convenient for me.I do, and I have about 7000 paper books of my own. But in many cases, the Kindle is just more convenient for me.
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Comment on Feeding an ebook addiction in ~books
ffmike Link ParentYeah, I know about Z-Library, and I thought about mentioning it. But I made my living as an author for years, and a lot of my stuff is out there for free now. So I'm sort of conflicted. I don't...Yeah, I know about Z-Library, and I thought about mentioning it. But I made my living as an author for years, and a lot of my stuff is out there for free now. So I'm sort of conflicted. I don't mind seeing my out of date technical books given away, but at the same time, I don't see how we're going to continue having new books in the future with the ease of copying information.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech
ffmike LinkIf someone builds this technology into a laptop bag, they can take my money. I've been contemplating firing a laser at the Ring doorbell across the street.If someone builds this technology into a laptop bag, they can take my money.
I've been contemplating firing a laser at the Ring doorbell across the street.
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Comment on Local bookstores have a new weapon in the fight with Amazon in ~books
ffmike LinkBookshop.org is a B-Corp, pledged to place social good ahead of profit. Its bylaws state that it can never be sold to Amazon or any other major retailer—a clause inserted to ease the skepticism of independent owners worried that Amazon would simply buyout Bookshop.
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Local bookstores have a new weapon in the fight with Amazon
22 votes -
Comment on What's the longest running quandary/debate you've had with yourself? in ~talk
ffmike LinkStarting around age 50, it's been "what's the point in trying to live a good life if I'm halfway to death anyhow?" I seem to be getting increasingly morbid as I age.Starting around age 50, it's been "what's the point in trying to live a good life if I'm halfway to death anyhow?" I seem to be getting increasingly morbid as I age.
It's hard for me to believe that there are a significant number of development teams where "choice of branching model" is really the largest unaddressed source of potential quality or speed improvements. I've worked with a bunch of different branching models and source code control software over the years, and as long as the SCM doesn't actually lose things (hopefully no one else ever had to depend on VIsual SourceSnakes), it doesn't seem to make nearly as much difference as things like developers actually talking to one another.