Ramblings on bacon, drawing, and technology
Your ears are lying to you. If you play two guitar tones back to back, and one of them is just a little bit louder, your brain will usually decide the louder one sounds better. "Oh, it sounds more full. Punchier. Clearer. More alive. Better tone!" I also see the same question asked across Facebook groups and forums for all types of digital modelers: "How do I level my patches?" And, most of the…
I play a lot of guitar gigs, and my favorite rig is the Helix Stadium XL . I bought the official backpack, but I've not been happy with the total weight or the ergonomics of getting a laptop in/out under the straps. So, I decided I'd like to get a roller case for the Helix Stadium XL and carry my laptop and the rest of my gear in a normal backpack. I bought an Apache 5800 roller case at Harbor…
I've long enjoyed using my open-source desktop teleprompter for recording videos and presentations. But there's been one feature I've wanted to add for years. Auto-scrolling. Not a fixed scroll speed. One that follows what I'm actually saying. That's exactly what I added in the latest release: voice-driven auto-scroll. You talk, the script scrolls. No clickers, no foot pedals, no right-arrow key…
It's finally here! After all the writing, editing, illustrating, and waiting, Developer Relations Activity Patterns is out in the world 🤓 When I wrote my first post about the book , it was still an exciting project in progress. Now it is a real thing people can buy, read, dog-ear, highlight, and hopefully use to build healthier developer communities and stronger DevRel programs. That feels pretty…
I was recently browsing the Node Weekly newsletter (as one does with a cup of coffee in hand) when a mention of Edge.js caught my eye. Oh, it's yet another template engine Wait, this one was created by the AdonisJS team. And, it uses JavaScript syntax?? I'd been using Nunjucks with my 11ty blog for years, and while it worked fine, I always felt more than a little friction every time I had to…
I'm proud to announce "Developer Relations Activity Patterns," a super-practical guide to understanding, applying, and measuring DevRel for your organization! A book that doesn't just tell you what DevRel is, it shows you how to actually do it. What's Inside The book presents 39 focused patterns covering the full spectrum of developer relations work. Whether you're a solo advocate at a startup or…
There was a time when business cards were important for sharing contact information, as well as your brand. I was certainly very proud of the business cards I carried during my early career. Years ago, inspired by a social media post, I created a "virtual card" for fun. If you have Node.js installed, you can run npx reverentgeek in your terminal or command prompt to get my latest "card." If you're…
Hello, I am a creative professional. I create software. I create content. I create illustrations. I create music. I love generative AI. I use AI tools more and more. It's unlocked more creativity, ideas, and productivity. It helps me break loose when I get stuck. It's incredible and empowering and will only get better. I love generative AI. Since 2018, I've enjoyed a nice little side hustle of…
If you've ever wanted to relive the glory days of the internet—back when guestbooks, under-construction GIFs, and visit counters reigned supreme—this one's for you. In this tutorial, we're building HopCounter : a bunny-themed, edge-powered page view counter that runs globally, updates instantly, and doesn't need a single origin server. It's a nostalgic nod to the web's past, rebuilt for the modern…
Ghosted again? It might be because you're still applying for jobs like it's 2012. Let's talk about it. You're stuck in the job search grind—tweaking the same old resume, Googling "how to answer Tell me about yourself ," and wondering why recruiters disappear without a trace. Meanwhile, others are using AI like a 24/7 career sidekick. No burnout. No awkward coffee chats. No fluff. In 2025, the most…
Ah, telematics—where code meets the open road. Whether you're here because your boss needs reports or you're just genuinely excited about analyzing vehicle data, this guide will help you wrangle Samsara's telematics APIs like a pro. We'll cover how to grab near real-time stats from Samsara's stats feed endpoint and historical data from historical stats . By the end of this tutorial, you'll have…
I used to be a coffee snob. Pour-overs, artisanal beans, the whole ritual. Then I got a K-Cup machine. Is it the best coffee? No. Is it incredibly convenient and surprisingly useful? Absolutely. Now I can't imagine my mornings without it. Sometimes, our tech stacks feel like juggling too many single-purpose tools. A relational database here, a document store there, maybe a graph database for…
When it comes to the work you do, have you ever dreamed big? Not just a title or paycheck. What kind of role, responsibilities, or tasks would motivate you to jump out of bed, even on a Monday? 🙃 This past year has had me thinking about this topic a lot. What I love about programming, illustrations, music, writing, and other creative work are these magical moments when I get completely engrossed…
I've completed the WordCamp world tour with WordCamp Asia 2025 ! I had a wonderful time in Manila, Philippines drawing avatars for attendees at the WordPress.com booth. View all avatars from WordCamp Asia 2025 🤩 Mall of Asia The Mall of Asia was close to the conference and where I was staying, and I ended up walking to the mall several times. It's currently the sixth-largest mall in the world, at…
Command-line interfaces (CLI) are often used for automating tasks, such as building reports, synchronizing data between systems, migrating data, deploying applications, and so on and on. Over the years, I have built countless CLI apps to save time. If I ever find myself doing something more than once, I try to find a way to automate it! Deno 2.0 is an excellent solution for writing CLI apps. It…
Earlier this year I had an incredible opportunity to draw avatars at the WordPress.com booth at WordCamp EU in Turin, Italy. I was delighted to be asked to reprise my role at WordCamp US 2024 in Portland, Oregon! I stayed very busy each day drawing avatars while attendees watched and engaged in conversation at the booth. I was also very encouraged by all the positive feedback I received, including…
I've finally checked off a dream I've had for many years! At WordCamp EU 2024 , I had the absolute pleasure of drawing custom avatars (and Wapuus) for the WordPress.com booth 😊 It was a blast! At the booth, attendees could roll a die 🎲 to win a prize. Two of those prizes were an avatar and a custom Wapuu illustration. I had an external monitor attached to my iPad, and folks gathered around to…
For several years, I've created videos and delivered presentations from my home studio . I invested in a teleprompter rig to use my iPad to view notes or a script while maintaining eye contact with the camera. Use a teleprompter for better video calls I use the teleprompter as an extended monitor to mirror whatever is running on my laptop screen. This is perfect for Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft…
I was a guest on the MongoDB Podcast Live show to talk about one of my favorite topics, Visual Storytelling. You can watch it here!
