This article describes a 2017 JRuby, concurrent-ruby, and RSpec setup. Current APIs, integrations, and behavior may differ, so the workaround below should be read as historical rather than current guidance. When I write an API, though I'm not a hard core TDD practitioner, I do like writing specs - especially request specs …
The perils of writing request specs using concurrent-ruby under the JVM
JRuby, RVM and Vim walk into a (performance) bar
I'm not sure why RVM is still my default Ruby version manager, but the issue at hand should be reproducible on rbenv too. Historical note: this article reflects a Vim 8.0, JRuby, RVM, and macOS system Ruby setup from 2017; versions and defaults differ on current macOS systems. Let's add a bit of context to this: we have …
On Ruby 2.0 memory usage, Unicorn and Heroku
On UNIX-like operating systems (e.g. Linux) there's the concept of process forking via the fork() system call. When one calls fork from a parent-process it will spawn a new child-process - that is a copy of its parent, then both processes return from fork. The child-process has an exact copy of the parent's memory in a …
Moving from iTerm2 to Kitty for simplicity and performance
I love iTerm2, but it can be sluggish sometimes on my old late 2016 MacBook Pro. Plus, many of its features I never use. I had tried Alacritty before, but making it look and act like iTerm2 was a no-go. This time, I tried Kitty, and within two hours of work, it looked and behaved just like my iTerm2 configuration. This …
The analogue programmer in the land of LLMs
It's been a while since I've posted, for obvious reasons a lot has changed in the realm of programming. LLMs, "agentic" coding et al. I've started using them almost from day one, when they were pretty bad and they could barely generate some readable text in their images. When it comes to coding, being in my late 30s, I'm …
How to Web Conference, random thoughts, mostly live
Archive note (2026): The opening paragraph contains the corrupt fragment I’vevolatile and utopic place most of the time.; it cannot be reconstructed safely and is left untouched pending an original source or backup. Sadly, today I’ve arrived a bit late, where "a bit" means a lot; I’vevolatile and utopic place most of the …
Kamal, Rails deployments, and Rega turntables
Lately I've started to put my turntable back into working order. It's been disconnected from my main audio chain for about five years. The TT is a Rega RP3 with a bog-standard Rega Carbon cartridge. Why now one might ask? It wasn't my top priority and streaming Spotify to the WiiM Mini then via a DAC directly into my NAD …
The frontend backend debacle
Editor’s note (2026): This is a strongly worded 2010 opinion, not hiring or accessibility guidance. Modern web work includes both deep specializations and generalist roles; basic HTML and CSS syntax can be approachable, while production UI work also carries substantial accessibility and standards obligations. Current …
Programatica 2010 after thoughts
Editor’s note (2026): This is a contemporaneous conference report from 2010. Product names, prices, hosting sites, terminology, and feature comparisons below describe that moment and are not current purchasing guidance. Java EE later became Jakarta EE. CodePlex—not SourceForge—was Microsoft’s separate forge, and Microsoft …
How to Web conference, random thoughts, mostly live - five years later
Almost five years since the last post about How to Web [0] - wow, that's a large slice of the space-time continuum. I recall I almost started this blog for stuff like this, good memories [1]. Archive note (2015): This is a contemporaneous conference diary; links, organizations, and social-media handles are preserved as …
Tomorrow is the first day of How to web 2010, this should be fun
Archive note (2026): The conference URL and discussion refer to the 2010 event. HTML5 was unfinished then; W3C published HTML5 as a Recommendation in 2014, and HTML is now maintained as a Living Standard by WHATWG. Current context How to Web · HTML Living Standard Just got to Bucharest, tomorrow I’ll be at How to Web 2010 …
Multiple data stores and eventual consistency using micro-services
There are cases where ownership of the data consumed by a fleet of microservices is distributed across several systems of record. Derived data is then scattered across multiple storage solutions, each designed to solve a specific problem using a subset of it. It may be mirrored and synchronized into a specific format …
On writing artisanal code
Every artisan at a certain point in time just stops and starts thinking about the inner workings of his craft. He ponders on the whole process from the outside while trying to make connections between apparently dissimilar entities that his craft is made of. One might argue that this is a purely subjective endeavor: well, …
A few words on frontend performance optimizations
Editor’s note (2026): This describes a 2010 jQuery and script-loader setup. RequireJS and LABjs are historical tools, and the performance result is anecdotal because the promised graphs and test method are absent. Third-party CDN scripts also introduce availability, privacy, and supply-chain considerations. Current …
Programming archaeology: PHP's dollar sigil
