Exploration of Thought

When it’s it appropriate to comment code? I follow a simple set of rules: If the code is confusing - I try to refactor the code so that it’s not confusing anymore. If a refactoring is not possible, I document the “why”, not the “how”. The “how” is already documented: that’s the code. The “why”…

While working on a client project I recent received this error: An exception occurred: java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: not a valid name: <set-?>Provider Googling for the error didn't return any results, so I'm posting the fix here that I got from Philippe Breault (thanks Phil 👍). There have been some issues filed that match this error here on…

I was recently doing some work on a Node.JS project and I decided to use Knex.js with Objection.js for my data access to PostgreSQL. Problem In usual fashion, I wrote some tests to validate the behavior of the application and while writing the tests in Jest I found the tests were not exiting. I was…

File this under "I hope this helps someone else in the future". I was learning Docker and Kubernetes recently and I was trying to get my docker instance running on Amazon AWS Elastic Beanstalk on the us-east-1 region. I had to configure my beanstalk environment to use a t2.small instance because the npm install command…

I’ve been posting on twitter about how mobile developers should not ignore the Flutter technology and in response I received a lot of questions to why I’m stating this. I hope this post clarifies why I’m bullish on Flutter. Build the iOS and Android App at the Same Time There are many reasons why I…

In a very recent email I wrote about how you need to have a blog. The question that pops up next is usually … What blog platform should I use? Medium? Wordpress? Gatsby? Jekyll? Or something else? This is a HUGELY important question that needs a bit of thought put into it … but first…

Audio quality is our #1 concern (other than content) on the Fragmented Podcast (a Podcast for Android Developers). Our goal is to give you, the listener, the experience of sitting with us (and our guest) as if you were there in person. Nothing will kill a podcast faster than shitty audio. I can’t tell you…

Yeah, that’s right. You need one. Maybe you already have one. If you do, you might be reading this and thinking ... Crap I haven’t written anything in a long time. Why? Who knows. I was that way. Sometimes I still am. The last couple of years my blog has been a desert riddled with…

I follow a simple mantra when giving presentations, talks, writing a blog, creating a video, a podcast or creating anything public for that manner. Improve the life of ONE person My belief is that … If I improve the life of ONE person with my content then my job is complete and I’m happy. If…

Do you know what feels good? Achieving a goal. When you work for yourself, all you do is set your own goals. If you don’t achieve your goals in business you’ll fail fast and hard. Getting things done in a self-directed manner is paramount to your success. Self-discipline = Success. Even something as simple as striking something…

I have a confession to make. I’ve been absent, and well, I haven’t written here, consistently, for a long time and that’s not what I intended. I’ve been “here”, aka present … but … I’ve been absent while being present. Not good. That’s about to change, but first, let me ask you a question ……

A new edition to my morning & afternoon routine - light therapy. I’ve never been one to suffer from seasonal mood disorders, however this year I felt like I was in a funk during the winter months. I kept longing for spring/summer and wished the days were longer. Hell, my favorite day of the year…