Funny Programming Languages
One of the weirdest and most wonderful things about people is that they can make a joke out of anything. For any human discipline there's people making jokes...
Use the Wrong Tool for the Job
I've recently been real fascinated by the topic of complexity and what keeps us from keeping software simple. The wider net likes to blame "lazy programmers"...
In Defense of Testing Mocks
Computer Things: 2021 Edition It's over a year late, I know, but the 2021 Newsletter collection is now available to purchase as a PDF. 70,000 words, 250...
Microfeatures I'd like to see in more languages
There are roughly three classes of language features: Features that the language is effectively designed around, such that you can't add it after the fact....
Why Modeling Finds Bugs (Without Model-Checking)
Just the process of writing a model will improve your software designs.
Bugs that literally cost money
How much does a software bug cost a company? Well that's a messy question. It depends on the type of bug, the broken behavior, the type of company, etc. And...
2022 In Review
Happy end of 2022! It's been a busy year personally and professionally, one of the most productive (on both fronts!) in a long time. Not that you'd be able...
Universal SE Topics
Resources that someone (nose goes) needs to write
Making ChatGPT Useful
Lower your expectations and AI will thrive
I am disappointed by dynamic typing
They have potential to be more than "no static types", but that hasn't happened.
Let's Prove Leftpad; Content Aggregation
Hi everyone! First of all, I published a new blog post. It's an explanation of my Let's Prove Leftpad project. Give it a read! Now because I can't in good...
Why do we call it "boilerplate code?"
Etymology is fun!
Notes on Every Strangeloop 2022 Talk I Attended
I originally made this newsletter to tell people when I updated my blog. Then it grew into the abomination it is today. Anyway, I just updated my blog....
Software Moves
Verbing patterns
Software Isomorphisms
SUPRISE MATH LESSON
Teaching Accidental and Essential Complexity
So you may know that I'm teaching a 1-day TLA+ workshop in December (just 10 slots left!) This is unlike my normal workshops because it's only 1 day and for...
What a Wedding Taught Me About Software Engineering
I'm too jetlagged to resist silly clickbait
I am a SQL Injection Attack
Recently I've been very interested in "meatspace models", where you explain a CS concept in terms of the real world. It's the monad is a burrito gag except...
Snippet Praxis
Copypasting from stuff is A Good Idea
New Article, "The Five Minute Feedback Fix"
Hi everyone! I know I said there was no newsletter this week, but that doesn't mean no new content! Last year I was approached by The ReadMe Project,...