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Tech articles

Guides, resources, and opinions software engineering and working in tech

Posts

  1. Defaults 2026
    A list of the default apps that I use in 2026.
  2. AI use case: Asking questions of large files
    When file search isn't enough to surface answers, using an LLM to ask questions of large files is a valuable use case for AI.
  3. Install curl with apt (and not snap)
    When trying to install Node, I encountered an issue that was resolved by installed curl with apt.
  4. Four perspectives on AI
    I respond to Maxi Ferreira's thesis on the two stages of AI adoption among developers with a four-quadrant model based on an individual's beliefs about AI. These gives us four perspectives: Skeptical, Wary, Pragmatic, and Optimistic.
  5. Axe DevTools doesn't flag multiple h1 elements on a page
    Rendering multiple h1 elements on a page isn't technically an issue, but you probably want to avoid it anyway. Here I explain how to configure a snippet in your browser to check the heading levels on a webpage.
  6. Writing code was never the bottleneck in software engineering
    In "Writing Code Was Never the Bottleneck", Pedro Tavares challenges a common assumption in the LLM age. I agree and add some thoughts based on my experience in software-development environments.
  7. Colocate functionally-related code
    My preference is to colocate code based on functional relation–what it does–and not domain relation–what it is.
  8. My on-again-off-again relationship with AI assistants
    I keep subscribing to and canceling AI assistant plans without finding lasting value.
  9. Zed still isn't ready
    Zed is a nice light-weight editor, but the slow searching and memory issues make it a non-option for my work.
  10. Deleting my GPTs
    GPTs provided little value to me now, little potential value in the future, and were the only thing locking me in my Open AI subscription.
  11. Pittsburgh TechFest 2024
    Pittsburgh TechFest 2024 was a good experience and valuable opportunity to connect with the local tech scene.
  12. Bypass "Error: There are no prompts" in promptfoo
    Adding a space to the end of the prompt text appears to be a workaround for this error.
  13. Use state callbacks in React
    When you need to reference the previous state, pass a callback function to React's setState.
  14. VIVO sit/stand desk
    Issues and solutions for my VIVO sit/stand desk.
  15. Simplify event delegation with the Element.closest method
    Event delegation is a useful pattern for managing descendant interactions and Element.closest helps with simple and robust code.
  16. Align content in Markdown tables
    You can use colons in the header row separator to align content in a Markdown table.
  17. CSS nesting is (almost) ready
    It's not quite ready for production use, but we are very close to getting native CSS nesting.
  18. Looking over the fence at Eleventy
    Eleventy is looking better and better as an alternative to Astro for simple or long-lived websites.
  19. Getting started with Eleventy
    The missing getting-started guide for the Eleventy (11ty) static-site generator.
  20. ChatGPT 4o isn't a good researcher yet
    When asked, ChatGPT provides sources but they don't contain the information provided.
  21. Astro and release velocity
    Astro is a great framework, but it's frequent updates are overwhelming.
  22. Render and effect call order in React
    Renders are called top-down, but effects are called bottom-up.
  23. Manage your photo archive
    Take a minute to review all photos from today's date and delete the ones you don't need.
  24. Measuring and cutting
    Measuring twice, cut once is good advice for woodworking but maybe not for software engineering.
  25. Create a custom search for a static site
    A high-level overview of why and how I built a URL-powered fuzzy search feature for this site.
  26. Fix missing Astro files on GitHub pages
    Astro generated CSS files start with an underscore which causes them to be ignored by GitHub Pages.
  27. Create a useIsOnline React hook
    Using the Navigator's onLine property and online/offline events to create a custom React hook.
  28. Fix static file endpoints after Astro v4 upgrade
    I needed to change the name of the exported function and make sure that it was returning a Response or Promise.
  29. Why Microsoft Edge?
    Edge has all of the features of Chrome with some additional features.
  30. Switching from Ubuntu to Linux Mint
    I switched for performance reasons on an older device, and so far Linux Mint seems to be an improvement.
  31. Running Ollama without a GPU
    You can run Ollama on an older device, but the response will be slow and/or low quality.
  32. Use Ollama with the official Python library
    Get started working with AI, Ollama, and large-language models in four steps.
  33. Get started prompt engineering with local LLMs
    Ollama makes it easy to run LLMs locally and provides experimental compatibility with OpenAI's APIs.
