Keeping things organized is something very few people enjoy, but I’m sure we all appreciate it when things are kept in order?
personal
Next Chapter version 2025
It’s time for me to move on and I’m pretty excited. I had a wonderful 2 months of reflecting and look forward to working on my startup, being open to contracting, baking some more bread as well as switching to the Ruby on Rails tech stack, which has been on my heart for a long.
Farewell WooMattic
I was unfortunately affected by the recent Automattic layoffs. We had a tradition at Automattic to post a farewell message on a special message board called farewell p2. I thought I’d share it on my blog as well as many people that I’ve worked with in the last 12 years have moved on already or were part of the layoffs.
Small town, big internet
Fibre finally arrived in Ceres! It was a dream to have city-like-speeds in our little town.
Vodacom Fibre Support Headaches
Vodacom is the best mobile operator in the country, period! However, the success doesn’t translate into their Fibre offering. They don’t own all the pieces of the puzzle and I think their processes aren’t geared toward this. Especially with how their support teams are setup. I’ve had two long-standing marathon support interactions over two months and it was not a pleasure.
Long term paternity leave
It’s been five months since I last thought about work. My laptop is in its original packaging. My home office turned into a guest room and work goodies packed away. I’m currently taking a six month break from work since the arrival of Ariah.
Easter reminder: Jesus died for you
Thinking ahead about easter/passover weekend, I’m reflecting on the reasons for observing it. I consider this to be the perfect weekend to consider who Jesus is, why He was born and died in such a gruesome manner.
Since 34
This blog has been idle for over a year! The last time I blogged was for my 34th birthday (January 2021). I’m disappointed in my lack of blogging, dropping a ball on becoming a better writer. So let us kick off with a quick update and some photos to match.
34
Howzit Podcast Appearance
It was a privilege for me to feature in episode 003 of a fantastic podcast called Howzit. The podcast episode touches on remote work, faith, writing, and personal development. I’m grateful to Travis for inviting me.
Why I blog?
I published my first blog post on April 16, in the year of our Lord 2012. Since then, eight years and 170 posts later, I wonder how I can use my writing more purposefully. How does one commit to writing in a way that fosters the best outcome?
My office today
Working from home has its perks. Kids are home and this is the only place they want to play.
33
I’m blessed to have another year added to the tally. On 20 January I turned 33.
We’re on earth for a reason.
For those people fantasizing about living on the moon. The dust can actually kill you:
What does 6 months paternity leave feel like with 2 babys?
I didn’t want to say much about this as it is not that common, especially here in South Africa. The norm here is three days and some annual leave. When I share that I’m on family responsibility leave and for how long, people usually either respond with excellent or a mild form of disgusted jealousy. I’m am truly blessed to have the privilege of paid leave for such a long time.
32 and content
Yesterday I turned 32. What an amazing time to be alive. There are so many mountains to climb and challenges to overcome. I have a sense of destiny awaiting while feeling thankful that I have opportunities to reach for things greater than where I come from.
Frustration
Don’t cause permanent damage with temporary frustration.
1042
The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine
My first Podcast interview
I was interviewed by Jonathan Bossenger on WP Hackercast.
Why I no longer care about politics, but I still vote
A few years ago, I was politically fired up. I believed that politics would fix all the problems we were having in our beautiful country. I used to think, if only party X would win, or if only party Y would get better, then we’d be in for real change. I honestly believed the answers to our problems can be solved with politics.
New Track: Movement
Just uploaded a new track.
Vienna
A few pics I took while in Vienna on a team meetup.
Oh I have a .blog
Update: I’ve since moved over to dwain.maralack.com 
Enjoyed playing squash again
Floors Done!
So happy that the floors at home has finally been completed.
Happiness
Inspired by talk. I’ll be taking picks or simply writing a general note of things and people that make me happy.
What I do have
Today I turn 30. I woke up and my first thoughts were those of gratitude, which immediate turned into thoughts of empty mess and sadness.
I believe there is a Creator
If you’re reading this as an atheist or and agnostic thinker please know that this comes from a personal place.
Company photos
Taking a company photo.
Next chapter and moving into a new role
Today marks the start of a new and exciting journey. I’m starting in a new role as a Developer at Woothemes.
Your story matters, share it
We all have those times when really need inspiration. Most times we find it in the simplest places. It’s in books, blogs, talks even the little children, other times we draw inspiration from our industry leaders and people we look up to.
The best coffee shop in Port Elizabeth
Joy
IronMan with with my wife :)
Not use to this at all
Oh, how I miss my wife
Me and the pet Lion
programming
Converting HTML entities to UTF-8 in VimScript
I wrote a small script to fetch a web page title, inserting it as amarkdown formatted link: [title](URL) One of of the issues I ran into was that some titles contain HTML entities and Vim has no built-in way to deal with this.
On the fence about Neovim
I’ve been using vim for the last 5 years. I’ve written about trying this out 5 years ago and stuck to it. It’s a fantastic experience and I truly enjoy working with this editor. I’ve been rethinking it this week though, as I was updating my configuration to get auto-completion to work.
Reblog: Seniority vs Familiarity
A great post about the trap of becoming a senior before you’re ready. Avoid being the biggest fish in a small pond. Read on below.
Software Complexity
It is easy to define software complexity, but not so easy to define how complex a specific piece of software is. There have been lots of work in academia to find ways to describe it, but these approaches are not generally applied. Complex software directly refers to its effects on the human mind.
PHP is just fine
A programming language starts decaying right after inception. The idea that a language is perfect soon hits the harsh reality of users running into situations the author(s) have not anticipated.
Choose boring technology
I read an interesting article about choosing boring technology. Here are my key take a ways:
Building Reactive Systems: Conference Talk.
I watched an interesting talk about building high availability systems and thought the simplicity was quite fascinating.
How many bytes are emoji characters in GO?
It takes 4 bytes for each emoji character and 1 byte for every ASCII character.
Docker Compose Volumes Empty?
The problem is that you’re expecting files from the Container to be mounted on your host.
This is not the way it works: it’s the other way around:
Docker mounts your host folder in the container folder you specify. If you go inside the container, you will see that where there were supposed to be the init files, there will be nothing (or whatever was in your host folder(s)), and you can write a file in the folder and it will show up on your host.Answer from: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/42395748/docker-compose-volume-is-empty-even-from-initialize
What every computer science major should know
What every computer science major should know — Read on matt.might.net/articles/what-cs-majors-should-know/
Go compiler internals: adding a new statement to Go - Part 1 - Eli Bendersky’s website
Go compiler internals: adding a new statement to Go - Part 1 - Eli Bendersky’s website — Read on eli.thegreenplace.net/2019/go-compiler-internals-adding-a-new-statement-to-go-part-1/
Questions I ask when reviewing code
The work of building software in a team context is not quite the same as when you’re working on a hobby project. On an existing project, you must consider paying customers, product quality, engineering excellence, and many other variables that make shipping production code much more challenging. We expect others to review our code to ensure it meets the highest standards before it is sent out into the world and the same is excpected from us.
Comparing Software Engineering to RailRoads in the 1800’s
An amazing (biased) talk about the rust language by one of the core contributors. Comparing accidents in the rail road industry to computer programming and memory safety.
Habits of Highly effective Software Engineers
Valuable advice from the “Tech Lead”. A career in software engineering is a long term game, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Having habits like these, ensure that you’re preserving yourself as you grow in experience and influence.
gap, my most loved git command
gap the alias I created, mapping to git add -p has been one of my most typed commands ever since I changed my workflow.
How to compare dates in PHP
This is great article about how you can use DateTime class for date comparisons:
Programming well with others
I watched a funny but interesting talk about working well with others.
When are you proficient in a programming language?
Learning a programming language gives you the opportunity to explore other problem domains alongside new approaches to addressing familiar problems.
Why I’m learning a new Programming Language called Go
For the past few years, I got stuck in a rut, a good one. My sole focus was not the technology I used. but rather the thought processes behind why and how I write code. I write in PHP and I mainly focus on the WordPress CMS. This pays the bills and helps me take care of my family but, while focusing on thought processes, I didn’t realise that learning a new language can have the same effect, helping me think differently about similar problems.
Coders should write
I read this great article that I’d like to share with you:
Microservices Are Something You Grow Into, Not Begin With
The craze around microservices is great, but starting small and simple is the best use of our limit time, specially when starting a new project, More on this from the link below:
Golang Channels: explained simply
I see go channels as a pipe connecting two air tight vacuum cleaners. One vacuum cleaner can not push anything into the pipe, if the other vacuum is not pulling from the pipe. Both need to do the opposite action. If one sends the “package” will be stuck until the other turns on it’s receiving action.
Designing Software Within Constraints Building to a Specification
We don’t think we have constraints as Software Engineers, but we actually do. Creating specifications is a great way to explore some of these constraints. See the full talk below by Kris Brandow at GopherCon 2018.
PHP database management in a single file
I’ve found this nice little thing that quickly allows you to have a MySql GUI.
The Three Levels of Software: Why code that never goes wrong can still be wrong Path-Sensitive
Less is better than Tail
If you’re using logs for debugging check this out:
A todo list, React, Redux and the WordPress JSON REST API
I always wanted to create a very simple WordPress based Todo App. After putting it off for a very long time I finally had the time to look into it.
Faster VIM syntax checking with A.L.E
Is syntactic still slowing down your workflow, try A.L.E. It’s a drop in replacement for syntastic ( make sure your language is supported ): https://github.com/w0rp/ale
Dropping the color attribute.
Many times in the media, from friends and in the industry, I hear terms like:
Be a better developer
Today, I’m truly happy to share with you what I know and have learned in my career as a developer. This post hopes to give you some advice on how to be a better developer.
Your guide to local remote git repositories.
Did you know that that git allows you to connect to a remote repository that is not so, remote ? I mean, you can actually connect to a repo in another folder and push and pull directly to and from it. I was recently faced a scenario where I had two working versions of the same repo in separate directories. I needed to make the changes in one place but then confirm the changes in a different context.
Add WordPress post type content programatically
To load dummy content programatically load the content below into your functions.php.
Title loading script
If you’re in need of little script that change your title into and animated “Loading …” use this :
Add/Enqueue Scripts or Styles for pages where my plugin short code is found
So you have the neat plugin and you’re really excited about getting it done, but you don’t want this wonderful plugin loading un necessary scripts and styles for every page.
productivity
Journal Numbering Hack
My productivity system
I’ve had this post in draft for over a year. I kept the draft to keep notes and to remind myself of my commitment to a new way to work. After learning about the new system, I jumped in head first and tried it out for a few months,but after discovering the shortcomings I stopped using it.
