Views, Stored Procedures, and Check Constraints
This post will take a quick look at views, stored procedures, and check constraints. What are they and what are their use cases? This post is specific to PostgreSQL.
View ArticleAdd some personality to remote work
Remote work can make it more difficult to remember that we're all working with other humans that are unique and have their own personality, quirks, interests and aspirations.
View ArticleBuilding a web app with boring technologies (2017 Edition)
This post was written in Feburary 2017 and I'm just getting around to posting it now in September of 2018. These technologies are not new or flashy but they are proven and have a lot of documentation...
View ArticleA look at PostgreSQL Foreign Key Constraints
Foreign key constraints enforce that a referenced "thing" exists.
View ArticleOpen Zoom meetings from the command line
This is a hacked together bash function, taking advantage of icalBuddy and Zoom URLs in calendar invitations, making it a bit easier to join meetings.
View ArticleEncrypting and decrypting with Ruby
For a recent project I had the opportunity to research how we might encrypt a few pieces of data, with a shared key and initial value, and I put together the following notes. This is mostly re-hashing...
View ArticleHow I Work
These are some of the software development patterns that have emerged from how I work, where taking certain actions tend to lead to the best outcomes, in the shortest amount of time. Please share any...
View ArticleA quick look at GraphQL
GraphQL is a technology from Facebook, in use since 2012, that is an alternative to REST APIs, providing the ability to both query data and transport it from a server to a client.
View ArticleRailsconf 2017
I had the privilege of attending Railsconf this April in sunny Phoenix, AZ. This was my third time attending the conference, my first since 2010 and 2011 when it was held back-to-back in Baltimore, MD.
View ArticleCalendar generation with sparse data
At work, our drivers interact with a calendar interface via the mobile app, that represents days of the week in 30 minute blocks. We generate 2 weeks of calendar days at once and personalize the data...
View ArticleThis Week in Rails
"This Week in Rails" is a weekly newsletter, started by Godfrey Chan, that covers a week's worth of interesting changes to the Ruby on Rails framework.
View ArticleHelp needed: Maintainer for Delayed Job Web
In a past job we used delayed_job to process background jobs. Delayed Job Web is a UI for Delayed Job. We need help finding a new maintainer for Delayed Job Web!
View ArticleUse a Password Manager
Password managers have been around for a while, but I've been skeptical about using them and was turned off to the recurring billing model (more on that later).
View ArticleIntro to PostgreSQL generate_series
For a recent project, we wanted to efficiently present a week's worth of data, grouped by day, where each row represented the summary of an hour of activity.
View Article5 Great Apps for OS X
These are 5 great OS X apps I use almost every day. Give them a shot. If you find they are useful for you, send the app developers a "thank you" and consider giving them a donation!
View ArticleFilling out PDF forms with PDFtk
At work we collect IRS W9 forms from our independent contractor partners each year. This year we wanted to automate the process of collecting the information, by allowing the contractors to supply...
View ArticleCleaning up old git branches
With git commands and bash scripting we can clean up old branches quickly.
View ArticleBuilding SMS and voice features for web applications
At OrderUp we rely on voice calls and SMS messages to get information to our customers and our team of delivery drivers. SMS messaging has some downsides but has a big upside over native push...
View ArticleStack Dive with RunKeeper
Doug Williams and Joe Bondi from RunKeeper gave a technical talk at the WeWork Boston South Station location in December 2014, as part of the Stack Dive series. The talk explored the technical stack...
View ArticleSharing rake tasks defined in a gem
This tip describes how to write a rake task in a gem, then use it in another Ruby gem or Rails app.
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