June 2024
I am aggregating here some more or less interesting stuff of various IT related materials which I came across this month. Some of them are strictly related to the things I did or am currently doing.
Some thoughts
This month, I tackled the Introduction to Generative AI Learning Path on Google Cloud Skills Boost This path provided a good foundation for understanding generative AI concepts, ranging from the core workings of large language models to the crucial principles of responsible AI development.
The hands-on labs were particularly insightful, showcasing how to leverage the power of Google services to put theory into practice. You can see my progress on my Cloud Skills Boost profile Cloud Skills Boost profile.
I also published a short blog post about git: git: when ignorance is a bliss
Articles
Three Laws of Software Complexity (or: why software engineers are always grumpy)
I posit that most software engineers (particularly those working on infrastructural systems) are destined to wallow in unnecessary complexity due to three fundamental laws.
Essays on programming I think about a lot
Every so often I read an essay that I end up thinking about, and citing in conversation, over and over again.
What we talk about when we talk about System Design
This post is a dump of some rules to follow in this particular design process.
I asked 100 devs they aren't shipping faster. Here's what I learned.
The answers were diverse but I have done my best to broadly divide them into categories and subcategories.
Why Facebook doesn’t use Git
The ten-year-old write-up, along with some later YouTube tech talks, gave me a starting answer: “because performance.”
NASA’s Voyager 1 Resumes Sending Engineering Updates to Earth
The team discovered that a single chip responsible for storing a portion of the FDS memory — including some of the FDS computer’s software code — isn’t working.
Become a Great Engineering Leader in 12 Months
150+ Learning Sources Organized in a 12 Months Path to Become a Great Engineering Leader
This Guy Makes $3M+ per Year With 0 Employees
Peter Levels, one of the most stunning Indie Hacker ever.
Productivity
How to Build Anything Extremely Quickly
Do “outline speedrunning”: Recursively outline an MVP, speedrun filling it in, and only then go back and perfect.
Managing My Motivation, as a Solo Dev
One of the biggest sticking points of being a solo dev is maintaining motivation. I’ve been keeping a journal entry about how to hack my motivation, what works and what doesn’t.
Inbox ten
How do you stay informed and advance your own work while also keeping others informed so they can do the same?
How do you program for 8h in a row?
That's the neat thing, you don't
AI
I Will Fucking Piledrive You If You Mention AI Again
So it is with great regret that I announce that the next person to talk about rolling out AI is going to receive a complimentary chiropractic adjustment in the style of Dr. Bourne, i.e, I am going to fucking break your neck. I am truly, deeply, sorry.
GoogleCloudPlatform/generative-ai
Sample code and notebooks for Generative AI on Google Cloud, with Gemini on Vertex AI.
Gemini for Google Workspace Prompt Guide
Download our quick-start handbook and learn about writing effective prompts to supercharge your productivity using Gemini for Workspace.
Security
OSINT – pozyskiwanie informacji z wykorzystaniem map
Artykuł ten nie porusza stricte tematów programistycznych, którym dedykowany jest ten blog. Jednak OSINT nierozerwalnie wiąże się z branżą security stanowiącą istotną część świata IT.
Python
Python's many command-line utilities
Did you know that some Python modules can double-up as handy command-line tools?
Python Big O: the time complexities of different data structures in Python
This article is primarily meant to act as a Python time complexity cheat sheet for those who already understand what time complexity is and how the time complexity of an operation might affect your code.
Ten Python datetime pitfalls, and what libraries are (not) doing about it
It’s no secret that the Python datetime library has its quirks. Not only are there probably more than you think; third-party libraries don’t address most of them!
Building a Bluesky Italian Art Bot
So now the goal was clear: building a Python bot of Italian art publishing 3 images per day on Bluesky.
Django
7 simple examples using Django GeneratedField ⚡️
A feature added in Django 5.0 is GeneratedField, which allows us to auto-calculate database fields.
Django Service Layers: Beyond Fat Models vs. Enterprise Patterns
What I'm arguing in this post is that while full-blown enterprise architecture patterns don't work well with Django, larger applications can still benefit from a service layer.
Python libraries
WeasyPrint
The Awesome Document Factory.
Django libraries
django-htmx
Extensions for using Django with htmx.
Tools
glow
Glow is a terminal based markdown reader designed from the ground up to bring out the beauty—and power—of the CLI.
harlequin
The SQL IDE for Your Terminal.
Cloud
How an empty S3 bucket can make your AWS bill explode
Yes, S3 charges for unauthorized requests (4xx) as well[1]. That’s expected behavior.
Complete guide on Google Cloud (GCP) Landing zone architecture
Learn how a Landing Zone simplifies governance, enhances security, and optimizes your Google cloud environment for efficiency and future growth.
Cloud engineer gets 2 years for wiping ex-employer’s code repos
A cloud engineer, was sentenced to two years in prison and a restitution of $529,000 for wiping the code repositories of his former employer in retaliation for being fired by the company.
Optimize Your Athletic Performance with Gemini and Vertex AI
One challenge in improving is that some aspects of our performance are hard to measure, and getting access to high quality data and personalized coaching can be difficult — we’re not all on track to be professional athletes, after all. But what if we can get some of that insightful data and analysis with the help of AI?