Published in Coffee Times·Apr 4For Non-Programmers: An Idea from Programming!Linus Torvalds has changed the world twice now, dangit, which is 0 (±2 due to rounding errors) more times than I have changed it. His first world-changing contribution was of course, Linux, and his second was git. Linux is Torvalds’ My Antonia — widely regarded as his most significant contribution…Programming5 min read
Published in CodeX·Mar 10What is the point of higher education in computer science?I may have mentioned this before but nbd I’m a professional educator now, in a CS masters program, and thus have transcended you pl3bs and all your earthly cares. …Programming4 min read
Published in Geek Culture·Feb 25GitHub Copilot and major world religionsUsing GitHub Copilot is like biting into a toasted ravioli at Applebees. You need to justify to yourself why you’re at Applebees to begin with (if anyone asks, you were given a gift-card and it expires in THREE DAYS), you’re definitely not going to enjoy any of the food —…Programming9 min read
Published in Coffee Times·Feb 19A Rom-Com Starring Mathematics and My 1990s SelfTobias Dantzig, a relatively unknown American mathematician — a footnote in the annals of mathematicianery, is an absolute GIANT in my head. You’ve never heard of this guy, have you? I didn’t think so. If you have, it’s only because I’ve just told you about him. Tobias Dantzig, I’m learning…Mathematics5 min read
Published in Geek Culture·Feb 8Shaping Young Minds with Agile ThinkingOn Monday and Wednesday nights, you can find me teaching a class on “software engineering” at the CS masters program of Saint Louis University. Yes, it’s a real class and yes, it’s accredited for a real degree. I’m sure you’re questioning SLU’s judgement, but you may also undervalue how good…Programming7 min read
Jan 26Scrum Therapy and Medium Clickbait!In Scrum, we’re forced to confront our successes and failures at the end of every sprint. On the list of my many recurring calendar invites, this ranks near the bottom for me. However, unfortunately (for my ego) I am also forced to confront that this meeting has the potential to…Scrum4 min read
Published in CodeX·Jan 19How many bugs should your product have?I was one of those idiots that pre-ordered Cyberpunk 2077. I did it because I’ve always wanted a protagonist that has what I can only assume is called an “electro-mohawk”. Upon starting my first session, I sent a screenshot to my brothers. I believe it was a portrait of a…Programming5 min read
Jan 10Thoughts on Gardening (eventually)My General Theory of Reading relies on the masses to sort out the literature with true staying power, so I don’t end up wasting my time reading hot garbage. This means that usually my reading is a few decades or centuries behind. I only want the stuff that has passed…Programming7 min read
Jan 62022: The year of the pluckOn a crisp spring day in Illinois, my fourth grade teacher Mrs Dare conspired with my mother, my own flesh and blood, to give me an extra batch of homework assignments. They claimed it was just one extra homework assignment, but it turned out the be the largest project I…Learning3 min read
Dec 14, 202152 things I learned this yearOne thing a week. Turns out, it was harder to whittle down than I thought. This was a fun exercise. I know I’m two weeks early, but honestly it’s just because I was so excited to do it at all. I dug through my Evernotes, Goodreads highlights, camera rolls, Trello…Growth7 min read