Running around, lacking the time to write something more structured this week. Here are some back-of the-mental-envelope notes from loose memory to keep the streak.
This week I’ve largely been digging into optimising a slowish site and, reader, I have been LOVING it. Index this, rewrite that, chop this, cache that. Summarise logs, chase down charts, Make Things Go Zoom. In theory, at least. Still need to test a few changes in the real world, but there’s an indescribable rush in looking over a software system and knowing it can be Better, and that people will like it when it’s Better.
Which has meant a proper, actual LAMPy “full stack” set of skills, from bash scripting to server management to SQL EXPLAINs to profiling code in WordPress. Hopefully a lot of it will get overhauled in the next few months anyway, and this is valuable familiarisation work too.
Been balancing that with looking after the CIC org reigns and making sure everyone on the team and various partners have what they need, get responses, and feel reassured. An increase in emails to keep on top of, basically.
Another week where I sillily (is that a word?) still didn’t release a funding page for my sketchbook challenge 🙄 And/but I did register for the Playdate Winter game jam so now have an idea rolling round my head and notebook, a proof-of-concept in place, and Yet Another Project for the week ahead 🙄🙄 It’ll be fine. Fun, even.
Other notes from the week.
- Carried on watching more of Tarkovsky’s Stalker (free on Youtube)
- I’m trying to reassemble all the Lego pieces for my Ninjago lighthouse set which have been merged into the Great Lego Sea. I’ve got a sheet and tick system now, and the process has gone from chaotic and frustrating to being strangely therapeutic.
- Replaced a Gameboy Zelda Link’s Awakening battery to breathe fresh life into its monochrome lungs.
- Managed to keep the Tamagotchi alive another week.
Things I’ve been reading:
- Current book is Red Queen by Christina Henry, book 2 in the Chronicles of Alice series.
- ProPublica: The Militia and the Mole – all about a man who infiltrated American militia groups to a high level, then escaped. Surprising / unsurprising, depressing in ways, but also very thought-provoking in terms of just how dedicated and organised these groups are (compared to the chaotic left, at least).
- Mastodon’s CEO and creator is handing control to a new nonprofit organization
- The people should own the town square
- A Life-sized Gundam Statue Is Heading To Osaka This April
- The Crazy Nokia Designs That Never Saw the Light of Day
- Im Wasserwald | games for future
- A large project, broken up
- An FT interview with Alex Soros: ‘These people are bullies. And you fight back’
- PowerSchool data breach victims say hackers stole ‘all’ historical student and teacher data – something I think about a lot whenever I use the systems for our local schools…
- Another FT interview, this one with Signal’s Meredith Whittaker: ‘I see AI as born out of surveillance’
Ta-ta!