Keith Wagner

Reading Log - July 7, 2023 (#35)

A Lot of software development links this week as well as a history of the fall of Google Reader and more.

In Depth

Less Code is Often Better
Nate McMaster

I can relate to a lot of what Nate talks about. I’ve written plenty of code that I revisit later only to wonder what I was thinking when I wrote it. I’m sure other developers have thought the same thing about my code and their own. When we write code, we are always trying to write the best code we can, but time constraints, vague requirements all get in the way.

However, with time, most engineers end up maintaining code they or someone else created long ago. And when that happens, what was hidden now becomes a headache.

I think it’s important to just be mindful of the code we write and do it in a way that minimizes headaches as best we can later down the road.


Who killed Google Reader?
David Pierce

I was really sad when Google killed off Reader. This was an interesting read about the history of Google Reader and how it formed and how it got pushed aside for Google’s push into social (which has since also been killed off).

Since Reader was shuttered, I switched around between different services, but now am quite happy using FeedBin. So while losing Reader sucked, it at least has shown that people want a good RSS reader. And with the Twitter drama, I think blogs and RSS are starting to make a bit of a resurgence.


Link Blast

👨🏼‍💻 Software Development & Design

The evolution of React APIs and code reuse - REM

The Privilege of .NET Tooling Choices - Khalid Abuhakmeh

Comments are a design tool - Bart Wullems

Best practices for container queries - Zell Liew

An ESBuild Setup for TypeScript - Rob Eisenberg

Improving Mastodon developer documentation - Andy Piper

Understanding TypeScript's Powerful Type Assertions Through Practical Examples - Peter Kellner

CSS :has() & Responsive Design - Chrystal Lantink

C# 12: Collection literals - Steven Giesel

Biggest scam in software dev? Best Practices. - Derek Comartin

Unit Test Frameworks for C#: The Pros and Cons of the Top 3 - Erik Dietrich

Why I like and prefer xUnit - Steven Giesel

LINQ: Select.Where or Where.Select? - Steven Giesel

How to Implement a Soft Delete Strategy with Entity Framework Core - Khalid Abuhakmeh

5 Blazor Improvements in New .NET 8 Preview 5 - David Ramel

Crafting a better, faster code view - Joshua Brown

JavaScript closest - David Walsh

Validation and business rules - Mark Seemann

The hardest part of building software is not coding, it’s requirements - Jared Toporek

Is Automated Testing a Good Idea? What Should You Keep in Mind? - Vyom Srivastava


🖥 Technology & the Internet

YouTube confirms three-strikes test for ad blocking, here's how it works - Hadlee Simons

School Decides To Harden Security By Giving EVERYONE The Same Password - Tim Cushing

The Good, The Bad, And The Incredibly Ugly In The Court Ruling Regarding Government Contacts With Social Media - Mike Masnick


🔬 Science

Our Solar System possibly survived a supernova because of how the Sun formed - Elizabeth Rayne

Climate change: World's hottest day since records began - Matt McGrath

Astronomers observe time dilation in early universe - Ian Sample


📈 Business & Finance

What an amusement park can teach us about central banks - Tim Harford


⚾ Sports

What we know about the PHF shutdown, and more on the new pro women’s hockey league - Hailey Salvian

Women’s Hockey’s Civil War Has Ended, Messily - Maitreyi Anantharaman


🎧 Podcasts

EconTalk: Sam Harris on Meditation, Mindfulness, and Morality

The Jordan Harbinger Show #791: Mark Manson | Giving a F*ck About What Really Matters


🎒 Everything Else

A few words on taking notes - Dr. Werner Vogels

The Radical Theology of Mr. Rogers - Jason Kottke


🎵 A Song to Leave You With

Device - Out of Line (feat. Serj Tankian & Terry 'Geezer' Butler)