November 2025

Time for another monthly post sharing some of the IT discoveries that crossed my path lately. Below you'll find a mix of articles, links, and resources, some of which tie into my current activities and areas of interest.

Articles

The Great Software Quality Collapse: How We Normalized Catastrophe

The Apple Calculator leaked 32GB of RAM.

Top 5 Communication Frameworks for Engineers You Must Remember

Be convincing, be strategic, be heard

How to Build Career Equity - by Steve Huynh

We've talked about how to pay off our Career Debt. Now it's time to build the assets that set you free.

Dokumentowanie decyzji projektowych - o ADR i RFC - devszczepaniak.pl

ADR i RFC to dokumenty pomagające budować log decyzji projektowych. Artykuł pokażę Ci ich wartość i dlaczego widać ją szczególnie po czasie.

An Unexpected Benefit from Quitting Coffee - 10 Months In

The author discusses the benefits experienced after quitting coffee for 10 months. Initially, the benefits included better sleep, reduced dependency on caffeine, and less anxiety. However, a new benefit was discovered: the ability to function better after a night of poor sleep. Previously, the author would feel groggy and unproductive without coffee, but now, even after a bad night's sleep, they can still perform tasks like exercising and writing without needing coffee. The author still consumes small amounts of caffeine through iced tea or decaf coffee but has seen significant benefits from reducing caffeine intake.

Never forget anything. The engineer’s over-engineered… | by Jacob Bennett | Medium

I’ve written thousands of notes. Sometimes they’re as benign as a quick shopping list for a trip to the market. Or I’ll jot something down that someone said in a meeting.

Never forget how to delegate. This is the easiest framework for engineers.

How the most common type of document maps to delegation

Pay yourself first

The article emphasizes the importance of prioritizing personal interests and meaningful work over routine tasks like emails and meetings. The author, David Heinemeier Hansson, discusses the necessity of 'paying yourself first' by engaging in activities that stimulate intellectual curiosity and personal growth. He argues that by focusing on solving personal problems and pursuing interests, one can develop competencies that lead to greater privileges and opportunities. This approach creates a virtuous cycle of merit, where personal satisfaction and professional success reinforce each other. The article encourages readers to prioritize their own projects and interests to maintain motivation and elevate their talents.

Tech predictions for 2026 and beyond | All Things Distributed

We’ve caught glimpses of a future that values autonomy, empathy, and individual expertise. Where interdisciplinary cooperation influences discovery and creation at an unrelenting pace. In the coming year, we will begin the transition into a new era of AI in the human loop, not the other way around. This cycle will create massive opportunities to solve problems that truly matter.

Open-source is broken: the sad story of Denis Pushkarev (core-js) | Izoukhai

Explore the sad story of Denis Pushkarev, the creator of the famous core-js library, and the lessons we can learn from him. Is open-source broken ?

The Smartest Person in the Room Asks the 'Dumbest' Questions

I learned that having the courage to expose the ambiguity makes you look smarter.

AI

5 things to try with Gemini 3 Pro in Gemini CLI - Google Developers Blog

Unlock state-of-the-art coding and reasoning in your terminal. Gemini 3 Pro is now in Gemini CLI for Google AI Ultra and paid API subscribers.

Gemini 3: Introducing the latest Gemini AI model from Google

Today we’re releasing Gemini 3 – our most intelligent model that helps you bring any idea to life.

Gemini CLI Tips & Tricks - by Addy Osmani - Elevate

~30 pro-tips for effectively using Gemini CLI for agentic coding

I analyzed 180M jobs to see what jobs AI is actually replacing today

The article analyzes the impact of AI on various job sectors by examining 180 million job postings. It highlights that while AI tools are influencing certain job roles, they are not causing massive unemployment. Engineering jobs, particularly frontend roles, have seen a decline, possibly due to AI coding tools. Data-related jobs, such as data analysts and data management specialists, are holding steady, as AI tools enhance productivity rather than replace jobs. Customer service roles are not being massively replaced by AI, as human empathy and judgment are still valued. Sales jobs show mixed trends, with some roles declining and others, like Director of Revenue, growing significantly. The article concludes that AI's impact is selective, affecting creative execution roles more than strategic ones, and emphasizes the bifurcation in job trends across various sectors.

Security

Przejęli mu konto, ale pomoc techniczna Google nie chce mu pomóc -- Niebezpiecznik.pl

The article discusses the challenges and potential solutions for recovering a hacked Google account. It highlights the difficulties users face when trying to regain access to their accounts, even when they have security measures like backup emails, phone numbers, and IP logs in place. The article suggests that legal action might be necessary in some cases due to Google's lack of support. It also explores various user experiences and opinions on Google's security practices, including the use of sandbox environments, family groups, and the importance of two-factor authentication. Additionally, it provides insights into the recovery process and the role of TeamYouTube in assisting users.

