reflections - Mostly Python

me standing on the side of a cliff attached to a rope, with forested mountains in the background

reflections

Know two ways

MP 141: Advice from a climbing guide that's quite relevant to programming. Note: The debugging series will continue shortly. I'm busy getting ready for PyCon, and haven't had time to finish the next post in that series yet. Since moving to North Carolina last

CFPB home page, showing a "404: Page not found" message, and a graphic of a plug hanging beside an empty electrical outlet.

reflections

The long arm of DOGE

MP 135: They're focused on .gov right now, but I'm pretty sure they're coming for all of us. I can't believe I have to use the name DOGE seriously. When I first heard a new government organization would be formed with that

Facebook modal announcing a non-optional "AI Buddy" for a community group

reflections

Looking back, looking ahead

MP 129: Highlights from 2024, and what's to come in 2025. I've been writing Mostly Python for two full years now. I started it in order to write more regularly about Python, and about a wide range of topics from the perspective of a Python user

reflections

Was AI invented or discovered?

MP 125: I would argue it was discovered, and that's a helpful distinction. There's no doubt that regardless of anyone's opinion about whether AI is useful or not, it's disrupting many industries, and will continue to do so. The distinction between invention

macOS Finder info for the Python 3.12 executable file

reflections

Why we have third-party ecosystems

MP 122: And why I like them so much. Something people new to Python don't always understand well is the role of "third party" packages in the ecosystem. People learn the basics of Python, and then they want to do something that requires functionality that'

reflections

Coding is political

MP 121: It always has been, and it sure is now. I was going to write about how much I like third-party ecosystems such as PyPI this week, and what you should know about them. But writing generically about software development at this moment feels like burying my head deep

fire truck parked in the middle of a road, blocked by downed trees and power lines

reflections

Out of the frying pan...

MP 116: ...and into the fire, as the saying goes. Note: I think this post was published yesterday, but not sent as an email to anyone. If you received this twice as an email, I apologize. Mostly Python just passed 5,000 subscribers, which required an update to my Ghost

stuffed Corgi in foreground, with flowers in front of hospital room window in the background

reflections

Programming, interrupted

MP 115: A surprise trip to the ICU instead of a planned trip to DjangoCon. Content notice: Discussion of a serious medical event; the discussion is not overly graphic. This week has gone a lot different than planned. I was supposed to be at DjangoCon this week, but instead I

AI

It's your job to keep AI at arm's length

MP 111: Don't throw away hard-earned trust in a rush to embrace AI. The AI hype cycle is continuing to run its course, and will likely do so for some time to come. Hype around things like NFTs tend to peak and then fade away quickly, because there&

reflections

My mechanical keyboard journey

MP 108: A long and winding road to a small set of favorite keyboards. We're nearing the final stages of preparing for a cross-country move, which means getting rid of anything we don't absolutely need in a new home several thousand miles from here. One of