Today I learned about ShellCheck, a static analysis tool that “finds bugs in your scripts”. It can and should be run on the command line, but an online version is also available. It catches most style and syntax errors and has plenty of options, like ignoring specific errors and warnings, which is helpful in CI scenarios.
Bash-Oneliner is an excellent resource for Bash/Linux users. Most of the “tricks” are well-known, but there is always something to learn. More importantly, finding them all well organized in one file is rare. I use the reverse lookup of bash-history (Ctrl+R) daily. Still, only today (thanks to an HN comment on Bash-Onliner) did I learn that it also preserves one’s comments, which can be exploited to invoke complex commands quickly:...
The main issue with social media is that we want them to be everything. We want them to be a place for casual interactions, for discovery, for news, for serious discourse. And that’s a mistake. Because the moment you put a stupid amount of people in one room and you let them do whatever they want the only reasonable outcome you can expect is chaos. Sure, you might get some positive results out of it but you’ll also likely get someone shitting in a corner and someone trying to fuck the power outlet....
The art of not reading is a very important one. It consists in not taking an interest in whatever may be engaging the attention of the general public at any particular time. When some political or ecclesiastical pamphlet, or novel, or poem is making a great commotion, you should remember that he who writes for fools always finds a large public. - A precondition for reading good books is not reading bad ones: for life is short....
With so many weird little guys running around Miyazaki’s filmography, it seems time to honor and celebrate them. […] A key aspect of Miyazaki’s weird little guys is how numerous they are. They’re a swarm, frequently providing little moments of comic relief as they move coal or swim through the sea. Their designs are quite simple, but their meaning frequently is not. More here.
Last night, I was at an outdoor theatre with Serena, watching Anatomy of a Fall (an excellent film). Outdoor theatres are becoming rare, which is a pity, and Arena del Sole is lovely with its strong vintage, 80s vibe. There’s little as pleasant as watching a film under the stars with your loved one on a quiet summer evening. Anyway, in the pause, I glanced at my e-mails and discovered I had been again granted the Microsoft MVP Award....
Write a lot. This is alpha and omega of writing advice, the beginning and the end, and it’s that way for a reason– I don’t know anyone who’s good writing who hasn’t also put in serious hours. – Nat Bennet
I’ve always loved libraries. They are a glimpse of the kind of ‘better world’ we all want to live in. That’s because by their very nature they are inclusive and welcoming. Anyone who walks through the doors of a library is reminded, just by inhaling the air of the library, just by being embraced by its atmosphere, to be a kinder and more caring person, and to forget, for a moment, the usual rules of our capitalistic society....
When I’m out hiking on my weekend hike I often spend much of the experience in contemplation. My thoughts are usually tickling at Warp 10, going everywhere possible at once, but then I ramp it back a bit and I just think about an assortment of topics at any given moment. Out in nature is really a good place for me to get things back into perspective, and I usually feel the better for it when I get back home....
The latest issue of The Economist focuses on solar energy. The introductory article is short, compelling, and optimistic. On the economics, they make a good point: Consider solar economics. As the cumulative production of a manufactured good increases, costs go down. As costs go down, demand goes up. As demand goes up, production increases—and costs go down further. This cannot go on for ever; production, demand or both always become constrained....