Recent Articles

What is a Script "Shebang"?

Nov 25, 2025 · 5 min read

No, it's not a Ricky Martin song.

shell

Defensive Shell Scripting with Shell Options

Nov 24, 2025 · 10 min read

Unlike typical programming languages, Bash doesn't terminate when it encounters a variety of exceptions.

ci/cd docker github shell

white concrete building under blue sky during daytime

Be an Engineer Who Invites Collaboration

Nov 23, 2025 · 7 min read

I don't care if you're a 10x engineer, I care if we can build great things together.

career opinion

One, Few, or Many: A Guide to Rapid Impact Assessment

Nov 22, 2025 · 3 min read

Stakeholders love this one simple trick.

career sre

Querying MySQL Row Counts the Fast Way

Oct 5, 2025 · 7 min read

SELECT COUNT(*) requires an expensive full index scan, which probably isn't what you want.

databases mysql

Installing Old Homebrew Cask Versions

Oct 4, 2025 · 5 min read

Homebrew makes it very difficult to install older versions of a cask.

macos shell

Pin Your GitHub Actions to Protect Against Supply Chain Attacks

Aug 23, 2025 · 5 min read

Pinning third-party GitHub Actions to a commit SHA helps protect you against supply chain attacks.

ci/cd github renovate

Installing Old Homebrew Formula Versions

Aug 13, 2025 · 5 min read

Homebrew makes it very difficult to install older versions of a formula.

macos shell

a statue of a person sitting on a chair in front of a desk

I Don't Want to Have to Think About It

Jul 26, 2025 · 6 min read

I spent a substantial amount of time in the first half of 2025 ensuring that I don't have to think about microservices my team owns that have a low rate of change.

ci/cd microservices opinion sre

Resetting the Working Directory on Shell Function Exit

Jul 24, 2025 · 3 min read

Sometimes you need to change the working directory in a shell function. You should take care to reset it back after.