Assorted reads (December 2024)

Hi folks! I hope you all have a relaxing holiday season ahead. I plan on using mine to make one last push to finish a book or two before the year ends to try and beat my reading goal from last year, and to try and learn a new keyboard layout that's more ergonomic:

If it wasn't for the Keymapp software which you can see in the photo above, I don't know how I would get anywhere with this layout. It's been very very slow. 😅

Here's the final set of assorted reads for 2024, I hope you enjoy them, and see you all next year!

Growing beyond the computer

This read is an interview with a horticulturist who previously worked as a designer in the tech industry, and how she made the decision to change careers and the impact this change has had on her life.

This read felt timely given the start of a new year is right around the corner, and I tend to use this time to reflect on what I'd like to dedicate more time towards over the course of the upcoming year.

The thoughts she has and the advice that she would pass on to others are worth reflecting on if you're someone, like me, who often tries to find meaning in their work, and who tries to live lives that align as much as possible with your values.

Home-cooked Software and Barefoot Developers

Ok, I'm cheating a little bit with a Youtube video instead of a read, but I think it's worth it! 😄

This talk focuses on how there's a lot of software that could be built, but isn't, that can make a meaningful difference in local communities. This software doesn't tend to get built due to:

• the expertise required; and
• hyper-growth companies looking to make a multi-billion dollar business don't find the problems worth their time and resources to tackle (the problems are too localized).

After watching this, I started paying closer attention to problems and challenges that I could see in my local community that could be helped with software.

Doing so has given me several side project ideas that can not only help me learn and grow as an engineer, but also could potentially be helpful to folks in my community.

Sarah Anderson Comics

It's the end of the year, so why not read some fun comics?