  34. Python Reference
    A quick reference guide for working in Python.
  35. Did OpenAI's Web Browser GPT leak its prompt?
    When given a simple prompt, OpenAI's Web Browser GPT seems to leak its prompt.
  36. Migrating from Google Domains to Porkbun was...
    I was able to transfer two domains from Google to Porkbun without any issues or downtime.
  37. Normalizing data is a good idea
    By transforming your data into a consistent structure, you can reduce the complexity of your code.
  38. How I'm using AI in November 2023
    Chat GPT and Khanmigo join Copilot in the regular category this month.
  39. Sli.dev review
    A great tool that gets out of the way when creating slides.
  40. Is it better to have one large file or multiple small files with GPTs?
    Using a single file seems to reduce response times, but there is more to the story.
  41. What is the file limit for GTPs?
    As of November 15, 2023, the limit is 10 files.
  42. How I'm using AI in October 2023
    GitHub Copilot is still the most popular, but I found myself using ChatGPT more frequently in October.
  43. GPTs read text files better than markdown
    Use text files instead of markdown with OpenAI’s custom GPTs.
  44. Thoughts on Web Speech API
    Browser native text-to-speech is neat, but it lacks the polish that most users expect.
  45. Declarative code and cognitive load
    Maxi Ferreira in Frontend At Scale on how declarative code can reduce cognitive load.
  46. How I'm using AI in August & September 2023
    GitHub Copilot and Warp are the only two AI-powered products that I used in August and September, with Copilot being by far the most valuable.
  47. See what object properties are accessed in JavaScript
    JavaScript's Proxy object can be used to watch an object and respond whenever any of its properties are accessed or reassigned.
  48. Remove duplicates from an array in JavaScript
    Using sets to de-dupe arrays of primitive and object-like values.
  49. How I'm using AI in July 2023
    Some more competitors are entering the ring, but GitHub Copilot remains the only AI-powered product that I use regularly.
  50. Timeboxing types
    In order to maximize the value of types and your time, consider timeboxing the amount of time that you spend writing any given type.
  51. CSS columns are neat
    The columns property is CSS divides content among a set number or width of columns.
  52. Quality requires iteration
    You're not going to write the perfect program on your first attempt; it's going to take multiple iterations to arrive at the best solution.
  53. A workable emoji picker on Ubuntu
    The default GNOME emoji picker is limited to certain applications, but you can find copyable emojis in the Activities view.
  54. Writing Prompts for Programmers
    A list of software-engineering focused writing prompts to help programmers get started writing.
  55. Reviewing "Go By Example"
    Go By Example is a great resource for learning the syntax and patterns of Go, but you might need to supplement it with other resources to learn how to work in the language.
  56. How I'm Using AI in June 2023
    GitHub Copilot has pulled away from the rest as the only AI product/service that I use regularly.
  57. A quick comparison of JavaScript and Go executables
    Go is the superior for executables based file size and execution time, but Bun and Deno offer a competitive option for developers familiar with the JavaScript ecosystem.
  58. Compairing Objects, Maps, and WeakMaps for lookup tables in JavaScript
    You could use an Object, but Maps are probably best for lookup tables and WeakMaps are useful for memory performance.
  59. Web-browser Accessibility Tools
    Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari all have built-in accessibility tools to help you create accessible experiences for all.
  60. Linux Update in 2023
    After experimenting with Linux last year, I am happily using Ubuntu on a Lenovo Yoga as my personal computer.
  61. How I'm using AI in May 2023
    GitHub Copilot is the top product this month, but Bard, Bing, ChatGPT, and Warp all have their uses.
  62. Declaring variables in Go
    You can declare variables with var, :=, and const depending on your use case.
  63. What is nullish in JavaScript?
    Nullish values are null and undefined, and it's important to thing of them separately from falsy values.
  64. QA questions for everyone to ask
    Everyone on the product team should ask verifying, discovery, and critical questions to ensure quality.
  65. Learning Go
    Learning the Go programming language for professionanl development has been an enjoyable experience.
  66. Set up Decap CMS
    Decap CMS is the official successor to Netlify CMS and works well with the old tooling.
  67. Zed is a rocket-powered skateboard
    Zed is a new Rust-powered editor by the creator of Atom that focuses on speed but lacks a lot of features.
