The Unraveling
What I find interesting about everything you tried to put my family through is how much we saw you unravel by your own hand. We'd been warned. I disregarded it I didn't know them. I didn't know you. You were just my neighbor who…
I Invented Facebook in 1997. Then I shut it down
I've never had a good answer for "why I'm in software engineering." It's like asking why breathing is awesome. In 1994 I found Geocities, Perl and Javascript. These combined, was a dopamine hit of instant creation. I built for fun. Then for…
2.5 Of 5 Senses Don't Work
Since my accident and rehab, my vision was wrecked, my hearing in one ear was down to ~30%, and my taste and smell were gone. My vision healed and came back to 20/20 within about 6 to 7 months. I was told that although surgery could be performed on…
I Wrote Another Book!
A study put out by "Jake Toolson University" cites that "..being predictable is boring." - 1981, LIFE. In an interview conducted with their chief DGAF, Jake Toolson.. . Actually, he walked away from the interview. The people with answers are usually selling something. Stop being boring ❤️ Jake…
Cheaper Than A Divorce
"Him paying you to not sue him is probably cheaper than a divorce" someone said. Apparently a lot of divorce talks were happening, according to neighbors. Perhaps related to the multiple times cops were at their house. "If we pay you, will this be done?!" his…
Your Life Depends On Their Package
We built a global infrastructure on the assumption that some guy in Oakland would keep paying for his domain registration. Remember when an npm package broke the internet with a single deploy? I do. FORK. YOUR, DEPENDENCIES. VENDOR. THEM. VERSION LOCK THEM. Yes, it feels paranoid but know what else…
Hymns Together
They gather to share what they were given hymns passed down like heirlooms, faith worn soft from handling. I sat among them once. Mouthed the words. Waited for the burning, the flood, the still small voice. Nothing. Just the sound of my own breath and the congregation rising without me.…
Clockwork Orange
I watched a Clockwork Orange because Kubrick. Expected revelation. Got confusion. I kept waiting for the part where I'd feel smart for getting it. That part never came. And then I did that thing: I assumed the problem was me. "I clearly don't understand cinema.…
I Launched My First Online Course!
It teaches kids how to stay offline. For 7 days, your kid logs into their tablet. Opens an app. Watches me explain why they should go outside and touch grass. Here's the curriculum: Day 1: "Why screens are bad for your brain." Day 3: "The…
Infrastructure as Code
My first introduction to IAC was Ansible in about 2015. Writing playbooks instead of SSHing into boxes and running commands like some kind of digital archaeologist. Suddenly infrastructure was repeatable which alone felt like magic. Then Terraform. YAML with remote state in S3 for version control was next for me.…