TIL (Things 3) – Filter list by multiple tags
The ability to filter by multiple tags will elevate my prioritization process.
Remote work success
The global pandemic induced a mass workplace migration. Many office inhabitants were thrown into the wild remote working paradise. The expected decrease in Covid-19 case numbers will see most people abandon the remote working paradise, but for some, the distributed work environment is here to stay. I’m writing this guide for those who will become permanent remote workers.
Reblog: Make the touch bar suck less
If you’re just setting up a Mac and find the touch bar setup to be irritating. Follow instructions at this link.
The process before the content
From my perspective, I still have a long way to go. I do however think that sharing what I know today is valuable, not for the sake of what I share, but for the process of refining the idea. I place the process before the content, with the hope that a refined process will lead to fine content.
Why I no longer call them goals
Calling your goals, “goals”, leaves you at a disadvantage. From now on, I suggest that you call them outcomes.
I was wrong about spreadsheets, and I’m sorry
Spreadsheets are amazing, they solve specific problems in an optimal way — Read on www.reifyworks.com/writing/2017-01-25-i-was-wrong-about-spreadsheets-and-im-sorry
Habits of Highly effective Software Engineers
Valuable advice from the “Tech Lead”. A career in software engineering is a long term game, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Having habits like these, ensure that you’re preserving yourself as you grow in experience and influence.
It doesn’t have to be crazy at work - quick book review
One year at the helm of Vim
One year ago I started using an old text editor called Vim. I’m happy to say that I’m still sticking with it. I’m now very comfortable with VIM and more empowered translate Ideas into working solutions.
5 things to keep in your Journal
Today, while reading my Journal, I had a weird feeling. The feeling that my Journal was actually becoming valuable to me. Like I’d be willing to put up a reward if I’ve lost it.
Accountability as a service?
Hire a boss, get stuff done
Planning Down Time
After periods of intensity I find myself automatically collapse into a slower period, a period where I feel very unproductive. This was very frustrating as I feel like, you know you can do more, but you’re just not getting to it.
9 months with Colemak
9 months Ago I decided to switch to the Colemak keyboard layout, read more about that here: /colemak-fingers/.
Vim CtrlP productivity tip
If you’re using VIM with CtrlP, here’s a tip to quickly jump to line numbers in a file: https://coderwall.com/p/cyh7xg/ctrlp-line-number
How to simplify and remain productive
This approach ensures that we take responsibility together for the success of the whole. The whole can be more than the sum of it’s parts if we co-operate.
Have you tried working Less?
Let me just say this: Stop working overtime on that project. Set your hours. Push hard at it and then rest at a pre-defined point. Enjoy life after working hard.
Focus on what matters
This is really simple so I’ll keep it short. This statement has to do with being successful in your career.
How to add a subtask in Asana:
wordpress
Local Development: Secure Docker Sites.
This article targets Debian docker containers running on MacOS.
One liner for importing multiple SQL files using WP CLI DB command
In some cases, SQL backups break exports into multiple files, usualy by table name.
WP Docker Curl Error
If you are using Docker for WordPress development you may have discovered an issue while trying to connect to your installation from the CLI.
Cheap travels with WordPress as the foundation
https://www.indiehackers.com/businesses/scotts-cheap-flights
A todo list, React, Redux and the WordPress JSON REST API
I always wanted to create a very simple WordPress based Todo App. After putting it off for a very long time I finally had the time to look into it.
With the US Election, a Landmark Week for WordPress.com VIP
Dropping the color attribute.
Many times in the media, from friends and in the industry, I hear terms like:
WCEU Q&A with Matt Mullenweg
Q&A by Matt Mullenweg and my #questionfail at 47:00. My reaction is really funny.
Hey Developer, Welcome to WordPress
Some time ago, a friend of mine wanted to start doing WordPress development. I created this resource for him and thought that many of you may also want to see this, so here it is:
Abandonware as a WordPress plugin
I have a littles secret to confess. In the days when I was still building client websites I would instal and reinstall at least 5 similar plugins before finding the perfect one. In majority cases I would never let the developer know if there was a bug as I simply didn’t have the luxury of time.
WordPress loves PHPStorm, so should you!
I’ve fallen in love with another text editor. Its been since a while since I’ve last opened SublimeText and Coda. It has also been a little bit challenging to adjust at times but there’s no looking back when it comes to building WordPress based products. My workflow is even better than ever. Now let me tell you why you should love PHPStorm.
Add WordPress post type content programatically
To load dummy content programatically load the content below into your functions.php.
WordPress, why we really need front end editing
We all know quite a few online website creation tools that lets one create a website without touching a single line of code, but unless your the end user, this kind of solution is not something you’ll recommend to your client. The current basic WordPress website workflow: Designer/Developer completes the implementation of the theme and a few plugins and trains the new user how to use the site.
Remove Disqus comments from WordPress pages
You have just installed the Disqus comment system on your WordPress blog and now you see it appearing all over the show, on both pages and posts alike. I ran into the same issue and for obvious reasons only wanted to show it on single blog posts and would love to share how I fixed this with you.
WordPress 3.5 Almost ready
WordPress updates aims to move the whole community forward. That is why I’m delighted to see the progress being made towards the final 3.5 release.
Enter the matrix with WordPress
Would you like to enter the matrix with Wordpress?
Add/Enqueue Scripts or Styles for pages where my plugin short code is found
So you have the neat plugin and you’re really excited about getting it done, but you don’t want this wonderful plugin loading un necessary scripts and styles for every page.
career
Next Chapter version 2025
It’s time for me to move on and I’m pretty excited. I had a wonderful 2 months of reflecting and look forward to working on my startup, being open to contracting, baking some more bread as well as switching to the Ruby on Rails tech stack, which has been on my heart for a long.
Farewell WooMattic
I was unfortunately affected by the recent Automattic layoffs. We had a tradition at Automattic to post a farewell message on a special message board called farewell p2. I thought I’d share it on my blog as well as many people that I’ve worked with in the last 12 years have moved on already or were part of the layoffs.
Long term paternity leave
It’s been five months since I last thought about work. My laptop is in its original packaging. My home office turned into a guest room and work goodies packed away. I’m currently taking a six month break from work since the arrival of Ariah.
The team lead path
Being a team lead at Automattic is not a promotion, but it is very challenging and after doing it for the last year, I understand why.
Success with your support network
To succeed at remote work, we need to know what we need and how to communicate it.
Reblog: Seniority vs Familiarity
A great post about the trap of becoming a senior before you’re ready. Avoid being the biggest fish in a small pond. Read on below.
Remote work success
The global pandemic induced a mass workplace migration. Many office inhabitants were thrown into the wild remote working paradise. The expected decrease in Covid-19 case numbers will see most people abandon the remote working paradise, but for some, the distributed work environment is here to stay. I’m writing this guide for those who will become permanent remote workers.
Howzit Podcast Appearance
It was a privilege for me to feature in episode 003 of a fantastic podcast called Howzit. The podcast episode touches on remote work, faith, writing, and personal development. I’m grateful to Travis for inviting me.
My notes from the talk on how to maximise success
Carla Harris, Vice Chairman of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, explains exactly how she got ahead in a male dominated industry.
What every computer science major should know
What every computer science major should know — Read on matt.might.net/articles/what-cs-majors-should-know/
Skill Stacking: A Practical Strategy To Achieve Career Success - Darius Foroux
Skill stacking is a strategy that you can use to achieve career success. You can use it whether you want to build a business or have a dream job. — Read on dariusforoux.com/skill-stacking/
My first Podcast interview
I was interviewed by Jonathan Bossenger on WP Hackercast.
Do not major in minor things and expect to be recognized for your impact.
Next chapter and moving into a new role
Today marks the start of a new and exciting journey. I’m starting in a new role as a Developer at Woothemes.
Be a better developer
Today, I’m truly happy to share with you what I know and have learned in my career as a developer. This post hopes to give you some advice on how to be a better developer.
Life Lessons learnt in support
On 1 December 2012, I started working full time as a support ninja at WooThemes.
book-review
The team lead path
Being a team lead at Automattic is not a promotion, but it is very challenging and after doing it for the last year, I understand why.
Speech writer secrets
I enjoyed this humorous talk on public speaking. Some of the advice feels gimmicky, but if you compare it to what you hear when presidents and leaders speak you’ll see that they all use it, well with a few exceptions.
Highlights from Everybody Writes
Beth Dunn went from being an unemployable writer to a writing career that speaks for itself. In her talk, “How to Be a Writing god”, she hammered down the idea; disciplined writing is the only way to improved writing. Her story, alongside the Author, Ann Handley’s simple advice, makes it clear; every professional should take writing seriously.
Building Reactive Systems: Conference Talk.
I watched an interesting talk about building high availability systems and thought the simplicity was quite fascinating.
Outstanding Advice from a tribe of mentors
This will be my final post covering tribe of mentors. If you are a little bit lost and not sure which direction to take you will find a lot of great advice and pointers from this book. It is a great reference book and I’d recommend it to all.
It doesn’t have to be crazy at work - quick book review
The most gifted books from the tribe of mentors
I read Tribe of Mentors, a year ago, and wrote down all the recommended books. I made notes on these books as I wanted to see if there are commonalities between the things highly successful people read. To no surprise, I found that many of the mentors recommended the same books.
5 Quotes to ponder on from Tribe Mentors
I wrote a quick review on the book, A tribe of mentors, but wanted to go into more detail and give you some of the quotes that that really hit home for me. I chose 5 of them to share with you.
Imposters handbook: a quick review
A year ago I read the imposters handbook. It seemed like this book was specifically for people like me. The found himself in the same position I was in: Feeling like an imposter.
Take a Nap, Change your life Book Review
I used to ascribe to the phrase: “sleep when you die”, but to what benefit? Hustling? Working hard? That may seem like the best thing to do now, but it may take 3 times as long for you to reach your goals, if you are burnt out, as you make a lot of mistakes in this state.
How to read and why
I thoroughly enjoyed this article on how to read and why:
The Psychology of Money
Let me tell you the story of two investors, neither of whom knew each other, but whose paths crossed in an interesting way….
