John DeHope

Esperanto

I’m learning to speak Esperanto for the second time. I invested quite a bit into it many years go, through a book that I recall very fondly.

https://www.amazon.com/Esperanto-Teach-Yourself-Revised-3rd/dp/0844237639/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=learn+esperanto&qid=1607729423&s=books&sr=1-3

I should try to get a copy of it… Wow it’s $55 for a used copy… so no. Instead I’m using duolingo which is free and has a very nice combination of reading, listening, writing, etc. Also their web design is top notch. A lot of times a free service will have sub-par web design. It’s a turn off, but also a way for pay services to differentiate themselves. But not in this case.

Written 2015-06-01.

Digital Hoarding

I’ve been working to clean up my digital life. A subscription to copy stores all my files. All of them! After reading this I’m renewing my efforts to move out of google and into yahoo. This blog is a part of that effort. I’ve also bought into dashlane for managing all of my passwords. Jen and I have been using the basic reminders iOS app to great effect. And I just bought due to help with dinky little things like taking out the garbage or watering the trees. Being organized feels great!

Written 2015-06-01.

Start.me

My web links homepage is incredibly useful. I highly recommend this free web page service called start.me.

https://start.me/p/VBBwPL/news

Written 2015-06-01.

I Don’t Vote

Explaining why I don’t vote can be tricky. You get into a lot of deep philosophical arguments this way. I think the next time the subject comes up, I’ll just point people at this video: Election 2016: Too Many Cooks. It might do a better job than explaining the non-aggression principle does. Although this video comes close.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstention

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6AlQiWatD4

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-aggression_principle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muHg86Mys7I

Written 2015-06-01.

Real Process

When you see a process seemingly go wrong, as yourself: What is the actual goal of the process? Are the people in charge privately doing something other than what they publicly say? Just because it looks like failure doesn’t mean it is. It could actually be a resounding success… at something else.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/06/us-airport-screeners-missed-95-of-weapons-explosives-in-undercover-tests/

Written 2015-06-02.

Loving Logs

I’ve been thinking about loving a log-oriented architecture. I’m envisioning something like CQRS. But instead of separating commands and queries, I’m thinking of separating logs and the business data that’s produced from them.

I think of it like this: The user interface appends to a log. Business logic handlers process the log and produce business data. Then api queries can read business data to build their responses.

The business logic just reads the logs. The api calls only get to read business data. The UI only gets to append to logs. The business logic processes only get to add and update the business data.

Written 2015-06-02.

Step One: Normalize

My first step in a project dealing with data is to get the data out of whatever format or repo it’s in currently and into a reasonably normalized relational database.

Written 2015-06-04.

JavaScript is Assembly

JavaScript is the assembly language of the web. This means some of our brightest minds are stuck navel-gazing. My work doesn’t get done when I implement higher level concepts in lower level code. I need to work at a higher level without having to think about the lower levels.

http://raganwald.com/2015/06/04/classes-are-expressions.html

Written 2015-06-05.

Keep It Simple

I’ve never had to scale anything. As a single full-stack developer I can only build something as large as I can manage myself. That means no requirements that put me in danger of needing to scale. If a single web server and database can’t handle the project, it’s likely too large for a single person to be able to manage well. This space may not be sexy, and I sometimes envy cool new technologies like docker and micro services, but it’s a trade-off I am comfortable with, and have been successful with.

“A superior pilot uses his superior judgment to avoid situations which require the use of his superior skill.”
Frank Borman, Apollo 8

Written 2015-07-03.

100 Years Of Beauty

Wow, there’s so much to learn about from the 100 Years Of Beauty series. Seeing these people go from zero makeup to glamorous is quite a transformation. And how much work it is, for everyone. Anybody who thinks being a model or makeup stylist is easy should check these videos out. It looks like a lot of work for everybody! And finally, if you weren’t sure if biceps could be sexy on ladies too, check out 1930′s Russia! Hubba hubba! Maybe I should start doing pull-ups?

Written 2015-07-03.