Merge branch 'main' of https://github.com/cassidoo/blahg

src/posts/jumblie-build-log.md

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 layout: ../layouts/BlogPost.astro
 title: Jumblie Build Log
 slug: jumblie-build-log
-description: "I built Jumblie, a jumbled word search game. Here's how!"
+description: 'I built Jumblie, a jumbled word search game. Here''s how!'
 tags:
   - learning
   - technical
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ I built a word game called [Jumblie](https://jumblie.com) that I'm very excited
 
 ## Why I built it
 
-A friend of mine, [Jason](https://www.learnwithjason.dev/), is starting a video series where he gives 4 developers 1 idea (aptly named **4 Web Devs, 1 App Idea**, wow), and he asked us to build something that could use a leaderboard.
+A friend of mine, [Jason](https://www.learnwithjason.dev/), is starting a video series where he gives 4 developers 1 idea (aptly named **[4 Web Devs, 1 App Idea](https://youtu.be/zR8dUhLPK80?si=8GLivmrZ6B_ILRuk)**, wow), and he asked us to build something that could use a leaderboard.
 
 When I see "leaderboard" I think "game" which meant I had to come up with a very fun game worth playing, and build it in less than a couple weeks.
 
@@ -25,10 +25,10 @@ I came to Brainstory saying "sooo I want to make a game" and slowly but surely i
 
 I knew I wanted to:
 
-- Make a daily puzzle that changes each day
+* Make a daily puzzle that changes each day
-- Have 4, 5, 6, and 7 letter words, jumbled together
+* Have 4, 5, 6, and 7 letter words, jumbled together
-- Make it play kind of like the [New York Times Connections](https://www.nytimes.com/games/connections) game
+* Make it play kind of like the [New York Times Connections](https://www.nytimes.com/games/connections) game
-- Have it be mobile and desktop friendly
+* Have it be mobile and desktop friendly
 
 ## What I did next
 
@@ -161,11 +161,7 @@ Anyway! Jumblie was about as basic as it could get at first, where it would take
 
 After this, it... just worked. I added a scoring setup so that based on the word you guessed, it would be assigned to a color, and you could copy the score just like with games like Wordle and Connections:
 
-> Jumblie #12
+> Jumblie #12🟠🔴🔵🟢5 guesses
->
-> 🟠🔴🔵🟢
->
-> 5 guesses
 
 I went from this to adding features like keyboard support (which was painful, because events when you click buttons versus when you type are treated differently in the browser), a shuffling option (which was also painful, because I had to refactor how letters were differentiated on the screen), handling duplicate guesses (which was again painful because when you don't use a framework, you gotta do some really funky imperative programming where you select the div, select the word in the div, compare it with the current guess, etc), and a timer (which was actually not that painful, phew).
 
@@ -175,9 +171,9 @@ But, I still needed a leaderboard! I... ran out of time to build a real one agai
 
 I set up local storage to:
 
-- Save your best times while playing
+* Save your best times while playing
-- Save your longest streak while playing the game
+* Save your longest streak while playing the game
-- Save your current streak
+* Save your current streak
 
 You know what's fun? Time zones. My word, time zones. A very common ask from folks was asking for pausing functionality and autosaving if you exit the game, and my word, setting up time zones with this scoring and the personal leaderboards made me lose far too much sleep and happiness. But, once I finally, finally fixed all of them (she said, foolishly), the personal leaderboard setup was complete!
 
@@ -187,9 +183,9 @@ Since "finalizing" the game, I've been so happy with how much people play it! I
 
 I've since added features like:
 
-- Ability to add the game to your home screen
+* Ability to add the game to your home screen
-- [A puzzle archive](https://jumblie.com/archive/)
+* [A puzzle archive](https://jumblie.com/archive/)
-- [A way for users to suggest new puzzles](https://jumblie.com/suggest/) (because I am NOT going to deal with AI again for that)
+* [A way for users to suggest new puzzles](https://jumblie.com/suggest/) (because I am NOT going to deal with AI again for that)
 
 I've gotten some other requests for things like internationalization (which would take a fairly large refactor I admit), actual shared leaderboards with friends, and a mobile app! I'm thinking about how I'll implement those, but until then, I'm super happy where Jumblie is at right now.
 

