Logging an Object in JavaScript
When printing a JavaScript value to the console, I suggest using an object literal over the raw value. ...
Why Ruby?
Why should someone learn Ruby in 2022? Ruby was my first programming language, and although I’ve drifted elsewhere, I write Ruby every day. Many people in my network are Ruby diehards. As a result, it’s been a long time since I’ve gotten the chance to sell someone on Ruby. ...
What Are the Tradeoffs of Passing Objects as React Props?
A common React pattern is to pass an object as a prop. Let’s consider the ways this can be used and tradeoffs of each. ...
Naive Implementation: The Art of Artless Programming
A naive implementation is a programming technique that prioritizes imperfect shortcuts for the sake of speed, simplicity, or lack of knowledge. ...
Authentication vs. Authorization
Authentication and authorization are two distinct concepts. Yet, I’ve found they’re sometimes used interchangeably. In this post, I’d like to define these terms. ...
Spell Checking with Vim: Tutorial and Best Practices
I write each post for this blog in Vim. Writing in the terminal makes me feel like a programmer, even when I’m not specifically programming. In this post, I’ll share how I spellcheck in Vim. ...
How to Write a Perfect Bug Report (With Template)
Bugs are part of software. Reporting bugs well is a necessary skill in an ever-growing number of job titles. In this post, I’d like to explain how to write a perfect bug report and offer some bug-reporting best practices. ...
Make a Prediction
Imagine you’re debugging, and you’re stuck. I have a technique that’s going to help. Think of an action you might take. Predict what will happen when you take that action. Take the action. Check if you were right or wrong, consider that information, and repeat. ...
Desire Paths in Software
We’ve all seen a desire path. They are footpaths created by erosion from human and animal traffic that communicate a wish for a path that doesn’t exist. When you walk on a paved path toward a destination and notice a shortcut in the earth, that’s a desire path. It’s the way people go, rather than the way we would wish them to go. ...
Spend More Time Thinking Hard
Ben Kuhn’s ‘Think Real Hard’ shares a problem-solving checklist from the scientist Richard Feynman: Write down the problem. Think real hard. Write down the solution. On its face, this advice is ridiculous. If only we just sat and thought about the problem, we’d win a Nobel Prize like Dr. Feynman! ...