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  1. Duration Notation

    One of the things that comes up pretty frequently in JavaScript are time spans. Animations, request timeouts, debounce delays, and throttles all need time spans to be specified. They come up quite frequently, but are—almost as often—inscrutable.

    Don't believe me?

    How long is 360000?

    How about 3600000?

    Did you have to count the number of zeros?

    ...and then do some mental math to try to figure out how much time is meant?

    It's exactly these sorts of issues that lead to buggy behavior, where a 30 second timeout could turn into 3 seconds as easily as 5 minutes.

    Fortunately there are a few techniques that can make time spans much easier to work with.

  3. Oh shit, git!

    Permalink: Oh shit, git!

    I've been using Git for years, but I've never been great with Git CLI or really understood the inner workings.

    Julia Evans does good work, so I'm definitely going to check this out.

  4. Looking Both Ways

    2020 is like looking both ways before crossing the street, and then being hit by a plane.

  6. Cleaning Your Desktop and Downloads

    I don't like having a messy desktop.

    I know many people who use their desktop as temporary storage for random files, but seeing lots of files all over a desktop gives me anxiety.

    Instead, I prefer to use the downloads folder for temp storage. I have my browser settings set to download files directly to the downloads folder without asking, and I can quickly manage files from there.

    I don't like having a messy downloads folder either, but I only ever see it when I'm moving files in or out of it so it's not so bad.

    Regardless of what folder you use for temporary storage, over time there is a tendency for files to start to collect.

    I'm usually pretty good about deleting old downloads, particularly if they're just installers, or copies of files that I've got stored elsewhere, like email attachments or cloud storage.

    Even still, every now and then there are files that linger. Files that I've either downloaded or created that don't really belong in any of my existing folders. Sometimes they're text files with notes. Sometimes they're PDFs that I want to read and delete that I just never seem to get around to dealing with.

    If any of this sounds familiar, there's a simple system I use to keep my downloads folder tidy and my files organized. It's easy to remember, and it doesn't take much time or energy.

  7. Invert, Always Invert

    Permalink: Invert, Always Invert

    I read this post last week and it resonated with me.

    I particularly liked the quote by Charlie Munger at the end:

    It is remarkable how much long-term advantage people like us have gotten by trying to be consistently not stupid, instead of trying to be very intelligent.

  10. Thoughts on wearing a mask

    If you go to a store naked, you will be asked to leave because your lack of attire is indecent and unsanitary. Behaving this way is rude.

    If you go to a store without a mask, you should be asked to leave because your lack of attire is indecent and unsanitary. Behaving this way is rude.

    If you see someone without a mask in public, it's your civic duty to treat them the same way you would if they were naked…