src/posts/mama-says-no.md

@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+---
+layout: ../layouts/BlogPost.astro
+title: Geek mama... saying no
+slug: mama-says-no
+description: 'I can''t "do it all" right now, but I can do some. Sometimes.'
+tags:
+  - personal
+added: 2023-12-13T05:55:07.953Z
+---
+
+I said no to something today. It sucks when I have to do that. Typically I'm very much a champion of, "say NO more often!" and "don't push yourself too hard!" (and I stand by that). But in this case, bleh, it hurts a bit. I had signed up for a (live, not recorded) course that I was pretty excited about, and paid for it, and even did a little office rearranging to prepare for it.
+
+But... I have to remember that I'm a new parent, with a busy job, with obligations, and I can't just sign up for nerdy things that sound fun. Which sounds more depressing than it is. It's just a mindset shift. I have more limited time, currently, and I have to pick things that I can do async, when I can grab a spare moment, until I can have a more predictable schedule. I'm learning how to be more efficient with the time I have, and more patient with myself when I can't do as much as I want to.
+
+Justin Jackson wrote [a post kind of like this](https://justinjackson.ca/geek-dad) a while back, and his line, "but now's not the time" resonates with me right now.
+
+I really care about my hobbies, and I want my daughter to see me enjoying non-work things as she grows up. So, though I can't do **all the things** as much as I used to (until she's a bit more self-sufficient, at least), I can do the more important things. Slowly but surely, she might just do them with me, too.

src/posts/positives-from-negatives.md

@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+---
+layout: ../layouts/BlogPost.astro
+title: The positives coming from the negatives
+slug: positives-from-negatives
+description: >-
+  From the negatives we see and experience online, together we can create
+  positives.
+tags:
+  - learning
+  - events
+added: 2015-01-20T06:00:00.000Z
+---
+
+There's this great poem that my mother shared with me recently, called “If" by Rudyard Kipling.
+
+> If you can keep your head when all about you
+> Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
+> If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
+> But make allowance for their doubting too;
+> If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
+> Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
+> Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
+> And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise
+> …
+> If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
+> Or walk with Kings — nor lose the common touch,
+> If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
+> If all men count with you, but none too much;
+> If you can fill the unforgiving minute
+> With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
+> Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
+> And — which is more — you'll be a Man, my son!
+
+This struck me as such a wise way of thinking and has really influenced me recently. That last line isn't lost on me, by the way. I understand that the author was writing to all young men and women.
+
+Anyway, over the past several months, I've been bothered online with fake profiles made of/about me across several networks, and I've been sent anonymous messages to my personal phone and email. I had tried tracking them down and trying to figure out why without success.
+
+It all culminated this past weekend at the hackathon [MHacks](https://www.mhacks.org/), in which someone in these anonymous messages finally gave me an answer and said, “Some people are upset at you for your feminist influence."
+
+At first, I admit, I was upset. Yes, I had called people out for saying inappropriate things towards women, and I would share articles that were pro-women-in-tech. But I simply couldn't understand why a group would be so bothered by those things, that they had to try and make me feel unsafe and vulnerable.
+
+But this post isn't about them. This is about the positive outcome.
+
+The hackathon community's response to the negativity over the weekend has been wonderful. People have donated to the Anita Borg Institute. People have been sending myself and other females in tech such positive, encouraging messages. There's a giant thread going (literally hundreds of interactions) of people proclaiming their appreciation of their female tech role models. There's unity in the community against the negativity, and I love it.
+
+There's always going to be trolls on the internet who aren't happy about something you're doing or saying. Unfortunately, this is especially true for women. But that doesn't mean you stop.
+
+“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good \[people] do nothing."
+— Edmund Burke
+
+This weekend further opened my eyes to the needs of the community. Female (and other minority) role models have been silenced for long enough. It's time to encourage them and finally make tech more inclusive. I don't expect changes to happen overnight. Like one of my brilliant mentors Rane Johnson-Stempson told me, “Life is a marathon, not a sprint."
+
+***
+
+### Here's some steps that you can take right now.
+
+Support a diversity organization or community. When I say, “support," I don't necessarily mean monetarily. You could volunteer for the group, join them at an event, or simply tweet about what they're doing. There's so many of them out there. A few of my favorites include:
+
+* The National Center for Women & IT ([ncwit.org/](https://www.ncwit.org/))
+* The Anita Borg Institute ([anitaborg.org/](https://anitaborg.org/))
+* Girls Who Code ([girlswhocode.com/](https://girlswhocode.com/))
+* CODE2040 ([code2040.org/](https://www.code2040.org/))
+* Black Girls Code ([blackgirlscode.com/](https://www.blackgirlscode.com/))
+* ProjectCSGIRLS ([projectcsgirls.com/](https://www.projectcsgirls.com/))
+
+Tell someone that they're doing a good job. Sure, this is a small, simple task. But all of us can think of someone that is working in this field who is supportive and positive. A simple note of encouragement can go very far.
+
+And finally, don't stop talking. Make people aware of the negatives, and shower them with the positives. Call people out when they're in the wrong, and help them be in the right.
+If someone is telling you to take down a feminist post, or to shut up about issues in the workplace, or to keep quiet about something inappropriate happening around you: Don't.
+
+“The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do." — Walter Bagehot
+
+Let's build a better community right now. It starts with you!