About
I used to have a log book at work in which, for all of about a week, I wrote down any problem that had taken me longer than two hours to solve and its resolution, that I might not have to go through the same thing again in six months’ time. There were two issues with that system. One was that even if it proved useful as a reference for me, it wasn’t helping anyone else. Another was that it wasn’t proving useful as a reference for me - I don’t really read books.
This blog is a couple of things. It is, first and foremost, a place for me to document the many and varied challenges I encounter in my work as a software engineer in the hope that the entries I write here will serve as a useful reference for me and for others. It is also, secondarily, my attempt to solve a bigger problem that I have.
I work in a partial vacuum - a department of one - where I have the opportunity to tinker with whichever bits of software I choose, which is a really lovely environment to work in from a technological point of view. Unfortunately, I have no one with whom to discuss the work I’m doing; all my colleagues are working on different projects, and it doesn’t make very good conversation at dinner with friends. Nobody ever disagrees with me, and I never know if I’ve done something wrong. This is where you, dear reader, come in.
I don’t expect all articles to be interesting to everyone; I don’t really expect any articles to be interesting to anyone. That said, you might read the odd post just out of curiosity. It might even be a post about a technology with which you have had more than a little experience from your own tinkerings. In such circumstances, if you happen to see that what I’ve documented is the unfortunate account of someone doing the first thing that comes to mind rather than the right thing please, I implore you, set me straight. I am a lazy, lazy, often stupid, lazy man and if you can help me out by prodding me to do the difficult, good, clever thing, I will be truly indebted to you.