Now
This a now page, inspired by Derek Sivers. Last updated on May 29, 2022
2022 is here. So much happened in 6 months. I have a new job, I love it. Aside from that, I’m learning new things on the Internet, enjoying hobbies and doing my best to nurture friendships across borders and timezones.
New job
I got a new job! I left Dow Jones in March when early symptoms of burnout started showing up. I took a long break, went on a road trip, and now I’m in a new job. I’m a Developer Advocate at Contentful. Typing this still feels a bit surreal.
Released a tool
I took part in the #30DayMapChallenge, and got so frustrated with https://geojson.io that I ended up making my own alternative. I then used the 25th day to release it.
If you want to check it out, it’s https://geojson.rocks/
I still can’t believe I got it to work so quickly. It (obviously) doesn’t do everything that the other tool does. But it can preview and inspect GeoJSON and TopoJSON files and it’s fast. That’s all I need.
A friend of mine used it the other day, and now I understand the feeling that open-source maintainers get. The feeling of having made something useful, that solved a person’s problem.
Coaching at Codebar
I’m going back to coaching at Codebar, which is a charity that organises workshops to help people get into coding. It’s still early days but it’s amazing. I should have done this sooner. I had forgotten how much I love teaching.
I realised something else. We’re doing terrible job as developers making your industry accessible to newcomers.
Remote work
The status quo is showing its ugly head in many places. Big tech is buying big offices again. Some stupid politicians want to stress people out with soul-stripping commutes. Mayors are mourning their property tax revenues as commercial properties devalue.
Don’t listen. Remote work is still there, and it’s still the future. People are pushing back. I’ve run out of specific stories, but startup jobs in “remote, anywhere” are everywhere, and that’s great. I’m excited to see how it changes things.
Stay safe,
Alvin
Previously: