Have you ever known that you wanted to write about something, but weren’t sure where to start? I’ve often experienced that when writing for this very blog. I’ll have a topic like programming or cooking that I want to share a thought about, and get stuck… starting. That’s one of the reasons I haven’t been blogging as often as I’d have liked to. In order to tackle this “writer’s block”, I’m going to try changing my blogging approach in three related ways: setting explicit writing goals, taking notes towards those ends, and not rushing the writing process. ...

• tiddlywiki
• writing
• meta

I recently decided to switch the backend static site compilation toolchain for this blog from the small Cryogen project in Clojure to the venerable Hugo project written in Golang. Although I had previously written that I wanted a hackable static site generator at Returning to Blogging with Cryogen, my requirements lately have changed. I thought I’d write a couple of quick notes about why I switched (and why I didn’t). hackableToolchain << maintainableToolchain An easily hackable blog generator became less valueable to me than a robust and well maintained one. Although it was nice getting to contribute code to Cryogen and to make a difference, and to be able to understand the code base, the value of established and battle-tested code is something I ignored at the time. (I knew it was a factor, but at the time I just wanted to get rolling quickly. These days I’d rather have something that works on its own.) ...

• meta
• python
• clojure

It’s been a long while since I last blogged. My last post dates back to April of 2014, shortly before I graduated from Rutgers Engineering. My life since then has been a bit of a whirlwind. I’ve since graduated, moved to the Upper West Side, started working in banking, gotten engaged and married, and moved out. I suppose I could be forgiven for not blogging as actively. Why I Took Down My Old Blog My old blog was running on Ghost, a nifty JavaScript-based modern reimagination of the classic web-based blogging platform. Ghost has some gorgeous themes, a svelte editing experience, and seems poised to be the next generation of blogging platforms. It seems great. Why did I leave it behind? ...

• meta
• clojure
• python

I love going for walks in the park. Whether I’m flushed with ideas and want to let them percolate in my head, or I’m bone dry and can’t seem to get a single thought to hit me, I find going for a walk always helps. Something about keeping moving and watching the world stroll by always seems to get the juices flowing at just the right pace. But a walk can’t be just anywhere to have this effect. Walking the city streets, for example, just doesn’t seem to have the same effect. Perhaps it has to do with the noise, or maybe it’s just the commotion of people rushing about trying to “get things done”. Either way, I demand my meditative gardens to be slightly removed from the most heavily trafficked paths so that I can (perhaps somewhat selfishly) enjoy their tranquility. (For instance, the Rutgers Student Center below might be a bit too active to get any good thinking done.) ...

• meta