Yesterday, I was trying to install the RDLC Report Designer Extension for my Visual Studio 2022 and I was greeted with a strange and obnoxious error right after double-clicking the vsix installation file: The type initializer for ‘PerTypeValues’1’ threw an exception. Unfortunately, this error is notorious for being overly generic and turning up at the most inopportune moments. Consequently, the…
An overview of the process There are many ways of drafting technical content using AI assistance, I’m going to describe here the one I happen to use. The structure is simple and involves at least three basic steps and files: ./prompt.md : The initial brainstorming prompt to create the outline, just for the record. ./prompt-gen.md : The prompt containing actual outline and fed to model for…
So there I was, writing a quick script to churn through an array of items and throw them into a local SQLite database. Standard stuff. Because I didn’t want the script to crawl at a snail’s pace by writing to the disk on every single loop iteration, I decided to do the sensible thing: turn off autocommit mode and just batch-commit the whole thing at the end. I confidently typed out the connection…
In today’s globally connected digital village, we often come across words and syllables which are quite new to us. Most folks hardly take the trouble to look up a dictionary, though; there is no immediate or short-term incentive to increase your word power, especially in a world where LLMs can do most of the intellectual bidding for you. For those of us who do care about the ever degrading human…
One of my favorite features in JavaScript is the backtick string interpolation technique: let name = " Prahlad " ; let greeting = `Hello, ${ name } ` ; The backtick string can be extraordinarily long and quite versatile, folks often use it like a mini-template engine. And what’s more, it’s built right into the core JS language and you get all the goodies without installing an extra package like…
I’m probably one of the last generations of human writers on this planet who is actually involved in the end-to-end writing process. We’re already transitioning to that phase where the drafting and proof-reading for many articles is done by an LLM, and even other processes like editing and publishing are transitioning to full automation as we speak. For starters, what exactly is a p-zombie or…
Today morning, I came across this reddit post titled Completely losing interest in the career due to AI and AI-pilled people . They describe how in a span of just two months, their corporate job went from "I'll be here for life" to "Time to switch careers?" . And this post isn’t alone, there is a deep and dark pattern to it. When CTOs or project managers suggest programmers in their team to use AI…
As someone who has coded across Python, PHP, Java, and C#, I’ve learned to borrow patterns from each language to improve workflow and maintainability. One principle that has consistently stood the test of time is Python’s aphorism: “Explicit is better than implicit.” It usually leads to robust, readable, and maintainable code. From this perspective, explicit using statements in C# have always been…
If you’re new to C# and especially desktop development, here’s how easy it is to get started on a modern Windows 10/11 PC. This way of creating a Hello World C# program doesn’t involve installation of any heavy IDE like Visual Studio or the .NET 8/9 SDK. In fact, most recent Windows versions already come with .NET Framework 4.x preinstalled, including the classic C# compiler at a location like…
Even in 2025, maintaining changelogs isn’t an exact science. There is no general consensus or even tooling around how your changelog should look in order to conform to some norms or standards, because there aren’t any. After some trial-error and pondering, this is what I came up with for my upcoming FocusBeam project: # Focus Beam Changelog ## [Unreleased] ### Added - [ x] Dashboard and Timesheet…
In a world increasingly shaped by existential uncertainty, many young minds find themselves drawn toward nihilism. It’s not difficult to see why: the vastness of the universe, the randomness of evolution, and the seeming insignificance of human action can make it tempting to believe that nothing truly matters. If everything is bound to perish — civilizations, memories, even the stars — then what’s…
A fictional encounter between two radically different revolutionaries… or maybe not so different after all. Scene: A quiet room beyond time, filled with gentle candlelight. Mahatma Gandhi sits cross-legged on a simple mat, spinning a symbolic charkha (spinning wheel). A soft whirring sound is heard — it’s Satoshi Nakamoto, hooded and calm, typing quietly on an open-source laptop. Gandhi (smiling…
This little masterpiece of a Notebook that came with Atom baytrail processor was released in circa 2016 and was once the favorite of many a college students and tech enthusiasts. It has helped me a lot in my freelancing journey and learning process. I consider it a notable artifact of our times and hold it in the same nostalgic regard as the ASUS Eee PC and other such iconic devices. Back then, it…
In a world buzzing with distractions, maintaining focus and productivity can feel like trying to catch a greased pig. Whether it’s the relentless ping of notifications, the lure of social media, or the temptation to procrastinate, staying on task requires a solid strategy. One technique that has stood the test of time for its simplicity and effectiveness is the Pomodoro Technique. This guide…
One of my recent projects involved coding a simple .NET app that signs PDFs in bulk using Proxkey digital signature. These purchased CA verified digital signatures, like eMudhra and Proxkey, typically come with their own custom apps which can digitally sign PDFs. You can even use software like Adobe Reader for this purpose. However, the limitation is that you can only sign one PDF at a time. If…
One of my recent projects involved creating a Node.js script that acts as a gateway or middleware, capturing messages from an MQTT broker and relaying (streaming) them on the HTTP side via GET requests. Similarly, it should also handle POST requests from the HTTP side and publish them to the corresponding broker on the respective topic. Why use this approach? Security: Avoid exposing MQTT broker…
Creating a customer management system (CMS) is a great way for beginners to learn PHP and MySQL. This hands-on project will guide you through the process of building a simple CMS from scratch, covering database design, CRUD operations, and form handling. What is a customer management system? A customer management system is a tool used to store and manage customer information. It allows businesses…
Extracting text from a PDF is usually straightforward when it’s in English and doesn’t have embedded fonts. However, once those assumptions are removed, it becomes challenging to use basic python libraries like pdfminer or pdfplumber . Last month, I was tasked with extracting text from a Gujarati-language PDF and importing data fields such as name, address, city, etc., into JSON format. If the…
Indie bloggers are on the constant lookout for tools that simplify their work while keeping costs low and user experience seamless. One of the most overlooked aspects of running a blog is finding the right comment hosting system. Enter giscus , a modern solution that stands out among its peers for being lightweight, privacy-friendly, and free to use. Here’s why it’s the best comment hosting system…
There is no doubt that over the last few years, Agile methodologies have gained prominence as a means to foster flexibility, innovation, and responsiveness to change. However, beneath the surface of this seemingly effective approach lies a troubling reality: the emotional toll it can take on teams. This article delves into the impact of Agile practices on team morale and well-being, particularly…