Tribe of Mentors: Quick Review
The book contains 100+ interviews with highly successful people, the mentors. These people share their best advice and struggles.
tools
On the fence about Neovim
I’ve been using vim for the last 5 years. I’ve written about trying this out 5 years ago and stuck to it. It’s a fantastic experience and I truly enjoy working with this editor. I’ve been rethinking it this week though, as I was updating my configuration to get auto-completion to work.
TIL (Things 3) – Filter list by multiple tags
The ability to filter by multiple tags will elevate my prioritization process.
Reblog: Make the touch bar suck less
If you’re just setting up a Mac and find the touch bar setup to be irritating. Follow instructions at this link.
I was wrong about spreadsheets, and I’m sorry
Spreadsheets are amazing, they solve specific problems in an optimal way — Read on www.reifyworks.com/writing/2017-01-25-i-was-wrong-about-spreadsheets-and-im-sorry
gap, my most loved git command
gap the alias I created, mapping to git add -p has been one of my most typed commands ever since I changed my workflow.
One year at the helm of Vim
One year ago I started using an old text editor called Vim. I’m happy to say that I’m still sticking with it. I’m now very comfortable with VIM and more empowered translate Ideas into working solutions.
Colemak Keyboard Layout, 1 Month(ish) In
Typing is one of the most important aspects of my professional career. That’s why, a month ago, I decided to change my keyboard layout to Colemak.
Less is better than Tail
If you’re using logs for debugging check this out:
Faster VIM syntax checking with A.L.E
Is syntactic still slowing down your workflow, try A.L.E. It’s a drop in replacement for syntastic ( make sure your language is supported ): https://github.com/w0rp/ale
Vim CtrlP productivity tip
If you’re using VIM with CtrlP, here’s a tip to quickly jump to line numbers in a file: https://coderwall.com/p/cyh7xg/ctrlp-line-number
Signature plugin for visual marks in Vim
To install this plugin with Vim Plug place the following in your .vimrc: Plug ‘kshenoy/vim-signature’
So I tried an editor called VIM
But Why?
WordPress loves PHPStorm, so should you!
I’ve fallen in love with another text editor. Its been since a while since I’ve last opened SublimeText and Coda. It has also been a little bit challenging to adjust at times but there’s no looking back when it comes to building WordPress based products. My workflow is even better than ever. Now let me tell you why you should love PHPStorm.
writing
Why I blog?
I published my first blog post on April 16, in the year of our Lord 2012. Since then, eight years and 170 posts later, I wonder how I can use my writing more purposefully. How does one commit to writing in a way that fosters the best outcome?
Speech writer secrets
I enjoyed this humorous talk on public speaking. Some of the advice feels gimmicky, but if you compare it to what you hear when presidents and leaders speak you’ll see that they all use it, well with a few exceptions.
Highlights from Everybody Writes
Beth Dunn went from being an unemployable writer to a writing career that speaks for itself. In her talk, “How to Be a Writing god”, she hammered down the idea; disciplined writing is the only way to improved writing. Her story, alongside the Author, Ann Handley’s simple advice, makes it clear; every professional should take writing seriously.
The process before the content
From my perspective, I still have a long way to go. I do however think that sharing what I know today is valuable, not for the sake of what I share, but for the process of refining the idea. I place the process before the content, with the hope that a refined process will lead to fine content.
Strategies for not neglecting your blog
https://twitter.com/unxpectedbowtie/status/1084297723417935873
5 things to keep in your Journal
Today, while reading my Journal, I had a weird feeling. The feeling that my Journal was actually becoming valuable to me. Like I’d be willing to put up a reward if I’ve lost it.
Coders should write
I read this great article that I’d like to share with you:
How to blog regularly
Blogging is a learning process. You learn to organize thoughts. You learn to overcome the fear of publishing those thoughts. This helps you to become better at communication, just like Journalling.
Blog First
We all use a lot of social / content sharing services where we share a lot of personal data. Sometimes we forget those platforms can shut down overnight leaving you with no way to get back the data.
Let’s get this Hippo started
Ready set go, The Hippo’s party is starting earlier than what you might expect. WooCommerce 2.3 is readying itself behind the scenes for a few awesome leaps forward on the e-commerce dance floor.
Everyday Scribble book
blogging
Why I blog?
I published my first blog post on April 16, in the year of our Lord 2012. Since then, eight years and 170 posts later, I wonder how I can use my writing more purposefully. How does one commit to writing in a way that fosters the best outcome?
Strategies for not neglecting your blog
https://twitter.com/unxpectedbowtie/status/1084297723417935873
How to blog regularly
Blogging is a learning process. You learn to organize thoughts. You learn to overcome the fear of publishing those thoughts. This helps you to become better at communication, just like Journalling.
The habit of scheduling blog posts
I’m not good at blogging. I do a terrible job of regularly updating this site, well tat’s untill I discovered scheduling.
Oh I have a .blog
Update: I’ve since moved over to dwain.maralack.com
Blog First
We all use a lot of social / content sharing services where we share a lot of personal data. Sometimes we forget those platforms can shut down overnight leaving you with no way to get back the data.
Planning to blog regularly?
I seriously want to blog more frequently while also creating more quality. If you have a blog then I know you share this with me. And you should know that my reasons for desiring this are very simple:
Let’s get this Hippo started
Ready set go, The Hippo’s party is starting earlier than what you might expect. WooCommerce 2.3 is readying itself behind the scenes for a few awesome leaps forward on the e-commerce dance floor.
Post Away
My first atempt at rambling up a good enough post, worthy of who ever may read it.
reflection
Since 34
This blog has been idle for over a year! The last time I blogged was for my 34th birthday (January 2021). I’m disappointed in my lack of blogging, dropping a ball on becoming a better writer. So let us kick off with a quick update and some photos to match.
34
Why is Atlanta burning?
My colleague Charles wrote about the uprising in America, more specifically Atlanta.
33
I’m blessed to have another year added to the tally. On 20 January I turned 33.
We’re on earth for a reason.
For those people fantasizing about living on the moon. The dust can actually kill you:
32 and content
Yesterday I turned 32. What an amazing time to be alive. There are so many mountains to climb and challenges to overcome. I have a sense of destiny awaiting while feeling thankful that I have opportunities to reach for things greater than where I come from.
2019 Haiku
The green of year
1042
The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine
10 things I learned from reading my 2017 journal.
Since I decided to start Journaling, I also decided that I’ll read my own Journals to keep tabs on myself. As the saying goes: “Pen and paper do not forget”.
tutorial
How to compare dates in PHP
This is great article about how you can use DateTime class for date comparisons:
Hey Developer, Welcome to WordPress
Some time ago, a friend of mine wanted to start doing WordPress development. I created this resource for him and thought that many of you may also want to see this, so here it is:
Your guide to local remote git repositories.
Did you know that that git allows you to connect to a remote repository that is not so, remote ? I mean, you can actually connect to a repo in another folder and push and pull directly to and from it. I was recently faced a scenario where I had two working versions of the same repo in separate directories. I needed to make the changes in one place but then confirm the changes in a different context.
Add WordPress post type content programatically
To load dummy content programatically load the content below into your functions.php.
Remove Disqus comments from WordPress pages
You have just installed the Disqus comment system on your WordPress blog and now you see it appearing all over the show, on both pages and posts alike. I ran into the same issue and for obvious reasons only wanted to show it on single blog posts and would love to share how I fixed this with you.
Git vimdiff Mergetool Cheat sheet
Your project is progressing at an amazing pace. You’re committing regularly, getting close to the release date when you suddenly hit a merge conflict! What do you do now?
How to add a subtask in Asana:
Enter the matrix with WordPress
Would you like to enter the matrix with Wordpress?
Add/Enqueue Scripts or Styles for pages where my plugin short code is found
So you have the neat plugin and you’re really excited about getting it done, but you don’t want this wonderful plugin loading un necessary scripts and styles for every page.
technology
Small town, big internet
Fibre finally arrived in Ceres! It was a dream to have city-like-speeds in our little town.
Vodacom Fibre Support Headaches
Vodacom is the best mobile operator in the country, period! However, the success doesn’t translate into their Fibre offering. They don’t own all the pieces of the puzzle and I think their processes aren’t geared toward this. Especially with how their support teams are setup. I’ve had two long-standing marathon support interactions over two months and it was not a pleasure.
PHP is just fine
A programming language starts decaying right after inception. The idea that a language is perfect soon hits the harsh reality of users running into situations the author(s) have not anticipated.
Choose boring technology
I read an interesting article about choosing boring technology. Here are my key take a ways:
Crypto currency
Why people who don’t understand how cryptocurrencies work should stay far far away from it: https://www.wired.com/story/blockchain-bandit-ethereum-weak-private-keys/
Technology does not make us any better
Technology didn’t make our lives better, it simply changed what we can accomplish, but it seems, humans are still very much like we were 100 year ago:
After all the computers may still need a human hand.
What the History of Math Can Teach Us about the Future of AI - Scientific American Blog Network — Read on blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/what-the-history-of-math-can-teach-us-about-the-future-of-ai/
AI vs Us
Finding answers will get a lot easier to do with AI, and figuring out what questions to ask will be the new frontier.
vim
Converting HTML entities to UTF-8 in VimScript
I wrote a small script to fetch a web page title, inserting it as amarkdown formatted link: [title](URL) One of of the issues I ran into was that some titles contain HTML entities and Vim has no built-in way to deal with this.
On the fence about Neovim
I’ve been using vim for the last 5 years. I’ve written about trying this out 5 years ago and stuck to it. It’s a fantastic experience and I truly enjoy working with this editor. I’ve been rethinking it this week though, as I was updating my configuration to get auto-completion to work.
One year at the helm of Vim
One year ago I started using an old text editor called Vim. I’m happy to say that I’m still sticking with it. I’m now very comfortable with VIM and more empowered translate Ideas into working solutions.
Faster VIM syntax checking with A.L.E
Is syntactic still slowing down your workflow, try A.L.E. It’s a drop in replacement for syntastic ( make sure your language is supported ): https://github.com/w0rp/ale
Vim CtrlP productivity tip
If you’re using VIM with CtrlP, here’s a tip to quickly jump to line numbers in a file: https://coderwall.com/p/cyh7xg/ctrlp-line-number
Signature plugin for visual marks in Vim
To install this plugin with Vim Plug place the following in your .vimrc: Plug ‘kshenoy/vim-signature’
So I tried an editor called VIM
But Why?
