Things I learned while looking up other things, 2023.11.11
Dear friends,
A long time ago I had a gag website called "November is No New Projects Month" and I think of that every November (no, I'm not doing NaNoWriMo, if you are, godspeed!) as I scramble to finish what I said I'd do this year while casting longing glances at January. Many decades of bitter experience have not yet taught me that there's not a magical reset button January 1st that spits out extra bonus time to do all the shiny projects that are catching my eye now. (Does your January has a magical reset button? Where is it?)
What I am doing now, mostly, is some dependency upgrade work, which is very much like untangling necklaces. I've already pulled out all the easy bits and now I'm poking gingerly through the big lumps with a darning needle. So a lot of what I've learned while looking up other things is of little interest to people who aren't JavaScript nerds (and the JS nerds knew it all already). It feels like driving through a town you haven't been to recently and noting all the new stuff. Oh, they have a Five Guys now? And the s3 AWS SDK now has a built-in transformToString function? Neat.
What my neighbors seem to be doing is labeling the mushrooms in their yard, which is very helpful because the mushroom in question (Agaricus xanthodermus) is the source of 50% of the poisonings in people who gather this species. In other 'fungus among us' news, Witches' Butter is a fungus that is a parasite of another parasitical fungus! It's fungus all the way down.
Mystery of the girl in the My Neighbor Totoro movie poster: solved! In 2021! (TBH, I just kind of figured that it was just another Catbus patron.)
They're wugging the AIs now. (I'm trying to make 'wugonym' happen.)
The Swedish Academy Dictionary is done, after 140 years! Except not really, because they have to revise it to include 'app' and 'computer', among 10,000 other words. (Nods head in lexicographer.)
Although we're seeing some great gains from the recent strikes (union strong!) I think we need to bring back the Mink Brigades. What should replace the mink coat as the signifier of "I'm rich, you better not arrest me?"
If you celebrate US Thanksgiving (or even just endure it) here's my favorite holiday pie recipe.
Stay well!
Your friend,
Erin