  68. Fix failed Fastify deploy on Render
    To get a boilerplate Fastify app to deploy on Render.com, you need to read to listen on PORT environment variable.
  69. Find and replace with Regex groups
    Create Regex groups with parentheses for powerful find/replace patterns.
  70. Fix SVG CSS animation issue in Safari
    Safari 16 has trouble with CSS animations on SVG child elements, but you can resolve them by using a combined transform property.
  71. Listen for class change in JavaScript
    There isn’t an event for class list changes, but you can write a function that listens for class changes on an element with the MutationObserver API.
  72. Create Axios-style articles with CSS
    We can use inline blocks to bring subheadings on the same line as the following text while preserving the visual spacing.
  73. CSS :empty pseudo class
    Empty elements in a flex or grid container can result in double gaps, but CSS has an pseudo class to select and remove those elements.
  74. Fix trailing whitespace in Astro components
    There is an issue with the Astro compiler that leaves unwanted whitespace in your elements, and this workaround will solve the problem until it's resolved.
  75. Farewell Create React App
    The React team is looking to transition Create React App from a project scaffold to a launcher that includes options other than client-side rendering.
  76. Valid JavaScript variable names
    Mathias Bynen has a handy tool for determining what characters are allowed in a JS variable name.
  77. Migrating to IndieWeb.social
    A little write-up about my migration from Fosstodon to IndieWeb.social.
  78. Publishing a Qwik component
    The Qwik team has made creating and publish Qwik components a smooth and painless process.
  79. Fix Astro dev server hanging with new collections API
    The issue for me was calling useCollection on an entry with a layout.
  80. Be careful parsing formatted numbers in JavaScript
    JavaScript's parseInt, parseFloat, and Number constructors struggle with comma-separated number strings.
  81. New command palette
    I added a new new command/control K command palette to my site. You can use the keyboard shortcut or activate it by clicking the magnifying glass in the header.
  82. Fix "package esbuild-linux-64 could not be found" error on Netlify
    I don't know how applicable this solution will be to your situation, but it worked for me!
  83. Portable custom search engines
    Custom search engines (sometimes called site search) are a great browser feature, but they aren't easily ported from one browser to the next. I created a portable web app to handle your custom search engines from any browser.
  84. A first look at Static CMS with Astro
    Documenting my first attempt at switching from Netlify CMS to Static CMS.
  85. Astro components do not merge HTML attributes
    Props are merged, but attributes are not. This is an important rule to know when authoring Astro components.
  86. Run Netlify CMS and your dev server in one command
    The npm-run-all package allows you to run multiple scripts from your package.json in parallel.
  87. Fix Netlify Dev's 'Multiple possible start commands found' issue
    You need to include additional properties in your netlify.toml to get it working correctly.
  88. Astro components for Netlify features
    Announcing astro-netlify-components, a library for using Netlify features in your Astro projects.
  89. Create a "Dave Rupert"-inspired activity graph
    A little code walk through a the new Activity Graph on my homepage.
  90. Use your domain on Mastodon with Astro
    A quick guide on using an Astro endpoint to generate the webfinger you need to use your domain on Mastodon.
  91. Are command bars the future?
    Command bars are a great way to access functionality through a single user interface, but how much potential does this pattern have to change the way we interact with products?
  92. Node.js is great for scripting
    Node.js and JavaScript are a great option for scripting for the language features and the large ecosystem. Oh, and it's pretty fast too!
  93. There is no multi-tasking on the Raspberry Pi
    Detailing some of the struggles that I've encountered while trying to do front-end development on a Raspberry Pi.
  94. Finding a Linux distro and software that work
    After a lot of trial an error, I settled on Raspberry Pi OS and Firefox for my little Linux-powered computer.
  95. Giving Linux another try
    It's been about 10 years since I last tried using Linux, so I think it's time to explore what it has to offer in 2022.
  96. Awesome browser extensions
    A curated list of helpful browser extensions.
  97. Using dynamic routes to organize blog posts in Astro
    If you want to display multiple blog posts on a single page, then you might want to use a dynamic route to generate pages for your content.
  98. Jest
    A growing list of little things that make working with Jest a little better.
  99. How to use StackBlitz with Firefox
    Disable enhanced tracking protections to use StackBlitz with Firefox.
  100. How to replace Math.random with crypto in JavaScript
    A drop-in replacement for Math.random that generates cryptographically strong random values.
