Recreating my old game
I’ve written before about how making video games made me a better programmer, and I’d like to continue that work. I’ve also written about how I lost all the...
Posts by Date
Below are my rants thoughtful posts about life as a software engineer, lessons learned, and little triumphs that I want to share with the internet. Enjoy! 😁
2022
Six months at Google
Six months in, and I still can’t believe I work at Google. It’s been a lot to take in, and now that I’ve gotten used to it I want to share what it’s like wo...
Automated Testing
Some people love automated tests and won’t stop singing their praises. Other people hate automated tests and constantly point out what a waste of time they ...
Digital Gardening Follow-up
About 6 months ago I wrote a blog post about digital gardening. The basic idea was that I don’t need to architect every single aspect of this site. Instead...
Programming on a Chromebook
When I started at Google, they gave me my assigned laptop and I was shocked to find out it was, gasp, a Chromebook!? For a software engineer position? How ...
How do you start learning how to code?
When I learned to program, there were so few resources. Now there are so many free resources - so get started!
Web 3.0
I think there will be a cool use for all this new technology, but I don’t think we’ve found it yet.
Working Remotely
My early days of remote work were a struggle, but I learned some lessons that I’d like to share.
Things College Didn’t Teach You
A CS degree is a great foundation on which to build a career. The problem is that you can’t simulate the conditions of a work environment
The benefits of bad memory
I have spent my whole life figuring out ways to keep things straight in my head. Over time, I’ve developed habits that compensate for my forgetfulness.
Great Leaders are NOT Perfect
When somebody refuses to admit their mistakes, it erodes trust in that person… When a leader shifts blame to the people around them, it drives a wedge betwe...
Balance, and Not Having Any
It’s yet another USAF drill weekend, which always serves to highlight that I’ve got way too much going on right now.
Google, Here I Come!
It’s official: next month I’ll be a Google employee! 😲 The story of how it happened is a little strange, so I’d like to share.
Structure
You know that one interview question everybody hates? The one I you’ve probably read multiple articles about how to answer? That one that has you wondering...
Back to School!
I hate to admit it, but they were right. Every single one of them warned me and I poo-pooed away their concerns. “That won’t happen to me, I’ll be fine” I ...
The Benefits of Game Programming
My earliest interest in programming started because of video games. My family got our first gaming console when I was 3 or 4 years old, and I was immediatel...
Digital Gardening
You can’t build a garden. You have to plant the seeds and let it grow naturally. It is a slow, deliberate process that involves guiding that growth rather ...
Virtual Reality
I’ve been saying I want a VR headset for a while now, but they have always seemed out of reach. They all required a powerful gaming PC and were a ton of mon...
2021
People Skills
🎄Merry Christmas 🎄! Full disclosure: no, I’m not writing a blog post instead of spending Christmas with my family. My blog posts release on Saturday, but ...
Long Lost Code
A couple weeks ago, I wrote about a ridiculous little game I worked on. It sprouted from an idea I had in high school, formed into a real thing when I did a...
Imposter Syndrome
In a previous post I talked about starting the Google Foobar challenge. Great news: I finished all five levels, and there’s an email from a Google recruiter...
Creating Things From Scratch
Mechanics are able to look at a car’s engine, figure out what’s wrong, and fix it. They can tweak an existing engine to make it work better or prevent some ...
Working From Home… With Children
The kids have been home this week for Thanksgiving break, and the whole experience makes me wonder how we survived 2020.
Google Foobar
Earlier this month, I was teaching Python to the newbies at my Air Force Reserve squadron. I work in a cybersecurity squadron and am one of only a couple of ...
Bus Factor 🚍
Recently, my job lost an employee that was working on a project with me. The work was pretty well split up - I was able to work on my stuff without knowing...
My First Blog Post
I’ve been listening to the Working Code podcast and really liked their suggestion to learn in public and use blogging as a way to remember things. So here ...