Over the last few years, I received many comments and questions about my office studio video and audio setup. In this post, I will walk through what I've put together, why it fits what I need, and hopefully, give you some ideas on how you can improve your audio and video. TLDR; take me to the list! My Office Studio Goal One of my goals, perhaps the primary goal, is to have an "always ready" setup…
I recently visited Sweetwater 's headquarters in Fort Wayne, IN, to speak to their engineers on leadership. It was a huge honor, and I consider it one of my highest achievements as a tech speaker. I love speaking to folks in technology. My mission is to encourage people to be more awesome, to learn new skills, to practice, to have patience, to extend grace to themselves and one another, to have…
You may have heard the idea of "make your own luck." It's a common theme in "hustle culture" where the harder you work, the more connections you make, the more obstacles you overcome, you increase the opportunities for good fortune that others might see as "luck." Along similar lines, I believe you can create joy. Learn a new skill. Create a new routine. Move more. Get outdoors. Be kind to…
You can find me on Mastodon using @reverentgeek@reverentgeek.com ! Here's how I did it using 11ty and Netlify! I recently came across Scott Hanselman's excellent post, Use your own user @ domain for Mastodon . Scott does a great job explaining the WebFinger protocol and how it's used to discover public information about accounts. Go read his tutorial to learn more about why it works. This post…
I am so excited to announce my book, "The Illustrated Book of Dad Jokes," is now available as a paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon ! Authoring a book has been a dream for more than 20 years, and I would never have imagined it would be a book of cartoons. This has been quite a journey. I have learned a lot and am grateful to have reached this goal! I want to say a big "thank you" to all of you…
A friend recently asked me about splitting some of their Node.js application into a shared library to be used across multiple projects. There are at least three solutions, and they all have tradeoffs between convenience and portability. Move Your Code Into A Separate Project The first step across all the following options is to move your code into a separate Node.js project. This project will have…
My blog has been on a self-hosted deployment of Ghost for many years. It has been a solid platform, and I highly recommend it. However, I've been itching to try something new with my blog for a while. The more I've learned about JAMstack , the more I've wanted to start moving my sites and applications to that architecture. Static is the New Dynamic! Static site generators , such as Gatsby and Hugo…
I love to play music, especially in a band. There's something amazing about the synergy of multiple people harmonizing voices and instruments. However, for a band to be successful, everyone needs to be on the same page or it just sounds like a mess. Come to think of it, I could make a lot of comparisons between a group of people that play well together in a band and a productive, highly-performing…
My most embarrassing mistakes as a programmer, in no particular order: I didn't ask for help I was afraid of what others would think I didn't follow through on a promise I didn't step up and take responsibility I avoided conflict I didn't encourage others I didn't publicly celebrate the success of others My biggest mistakes had nothing to do with programming. The most difficult parts of any job,…
Earlier this year, I set up a new computer for my son. In the process, I created an "Easter Egg" for him to find. I left a note on the desktop with some instructions on how to run a command-line interface (CLI) application I created. > heybuddy As I hoped, I'll sometimes walk by and see he has a terminal window open and has run the app several times 😊 The source code for this application is on…
Sketchnotes are amazing. Check out just a few of the many benefits. Helps you stay more engaged. Connects both sides of your brain for supercharged learning. Helps you to communicate more clearly. When you look at your notes weeks, months, or years later, you'll be shocked how much detail you can remember! Want to learn to draw sketchnotes? You can! Using simple shapes such as lines, arrows,…