Git vimdiff Mergetool Cheat sheet
Your project is progressing at an amazing pace. You’re committing regularly, getting close to the release date when you suddenly hit a merge conflict! What do you do now?
learning
Imposters handbook: a quick review
A year ago I read the imposters handbook. It seemed like this book was specifically for people like me. The found himself in the same position I was in: Feeling like an imposter.
When are you proficient in a programming language?
Learning a programming language gives you the opportunity to explore other problem domains alongside new approaches to addressing familiar problems.
Why I’m learning a new Programming Language called Go
For the past few years, I got stuck in a rut, a good one. My sole focus was not the technology I used. but rather the thought processes behind why and how I write code. I write in PHP and I mainly focus on the WordPress CMS. This pays the bills and helps me take care of my family but, while focusing on thought processes, I didn’t realise that learning a new language can have the same effect, helping me think differently about similar problems.
How to read and why
I thoroughly enjoyed this article on how to read and why:
Rest and Learn
I’ve found that preiods of intense learning followed by a time to reflect, relax and rest has a compunding effect. Things are solidified in my mind and new thought branches etablishes.
10 things I learned from reading my 2017 journal.
Since I decided to start Journaling, I also decided that I’ll read my own Journals to keep tabs on myself. As the saying goes: “Pen and paper do not forget”.
So I tried an editor called VIM
But Why?
advice
My notes from the talk on how to maximise success
Carla Harris, Vice Chairman of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, explains exactly how she got ahead in a male dominated industry.
Simple Money Advice
Someone shared this with me a while ago and I keep thinking about it. The advice is 3 simple thoughts:
Outstanding Advice from a tribe of mentors
This will be my final post covering tribe of mentors. If you are a little bit lost and not sure which direction to take you will find a lot of great advice and pointers from this book. It is a great reference book and I’d recommend it to all.
Giving Advice Doesn’t Work, I found a better way
I was recently chatting to a friend. He mentioned some area where he was not succeeding . I had the perfect answer. If he’d only follow my advice.
Three Important Things — Via Dented Reality
Three Important Things Congratulations! You are in a new management role. Now what? Remember these three things: don’t fall into the safety of your old job, listen, and provide useful feedback. 2,899 more words
Tribe of Mentors: Quick Review
The book contains 100+ interviews with highly successful people, the mentors. These people share their best advice and struggles.
leadership
The team lead path
Being a team lead at Automattic is not a promotion, but it is very challenging and after doing it for the last year, I understand why.
Remote spelled out is TRUST
Bright and I had a very interesting chat about remote work, because of the COVID-19 lockdown situation in South Africa, they were thrown deep into the weirdness of distributed work.
Don’t pretend you’re purpose driven
Don’t start a business when you have already thought about when to exit. Exits should happen organically.
Managing while black (VP of engineering)
I didn’t sell out, I bought in.
Hiring senior engineers?you are selling not buying
WCEU Q&A with Matt Mullenweg
Q&A by Matt Mullenweg and my #questionfail at 47:00. My reaction is really funny.
creativity
Creative Computer Science
I read an interesting article on how personal development as a Software Engineer should be largely focused on thinking rather than specific technologies.
Check this rapper, he’s going big!
Mr Ferl, is probably one of the most genuine rappers I’ve listened to, ever. No pretence. More of this and less of the fakeness we hear every day?
New Track: Movement
Just uploaded a new track.
Design inspiration the right way
I do not consider myself to be a designer.
Everyday Scribble book
journaling
Journal Numbering Hack
5 things to keep in your Journal
Today, while reading my Journal, I had a weird feeling. The feeling that my Journal was actually becoming valuable to me. Like I’d be willing to put up a reward if I’ve lost it.
10 things I learned from reading my 2017 journal.
Since I decided to start Journaling, I also decided that I’ll read my own Journals to keep tabs on myself. As the saying goes: “Pen and paper do not forget”.
Keeping a journal can change your life
I started some time ago, but it is now more focused and intentional.
Everyday Scribble book
politics
Why is Atlanta burning?
My colleague Charles wrote about the uprising in America, more specifically Atlanta.
Opinion Power? No, Thanks, I’m Good - The New York Times
The freedom to say what I think and command my own time is enough for me. — Read on www.nytimes.com/2019/05/21/opinion/power-is-overrated.html
We, The people
When citizens self organise, the government of the day may be rendered a mere follower.
Why I no longer care about politics, but I still vote
A few years ago, I was politically fired up. I believed that politics would fix all the problems we were having in our beautiful country. I used to think, if only party X would win, or if only party Y would get better, then we’d be in for real change. I honestly believed the answers to our problems can be solved with politics.
With the US Election, a Landmark Week for WordPress.com VIP
success
Success with your support network
To succeed at remote work, we need to know what we need and how to communicate it.
My notes from the talk on how to maximise success
Carla Harris, Vice Chairman of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, explains exactly how she got ahead in a male dominated industry.
A brilliant talk on how to prepare for success
I watched this talk and it answered most of the questions I had about how to succeed and make an impact.
You probably won’t make it to the top
I read a great article:
Let consistency be your trump card
architecture
Software Complexity
It is easy to define software complexity, but not so easy to define how complex a specific piece of software is. There have been lots of work in academia to find ways to describe it, but these approaches are not generally applied. Complex software directly refers to its effects on the human mind.
Choose boring technology
I read an interesting article about choosing boring technology. Here are my key take a ways:
Building Reactive Systems: Conference Talk.
I watched an interesting talk about building high availability systems and thought the simplicity was quite fascinating.
Microservices Are Something You Grow Into, Not Begin With
The craze around microservices is great, but starting small and simple is the best use of our limit time, specially when starting a new project, More on this from the link below:
automattic
Farewell WooMattic
I was unfortunately affected by the recent Automattic layoffs. We had a tradition at Automattic to post a farewell message on a special message board called farewell p2. I thought I’d share it on my blog as well as many people that I’ve worked with in the last 12 years have moved on already or were part of the layoffs.
Grand Meetup 2017
Last year I attended our company meet up in Whistler, BC, Canada. It was amazing, but I forgot to post some pics.
Company photos
Taking a company photo.
Grand meetup talks
Listenening to interesting talks at our companies annual retreat.
business
Beat the Budget: Klop!
Klop!
“Klop”, Afrikaans for conquer/beat. That’s the name of my new app (still in development). It will live at klop.finance and will be a budgeting tool built with the purpose of helping people reach their financial goals. Get out of debt, save towards a target, understand where they stand on a day by day basis, without scratching their heads.
Counting the wrong things!
Dignity matters. Good quality Jobs matter. Watch this video:
Cheap travels with WordPress as the foundation
https://www.indiehackers.com/businesses/scotts-cheap-flights
With the US Election, a Landmark Week for WordPress.com VIP
character
On forging a character
You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one.
Henry David Thoreau
Respect!
Respect the work of your peers, and those who came before you. — Read on baus.net/you-cant-impress-developers/
Fearless right doing
The article in a local newspaper from a political leader honestly and openly speaking out. Speaking out knowing that persecution will come. Knowing that what he is doing will be frowned upon and even ridiculed by those so close to him.
Integrity simplified
I learnt this very neat way to think about integrity and and its practical implementation. It goes something like this:
communication
Speech writer secrets
I enjoyed this humorous talk on public speaking. Some of the advice feels gimmicky, but if you compare it to what you hear when presidents and leaders speak you’ll see that they all use it, well with a few exceptions.
Highlights from Everybody Writes
Beth Dunn went from being an unemployable writer to a writing career that speaks for itself. In her talk, “How to Be a Writing god”, she hammered down the idea; disciplined writing is the only way to improved writing. Her story, alongside the Author, Ann Handley’s simple advice, makes it clear; every professional should take writing seriously.
Giving Advice Doesn’t Work, I found a better way
I was recently chatting to a friend. He mentioned some area where he was not succeeding . I had the perfect answer. If he’d only follow my advice.
Coders should write
I read this great article that I’d like to share with you:
consistency
Strategies for not neglecting your blog
https://twitter.com/unxpectedbowtie/status/1084297723417935873
How to blog regularly
Blogging is a learning process. You learn to organize thoughts. You learn to overcome the fear of publishing those thoughts. This helps you to become better at communication, just like Journalling.
Planning to blog regularly?
I seriously want to blog more frequently while also creating more quality. If you have a blog then I know you share this with me. And you should know that my reasons for desiring this are very simple:
Let consistency be your trump card
education
What every computer science major should know
What every computer science major should know — Read on matt.might.net/articles/what-cs-majors-should-know/
Creative Computer Science
I read an interesting article on how personal development as a Software Engineer should be largely focused on thinking rather than specific technologies.
Teaching -cism in silence
As a child, just after apartheid, I don’t remember learning about how white, is “better”, and black “is not”. I don’t remember sitting in a lecture being indoctrinated. I don’t remember anything else, but I do remember the subtle cues around me.
Computer Science vs Software Engineering
An “oldie”, but a good article on Computer Science vs Software Engineering and how the two compliment each other.
faith
Easter reminder: Jesus died for you
Thinking ahead about easter/passover weekend, I’m reflecting on the reasons for observing it. I consider this to be the perfect weekend to consider who Jesus is, why He was born and died in such a gruesome manner.
I believe there is a Creator
If you’re reading this as an atheist or and agnostic thinker please know that this comes from a personal place.
This is the Gospel
If you don’t get the full picture watch this:
Sexual Sin :( Worshiping the things instead of the God Creator
finance
Simple Money Advice
Someone shared this with me a while ago and I keep thinking about it. The advice is 3 simple thoughts:
Crypto currency
Why people who don’t understand how cryptocurrencies work should stay far far away from it: https://www.wired.com/story/blockchain-bandit-ethereum-weak-private-keys/
Confusing income potential and wealth
This is more of a mental note for myself. The connection between wealth and income is very obvious, yet we tend to think they are one and the same. I do it all the time.
The Psychology of Money
Let me tell you the story of two investors, neither of whom knew each other, but whose paths crossed in an interesting way….
git
gap, my most loved git command
gap the alias I created, mapping to git add -p has been one of my most typed commands ever since I changed my workflow.
Your guide to local remote git repositories.
