Recent content on ian
Holy moly this has been the hardest year of my life. It’s kind of crazy how that keeps happening, is that what we can come to expect from our 30s? Everything just keeps getting harder and nothing gets better? Well, that last part’s not true, plenty of things got better and there were plenty of things worth celebrating and places to find joy. But man was there also a lot of challenge.…
Really enjoyed thinking through this year - as I did last year - not just in things that “came out” this year, but the things I enjoyed. Since I don’t know why media has this culture of caring about the best “releases” of 2024, when there is plenty of opportunities to learn and enjoy things that didn’t release in this calendar year. It also is definitely more of…
As somebody that generally enjoys both action games and especially roguelikes, I am familiar with the frequent discourse around what is or is not a roguelike/lite. Instead of joining that discourse, instead, I am here to be an angry person on the internet in a different direction. I do not like the phrase “action roguelike” being used to describe the genre of games that I’m going…
This might have been the hardest year of my life, yet I don’t think I’ve come away from this year with any significant things I’d change. I’m also entering 2024 fairly optimistic about the future and excited to I think hopefully have a great year. Now obviously, I took a couple years off from doing this. I haven’t been writing blog posts or much of anything in the…
I did a lot less of everything than I’d have liked to in 2020, but I did manage to do some things I enjoyed and I’d like to document them. I know it’s a few days late but better late than never I guess. Books This is all of the books I read in 2020. I started the year finishing reading the Harry Potter series for the first time (also better late than never). I have a few…
A Red Snapper cocktail is typically considered a Bloody Mary made with Gin. Originally it was just another name for a Bloody Mary but at some point the distinction between Vodka & Gin was made. Recipe Red Snapper 4 oz Tomato Juice 1½ oz Gin ¼ oz Lemon Juice Celery Bitters Hot Sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, Old Bay to taste Execution Combine all ingredients in shaker. Add ice and shake until cold.…
As we approach 7 years after the release of Whenever, If Ever and the subsequent rise of The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die I decided to write about some recent feelings I’d been having. Re-listening to this album still brings chills and emotions to the forefront that rival those of The Black Parade or Is A Real Boy. Although lyrically it certainly leans on a often…
The Bitter Breeze is an original cocktail designed to be a bitter digestif with a kick. It is rich, herbal and bitter, with a velvet-y sweetness underneath. I, personally, opt for stirring the cocktail but it could also be assembled like an old-fashioned in the glass. Recipe The Bitter Breeze 1½ oz Fernet Branca 1 oz Dark Rum ½ oz Falernum ¼ oz Ginger Syrup Grapefruit twist Execution Combine…
In most of my internet searching on this issue, I came across very little helpful information. This is my experience in trying to get a gamecube controller working with Unity. If you have a different experience or need help figuring something out, feel free to reach out to me at my email Anyway, lets get on with it. Set Up To start, you need to have an adapter plug your gamecube controller into…
A Limoncello Soda is a refreshing way to drink Limoncello on a warm summery day. An alternative to this recipe would be something like a Limoncello Spritz if you had sparkling wine on hand. I think additionally, if you were so inclined you could call this a Limoncello Fizz, as it does bear resemblance in flavor and technique to something like a Gin Fizz. This drink is designed as a before-dinner…
At Testive we are building a student native mobile app. Up until now we have relied on having a mobile friendly web-app, but since it’s been a hotly requested featuring we are currently working to build a version of our app using React Native. The core features of the app will be the ability to answer practice questions/complete assignments, review incorrect answers, and schedule meetings with…
I am a product-driven staff-level engineer with 10+ years of experience across fintech and insurtech, working primarily in Go, Typescript, Python, and React with Kubernetes, Terraform, and AWS. I enjoy deep problems that solve real customer needs. For more information about me you can either view my resume or my linkedin . You can also check out my projects If you are interested in learning more…
I am best contacted through email at ian@flankstaek.me . You can also find my phone number on my resume .
You can find me on GitHub and Tangled — personal projects and open source work. I have made games on itch.io (solo jams and experiments) and with Team Elsewhere (a small collaborative indie team). I have made music as Weak Arms — a solo recording project. I have a small blog . Or you can find out more about me .