I actually enjoy writing. I always have, and writing blog posts on this website is not exception. In fact, besides blogging and writing code, I also maintain a daily journal.
When things are written well, reading is a ton of fun. It is a shame then, that so many folks online are only interested in selling merchandise, shilling sponsors or selling their latest course. I get it, you need to bring in the dough.
But the majority of my blog posts here, I simply write because I enjoy writing and I write them because it’s plain fun. My Linux experiments, my video game retrospective posts every year, my programming posts, all of them are written because they’re fun.
Read blog postWhen I was much younger I used to run Linux on the desktop, and tinkered around with the popular distributions of the day. I used to daily drive various distros like Ubuntu, Fedora, Mint… it was a good time. My preferred desktop environment at the time was GNOME 2.
I eventually became a Mac OS X user in 2011 after getting my first MacBook. I’ve been a happy Mac guy for a long time now, but I’m a bit concerned about the direction Apple’s going with their software at this point.1
In reaction to these macOS changes, I’ve been thinking about running Linux on the desktop. However, I didn’t want to sacrifice my bootloader on my desktop, so I decided not to do it.
Read blog postI have been a Rands in Repose reader for a very long time, and I consider Shields Down to be one of my favorite pieces of Michael Lopp’s writing.
Resignations happen in a moment, and it’s not when you declare, “I’m resigning.” […] The moment happened the instant you decided, “What the hell? I haven’t seen Don in months and it’d be good to see him.” Your shields are officially down. Shields Down, Rands in Repose
If you haven’t already, give the article a read. In short, it’s about when it’s time to look for a new job and embrace a new opportunity. I’ve had several Shields Down moments over the last few years, with a really significant one in 2022.
I knew that my time at my employer was going to come to a close in the next two years, but I wasn’t sure about the precise timing, so I have been quiet. Now I do, and so it’s time to share.
I was already seriously considering looking for new opportunities all the way back in 2020, but with an ongoing pandemic I was not motivated to look for something new, and decided to stay at the company.
Read blog postYou ever hear about those 10x programmers? I am certainly not one of them. I always assume that I am a pretty average programmer.
I’ve only been doing this for about ten years, and I am certainly not a mathematical genius. So, I always confidently assume there’s folks out there far more capable than I am. This simple fact of life is actually one of the few things I can be confidently confident about.
My explanation for being average at programming is simple: I haven’t invested a tremendous amount of time building a variety of challenging projects that would push me forward. I’ve also seen other incredibly capable people at work.
Programming, you see, isn’t my entire life. I can’t bring that level of dedication to my craft that others can. Some certainly are also more naturally gifted, but it’s usually hard work and luck that gets you upper percentile results.
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