Did you know that that git allows you to connect to a remote repository that is not so, remote ? I mean, you can actually connect to a repo in another folder and push and pull directly to and from it. I was recently faced a scenario where I had two working versions of the same repo in separate directories. I needed to make the changes in one place but then confirm the changes in a different context.
Git vimdiff Mergetool Cheat sheet
Your project is progressing at an amazing pace. You’re committing regularly, getting close to the release date when you suddenly hit a merge conflict! What do you do now?
Mountain Lion, Git “Command Not Found” (2 min fix)
I found this while trying to figure out why I’m getting the error.
go
How many bytes are emoji characters in GO?
It takes 4 bytes for each emoji character and 1 byte for every ASCII character.
Go compiler internals: adding a new statement to Go - Part 1 - Eli Bendersky’s website
Go compiler internals: adding a new statement to Go - Part 1 - Eli Bendersky’s website — Read on eli.thegreenplace.net/2019/go-compiler-internals-adding-a-new-statement-to-go-part-1/
Why I’m learning a new Programming Language called Go
For the past few years, I got stuck in a rut, a good one. My sole focus was not the technology I used. but rather the thought processes behind why and how I write code. I write in PHP and I mainly focus on the WordPress CMS. This pays the bills and helps me take care of my family but, while focusing on thought processes, I didn’t realise that learning a new language can have the same effect, helping me think differently about similar problems.
Golang Channels: explained simply
I see go channels as a pipe connecting two air tight vacuum cleaners. One vacuum cleaner can not push anything into the pipe, if the other vacuum is not pulling from the pipe. Both need to do the opposite action. If one sends the “package” will be stuck until the other turns on it’s receiving action.
habits
Habits of Highly effective Software Engineers
Valuable advice from the “Tech Lead”. A career in software engineering is a long term game, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Having habits like these, ensure that you’re preserving yourself as you grow in experience and influence.
Keeping a journal can change your life
I started some time ago, but it is now more focused and intentional.
The habit of scheduling blog posts
I’m not good at blogging. I do a terrible job of regularly updating this site, well tat’s untill I discovered scheduling.
Let consistency be your trump card
health
Take a Nap, Change your life Book Review
I used to ascribe to the phrase: “sleep when you die”, but to what benefit? Hustling? Working hard? That may seem like the best thing to do now, but it may take 3 times as long for you to reach your goals, if you are burnt out, as you make a lot of mistakes in this state.
Plant Based
3 Months ago, my wife and I embraced a new way of eating. We’ve tried all kind of diets and eating plans but none have ever worked out for us. We wanted to see results in the way we looked and felt. We mostly wanted to shed some pounds and with that feel more confident in our clothes.
Enjoyed playing squash again
Breaking a sweat, see you at the beach in December :)
humor
What happens when you reply to spam email
If you need some time to let your subconscious mind figure out a problem, I enjoyed watching this.
Oh I have a .blog
Update: I’ve since moved over to dwain.maralack.com
Version controlled comments on Facebook
Did you know that Facebook now has version control for comments. For non geek people out there: It stores your initial comment just in case you want to go back to it.
Me and the pet Lion
inspiration
A brilliant talk on how to prepare for success
I watched this talk and it answered most of the questions I had about how to succeed and make an impact.
Check this rapper, he’s going big!
Mr Ferl, is probably one of the most genuine rappers I’ve listened to, ever. No pretence. More of this and less of the fakeness we hear every day?
Inspired by an incarcerated investor
Curtis “Wallstreet” Carroll taught himself to read and then eventually invest. All this while being in prison.
Design inspiration the right way
I do not consider myself to be a designer.
motivation
You probably won’t make it to the top
I read a great article:
Let’s get this Hippo started
Ready set go, The Hippo’s party is starting earlier than what you might expect. WooCommerce 2.3 is readying itself behind the scenes for a few awesome leaps forward on the e-commerce dance floor.
Start your Journey now
At this point in my life I am happy. I have a relationship with my heavenly Father through Jesus. I have a loving wife with who’m I’m excited to share the rest of my life with and together we are working towards common goals.
Post Away
My first atempt at rambling up a good enough post, worthy of who ever may read it.
philosophy
Software Complexity
It is easy to define software complexity, but not so easy to define how complex a specific piece of software is. There have been lots of work in academia to find ways to describe it, but these approaches are not generally applied. Complex software directly refers to its effects on the human mind.
Technology does not make us any better
Technology didn’t make our lives better, it simply changed what we can accomplish, but it seems, humans are still very much like we were 100 year ago:
Is enough, enough?
When is enough enough? How long are we delaying our lives as we struggle for someone else’s picture of perfection? How many more years should we put into building a fortune, for our old age? We all need to read the story below na make up our one minds.
Happiness
Inspired by talk. I’ll be taking picks or simply writing a general note of things and people that make me happy.
process
The process before the content
From my perspective, I still have a long way to go. I do however think that sharing what I know today is valuable, not for the sake of what I share, but for the process of refining the idea. I place the process before the content, with the hope that a refined process will lead to fine content.
Questions I ask when reviewing code
The work of building software in a team context is not quite the same as when you’re working on a hobby project. On an existing project, you must consider paying customers, product quality, engineering excellence, and many other variables that make shipping production code much more challenging. We expect others to review our code to ensure it meets the highest standards before it is sent out into the world and the same is excpected from us.
It’s ok not to rush a good thing
I’ve been battling with a book review on The Tribe of Mentors. I had some deadlines that have passed already, but today, just a reminder. Rushing good things may have an undesirable outcome.
Blog First
We all use a lot of social / content sharing services where we share a lot of personal data. Sometimes we forget those platforms can shut down overnight leaving you with no way to get back the data.
relationships
Giving Advice Doesn’t Work, I found a better way
I was recently chatting to a friend. He mentioned some area where he was not succeeding . I had the perfect answer. If he’d only follow my advice.
Respect!
Respect the work of your peers, and those who came before you. — Read on baus.net/you-cant-impress-developers/
IronMan with with my wife :)
Oh, how I miss my wife
spiritual
Easter reminder: Jesus died for you
Thinking ahead about easter/passover weekend, I’m reflecting on the reasons for observing it. I consider this to be the perfect weekend to consider who Jesus is, why He was born and died in such a gruesome manner.
I believe there is a Creator
If you’re reading this as an atheist or and agnostic thinker please know that this comes from a personal place.
This is the Gospel
If you don’t get the full picture watch this:
Sexual Sin :( Worshiping the things instead of the God Creator
travel
Grand Meetup 2017
Last year I attended our company meet up in Whistler, BC, Canada. It was amazing, but I forgot to post some pics.
Cheap travels with WordPress as the foundation
https://www.indiehackers.com/businesses/scotts-cheap-flights
Vienna
A few pics I took while in Vienna on a team meetup.
Internet at aboard the pacific pearl
Working remotely for Woothemes which allows me to change my office location like I change my shocks. With this benefit my wife and I decided to take the opportunity to work out at sea.
automation
After all the computers may still need a human hand.
What the History of Math Can Teach Us about the Future of AI - Scientific American Blog Network — Read on blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/what-the-history-of-math-can-teach-us-about-the-future-of-ai/
Title loading script
If you’re in need of little script that change your title into and animated “Loading …” use this :
Generate a link list of all Zendesk articles in a specific forum
I needed to print out a list of links for all articles in a specific forum, for use in our Project management system. I had to go through all the items to ensure that they are compatible with the latest version of our Canvas Theme.
birthday
Since 34
This blog has been idle for over a year! The last time I blogged was for my 34th birthday (January 2021). I’m disappointed in my lack of blogging, dropping a ball on becoming a better writer. So let us kick off with a quick update and some photos to match.
34
33
I’m blessed to have another year added to the tally. On 20 January I turned 33.
colemak
9 months with Colemak
9 months Ago I decided to switch to the Colemak keyboard layout, read more about that here: /colemak-fingers/.
Colemak Keyboard Layout, 1 Month(ish) In
Typing is one of the most important aspects of my professional career. That’s why, a month ago, I decided to change my keyboard layout to Colemak.
Colemak Fingers
I’m switching to Colemak. It’s an alternate keyboard layout that allows you to type while your fingers travel shorter distances. You can read more about the reasons this is better than QWERTY here: http://chetansurpur.com/blog/2012/11/colemak.html
computer-science
Imposters handbook: a quick review
A year ago I read the imposters handbook. It seemed like this book was specifically for people like me. The found himself in the same position I was in: Feeling like an imposter.
Creative Computer Science
I read an interesting article on how personal development as a Software Engineer should be largely focused on thinking rather than specific technologies.
Computer Science vs Software Engineering
An “oldie”, but a good article on Computer Science vs Software Engineering and how the two compliment each other.
conference
Vienna
A few pics I took while in Vienna on a team meetup.
Grand meetup talks
Listenening to interesting talks at our companies annual retreat.
WCEU Q&A with Matt Mullenweg
Q&A by Matt Mullenweg and my #questionfail at 47:00. My reaction is really funny.
docker
Docker Compose Volumes Empty?
The problem is that you’re expecting files from the Container to be mounted on your host.
This is not the way it works: it’s the other way around:
Docker mounts your host folder in the container folder you specify. If you go inside the container, you will see that where there were supposed to be the init files, there will be nothing (or whatever was in your host folder(s)), and you can write a file in the folder and it will show up on your host.Answer from: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/42395748/docker-compose-volume-is-empty-even-from-initialize
Local Development: Secure Docker Sites.
This article targets Debian docker containers running on MacOS.
WP Docker Curl Error
If you are using Docker for WordPress development you may have discovered an issue while trying to connect to your installation from the CLI.
focus
Do not major in minor things and expect to be recognized for your impact.
Focus on what matters
This is really simple so I’ll keep it short. This statement has to do with being successful in your career.
Say yes to less, no to more and hell yeah to the best.
Saying no is not just emotiional, it opens you up to other opportunities.
history
A Database of Fugitive Slave Ads Reveals Thousands of Untold Resistance Stories
A Database of Fugitive Slave Ads Reveals Thousands of Untold Resistance Stories — Read on hyperallergic.com/435183/freedom-on-the-move/
Comparing Software Engineering to RailRoads in the 1800’s
An amazing (biased) talk about the rust language by one of the core contributors. Comparing accidents in the rail road industry to computer programming and memory safety.
They would never ask Jewish people to forget what happened during the Holocaust
This is racism and classisms at its best:
music
Check this rapper, he’s going big!
