1. Looking For Improved Mints

    Mon 03 January 2022

    I started using Mint in a much simpler time [1] - it did everything I needed, which wasn't much. Then they were acquired by Intuit and things began changing, the most obvious being the introduction of ads - it didn't make sense to me that an app run by a publicly-traded company …

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  2. 2021 Software Contributions

    Sun 02 January 2022

    I don't remember if it happened in late 2020 or early 2021, but while I was experiencing the latest episode of the internet catching fire because of a vulnerability in some little-known, widely-used open source project [1] I decided I wasn't going to be yet another Internet rubbernecker lobbing bombs …

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  3. Smartass Seeks Dumb TV

    Mon 27 December 2021

    I've never been that great about figuring out what gifts to give people, so when my mother said she wanted a new TV it made my Christmas shopping significantly easier - the only problem being I knew I couldn't buy her a smart TV. To my surprise, gifting what should be …

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  4. All Downhill From Here

    Wed 15 September 2021

    It's official - I've wasted my youth. I'm not some young, dumb 20-something anymore.

    I remember when I was a bright-eyed 15-year-old attending what I believe was the last NOPI Nationals, seeing drifting for the first time and saying to myself "That's what I'm gonna do; I'm gonna do that". Despite …

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  5. The Best Early Birthday Present

    Mon 06 September 2021

    At the time, I was truly worried I might have lost it.

    I had just finished an early dinner before heading to K1 for the monthly league race, and I could feel my stomach squirming as I walked to my car. My first thought was rapid-onset food poisoning, but the …

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  6. Secure Mail Takes Professionalism

    Sat 24 July 2021

    Jim Wang said it best - "Your email address is the center of your digital life". From shopping to social media, cordcutting to crowdfunding, Allstate to OnlyFans - the modern internet collapses without a platform-independent communication hub.

    Since email is of such critical importance, it is then fundamental that that we never …

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  7. The Apex Predator Awakens

    Tue 23 February 2021

    For the past couple years, I've been participating in the championship at my local indoor karting track. It's nothing particularly special - you show up one day a month, pay the fee and get a standard race day experience with two time-based qualifying sessions for placement in a position-based final. I'd …

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  8. All Over But The Shouting

    Sat 07 November 2020

    I don't visit Oppositelock nearly as much as the regulars, and I'm much more of a lurker than a poster when I do visit, but in my ridiculous lurking tenure I have posted a couple of things I'm proud of. Unfortunately weedkiller can't stop herbs, as it seems Oppositelock is …

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  9. Your Passwords Should Be Shorter

    Sun 18 October 2020

    EDIT: On tape delay from Las Vegas, it's me presenting this rant at BSides!

    One of the most storied rites of passage computer touchers have in their journey to adulthood is the writing of a curmudgeonly, more-than-slightly-condescending article with an incendiary title practically guaranteeing placement on the first page of …

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  10. A (Mostly) Foolproof GHA Python CI/CD Workflow

    Mon 15 June 2020

    Before the world fell over and caught fire, I went to PyCon for the first time. Like all work "conferences" it was pretty nice - all expenses paid, saw some interesting talks and got to meet a bunch of new people.

    A picture with me and Guido van Rossum; I got a picture with him before a coworker but he uploaded his to the company slack first for all the clout.

    One set of talks I was particularly interested in were …

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