I’ll be the first to admit that I make plenty of mistakes – I like to say that I’m wrong more than I’m right. File this under “stuff I wished I’d known sooner“.
Year: 2019
I Make Seven
For many it is not the destination, but the journey, that makes an adventure. I can relate. Two years ago I joined Summit ESP, and began a journey that I will never forget.
There were many things that attracted me to Summit, but perhaps the one that influenced me the most were the people. I felt – and still do feel – that they had put together a top-notch team. Truly one of the single best teams I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.
Free as in Speech: or Why the GPL Isn’t Free
Let’s just get this out in the open – I hate the GPL. I absolutely find it repulsive. The GPL has its uses, but unfortunately, those uses are not what most people assume when they imagine open source software. Part of this is undoubtedly the product of the era and culture the GPL was born, but not all. The GPL exists and continues to draw popularity in part due to its popularity – as circular as that is.
Don’t Forget Who The Customer Is
Recently the subject of personal privacy online, especially in the context of Facebook has come to the forefront of the public’s attention. Facebook has even acknowledged that it has allowed 3rd parties access to the platform users’ personal data, without their consistent. I find this uproar fascinating.
Overcoming Writer’s Block
Writing, like software development, is a creative process – perhaps that is why I’m drawn to both. Like all creative efforts, writing cannot be rushed. Creativity will flow when you’re mind is in the properly rested and inspired. Anything else will simply result in mediocrity and frustration.
5 Tips For Securing WordPress With Nginx
Search the Internet for “securing WordPress” and you will see no shortage of articles discussing various plugins that promise to make your website more secure.
Many of what you’ll find is valid – I even use a few such plugins. However, plugins can only do so much. Security-minded WordPress admins should also be wary of installing too many plugins, as doing so increases the surface area of attack. For these reasons, I prefer to use Nginx as an added security layer for my WordPress sites. Below are 5 helpful tips for hardening a WordPress site with Nginx.
Client Certificate Auth With Nginx
When it comes to authentication on the web we’re pretty much all familiar with the password – king of the hill, infamous for both its flaws as well as its ubiquity. Outside of the password, you often run into authentication schemes such as token sharing (e.g., OAuth or RSA tokens).
The Personal Website Is Dead
Recently Motherboard carried a piece on The Rise and Demise of RSS – a fascinating account of how the web has changed over the past two decades. Underscored in the article is the shift to social media that has occurred over the past decade. Most young people consume their news from social media, so it is no surprise that the need for a turn-of-the-millennium technology like RSS might be waning.
Always Be Prepared?
Perhaps it was my years as a Scout, and their insistence on always being prepared for whatever might come your way, but I have always carried more adapters than I could possibly need around with me in my bag. The idea of being caught without a cable or adapter for some tech gadget is distasteful, to say the least.
8 Keys to Achieving Your Goals
With New Years upon us so too is the dreaded tradition of New Year’s Resolutions. According to some sources, nearly half of all Americans begin each year with a resolution, and of those more than 9 out of every 10 will fail to achieve their goal. Why is this? Perhaps some resolutions are destined to failure, but many could have achieved their goals had they properly committed themselves.