I started out with Java as my professional language and before I discovered Ruby, PHP was my main programming language of choice for new projects. This was probably six to seven years ago or more. I had some pretty good times with CodeIgniter [0] and various libraries like HHMVC [1]. In any case, I digress - even back …
On font rendering consistency across browsers
Back in the day (i.e. when Firefox's version was a single digit) font rendering was at its best on Mozilla's browser. I remember comparing Firefox's anti-aliasing to the new-kid-on-the-block Chrome : the difference was huge. Time went by and we all know what happened : most web developers found themselves using Chrome as …
Buzzwords and manifestos
Editor’s note (2026): Here “NLP” refers to neuro-linguistic programming, not natural-language processing. Evidence reviews have found little support for claimed health outcomes. The HTTP-era links below may now be unavailable or changed. Source context Archived NHS introduction Do we really need them? I mean sometimes I …
How I speeded up my browsing experience by a really nice margin
Historical Windows/Firefox optimization (2010)—do not move a current browser profile using these instructions. RAM disks are volatile, so data disappears on shutdown or a crash. Moving the wrong profile path can lose history, sessions, cookies, or other user data. Back up the profile and treat this only as a dated account …
The half-life of a programmer
Half-life (t1/2) is the amount of time required for the amount of something to fall to half its initial value. The term is very commonly used in nuclear physics to describe how quickly unstable atoms undergo radioactive decay, but it is also used more generally for discussing any type of exponential decay. I had this …
How to reduce the size of your VMs
As the host OS I use Windows 8 (just upgraded to 8.1), Well, why, one might ask? It is rather simple: Steam and after some dreadful searching and configuring tools I managed to install the basics for writing and deploying code: Vim, Git, PuTTy and a decent console replacement like Console2 [0]. Of course those aren't …
macOS Sierra upgrade from a developer's perspective
Historical note: these are macOS Sierra 10.12-era procedures. SIP paths, Karabiner, Notes, and photoanalysisd behavior may differ on current macOS releases. Most developers (myself included) usually wait for the point one release of the next major macOS upgrade. This is mostly in order so that all the related …
Hierarchy of perceptions
I was thinking of the old conundrum of how we perceive the objective world or reality - it’s always through our limited sensory organs. Then it has to be processed: some small latency in the brain, maybe some evolutionary heuristics, our genetic background, etc. after all this we get a tainted fragment of the world. We …
The inherent entropy in our lives: to resist or to...
Editor’s note (2026): This essay uses information-theory entropy as a metaphor for uncertainty in life; it does not claim that the mathematical definition directly models a human life. The Forge38 and Twitter URLs below are retained as archival provenance and may no longer resolve. Background A Mathematical Theory of …
Using Firebug as a scalpel, yet not for web development
Historical and safety note (2026): Firebug reached end of life; its functionality moved into Firefox’s built-in Developer Tools. Adobe ended Flash Player support on December 31, 2020, and Flash is unsafe to install. Deleting a DOM node in Developer Tools is temporary and local: it does not change the server, undo requests …
How to reduce the size of your VMs (macOS Update)
Lately I'm also running macOS virtualized for testing various apps. After some heavy usage the same problem popped up: the .vmdk uses way too much space on my quite small 256GB SSD. Currently is at around 70GB. The process is similar to what I did on Windows and Linux i.e. write a null file that is erased at the end …
On zygohistomorphic prepromorphisms
There are words in programming that look like jokes. Zygohistomorphic prepromorphism is one of them. The first time you encounter it, you assume one of two things must have happened. Either someone lost a bet, or category theorists were left unsupervised for too long. Both explanations feel plausible. And yet the term …
On unnamed abstracts, entities and happiness
Editor’s note (2026): The first definition link is no longer a dependable source. The quotation is a broad summary of classical utilitarianism, not a definition shared by every utilitarian theory. “All abstractions are leaky” also echoes Joel Spolsky’s 2002 Law of Leaky Abstractions. Further context Utilitarianism — …
Tips: macOS save screenshots as JPEG in a different location
I'm not really sure why taking screenshots in macOS defaults to PNG file format. I just googled this and the "answer" was: MacOS captures screenshots using PNG as the default image format, which provides lossless compression and preserves image quality while creating relatively small files. OK - I can understand somewhat …
Harmonizing Projects: Navigating the Graph of Estimation and Detail
As someone who finds solace in the rich nuances of sound, I often draw parallels to the world of development. Ponder this: Just as the quality of music affects the depths of my appreciation, the broad overview of a project offers a satisfying clarity. Yet, the devil, as they say, is in the details. In much the same way I …