Mr Ferl, is probably one of the most genuine rappers I’ve listened to, ever. No pretence. More of this and less of the fakeness we hear every day?
New Track: Movement
Just uploaded a new track.
Ableton, software engineering behind the music
Often times, one forgets that the tools you and other people use actually have people just like you working hard to ship the nex improved version.
personal-development
On forging a character
You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one.
Henry David Thoreau
Keeping a journal can change your life
I started some time ago, but it is now more focused and intentional.
Start your Journey now
At this point in my life I am happy. I have a relationship with my heavenly Father through Jesus. I have a loving wife with who’m I’m excited to share the rest of my life with and together we are working towards common goals.
php
PHP is just fine
A programming language starts decaying right after inception. The idea that a language is perfect soon hits the harsh reality of users running into situations the author(s) have not anticipated.
How to compare dates in PHP
This is great article about how you can use DateTime class for date comparisons:
PHP database management in a single file
I’ve found this nice little thing that quickly allows you to have a MySql GUI.
priorities
Do not major in minor things and expect to be recognized for your impact.
Focus on what matters
This is really simple so I’ll keep it short. This statement has to do with being successful in your career.
Say yes to less, no to more and hell yeah to the best.
Saying no is not just emotiional, it opens you up to other opportunities.
remote-work
Remote work success
The global pandemic induced a mass workplace migration. Many office inhabitants were thrown into the wild remote working paradise. The expected decrease in Covid-19 case numbers will see most people abandon the remote working paradise, but for some, the distributed work environment is here to stay. I’m writing this guide for those who will become permanent remote workers.
Remote spelled out is TRUST
Bright and I had a very interesting chat about remote work, because of the COVID-19 lockdown situation in South Africa, they were thrown deep into the weirdness of distributed work.
My office today
Working from home has its perks. Kids are home and this is the only place they want to play.
rest
Planning Down Time
After periods of intensity I find myself automatically collapse into a slower period, a period where I feel very unproductive. This was very frustrating as I feel like, you know you can do more, but you’re just not getting to it.
Rest and Learn
I’ve found that preiods of intense learning followed by a time to reflect, relax and rest has a compunding effect. Things are solidified in my mind and new thought branches etablishes.
Have you tried working Less?
Let me just say this: Stop working overtime on that project. Set your hours. Push hard at it and then rest at a pre-defined point. Enjoy life after working hard.
society
The opposite of addiction is connection
I watched this interesting TED talk about how we treat addicts; we shy away from them and further inflict damage by pushing them into isolation. The talk below gives us a better alternative and a possible way to help those, who themselves don’t want to suffer, grow into a better versions of themselves.
Repost: The worst reply to mentions of white privilege
The worst reply: “I’ve worked hard my whole life.”
We, The people
When citizens self organise, the government of the day may be rendered a mere follower.
systems
My productivity system
I’ve had this post in draft for over a year. I kept the draft to keep notes and to remind myself of my commitment to a new way to work. After learning about the new system, I jumped in head first and tried it out for a few months,but after discovering the shortcomings I stopped using it.
Accountability as a service?
Hire a boss, get stuff done
How to simplify and remain productive
This approach ensures that we take responsibility together for the success of the whole. The whole can be more than the sum of it’s parts if we co-operate.
troubleshooting
Docker Compose Volumes Empty?
The problem is that you’re expecting files from the Container to be mounted on your host.
This is not the way it works: it’s the other way around:
Docker mounts your host folder in the container folder you specify. If you go inside the container, you will see that where there were supposed to be the init files, there will be nothing (or whatever was in your host folder(s)), and you can write a file in the folder and it will show up on your host.Answer from: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/42395748/docker-compose-volume-is-empty-even-from-initialize
WP Docker Curl Error
If you are using Docker for WordPress development you may have discovered an issue while trying to connect to your installation from the CLI.
Mountain Lion, Git “Command Not Found” (2 min fix)
I found this while trying to figure out why I’m getting the error.
typing
9 months with Colemak
9 months Ago I decided to switch to the Colemak keyboard layout, read more about that here: /colemak-fingers/.
Colemak Keyboard Layout, 1 Month(ish) In
Typing is one of the most important aspects of my professional career. That’s why, a month ago, I decided to change my keyboard layout to Colemak.
Colemak Fingers
I’m switching to Colemak. It’s an alternate keyboard layout that allows you to type while your fingers travel shorter distances. You can read more about the reasons this is better than QWERTY here: http://chetansurpur.com/blog/2012/11/colemak.html
values
On forging a character
You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one.
Henry David Thoreau
Respect!
Respect the work of your peers, and those who came before you. — Read on baus.net/you-cant-impress-developers/
Integrity simplified
I learnt this very neat way to think about integrity and and its practical implementation. It goes something like this:
balance
Rest and Learn
I’ve found that preiods of intense learning followed by a time to reflect, relax and rest has a compunding effect. Things are solidified in my mind and new thought branches etablishes.
It’s not good to think you’re better, but it also doesn’t help to think you’re the worst.
contentment
32 and content
Yesterday I turned 32. What an amazing time to be alive. There are so many mountains to climb and challenges to overcome. I have a sense of destiny awaiting while feeling thankful that I have opportunities to reach for things greater than where I come from.
Is enough, enough?
When is enough enough? How long are we delaying our lives as we struggle for someone else’s picture of perfection? How many more years should we put into building a fortune, for our old age? We all need to read the story below na make up our one minds.
database
One liner for importing multiple SQL files using WP CLI DB command
In some cases, SQL backups break exports into multiple files, usualy by table name.
PHP database management in a single file
I’ve found this nice little thing that quickly allows you to have a MySql GUI.
design
Designing Software Within Constraints Building to a Specification
We don’t think we have constraints as Software Engineers, but we actually do. Creating specifications is a great way to explore some of these constraints. See the full talk below by Kris Brandow at GopherCon 2018.
Design inspiration the right way
I do not consider myself to be a designer.
development
Local Development: Secure Docker Sites.
This article targets Debian docker containers running on MacOS.
Hey Developer, Welcome to WordPress
Some time ago, a friend of mine wanted to start doing WordPress development. I created this resource for him and thought that many of you may also want to see this, so here it is:
family
Long term paternity leave
It’s been five months since I last thought about work. My laptop is in its original packaging. My home office turned into a guest room and work goodies packed away. I’m currently taking a six month break from work since the arrival of Ariah.
What does 6 months paternity leave feel like with 2 babys?
I didn’t want to say much about this as it is not that common, especially here in South Africa. The norm here is three days and some annual leave. When I share that I’m on family responsibility leave and for how long, people usually either respond with excellent or a mild form of disgusted jealousy. I’m am truly blessed to have the privilege of paid leave for such a long time.
goals
Why I no longer call them goals
Calling your goals, “goals”, leaves you at a disadvantage. From now on, I suggest that you call them outcomes.
Breaking a sweat, see you at the beach in December :)
happiness
Happiness
Inspired by talk. I’ll be taking picks or simply writing a general note of things and people that make me happy.
Joy
humanity
Technology does not make us any better
Technology didn’t make our lives better, it simply changed what we can accomplish, but it seems, humans are still very much like we were 100 year ago:
After all the computers may still need a human hand.
What the History of Math Can Teach Us about the Future of AI - Scientific American Blog Network — Read on blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/what-the-history-of-math-can-teach-us-about-the-future-of-ai/
integrity
Fearless right doing
The article in a local newspaper from a political leader honestly and openly speaking out. Speaking out knowing that persecution will come. Knowing that what he is doing will be frowned upon and even ridiculed by those so close to him.
Integrity simplified
I learnt this very neat way to think about integrity and and its practical implementation. It goes something like this:
mac
Reblog: Make the touch bar suck less
If you’re just setting up a Mac and find the touch bar setup to be irritating. Follow instructions at this link.
Mountain Lion, Git “Command Not Found” (2 min fix)
I found this while trying to figure out why I’m getting the error.
management
Managing while black (VP of engineering)
I didn’t sell out, I bought in.
Frustration
Don’t cause permanent damage with temporary frustration.
mentorship
Outstanding Advice from a tribe of mentors
This will be my final post covering tribe of mentors. If you are a little bit lost and not sure which direction to take you will find a lot of great advice and pointers from this book. It is a great reference book and I’d recommend it to all.
Tribe of Mentors: Quick Review
The book contains 100+ interviews with highly successful people, the mentors. These people share their best advice and struggles.
mindset
Why I no longer call them goals
Calling your goals, “goals”, leaves you at a disadvantage. From now on, I suggest that you call them outcomes.
Confusing income potential and wealth
This is more of a mental note for myself. The connection between wealth and income is very obvious, yet we tend to think they are one and the same. I do it all the time.
perspective
You are on time, your own time
New York is 3 hours ahead of California, but that doesn’t make California slow.
What I do have
Today I turn 30. I woke up and my first thoughts were those of gratitude, which immediate turned into thoughts of empty mess and sadness.
planning
Planning Down Time
After periods of intensity I find myself automatically collapse into a slower period, a period where I feel very unproductive. This was very frustrating as I feel like, you know you can do more, but you’re just not getting to it.
Planning to blog regularly?
I seriously want to blog more frequently while also creating more quality. If you have a blog then I know you share this with me. And you should know that my reasons for desiring this are very simple:
plugins
Signature plugin for visual marks in Vim
To install this plugin with Vim Plug place the following in your .vimrc: Plug ‘kshenoy/vim-signature’
Abandonware as a WordPress plugin
I have a littles secret to confess. In the days when I was still building client websites I would instal and reinstall at least 5 similar plugins before finding the perfect one. In majority cases I would never let the developer know if there was a bug as I simply didn’t have the luxury of time.
podcast
Howzit Podcast Appearance
It was a privilege for me to feature in episode 003 of a fantastic podcast called Howzit. The podcast episode touches on remote work, faith, writing, and personal development. I’m grateful to Travis for inviting me.
My first Podcast interview
I was interviewed by Jonathan Bossenger on WP Hackercast.
purpose
Don’t pretend you’re purpose driven
Don’t start a business when you have already thought about when to exit. Exits should happen organically.
We’re on earth for a reason.
For those people fantasizing about living on the moon. The dust can actually kill you:
reading
The most gifted books from the tribe of mentors
I read Tribe of Mentors, a year ago, and wrote down all the recommended books. I made notes on these books as I wanted to see if there are commonalities between the things highly successful people read. To no surprise, I found that many of the mentors recommended the same books.
