So much of our lives depend on the reliability — and existence — of our data. There is really no excuse to not have even a rudimentary backup plan in place.

One of the many traits that separates a junior developer from someone with a little more experience is how they approach the idea of a "bug report". Many younger people will rush ahead to solve a problem — even if it's not a bug — in order to prove themselves. However, a lot of times there is no bug in the code but in the process. When this happens, the issue quickly turns into a "learning opportunity" where communication and collaboration is far more useful a skill than coding.

There has been a lot of discussion around the amount of energy that gets wasted daily and, while this is certainly something we need to solve as a species, the stated expectations from various vocal activists will do little to curb the bulk of the issue. In this episode of DDM, I lay out the costs of creating a podcast, the costs of running a small data centre in the home, and an actual source of waste that needs to be addressed if we are to reduce our carbon footprints and enjoy a cleaner atmosphere.

To a lot of people's surprise, Richard Stallman has returned to the Free Software Foundation. What's not a surprise is the result: a lot of people and organisations disassociating themselves with the FSF.

Stephen Hawking's final book, Brief Answers to the Big Questions, tries to answer ten of the biggest ideas that people have struggled with or wondered over the last half century. I offer some thoughts on just one of them.

Wikipedia defines Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) as a mood disorder subset in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year exhibit depressive symptoms at the same time each year, most commonly in winter. Common symptoms include sleeping too much and having little to no energy, and overeating. This sounds like all of 2020.

A lot of people have asked me how I solve problems over the last few years. This is an interesting question because it's one that I've struggled with at times as well. Some of the issues that we try to resolve can seem insurmountable given the obstacles that face us. However, thanks to lessons learned from people way smarter than I'll ever be, I do have a short list of steps to follow that allow for a more focussed effort.

In this longer-than-necessary episode, I examine some of the pitfalls that I've experienced with scrum and "modern agile" development over the years and how this has often resulted in "worse" code.

Many years ago, Jordan Peterson shared 40 valuable things everyone should know to answer a question on Quora. While the applicability of these points will differ for everyone, there are sixteen of them that I tend to use on a daily basis at work and it has had a profound impact on the opportunities, privileges, and responsibilities that I have been able to assume. Some of these I learned at a young age. Others were learned much later in life.

The new house appears to be a little more than half done, and this is certainly exciting. What's also exciting is the CAT6 cabling that'll run to every room in the home, making WiFi optional and not at all a requirement.

Burning the candle at both ends is rarely sustainable and I'm wondering if this is the cause for the recent lack of focus I've been experiencing. Regardless of where I am or what I'm doing, the mind will wander mid-process ...

A moving company recently came to give us a quote on how much it would cost to move from our apartment to the new house. Suffice it to say, the way the moving company went about assembling the quote was ... scammy.

The National Post is a Canadian newspaper that is not known for being wholly accurate with its stories, but a recent article on coffee culture in Japan got right under my skin for all its stereotypes and outright misinformed statements.

Larry Elliot wants to drum up fear via The Guardian, claiming that "robots will take our jobs!". He's not the first to do this, and he sure as heck won't be the last. Heck, people have been saying the very same thing for over two centuries.

An episode of Doubtfully Daily Matigo was published every day for the month of January, and that means that the first milestone has been reached. Now the hard part of maintaining the momentum comes.

While walking home from the train station after a day trip to Tokyo, I rambled into the microphone about the future ...

Over the last few weeks I've been working on an application to reduce some of the friction people face when recording quick podcasts that do not require a great deal of post-editing. Will people use it, though?

It's that time of year again when the heel on my right shoe is in desperate need of repair or replacement. Unfortunately, shoes are not designed to be easily repaired in 2018.

While out with Nozomi, I picked up two hot drinks at a nearby vending machine. One for me, and one for Hideki; the homeless man who lives under a bridge near my home.

There's snow on the ground, and that makes me happy!