Posts

TIL 2020-08-19 Chesterton’s Fence - Implementations might exist for a reason. Don’t remove something until you understand why it was put there. HTTP API for Cats - Fun way to learn HTTP status codes with cat images. HTTP Status Code Cheatsheet - Comprehensive reference for HTTP status codes and their meanings. Implementation of a Retro Finnish Game in Elixir - Example of game development using Elixir. Nerves: Add Agility to your IoT Development Cycle - Platform for building IoT applications with Elixir. ...

TIL 2020-08-18 Amos Loves to Tinker - Excellent blog on computers and Rust programming with deep technical insights. Essential Coding Theory - Comprehensive textbook by Guruswami, Rudra, and Madhusudan from CSE @ Buffalo. Haskell Mini Patterns - Collection of useful small patterns for Haskell programming. Laying the Foundation for Rust’s Future - Rust Foundation announcement and future roadmap. Mnemonic - CLI application for remembering and managing notes. Playbooks: A Manager’s Essential Guide to Holding Regular Check-Ins - Management guidance for effective team check-ins. ...

Computer Science Fundamentals Virtual Machine Implementation Write your own Virtual Machine Comprehensive tutorial on building a virtual machine from scratch Implements the LC-3 (Little Computer 3) instruction set Covers CPU simulation, memory management, and instruction execution Excellent educational resource for understanding computer architecture Hands-on approach to learning how computers work at the lowest level Data Visualization and Art Creative Data Visualization Stock Market Chart Landscape Art Creative approach to transforming financial data into artistic landscapes Demonstrates intersection of data science and creative arts Shows how data visualization can be both informative and aesthetically pleasing Example of unconventional approaches to data presentation Personal Finance and Productivity You Need a Budget (YNAB) You Need a Budget Popular budgeting software with strong methodology Focuses on zero-based budgeting principles Emphasizes giving every dollar a purpose before spending Strong community and educational resources Subscription-based but highly regarded for effectiveness Developer Tools Cheat Command-Line Tool cheat is a command to make and use a global pool of offline cheatsheets Command-line tool for managing and accessing cheatsheets Offline access to reference materials Customizable and extensible cheatsheet system Useful for quick reference without internet access Community-contributed cheatsheets available Key Takeaways Learning Through Implementation Building a virtual machine teaches fundamental computer science concepts Hands-on projects provide deeper understanding than theoretical study alone Complex systems become understandable when built step by step Creative Applications of Technical Skills Data visualization can be both functional and artistic Technical skills can be applied to creative and personal domains Cross-disciplinary thinking leads to innovative approaches Tool Selection and Productivity Offline tools provide reliability and speed Good methodology often matters more than specific tools Investment in learning tools pays long-term dividends

TIL 2020-08-15 Write Your Own Virtual Machine - Comprehensive tutorial on implementing a virtual machine from scratch, including LC-3 architecture and instruction set.

Today I learned about programming wisdom from Alan Perlis, language design principles from Guy Steele, and the philosophy behind growing programming languages.

Software Engineering Leadership Understanding 10x Developers Becoming a 10x Developer Challenges the myth of the individual “10x developer” Focuses on how developers can make their entire team more productive Emphasizes collaboration, mentoring, and system thinking over individual heroics Key insight: Great developers multiply the effectiveness of their teams Tech Leadership Resources Books for Tech Leads Curated reading list for technical leadership development Covers essential skills beyond just technical expertise Includes management, communication, and strategy topics Critical for engineers transitioning to leadership roles Programming Languages and Platforms Guile Scheme guile Programming Language GNU’s implementation of the Scheme programming language Designed as an extension language for GNU software Supports both interpreted and compiled execution Used in various GNU projects for scripting and automation Part of the Lisp family with powerful metaprogramming capabilities Hacker News Architecture HN Server is implemented in arc Arc is a Lisp dialect created by Paul Graham Interesting choice for a high-traffic web application Demonstrates that unconventional language choices can work at scale Shows the power of Lisp-family languages for web development Key Insights Leadership vs. Individual Contribution The most effective developers focus on team multiplication Technical leadership requires skills beyond coding Reading and continuous learning are essential for growth Understanding different programming paradigms expands thinking Technology Choices Successful systems can be built with unusual technology stacks Language choice often matters less than good architecture and team skills Functional programming languages can be practical for web applications GNU ecosystem demonstrates long-term commitment to extensible software

TIL 2020-08-12 Becoming a 10x Developer - Insights on what makes truly effective developers and how productivity multiplies. Books for Tech Leads - Essential reading for technical leadership roles. Diff Highlight Tool for JavaScript - PrismJS plugin for highlighting code differences. How to Stop Procrastinating Using the Fogg Behavior Model - Behavioral science approach to overcoming procrastination. How to Build a Web Application Completely in Rust - Complete example of full-stack Rust web development. ...

Today I learned about the Guile Scheme baseline compiler, Bartosz Milewski's Category Theory for Programmers, the classic SICP book, and the challenges of tracking running processes on Linux systems.

Stream Processing and Big Data Apache Samza Apache Samza Distributed stream processing framework Built for handling real-time data streams at scale Integrates closely with Apache Kafka for message streaming Used by LinkedIn and other large-scale organizations Provides fault-tolerant, scalable stream processing capabilities System Design Resources System Design Learning Awesome System Design Curated collection of system design resources Covers distributed systems, scalability, and architecture patterns Essential for technical interviews and building large-scale systems Includes case studies, papers, and practical examples Messaging and Monitoring Tools Origin - Monitoring and Alert Server origin is a monitoring and alert server based on ZeroMQ and JSON messaging Lightweight monitoring solution using ZeroMQ for message transport JSON-based configuration and messaging Suitable for custom monitoring setups Demonstrates practical use of ZeroMQ in production systems Plumber - Multi-Protocol Messaging CLI plumber is a CLI for Kafka, RabbitMQ and other messaging systems Unified command-line interface for multiple messaging platforms Supports Kafka, RabbitMQ, and other popular message brokers Useful for debugging, testing, and interacting with messaging infrastructure Simplifies working with heterogeneous messaging environments Key Takeaways Stream Processing Ecosystem Apache Samza represents mature stream processing technology Critical for real-time data processing at scale Part of broader Apache ecosystem (Kafka, Storm, Flink) Tooling and Operations Specialized tools like Plumber improve developer productivity Monitoring systems like Origin show lightweight approaches to observability System design knowledge is fundamental for building scalable applications

TIL 2020-08-08 Apache Samza - Stream processing framework for building real-time data processing applications. Awesome System Design - Curated list of system design resources and patterns. Geeks for Geeks PDFs - Collection of GeeksforGeeks articles compiled into PDFs. Linux Networking Discussion - Reddit thread about learning Linux networking fundamentals. Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs - Classic computer science textbook available online. broot - A better alternative to tree command, written in Rust. ...