How to read and why
I thoroughly enjoyed this article on how to read and why:
scripting
Converting HTML entities to UTF-8 in VimScript
I wrote a small script to fetch a web page title, inserting it as amarkdown formatted link: [title](URL) One of of the issues I ran into was that some titles contain HTML entities and Vim has no built-in way to deal with this.
Generate a link list of all Zendesk articles in a specific forum
I needed to print out a list of links for all articles in a specific forum, for use in our Project management system. I had to go through all the items to ensure that they are compatible with the latest version of our Canvas Theme.
simplicity
Simple Money Advice
Someone shared this with me a while ago and I keep thinking about it. The advice is 3 simple thoughts:
How to simplify and remain productive
This approach ensures that we take responsibility together for the success of the whole. The whole can be more than the sum of it’s parts if we co-operate.
storytelling
Your story matters, share it
We all have those times when really need inspiration. Most times we find it in the simplest places. It’s in books, blogs, talks even the little children, other times we draw inspiration from our industry leaders and people we look up to.
Me and the pet Lion
team
Grand Meetup 2017
Last year I attended our company meet up in Whistler, BC, Canada. It was amazing, but I forgot to post some pics.
Company photos
Taking a company photo.
time-management
My productivity system
I’ve had this post in draft for over a year. I kept the draft to keep notes and to remind myself of my commitment to a new way to work. After learning about the new system, I jumped in head first and tried it out for a few months,but after discovering the shortcomings I stopped using it.
You are on time, your own time
New York is 3 hours ahead of California, but that doesn’t make California slow.
tips
Journal Numbering Hack
TIL (Things 3) – Filter list by multiple tags
The ability to filter by multiple tags will elevate my prioritization process.
wisdom
5 Quotes to ponder on from Tribe Mentors
I wrote a quick review on the book, A tribe of mentors, but wanted to go into more detail and give you some of the quotes that that really hit home for me. I chose 5 of them to share with you.
Three Important Things — Via Dented Reality
Three Important Things Congratulations! You are in a new management role. Now what? Remember these three things: don’t fall into the safety of your old job, listen, and provide useful feedback. 2,899 more words
woocommerce
WooCommerce Payments now in Beta
I’m excited to share that our team has just released the beta version of a Payments service powered by WooCommerce, WooCommerce Payments.
WooCommerce 3.3
Today we released an updated version of WooCommerce. The most exciting feature for me is Greater theme support and customization. Them support is an extremely challenging problem simply because theme developers have so much freedom in how they can structure themes.
work-life-balance
What does 6 months paternity leave feel like with 2 babys?
I didn’t want to say much about this as it is not that common, especially here in South Africa. The norm here is three days and some annual leave. When I share that I’m on family responsibility leave and for how long, people usually either respond with excellent or a mild form of disgusted jealousy. I’m am truly blessed to have the privilege of paid leave for such a long time.
Have you tried working Less?
Let me just say this: Stop working overtime on that project. Set your hours. Push hard at it and then rest at a pre-defined point. Enjoy life after working hard.
accessibility
Dropping the color attribute.
Many times in the media, from friends and in the industry, I hear terms like:
accomplishment
Floors Done!
So happy that the floors at home has finally been completed.
accountability
Accountability as a service?
Hire a boss, get stuff done
adaptation
Back to Top ↑admissions
I was wrong about spreadsheets, and I’m sorry
Spreadsheets are amazing, they solve specific problems in an optimal way — Read on www.reifyworks.com/writing/2017-01-25-i-was-wrong-about-spreadsheets-and-im-sorry
advanced
Enter the matrix with WordPress
Would you like to enter the matrix with Wordpress?
ai
AI vs Us
Finding answers will get a lot easier to do with AI, and figuring out what questions to ask will be the new frontier.
analogy
Comparing Software Engineering to RailRoads in the 1800’s
An amazing (biased) talk about the rust language by one of the core contributors. Comparing accidents in the rail road industry to computer programming and memory safety.
asana
Back to Top ↑authenticity
Don’t pretend you’re purpose driven
Don’t start a business when you have already thought about when to exit. Exits should happen organically.
budgeting
Back to Top ↑change
Back to Top ↑civic-duty
Why I no longer care about politics, but I still vote
A few years ago, I was politically fired up. I believed that politics would fix all the problems we were having in our beautiful country. I used to think, if only party X would win, or if only party Y would get better, then we’d be in for real change. I honestly believed the answers to our problems can be solved with politics.
cli
One liner for importing multiple SQL files using WP CLI DB command
In some cases, SQL backups break exports into multiple files, usualy by table name.
code-review
Questions I ask when reviewing code
The work of building software in a team context is not quite the same as when you’re working on a hobby project. On an existing project, you must consider paying customers, product quality, engineering excellence, and many other variables that make shipping production code much more challenging. We expect others to review our code to ensure it meets the highest standards before it is sent out into the world and the same is excpected from us.
coffee
Back to Top ↑collaboration
Programming well with others
I watched a funny but interesting talk about working well with others.
compilers
Go compiler internals: adding a new statement to Go - Part 1 - Eli Bendersky’s website
Go compiler internals: adding a new statement to Go - Part 1 - Eli Bendersky’s website — Read on eli.thegreenplace.net/2019/go-compiler-internals-adding-a-new-statement-to-go-part-1/
concurrency
Golang Channels: explained simply
I see go channels as a pipe connecting two air tight vacuum cleaners. One vacuum cleaner can not push anything into the pipe, if the other vacuum is not pulling from the pipe. Both need to do the opposite action. If one sends the “package” will be stuck until the other turns on it’s receiving action.
confidence
Back to Top ↑connection
The opposite of addiction is connection
I watched this interesting TED talk about how we treat addicts; we shy away from them and further inflict damage by pushing them into isolation. The talk below gives us a better alternative and a possible way to help those, who themselves don’t want to suffer, grow into a better versions of themselves.
constraints
Designing Software Within Constraints Building to a Specification
We don’t think we have constraints as Software Engineers, but we actually do. Creating specifications is a great way to explore some of these constraints. See the full talk below by Kris Brandow at GopherCon 2018.
content
How to make your followers happy
This article is from the perspective of the follower.
courage
Fearless right doing
The article in a local newspaper from a political leader honestly and openly speaking out. Speaking out knowing that persecution will come. Knowing that what he is doing will be frowned upon and even ridiculed by those so close to him.
covid
My office today
Working from home has its perks. Kids are home and this is the only place they want to play.
cruise
Internet at aboard the pacific pearl
Working remotely for Woothemes which allows me to change my office location like I change my shocks. With this benefit my wife and I decided to take the opportunity to work out at sea.
cryptocurrency
Crypto currency
Why people who don’t understand how cryptocurrencies work should stay far far away from it: https://www.wired.com/story/blockchain-bandit-ethereum-weak-private-keys/
customer-service
Vodacom Fibre Support Headaches
Vodacom is the best mobile operator in the country, period! However, the success doesn’t translate into their Fibre offering. They don’t own all the pieces of the puzzle and I think their processes aren’t geared toward this. Especially with how their support teams are setup. I’ve had two long-standing marathon support interactions over two months and it was not a pleasure.
data
A Database of Fugitive Slave Ads Reveals Thousands of Untold Resistance Stories
A Database of Fugitive Slave Ads Reveals Thousands of Untold Resistance Stories — Read on hyperallergic.com/435183/freedom-on-the-move/
decision-making
Say yes to less, no to more and hell yeah to the best.
Saying no is not just emotiional, it opens you up to other opportunities.
democracy
We, The people
When citizens self organise, the government of the day may be rendered a mere follower.
diet
Plant Based
3 Months ago, my wife and I embraced a new way of eating. We’ve tried all kind of diets and eating plans but none have ever worked out for us. We wanted to see results in the way we looked and felt. We mostly wanted to shed some pounds and with that feel more confident in our clothes.
disqus
Remove Disqus comments from WordPress pages
You have just installed the Disqus comment system on your WordPress blog and now you see it appearing all over the show, on both pages and posts alike. I ran into the same issue and for obvious reasons only wanted to show it on single blog posts and would love to share how I fixed this with you.
diversity
Managing while black (VP of engineering)
I didn’t sell out, I bought in.
ecommerce
WooCommerce 3.3
Today we released an updated version of WooCommerce. The most exciting feature for me is Greater theme support and customization. Them support is an extremely challenging problem simply because theme developers have so much freedom in how they can structure themes.
editing
WordPress, why we really need front end editing
We all know quite a few online website creation tools that lets one create a website without touching a single line of code, but unless your the end user, this kind of solution is not something you’ll recommend to your client. The current basic WordPress website workflow: Designer/Developer completes the implementation of the theme and a few plugins and trains the new user how to use the site.
What happens when you reply to spam email
If you need some time to let your subconscious mind figure out a problem, I enjoyed watching this.
emotions
Frustration
Don’t cause permanent damage with temporary frustration.
engagement
How to make your followers happy
This article is from the perspective of the follower.
engineering
Ableton, software engineering behind the music
Often times, one forgets that the tools you and other people use actually have people just like you working hard to ship the nex improved version.
entrepreneurship
Next Chapter version 2025
It’s time for me to move on and I’m pretty excited. I had a wonderful 2 months of reflecting and look forward to working on my startup, being open to contracting, baking some more bread as well as switching to the Ruby on Rails tech stack, which has been on my heart for a long.
ergonomics
Colemak Fingers
I’m switching to Colemak. It’s an alternate keyboard layout that allows you to type while your fingers travel shorter distances. You can read more about the reasons this is better than QWERTY here: http://chetansurpur.com/blog/2012/11/colemak.html
experience
Reblog: Seniority vs Familiarity
A great post about the trap of becoming a senior before you’re ready. Avoid being the biggest fish in a small pond. Read on below.
first-post
Post Away
My first atempt at rambling up a good enough post, worthy of who ever may read it.
fitness
Back to Top ↑future
AI vs Us
Finding answers will get a lot easier to do with AI, and figuring out what questions to ask will be the new frontier.
gospel
This is the Gospel
If you don’t get the full picture watch this:
gratitude
What I do have
Today I turn 30. I woke up and my first thoughts were those of gratitude, which immediate turned into thoughts of empty mess and sadness.
hiring
Back to Top ↑home-improvement
Floors Done!
