Tag: blogging

The Power of Old GitHub Issues

~ Veselin ~ 1 Comment

I’m starting believe that a rule exists such that if you file an issue on GitHub, the older it is, the more weight it has and the probability it’s taken seriously increases. As it gets older, the issue either gets randomly closed, or becomes like a space-twisting gravity well.

Let’s imagine a task like visiting the dentist. The more I postpone it, the more I’ll want to do it now as it reaches a nerve and hurts. Something like that happens with issues as well. When a bug report (or a request) is submitted, it starts living its own life, and the clock of decay starts ticking.

  • The problem will be noticed by others and they’ll refer to it (due to the Single Cockroach Rule)
  • Embarrassment may start building up. Why is this still hanging?
  • Familiarity happens. People checking the list of open issues will read that one and postpone it many times, turning it to an old friend.

So even mildly unreasonable issues may eventually get done by the gravity of their own age.

Dream Home

~ Veselin ~ 2 Comments
Daily writing prompt
Write about your dream home.
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When I was a kid, I wanted to live in a mountain hut. I liked Pirin so I imagined my hut being there. It woud have a very large window in the living room and a fire pit with a big chimney. Why would anyone want to spend more than a few days in a hut is beyond me. I don’t remember. It means any trivial thing is a journey. You need to visit the dentist? Walk 5 hours, then take a train. School? No schools nearby.

I’m a city creature now, stuck with the conveniences of the urban environment. I like the big grocery stores and the malls nearby, the ability to walk to the school and the kindergarten. So the dream home, apart from being in the city, mostly needs to be solid, not too small, with no issues, and with good neighbors. Mountain view preferred.

Old Door

~ Veselin ~ 7 Comments

We have this tiny storage room in our shared co-working space that likely used to be a toilet and had no door. Ever since we rented it, it’s a source of smell. The door for it was just hanging inside, too tall to be put in place. Today I decided to shorten it and mount it.

Unfortunately, the door had twisted, perhaps years before the last “renovation” that left it placed by the wall. I’ll have to figure out some alternative way to close it. The metal piece that holds the lock was cut or broke before our time here. I think I can find another one but it won’t make the door any less twisted.

Some door is likely going to better than no door in terms of odor. Fingers crossed.

Nettle & Bone

~ Veselin ~ 1 Comment

Nelson Mandela once said that it always seems impossible until it’s done. This book is a fairy tale about an impossible adventure in which princess Marra seeks to help her sister. The sister is stuck into a forced marriage with a king who is torturing her. He is protected by an immortal and almighty fairy godmother and other less visible forces, like an army, and is untouchable. Marra will start a decades long journey where he’ll find support by people and entities with magical powers. Will they succeed on time? After all, a recurring theme in the book is that you can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped.

If I were to compare it to other books, Nettle & Bone is reminiscent of Uprooted by Naomi Novik and the first Witcher novel.

Nettle & Bone is an excellent little fantasy with a simple idea and a complex magical system based on millenias of superstition and fairytales. It’s written in a young adult style but covers adult themes like domestic violence. Not sure how to classify it. Fantasy, I guess.

5*/5

Do I need a break

~ Veselin ~ 1 Comment
Daily writing prompt
Do you need a break? From what?
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Some of the best ideas and lightbulb moments I’ve had happened while taking shower or walking outside, so in a sense, when having a break.

A real break for me is when I allow myself to not think about anything. Close the lid early and commit to keeping it closed until tomorrow. Open a book. Don’t expect a lightbulb moment, just surrender to the end of the day.