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Runaway complexity

Last week I had to work on a Django app again. Since Python is a very portable language that works on many different platforms, of course I’ve had to work on that in a Docker container, in a Linux VM in Qemu, on an arm64 Mac running macOS. Also because the official Docker for Desktop app is somewhat annoying, I’ve been giving Lima a try. Also because the standard Django development web server doesn’t offer the best debugging experience, I’ve been running an alternative server through django-extensions.

I’ve counted at least 8 distinct software vendors so far in that paragraph. When I’ve hit a bug that completely killed my productivity, it was far from obvious which one to look at. Let’s take a dive and see what happened.

Quick tip: soundproofing your homelab

Quick tip: if your home server happens to be a humble PC tower, rather than a rackmount blade, you can insert a layer of styrofoam or bubble wrap underneath it, to reduce the noise transferred from the fans & hard drives into the floor or the desk.

The Old Computer Challenge v2: Conclusion

Today marks the last day of the challenge.

The Old Computer Challenge v2: Day 4 Summary

Short update on the challenge: all the smart home stuff is so annoying.

The Old Computer Challenge v2: Days 1&2 Summary

Days 1&2 of The Old Computer Challenge v2! I found that being almost constantly online during the working hours actually takes a lot away from the challenge - I’ve had to make a few adjustments.

The Old Computer Challenge v2: Day 0 Summary

Day 0 of The Old Computer Challenge v2 went well. Even though it’s a Sunday, I’ve had to work a bit - which also meant I had to go online. Such is the life of a startup co-founder, I guess. I didn’t mind though, as it created an opportunity to listen to a live stream of up&coming Opera singers, and as a lover of ALL good music (thank you, Mańka), I couldn’t imagine a better reason.

Participating in The Old Computer Challenge (v2)!

I’ve decided to participate in the The Old Computer Challenge v2. In this challenge, we pretend we’re on a 1990s-style modem (metered) connection, so we’re only allowed to be online for one hour a day (except for work).

My partner Alida has decided to join as well.

Check out all posts in this series.

My StarCraft II hotkeys

I’ve published a gist with my StarCraft II hotkeys. The readme discusses the design and philosophy - mostly focusing on ergonomics, improving at the game, and maintaining good habits.

How to manage dotfiles, the easy way

I’ve published my dotfiles on Github. The readme discusses some very simple and effective strategies for maintaining dotfiles, without the overhead of any third-party tools.

Disaster Recovery

It’s been quite a while since I’ve had to write a detailed post-mortem, and luckily this time the impact is very minimal - I’ve accidentally nuked the contents of the hard drive of my laptop, which I rarely use for any “serious” work. It’s made me reconsider disaster recovery plans, because mine didn’t quite stand the test.

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