So happy that the floors at home has finally been completed.
improvement
Be a better developer
Today, I’m truly happy to share with you what I know and have learned in my career as a developer. This post hopes to give you some advice on how to be a better developer.
infrastructure
Small town, big internet
Fibre finally arrived in Ceres! It was a dream to have city-like-speeds in our little town.
injustice
They would never ask Jewish people to forget what happened during the Holocaust
This is racism and classisms at its best:
internet
Internet at aboard the pacific pearl
Working remotely for Woothemes which allows me to change my office location like I change my shocks. With this benefit my wife and I decided to take the opportunity to work out at sea.
investing
Inspired by an incarcerated investor
Curtis “Wallstreet” Carroll taught himself to read and then eventually invest. All this while being in prison.
javascript
Title loading script
If you’re in need of little script that change your title into and animated “Loading …” use this :
journey
Start your Journey now
At this point in my life I am happy. I have a relationship with my heavenly Father through Jesus. I have a loving wife with who’m I’m excited to share the rest of my life with and together we are working towards common goals.
joy
Back to Top ↑klop
Back to Top ↑lessons
Life Lessons learnt in support
On 1 December 2012, I started working full time as a support ninja at WooThemes.
life-lessons
Three Important Things — Via Dented Reality
Three Important Things Congratulations! You are in a new management role. Now what? Remember these three things: don’t fall into the safety of your old job, listen, and provide useful feedback. 2,899 more words
lifestyle
Plant Based
3 Months ago, my wife and I embraced a new way of eating. We’ve tried all kind of diets and eating plans but none have ever worked out for us. We wanted to see results in the way we looked and felt. We mostly wanted to shed some pounds and with that feel more confident in our clothes.
love
Back to Top ↑measurement
Counting the wrong things!
Dignity matters. Good quality Jobs matter. Watch this video:
memory
They would never ask Jewish people to forget what happened during the Holocaust
This is racism and classisms at its best:
mental-health
The opposite of addiction is connection
I watched this interesting TED talk about how we treat addicts; we shy away from them and further inflict damage by pushing them into isolation. The talk below gives us a better alternative and a possible way to help those, who themselves don’t want to suffer, grow into a better versions of themselves.
metrics
Counting the wrong things!
Dignity matters. Good quality Jobs matter. Watch this video:
microservices
Microservices Are Something You Grow Into, Not Begin With
The craze around microservices is great, but starting small and simple is the best use of our limit time, specially when starting a new project, More on this from the link below:
minimalism
Is enough, enough?
When is enough enough? How long are we delaying our lives as we struggle for someone else’s picture of perfection? How many more years should we put into building a fortune, for our old age? We all need to read the story below na make up our one minds.
movies
Back to Top ↑networking
Success with your support network
To succeed at remote work, we need to know what we need and how to communicate it.
new-year
2019 Haiku
The green of year
news
WordPress 3.5 Almost ready
WordPress updates aims to move the whole community forward. That is why I’m delighted to see the progress being made towards the final 3.5 release.
open-source
Abandonware as a WordPress plugin
I have a littles secret to confess. In the days when I was still building client websites I would instal and reinstall at least 5 similar plugins before finding the perfect one. In majority cases I would never let the developer know if there was a bug as I simply didn’t have the luxury of time.
opinion
Opinion Power? No, Thanks, I’m Good - The New York Times
The freedom to say what I think and command my own time is enough for me. — Read on www.nytimes.com/2019/05/21/opinion/power-is-overrated.html
patience
It’s ok not to rush a good thing
I’ve been battling with a book review on The Tribe of Mentors. I had some deadlines that have passed already, but today, just a reminder. Rushing good things may have an undesirable outcome.
payments
WooCommerce Payments now in Beta
I’m excited to share that our team has just released the beta version of a Payments service powered by WooCommerce, WooCommerce Payments.
perseverance
Inspired by an incarcerated investor
Curtis “Wallstreet” Carroll taught himself to read and then eventually invest. All this while being in prison.
phpstorm
WordPress loves PHPStorm, so should you!
I’ve fallen in love with another text editor. Its been since a while since I’ve last opened SublimeText and Coda. It has also been a little bit challenging to adjust at times but there’s no looking back when it comes to building WordPress based products. My workflow is even better than ever. Now let me tell you why you should love PHPStorm.
poetry
2019 Haiku
The green of year
power
Opinion Power? No, Thanks, I’m Good - The New York Times
The freedom to say what I think and command my own time is enough for me. — Read on www.nytimes.com/2019/05/21/opinion/power-is-overrated.html
preparation
A brilliant talk on how to prepare for success
I watched this talk and it answered most of the questions I had about how to succeed and make an impact.
pressure
You are on time, your own time
New York is 3 hours ahead of California, but that doesn’t make California slow.
privilege
Repost: The worst reply to mentions of white privilege
The worst reply: “I’ve worked hard my whole life.”
product-launch
WooCommerce Payments now in Beta
I’m excited to share that our team has just released the beta version of a Payments service powered by WooCommerce, WooCommerce Payments.
product-release
WooCommerce 3.3
Today we released an updated version of WooCommerce. The most exciting feature for me is Greater theme support and customization. Them support is an extremely challenging problem simply because theme developers have so much freedom in how they can structure themes.
proficiency
When are you proficient in a programming language?
Learning a programming language gives you the opportunity to explore other problem domains alongside new approaches to addressing familiar problems.
psychology
The Psychology of Money
Let me tell you the story of two investors, neither of whom knew each other, but whose paths crossed in an interesting way….
quality
It’s ok not to rush a good thing
I’ve been battling with a book review on The Tribe of Mentors. I had some deadlines that have passed already, but today, just a reminder. Rushing good things may have an undesirable outcome.
quotes
5 Quotes to ponder on from Tribe Mentors
I wrote a quick review on the book, A tribe of mentors, but wanted to go into more detail and give you some of the quotes that that really hit home for me. I chose 5 of them to share with you.
racism
Teaching -cism in silence
As a child, just after apartheid, I don’t remember learning about how white, is “better”, and black “is not”. I don’t remember sitting in a lecture being indoctrinated. I don’t remember anything else, but I do remember the subtle cues around me.
react
A todo list, React, Redux and the WordPress JSON REST API
I always wanted to create a very simple WordPress based Todo App. After putting it off for a very long time I finally had the time to look into it.
reality
You probably won’t make it to the top
I read a great article:
recommendations
The most gifted books from the tribe of mentors
I read Tribe of Mentors, a year ago, and wrote down all the recommended books. I made notes on these books as I wanted to see if there are commonalities between the things highly successful people read. To no surprise, I found that many of the mentors recommended the same books.
recruiting
Back to Top ↑release
WordPress 3.5 Almost ready
WordPress updates aims to move the whole community forward. That is why I’m delighted to see the progress being made towards the final 3.5 release.
review
Back to Top ↑scheduling
The habit of scheduling blog posts
I’m not good at blogging. I do a terrible job of regularly updating this site, well tat’s untill I discovered scheduling.
security
What happens when you reply to spam email
If you need some time to let your subconscious mind figure out a problem, I enjoyed watching this.
self-perception
Back to Top ↑sin
Back to Top ↑skills
Skill Stacking: A Practical Strategy To Achieve Career Success - Darius Foroux
Skill stacking is a strategy that you can use to achieve career success. You can use it whether you want to build a business or have a dream job. — Read on dariusforoux.com/skill-stacking/
sleep
Take a Nap, Change your life Book Review
I used to ascribe to the phrase: “sleep when you die”, but to what benefit? Hustling? Working hard? That may seem like the best thing to do now, but it may take 3 times as long for you to reach your goals, if you are burnt out, as you make a lot of mistakes in this state.
software
Ableton, software engineering behind the music
Often times, one forgets that the tools you and other people use actually have people just like you working hard to ship the nex improved version.
software-engineering
Computer Science vs Software Engineering
An “oldie”, but a good article on Computer Science vs Software Engineering and how the two compliment each other.
software-quality
Back to Top ↑sports
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Back to Top ↑strategy
Skill Stacking: A Practical Strategy To Achieve Career Success - Darius Foroux
Skill stacking is a strategy that you can use to achieve career success. You can use it whether you want to build a business or have a dream job. — Read on dariusforoux.com/skill-stacking/
support
Life Lessons learnt in support
On 1 December 2012, I started working full time as a support ninja at WooThemes.
talks
Grand meetup talks
Listenening to interesting talks at our companies annual retreat.
teamwork
Programming well with others
I watched a funny but interesting talk about working well with others.
testing
Back to Top ↑time
1042
The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine
transition
Next chapter and moving into a new role
Today marks the start of a new and exciting journey. I’m starting in a new role as a Developer at Woothemes.
trust
Remote spelled out is TRUST
Bright and I had a very interesting chat about remote work, because of the COVID-19 lockdown situation in South Africa, they were thrown deep into the weirdness of distributed work.
unicode
How many bytes are emoji characters in GO?
It takes 4 bytes for each emoji character and 1 byte for every ASCII character.
unix
Less is better than Tail
If you’re using logs for debugging check this out:
ux
WordPress, why we really need front end editing
We all know quite a few online website creation tools that lets one create a website without touching a single line of code, but unless your the end user, this kind of solution is not something you’ll recommend to your client. The current basic WordPress website workflow: Designer/Developer completes the implementation of the theme and a few plugins and trains the new user how to use the site.
version-control
Version controlled comments on Facebook
Did you know that Facebook now has version control for comments. For non geek people out there: It stores your initial comment just in case you want to go back to it.
wealth
Confusing income potential and wealth
This is more of a mental note for myself. The connection between wealth and income is very obvious, yet we tend to think they are one and the same. I do it all the time.
work-culture
Back to Top ↑zendesk
Generate a link list of all Zendesk articles in a specific forum
I needed to print out a list of links for all articles in a specific forum, for use in our Project management system. I had to go through all the items to ensure that they are compatible with the latest version of our Canvas Theme.
social-justice
Why is Atlanta burning?
My colleague Charles wrote about the uprising in America, more specifically Atlanta.
A Database of Fugitive Slave Ads Reveals Thousands of Untold Resistance Stories
A Database of Fugitive Slave Ads Reveals Thousands of Untold Resistance Stories — Read on hyperallergic.com/435183/freedom-on-the-move/
Repost: The worst reply to mentions of white privilege