Key concepts for scaling systems
Posts by Category
blog
Impressing myself by memorising the first 18 digits of pi
Recently, I impressed myself with my own memory.
Don’t put your scale under your bed
I recently bought a smart scale. Why? Because I like data and I think it’s fun to collect and analyze my weight. But… I noticed something funny.
Refactoring code so that it becomes easier to test
I refactored a piece of code but I’m not sure if I made it better.
Dan Harmon’s Advice for Overcoming Writer’s Block
Dan Harmon, creator of Rick and Morty, fielded questions from redditors in an Ask Me Anything (AMA) a while ago.
How to change the font size of the code blocks in minimal mistakes using Github pages
In this blog post I want to share with you how to change the font size of the code blocks in the minimal mistakes Jekyll theme when using Github Pages.
Show your work: Writing complex SQL queries
This week I had to write this monster of an SQL query and I wanted to share some tips that I found useful.
Show your work: Automating cloud infrastructure using infrastructure-as-code
I want to share a little piece of work that I recently completed. Hope you enjoy!
How to structure your python code
In this post I want to show you how you can set up and structure your python code if you don’t know where to start. Just copy our setup!
Docker optimization trick: install your dependencies first and your code second
Is your docker build step slow? Assuming you can install your code as a package, try installing your dependencies first and your code second.
How to fix AttributeError: module ‘regex’ has no attribute ‘Match’ for SQLFluff
In this blog post I’ll show you how to fix the AttributeError: module 'regex' has no attribute 'Match error when trying to install SQLFluff. SQLFluff is pop...
How to scale up your code
As a machine learning engineer it is part of your job to run things on large data sets.
Our Amazon Sagemaker Processing job setup
At Snappet (we’re hiring!) we use Sagemaker Processing jobs to power most of our machine learning workflow. Sagemaker Processing jobs create our data, train...
How to see log messages while unit testing in pycharm
In this stackoverflow question someone asks how to view logging messages while unit testing. It got a lot of responses but none of them worked for me.
How to set up your Python projects with conda and poetry
At my current job we use conda to manage our environments and poetry to manage our packages. I have to say that the setup is pretty sweet and wanted to shar...
Don’t mistake the internet’s intelligence for your own
How often does it happen to you that you thought you understood something well, but then once you have to explain it you realise that you didn’t really under...
You can always kill the feature
If you aren’t sure whether you should build a feature or not, err on the side of building it. Why? Because you can always kill it.
Product thinking framework: transform waste
In this blog post I want to share with you what I like to call a product thinking framework, a way of coming up with new startup ideas.
How to fix an incompatible library version of nokogiri 1.10.10 in minimal mistakes
Imagine trying to run your blog with bundle exec jekyll serve or rake build and suddenly you are hit by this incompatible library error:
What is a startup?
This is my summary of the Startup = Growth essay by Paul Graham. Much of the sentences are lifted ad verbatim so they can’t really be considered my own words...
Update
Update time! Things happened while you were away: I got a new job, I went on a vacation, and I got vaccinated!
What I would do differently - lessons learned from shipping an app to the app store!
I am incredibly pleased to announce that Apple accepted my submission to their app store! In other words, I finally shipped my app to the app store 🎉 woohoo!...
How to persist data across sessions in react native with redux-persist
In this blog post I’ll show you how to persist your data across sessions in react native using redux-persist.
How to paste a screenshot from your clipboard in VScode (and how this improved my writing workflow)
In this blog post I want to tell you how I significantly sped up my writing workflow by hacking together a feature that allows me to seamlessly paste images ...
How to remove the excerpt from recent posts in a minimal mistakes blog
In this blog post I’ll show you how to remove the excerpt from your recent posts overview in your Jekyll blog running the Minimal Mistakes theme using Github...
How to take more useful paper notes
I love notebooks. I love those fancy expensive Moleskins and Leuchtturms with 80 grams per squared meter acid-free paper, although I have no idea whether tha...
This week in: Today I learned (TIL)
I’ve been keeping a running list of some of the interesting things that I learned these last couple of weeks. Hopefully you steal a trick or two from me here!
How to auto-scroll to a focused TextInput in a ScrollView
I couldn’t come up with a more catchy name so this is it! In this blog post I’ll show you how to auto-scroll to a focused TextInput in a ScrollView.
Three JavaScript tricks I learned today
Today I learned some cool “tricks” (uhmm… fundamentals…) in JavaScript.
What did I really do these last 2 weeks?
What did I really do these last two weeks?
Simple React Native Redux counter example
If you are learning React Native and Redux and still really don’t understand Redux try looking at this simple counter app that I made. This app aims to clear...
How to add a bottom modal in React Native
I made a small proof of concept on how to add a bottom modal to your react-native projects. I struggled quite a while on this because I didn’t really know wh...
Freedom is not free (2 lessons from 2 years of working)
February 1st 2021 marked my two year work anniversary and I wanted to take some time to reflect on the last two years.
There can only be two reasons why you are procrastinating
According to legendary management guru Andy Grove, there can only be two reasons why you’re procrastinating. In High Output Management, he writes:
Set Python 3 as default on Mac
The default Python version that ships with (older) Mac OS software is hilariously old. Because I am still developing on a mid-2014 MBP Retina (SUE ME!) I was...
8-Step Machine Learning Checklist
Use this 8-step machine learning checklist to guide you through your machine learning projects.
