Resident Alien, mainly because they change the graphics for every episode and throw in a gag.

Actual python code: https://pypi.org/project/tariff/

The Weekender is also anyone working professionally. You can’t stick any of your real work on public github.

Thank you for your opinion.

Anyway.

My buddy in Atlanta would like a word.

We gave our oldest a basic feature flip-phone when he started Middle School, mainly so he could text and coordinate pickups. In 7th grade, we gave him a smartphone because he was going on a class trip to DC and the kids were encouraged to take pictures and share. At home, we made it a rule that the phone had to be plugged into charger in our bedroom to avoid bedtime disruption.

That same year I created social media accounts for him on every service, mainly to reserve his username. But they were all blocked using parental controls, based on advice from school. We also had software/hardware from Circle (now Aura: https://meetcircle.com/) that blocked access on wifi and cell and capped usage.

In high school, when he turned 16, as part of his birthday gift, we gave him an envelope with his own non-school email account, and all the links and passwords for social media accounts. We also took away all the filter blocks. Figured he was mature enough without feeling left out.

It really worked out well. Later, he asked to put usage limits back on so he would be forced to put it down and go to sleep.

Durian.

When you have too many toys.

If you’re looking for prefab, just get a bottle of Kewpie Deep Roasted Sesame dressing and marinade: https://www.kewpieshop.com/products/deep-roasted-sesame

Doesn’t matter how you cook the chicken. Bake, BBQ, sous-vide. Just slather some of this afterward on top. It’s like goddamn crack.

Have found it in many places, from local supermarket, to Trader Joe’s, Costco, 99 Ranch, even Dollar General. Costco’s is cheaper in bulk, but they don’t always carry it. Also good on pasta or rice with veggies and ANY protein, including tofu. Baked salmon. Check.

Only caveats: don’t cook with it in oven (smokes). Add it afterward. Also, don’t overuse it.

Years ago. Client on-site meeting had run long past lunch. Was in a hurry to drive back home and beat the traffic. It was 1-hour normally, but 2-3x during rush hour.

Saw a sign for a ‘natural’ market. Pulled in. They had an open-face cooler with prepackaged foods and drinks. Sandwiches looked a bit stale. Grabbed a ‘Fresh Vietnamese Shrimp Spring Roll’ and a drink. Hopped on the freeway. Ate in the car.

Never Again.

PS: Still got stuck in traffic.

Software guy. Most productive/distraction free time of the day is mid-afternoon. Drinking at lunch would just take that zone away and push everything to the next day.

Happy to wait till 5pm, or whenever feels like a good time to do a git push.

I’ve always appreciated the feature of AI coding tools, where they confidently tell you they’ve done something completely wrong. Then if you call them on it, they super-confidently say: “Of course, here’s what needs to be done…”

Then proceed to do something even worse.

Not a formal audit, but a more recent review of the protocol: https://soatok.blog/2025/02/18/reviewing-the-cryptography-used-by-signal/

My first tech job out of college, I was told to go talk to “Dave,” the guru old-timey programmer and learn the lay of the land. He turned out to be this crotchety old guy, with low tolerance for idiots, but a soft spot for someone who actually paid attention.

A few months in, I was told to go fix a feature in the company’s main product which was sold to power utilities. This was a MASSIVE code base, with a mix of C, C++, assembler, and a bit of Fortran thrown in. I spent a week poring through all the code trying to figure things out. Then I hit a mystery workflow that didn’t make sense.

I walk over to Dave’s office and ask a specific question. Now, mind you, he had worked on this years ago, and had long moved on to new products. He leans back in his chair, stares at the ceiling, then without looking at the screen once tells me to go look at such and such file for such and such variable, and a list of functions that were related. I go back to my desk and damn if it wasn’t EXACTLY as he described.

Now, I’m probably as old as he was then. I don’t remember what I wrote an hour ago. No matter what I build, I’ll always be in awe of Dave and what he could keep in his head.

Getting less programmer_humor and more “I didn’t get the promo” angry vibe from this.