  101. Use multiple Chrome Profiles when debugging
    With specialized profiles, you can help identify issues without messing with your favorite settings.
  102. When to use React's memo HOC
    The memo higher-order component can prevent your component for re-rendering unnecessarily, but you should use caution before using it.
  103. Calculate the sum of everything up to a given number
    A little tool to calculate 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1.
  104. English words by consonant-vowel pattern
    A tool to look up common words by their consonant-vowel pattern and resources for the rest.
  105. Add a custom emulated device in Chrome
    Walking through the steps within the Google Chrome dev tools to better mimic your users' devices.
  106. Upgrading an Eleventy site to 1.0.0
    Make sure the you are using Node.js version 12 or later.
  107. Make a web component
    How to make a custom web component with only a few lines of code.
  108. Prevent Chrome from adjusting audio input levels on Mac
    A clever extension can prevent Google Meet from muting your bluetooth microphone.
  109. Helpful online tools for diagramming
    Features and examples for some of the tools that I use to create illustrations and diagrams.
  110. What is a build.gradle file?
    An brief explanation of Gradle and build.gradle files for JavaScript developers.
  111. Three new games on Toollama
    Turtle Guide, Paint Pig, and Spotlight all help children build computer literacy.
  112. React Native Glossary
    A growing list of terms you need to recognize when working in React Native.
  113. What happened to @react-native-community packages?
    Why you won't be installing any community packages on your next React Native project.
  114. Find an iOS simulator identifier
    How to find a simulator ID using the Xcode UI or terminal.
  115. Using BEM names in React Native
    A quick how-to without committing to whether it's a good idea or not.
  116. What is Hermes in React Native?
    Hermes is a JavaScript engine that is designed to run on mobile devices. It helps power React Native on Android – and now iOS – devices.
  117. Add a YouTube-embedder shortcode to your Eleventy site
    A quick guide to writing a time-saving shortcode to create the embeddable code from a YouTube url.
  118. Get innerHTML of Enzyme wrapper
    Writing a little helper function to grab the HTML of all children of a shallow wrapper in Enzyme.
  119. Use remark to covert markdown into HTML
    The missing "hello world" example to get up and running with remark.
  120. Count class methods in JavaScript
    Although JS treats them like object, finding the methods of a class programmatically is trickier than I thought.
  121. Git
    A practical resource for Git.
  122. Read URL search parameters with JavaScript
    How to use URLSearchParams to parse any search parameters string like window.location.search.
  123. Fix 'downloadable font: rejected by sanitizer' error in Firefox
    Make sure that the path to your font is correct before going down the debugging rabbit hole.
  124. Fix Netlify CMS YAML error 'Implicit map keys need to be on a single line'
    Make sure that your configuration file is being copied to the destination directory.
  125. Copy the last git commit hash on macOS
    A one liner to copy the last commit hash to the clipboard on a Mac.
  126. Add Heroicons to an Eleventy site
    A guide to using the eleventy-plugin-heroicons package in your Eleventy projects.
  127. Create a URL shortener with Netlify
    Build your very own shortener in six quick steps.
  128. Set innerHTML of an element in Svelte
    You can use an HTML expression to add valid markup to an element.
  129. Let's stop skinning cats
    Proposing an alternative, more constructive idiom to "there's more than one way to skin a cat".
  130. Search all files for two strings
    A terminal command to search for all the files in the current directory that contain two independent strings.
  131. Fix "Error: Could not resolve pagination key in template data" in Eleventy
    Not a true fix, but a decent workaround when paginating collections in Eleventy.
  132. Geddes' Guide to Crafting
    When building something new, get your foundation in place before building upon it.
  133. Send data to the window with Eleventy
    How to create a shortcode to expose data for client-side scripts.
  134. Checkout the previous git branch
    Using a git shorthand to checkout the most recent branch.
  135. Make all properties required in TypeScript
    Using the Required utility type to required all properties of a type.
  136. Add text to the beginning of every file
    Using a shell script to add a line to every file with a given extension.
  137. Sass converts hsla to hex incorrectly
    A simple solution to stop Sass from transparent hsla colors to opaque hex colors.
  138. Increase the playback speed on any audio or video online
    Since audio and video are native HTML elements, you can change the playing speed with a quick console script.
  139. Standardize character width with CSS
    Two CSS properties that make letters and numbers the same width.
