Blog Posts

July 2025

• 2025-07-06

  My experiences with Claude Code - semi vibe

  All the code for this new version of my web site was written by claude code. Yes, I am not exagerating. Here are some of my take aways.

  Amazing Yes, start with admiting that it is amazing. This is a fairly simple application but it has a fair number of moving parts. The code is all open source so you can see for yourself.

  Process Basically I have two terminal windows open and vs code on the side. Terminal window 1 is running claude code. What that means is that I cd into the app directory and type claude. That's it (after installing claude of course. It starts up with kind of a "how can I help you" prompt, kind of like a doctor.

  From then on you address it like you would a ver...

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  #ai
• 2025-07-04

  Easing Algorithms

  Easing is the process of gradually increasing (or decreasing) a value to from a start to a target, without just jumping to the target. Used in computer animation. I used it for powering servos in an arm in a graceful way. There are simple Easing Equations to accomplish this.

  #programming #robotics
• 2025-07-04

  Cheating using ChatGPT

  As an experiment, we asked interviewees to cheat with ChatGPT during their interviews and share who got away with it. Here is the experiment

  #ai #business
• 2025-07-04

  Three questions towards a better course design

  A 3-Question Checklist for Better Course Design Only when educators are clear on what students should gain by the end of the term can they design effective courses to get them there. Ask yourself these three simple questions when designing your next course to ensure it resonates with students.

  #education
• 2025-07-03

  prettymaps: Simple access to OpenStreetmaps

  Open Streetmaps is one of the nicest packages for maps. But using it is really messy. Prettymaps is a package that makes it easy to use OpenStreetMaps, in python. It contains a small set of Python functions to draw pretty maps from OpenStreetMap data. Based on osmnx, matplotlib and shapely libraries.

  #programming #computing

January 2024

• 2024-01-26

  Guide to Strings in Python

  Guide to Strings in Python –We’ve come far in discovering the basics of computer science in the world of Python, and now is the time to start learning about strings. Strings are a fundame…

• 2024-01-26

  Smooth Servo Motion For Lifelike Animatronics

  Smooth Servo Motion For Lifelike Animatronics –Building an animatronic robot is one thing, but animating it in a lifelike fashion is a completely different challenge. Hobby servos are cheap and popular for animatronics, but just letting it move…

• 2024-01-23

  ServoEasing/examples at master · ArminJo/ServoEasing

  ServoEasing/examples at master · ArminJo/ServoEasing –

• 2024-01-19

  Essay | Why Americans Have Lost Faith in the Value of College

  Essay | Why Americans Have Lost Faith in the Value of College –Three generations of ‘college for all’ in the U.S. has left most families looking for alternatives.

• 2024-01-16

  Do we think of git commits as diffs, snapshots, and/or histories?

  Do we think of git commits as diffs, snapshots, and/or histories? –How git commits really work

• 2024-01-11

  Fixit: linting framework with auto-fixes — Fixit documentation

  Fixit: linting framework with auto-fixes — Fixit documentation –

  #programming #computing #software-engineering
• 2024-01-11

  Using formatters and linters to manage a large codebase | Tech blog | Kraken Tech

  Using formatters and linters to manage a large codebase | Tech blog | Kraken Tech –Kraken is the world’s leading customer & culture platform for utilities.

• 2024-01-10

  Top Python libraries of 2023

  Top Python libraries of 2023 –Exploring the expansive universe of Python libraries in 2023, our curated selection goes beyond the usual suspects to uncover hidden gems and innovative tools. Dive in!

• 2024-01-06

  Understanding numeric data types in python

  Understanding numeric data types in python –

December 2023

• 2023-12-31

  Configuration in Python Applications: No Magic, Just Necessary Practice

  Configuration in Python Applications: No Magic, Just Necessary Practice –During the development of Python applications, I’ve continually asked myself how and when variables should be passed and initialized for the application’s configuration. I want to be able to easily override the configuration for tests, for example, to use a local database for testing. But what exactly is application configuration, and why is it needed? The website a …

• 2023-12-30

  Explore Integrations – IFTTT

  Explore Integrations – IFTTT –Get more from the services you love on IFTTT. Explore the latest tips and tricks, browse by category, or search by name.

• 2023-12-30

  Static Site Generators

  Static Site Generators –A static site generator combines a markup language with a templating engine to produce HTML files. Learn more on Full Stack Python.

• 2023-12-22

  Kagi Search

  Kagi Search –Better search results with no ads. Welcome to Kagi (pronounced kah-gee), a paid search engine that gives power back to the user.

  #programming #computing
• 2023-12-20

  Overview / Install — GitPython 3.1.37 documentation

  Overview / Install — GitPython 3.1.37 documentation –null

• 2023-12-19

  20 Things I’ve Learned in my 20 Years as a Software Engineer

  20 Things I’ve Learned in my 20 Years as a Software Engineer –Important, Read This First You’re about to read a blog post with a lot of advice. Learning from those who came before us is instrumental to success, but we often forget an important caveat. Almost all advice is contextual, yet it is rarely delivered with any context. “You just need to charge more!” says the company […]