Personal blog with minimal mistakes HOW TOs
In this blog post I’ll show you how to change the size of your blog posts in the minimal mistakes theme.
3 mistakes I made today
Today I want to share with you three mistakes that I made.
I built a bike (build log)
I built a bike! This is going to be a short build log on how I did it. Big shoutout to my buddy Jelle an the store guy who were both instrumental in completi...
How to open last edited file in Vim
While googling “How to open my last edited file in Vim”, I found this excellent StackOverflow post.
Why are instagram, facebook, and twitter so damn addicting?
Why is big tech (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Pinterest, etc.) so damn addicting? The short answer is because they are engineered to be addicting.
Make your Anki flashcards atomic
In Augmenting Long-Term Memory, quantum physicist Michael Nielsen explains how he uses Anki to augment his long-term memory. Nielsen explains why you should ...
A tool addresses human problems by amplifying human capabilities
Tools are everywhere around us. Thanks to our smart (and lethal) tools (i.e. bow and arrow) we have managed to box our way up to the top of the food chain. I...
Programming exercise: reading in environmental variables with dotenv
Programming, as a craft, is funny. Compared to other crafts, like professional musicians, programmers don’t seem to deliberately practice their craft.
Filling my first Field Notes
I recently filled my first Field Notes with notes! Usually I just toss them in a drawer never to be seen again, but not this time.
Blogging can save you work
In You Should Write Blogs, Steve Yegge explains why you should blog. Steve is somewhat of a cult figure in the tech space. If you’ve never heard of Steve Yeg...
Rebind shift + cmd + m to %>% (pipe symbol)
I recently made a video about how to make custom complex modifications in Karabiner-elements. Someone saw this video and reached out to me for some help.
How to add a new kernel to your Jupyter Notebook
In this blog post, I’ll tell you how to add a new kernel to your Jupyter notebook in just 3 simple steps.
How to write commit messages that will save you a lot of time
Writing good commit messages can save you a lot of time. In this blog post I want to show you an example of that. At some point in the past I changed the col...
What to do when your github credentials randomly start failing
You’re coding. You’re in the flow. You’re banging code out at the speed of light. You’re building the software that is going to change the world. You git add...
How to set up a React and Flask project
In this blog post I will go over how to set up your React and Flask project while avoiding the dreaded Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) error.
Video: Binary Search tutorial in Python
Hey guys I just uploaded a new video to my YouTube channel! You can view the video by clicking here or it is embedded down below. In the video I explain a si...
Learning TypeScript - The basics
For a new project at work I will have to lead a project in TypeScript. Here comes the kicker: I’ve never worked with TypeScript.
I don’t love my blog anymore. Help!
I like my blog. Yet, I don’t love my blog.
React for data scientists part 1: Getting started
With modern frameworks like React, Angular, Vue, Next.js, Gatsby, and Jekyll, modern web development can seem scary. However, I assure you that it is not. I...
How to add a splash image to minimal mistakes
In this blog post I will show you how to add a simple splash image to your minimal mistakes blog. View my current splash page here.
How to add a teaser image to minimal mistakes
In this blog post I will show you how to add a simple teaser image to the “You may also like” section of the minimal mistakes Jekyll theme. Adding a teaser i...
Leetcode problem 378 First unique character in a string
In this blogpost I tackle Leetcode problem 378 on finding the first unique character in a string.
Plotting with Matplotlib
Plotting with matplotlib is really confusing. Understanding how it works under the hood helps to alleviate this pain enormously. This short blog post is here...
Regex For Noobs (like me!) - An Illustrated Guide
This blog post is an illustrated guide to regex and aims to provide a gentle introduction for people who never have fiddled with regex, want to, but are kind...
The Maker vs Manager Problem
It’s well known that programmers dislike meetings… a lot. But have you ever wondered why programmers dislike meetings so much compared to other people? The ...
python
How to scale up your code
As a machine learning engineer it is part of your job to run things on large data sets.
Our Amazon Sagemaker Processing job setup
At Snappet (we’re hiring!) we use Sagemaker Processing jobs to power most of our machine learning workflow. Sagemaker Processing jobs create our data, train...
How to see log messages while unit testing in pycharm
In this stackoverflow question someone asks how to view logging messages while unit testing. It got a lot of responses but none of them worked for me.
How to set up your Python projects with conda and poetry
At my current job we use conda to manage our environments and poetry to manage our packages. I have to say that the setup is pretty sweet and wanted to shar...
product
You can always kill the feature
If you aren’t sure whether you should build a feature or not, err on the side of building it. Why? Because you can always kill it.
Product thinking framework: transform waste
In this blog post I want to share with you what I like to call a product thinking framework, a way of coming up with new startup ideas.
What is a startup?
This is my summary of the Startup = Growth essay by Paul Graham. Much of the sentences are lifted ad verbatim so they can’t really be considered my own words...
startups
What is a startup?
This is my summary of the Startup = Growth essay by Paul Graham. Much of the sentences are lifted ad verbatim so they can’t really be considered my own words...
testing
How to see log messages while unit testing in pycharm
In this stackoverflow question someone asks how to view logging messages while unit testing. It got a lot of responses but none of them worked for me.
aws
Our Amazon Sagemaker Processing job setup
At Snappet (we’re hiring!) we use Sagemaker Processing jobs to power most of our machine learning workflow. Sagemaker Processing jobs create our data, train...