Juha-Matti Santala
Community Builder. Dreamer. Adventurer.

Week 6 of 2023

Weeklies are my notes of things not big enough for a blog post but worthy of being mentioned and linked to. Find all of my Weeklies at /weeklies.

I'll open this week's Weeklies with a personal plug:

Next Friday is the launch of Syntax Error, a monthly newsletter about debugging, that I've been writing. The aim is to help developers to become better at debugging and turn stressful situations into joyful explorations. Head over to the website to subscribe via email or RSS.

And now to our regular programming: what have I been reading, watching, listening and enjoying this week.

  • OpenStreetMap is in trouble by Pieter Vander Vennet

    This was a really well-written piece about open data license, community building and its important features like trust building, attribution and contributing to a larger project. And it talks well about why it's problematic when large companies blur the lines, hide the fact that contributions are made to OpenStreetMap and according to its license.

  • How I added C-style for-loops to Python by Tushar Sadhwani

    I love these kind of explorations into making something that isn't practically smart to do but can teach a lot about the wiring under the hood. Tushar built a C-style for-loop in Python and walks the reader through three different approaches.

  • On Personal Branding by Brad Frost

    Personal branding is something that sounds a bit vain but in reality is doing things you value and then directing the story you (and by proxy, others) tell about you. Brad shares his views on it: 1) be sincere, 2) establish style/tone, 3) be consistent, 4) have a hub and I totally agree with them.

    I especially love this quote:

    But more than anything, my personal website is the glue that ties everything together. I can point anyone to my website to learn more about me, see my work or read my thoughts. I don’t have to worry if they aren’t on Facebook or don’t know how the hell to use Twitter.

  • The Map of Tiny Perfect Things (movie)

    I've had a very good week with movies. One of my favorites this week was The Map of Tiny Perfect Things. It's a young adult romantic growth story with a Groundhog Day style time loop.

    I especially love the titular map (I'm bit of a map geek) and the also titular concept of paying attention to small details and the beautiful things that happen in the world around us.

  • Drifting Home (movie)

    Another movie I really enjoyed this week was this anime that is a story about growth and friendship.

  • 2022 Tiny Desk Concerts by NPR

    This week I discovered that NPR has these amazing Tiny Desk Concerts in their website and Youtube channel. I just love these kind of intimate small performances. The one that got me hooked to this series was this one by dodie.