  140. See all package versions in npm cli
    How to use npm view to see all the published versions of a package on the registry.
  141. TypeScript without TypeScript
    TypeScript provides valuable features but complicate the development process. What are some alternatives that provide the features without the headache?
  142. Emulate iPhone & iPad in Safari
    Simulating your web pages on Apple devices is easy with Safari's responsive design mode.
  143. Make a POST request with fetch
    A sample POST with fetch for those of us who can never remember how.
  144. Remove an item at a given index in JavaScript
    Sidestep slicing and splicing and use Array's filter method for a no-hassle solution.
  145. Tab focus not working in Safari?
    For some unknown reason, you need to enable tab highlighting in the browser's settings.
  146. Fix 'EMFILE: too many open files' error in Jest
    When trying to run Jest in watch mode, this error may mean that you are missing a dependency.
  147. Updated TypeScript mega-course on Egghead.io
    Reviewing and updating my TypeScript mega-course on Egghead.io.
  148. Access the home directory in Deno
    Using Deno's environment to determine your computer's home directory.
  149. Before You Debug
    An organized approach to debugging your code.
  150. Before Debugging
    An organized approach to debugging your code.
  151. Nodemon for Deno
    Denon is a utility for Deno that provides source watching and process restarting just like Nodemon.
  152. Parse argument aliases in Deno
    Using Deno's standard flags module to parse command-line arguments with aliases.
  153. Await multiple promises in JavaScript
    By calling your asynchronous functions before awaiting, you can save valuable time in your JavaScript programs.
  154. TypeScript mega-course on Egghead.io
    Creating a playlist to learn TypeScript.
  155. Six video update
    Lessons learned from publishing six videos on YouTube.
  156. Read a json file in Deno
    How to use Deno's standard library to read and parse data from a json file.
  157. Read a json file in Node.js
    How to use Node.js's file system to read and parse data from a json file.
  158. Publishing my first YouTube video
    Why I started a YouTube channel and what I learned in the process.
  159. How to get the browser and version in JavaScript
    A brief journey into the dangerous world of user agent sniffing.
  160. Logging with Eleventy and Nunjucks
    Adding a simple filter to save you a lot of grief.
  161. Store readable data
    When forced between storing data for humans or computers, choose the former.
  162. How to open the Dev Tools
    A comprehensive guide for opening the dev tools in Chrome and Firefox.
  163. Tools for custom Slack emojis
    The full toolbelt for making your own custom Slack emojis.
  164. Programming reads
    A list of articles, books, and resources for software engineers.
  165. Free to grow
    Why tests (should) free you to grow with confidence.
  166. How to check npm scripts in current directory
    Writing a script to read the package.json for you.
  167. How to remove duplicates from an object array?
    Not as easy as we'd like it, but not as hard as it could be.
  168. Write a draft script for your SSG blog
    Easily spin up a new article when you don't have a CMS.
  169. What default parameters do (and don't do)
    Correcting my mental model.
  170. "Stop Teaching Code" in JavaScript
    A quick review of Jeff Olson's article on teaching code with translated examples.
  171. 5 Lessons from 10k open-source downloads
    A few things I've learned from managing a modestly popular open-source package.
  172. Should I snapshot my UI components?
    The temptation is strong, but consider some of the tradeoffs.
  173. Edit a previous commit message
    The steps to edit recent or ancient commit messages.
  174. Arguments or parameters?
    An attempt to remember the difference between the two.
  175. Add event listener for class change
    How to create a custom event listener for class names using the MutationObserver API.
  176. Storing data in state vs. class variable
    Why do we store data in state as opposed to on the class?
  177. Filter out premium Medium articles
    Using a console script to alter the content on a webpage.
  178. Adding accessibility checks to your React app
    A few tools to help you build more accessible React applications.
  179. Three reasons to learn Python
    A few reasons why you should learn Python.
  180. JS Basics: Generate a random number
    Using JavaScript's Math object to generate random numbers.
  181. JS Basics: Ternary Operator
    Demystifying the inline if statement.
  182. Convert class components to functions with React Hooks
    A step by step guide to converting old components to modern React.
  183. Accessibility Wednesday
    Learning and sharing about accessibility for everyone.
  184. How to create a render prop component
    Render props are a popular technique in modern React, but they can be tricky. Here is a brief explanation and guide to creating your own.