23 Oct 2021
Intro
This is just a quick list off the top of my head of various tips, tricks, opinions, hot takes, and light trolling. This isn’t a comprehensive list or anything, just things I’ve encountered along the years that help me out with the stuff I tend to cook. There’s nothing in here that will be a shock to even a noob home chef, but you never know. I still run across things that blow my mind like “omg why have I not been doing this all these years???”
I figured I need a place to dump this stuff and can add to it as I think of things. I might update it with links, but probably not. You can just google anything I’m saying to see if I’m being a lying liar or not. Enjoy!
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30 Jun 2020
Intro
Disclaimer: I am not a project manager. I’m a devops/SRE/security type guy. I could barely explain to you the difference between “agile” and “waterfall” (in practice, anyway). These opinions come from someone that has spent 20 some odd years using every manner of PM tool under the sun in some capacity – whether as a manager, a developer, an engineer, or all of the above. This is not a solution or a manifesto (I think). It’s ungenerous, a complaint, an airing of grievances and a summary of my PTJD (Post Traumatic Jira Disorder). So, let’s get into it:
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02 May 2019
A few years ago, I ran across an ad for a product: a “speed booster” lens adapter that promised to increase the ‘speed’ (effective light-gathering normally associated with the maximum aperture of the lens) by up to 1 full stop. A popular example is the Metabones adapter for various cameras/lenses. It sounded, at first, like a scam. “How can you change the fundamental limits of a lens to be .. better? You can’t, it makes no sense.” I blew it off and moved on. It wasn’t till I got into astrophotography that I started hearing talk of similar devices: “focal reducers”, which increased the effective field-of-view (of a lens or telescope) and also gave a similar “speed” boost. Again, I was confused – how is this possible? I couldn’t blow it off this time (turns out they are fairly important for astrophotography), so I did some learnin’ – turns out it’s not a scam! It’s a real thing, and here’s how it works:
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23 Jun 2017
I see that healthcare reform is in the news again! How exciting.
A few months ago I joked that there were two articles that were required reading before I discussed healthcare in the united states with anyone. I thought I’d flesh that out a little bit:
- A good succinct no-frills timeline of how we got here. Do we have a government system? A private system? Why is the responsibility for healthcare placed on employers? Why is it called insurance when it covers not-unexpected things? If you don’t know the answer to any of these questions, read this.
- This recent econtalk episode is a good, lengthier discussion of the above process. Christy Ford Chapin’s book is worth reading as well.
- This summary of medical pricing and the AMA helps explain where and how costs are set in our current system. “Why is our healthcare so expensive?” is a difficult question, but this is one glaring part of the answer. (tl;dr: it’s a profiteering racket)
- If you’ll allow some self-indulgence, this post by me, opining on obamacare (my optimism has since greatly diminished in the intervening 7 years), but in particular pointing out the difference between “health care” and “health insurance”, and lamenting the fact that in public debate, no one even bothers to make this lexical distinction.
- Buy Health, Not Healthcare - a good framing of the situation by Robin Hanson in 1994.
- A good thorough analysis of healthcare costs and the ramifications of various single-payer proposals by Megan McArdle.
- Econtalk’s fascinating episode with Kevin Smith on the Surgery Center of Oklahoma and how most of the industry currently bills for procedures. (You might need to sit down for this one, parts of it are maddening).
27 Feb 2017
The scene: The Metro Nashville Commission to investigate forming a committee to plan to address the mysterious problem of expensive housing plaguing the growing city.
Expert: We’re gathered here today to address the problem of expensive housing that we just noticed again. Does anyone have any thoughts?
Expert #2: It’s really bad. Growth is bad.
Expert #3: Yeah, terrible, really bad – especially for poor people.
Voice from the back of the room: It’s because zoning/building regulations restrict supply, home purchase subsidies drive up demand, and property tax disincentivizes long-term ownership for low/middle-income families, driving up rent and effectively transferring wealth to the wealthy.
Expert: It’s a mystery, for sure.. it’s really bad – does anyone have any ideas?
Voice from the back of the room: uh, I just said it’s bec–
Expert #2: We need more affordable housing
Expert #3: Yes!! Affordable housing, that’s good – if people can afford housing, it’s cheaper.
Expert: Okay, but how?? strokes forehead
Voice from the back of the room: Hello? Is this thing on? encourage building and eliminate property ta–
Expert #2: This problem is really bad
Expert #3: Developers are evil.
Expert #2: YES! ugh, developers.
Expert #3: What if we made it illegal for housing to be unaffordable..
Voice from the back of the room: da fu–
Expert: hm, good point, good idea.. what if we made some regulations forcing developers to make housing affordable?
Expert #3: ooh, i like that, then the housing will be affordable, and we will punish developers
Voice from the back of the room: why not just let them build mo–
Expert #2: Perhaps a rule that developers have to sell housing slightly cheaper for the upper middle class for a miniscule amount of time before things go back to normal.
Expert: Perfect! Then we can say we’ve Done Something!
Expert #3: as long as they don’t build too much, though – otherwise the evil developers will profit
Expert #2: yes, definitely don’t want too much building
Expert: yes, growth is bad..
Sound of a head banging on wall in the back of the room
Expert: say .. can we claim this solves homelessness too?