EY exposed 4TB SQL backup file to open web, researchers say • The Register

A Dutch cybersecurity firm discovered a 4TB+ SQL Server backup file belonging to EY exposed on the internet, leaking sensitive data such as API keys, authentication tokens, and user credentials. The file was unencrypted and publicly accessible, posing a significant security risk. The incident highlights the dangers of cloud platforms where a simple mistake can lead to massive data leaks. EY responded professionally to the breach, and the issue was resolved within a week.

Python

10 Smart Performance Hacks For Faster Python Code | The PyCharm Blog

Learn practical optimization hacks, from data structures to built-in modules, that boost speed, reduce overhead, and keep your Python code clean.

Python libraries

GitHub - Ankit404butfound/PyWhatKit

Send WhatsApp message at certain time and many other things

PyWhatKit is a popular Python library for automating tasks related to WhatsApp and YouTube, offering features like sending messages, playing videos, and converting images to ASCII art.

Django libraries

GitHub - ulern-com/graflow-django

Django app for building long-running, interactive, and stateful AI workflows using LangGraph - ulern-com/graflow-django

Tools

The (lazy) Git UI You Didn't Know You Need - @bwplotka

The article discusses the advanced features of Lazygit, a Git UI tool, focusing on its ability to handle git diffs with per line or hunk selection and patching. It highlights various workflows that are simplified by Lazygit, such as resetting lines from a commit, iterating on changes, syncing branches, removing unwanted commits, and cherry-picking. The author emphasizes the tool's user-friendly interface, which allows for both mouse-assisted and keyboard shortcut operations, significantly improving common git workflows. The article also reflects on the potential of Lazygit as an inspiration for devtools UX and encourages collaboration on building similar tools.

GitHub Project Search and Discovery - GitDB

Discover and explore GitHub projects with advanced search filters. Find repositories by language, stars, topics, and more. Browse thousands of open source projects.

GitHub - hunvreus/devpush: Like Vercel, but open source and for all languages.

Like Vercel, but open source and for all languages. - hunvreus/devpush

Cloud

Deploying and Running n8n on Google Cloud Run - Google Codelabs

This codelab provides instructions to set up n8n on Google Cloud Run. n8n is an open-source workflow automation tool that allows users to connect different applications and services to automate repetitive tasks.

Deploy n8n on Cloud Run | Google Cloud Blog

With just a few commands, you can deploy n8n to Cloud Run and have it up and running, ready to supercharge your business with AI workflows that can manage spreadsheets, read and draft emails, and more.

Build your first AI Agent with Gemini, n8n and Google Cloud Run

Learn how to deploy n8n on Google Cloud Run with PostgreSQL and create an AI Agent using Google Gemini 2.5.

Host GitHub runners with Cloud Run worker pools - Google Cloud Documentation

This tutorial guides users through the process of using self-hosted GitHub runners on Cloud Run worker pools to execute workflows defined in a GitHub repository. It involves deploying a Cloud Run worker pool to handle workloads and optionally deploying a Cloud Run function to support scaling. The tutorial covers deploying a Cloud Run worker pool, creating Secret Manager secrets for secure token storage, and deploying a self-hosted GitHub runner. It also includes instructions for setting up IAM roles, retrieving GitHub information, and configuring the worker pool and autoscaler to manage job execution and scaling.

How to Host a single-turn ADK Agent on a Cloud Run worker pool - Google Codelabs

Learn to host an ADK agent as a worker pool for single-turn use

Send this article to your friend who still thinks the cloud is a good idea

The article argues that cloud services like AWS and Vercel are significantly overpriced, with markups ranging from 10x to 100x. It suggests that the cloud is inherently expensive, not due to user error, but because of the business models of cloud providers. The author shares personal experiences of optimizing AWS costs and concludes that running one's own servers is more cost-effective. The article also discusses the irrationality and defensiveness of cloud proponents, attributing it to their livelihoods being tied to the cloud industry. It highlights a counterculture movement advocating for traditional server management, emphasizing that most businesses do not need the extensive features offered by cloud services.

Other stuff

Ticker: Don’t Die of Heart Disease

AI generated summary

This page offers a detailed overview of cardiovascular health management, emphasizing the importance of diagnostic tests, effective treatments, and lifestyle modifications to prevent and mitigate heart disease.

Podcasts

CZM Rewind: The Truth About Software Development with Carl Brown - Better Offline - Omny.fm

In this episode, Ed Zitron is joined by Carl Brown, a veteran software developer and host of The Internet of Bugs, to talk about the realities of software development, what coding LLMs can actually do, and how the media gets it wrong about software engineering at large.

Episode #272: Michael Kennedy: Managing Your Own Python Infrastructure – The Real Python Podcast

How do you deploy your Python application without getting locked into an expensive cloud-based service? This week on the show, Michael Kennedy from the Talk Python podcast returns to discuss his new book, "Talk Python in Production."

Episode #524 - 38 things Python developers should learn in 2025 | Talk Python To Me Podcast

Python in 2025 is different. Threads really are about to run in parallel, installs finish before your coffee cools, and containers are the default. In this episode, we count down 38 things to learn this year: free-threaded CPython, uv ...