Software History

Over the last few months, I have experimented with a range of brewing methods, from the Aeropress all the way to the lever espresso maker. I now know a lot about some of the most popular brewing methods but at the start of my journey I knew very little about devices like the Kalita Wave or the V60.

Every so often I sit down and watch a documentary about coffee. From watching documentaries I have learned a lot about coffee. For instance, the Aeropress documentary made me aware of all of the prototypes that were developed before the Aeropress design was finalised.

I started drinking pre-ground coffee. I did not want to invest in buying a grinder, many of which were expensive. It was not until much later in my home brewing journey that I learned there are many affordable grinders on the market.

I'm presently drinking Liberacion, a single origin coffee from Union Blend. I've been impressed by every coffee I have had from Union so far. This coffee is different. I've struggled to detect the flavors written in the tasting notes. I've found a few of the cups I have brewed to be flat. This has made me somewhat doubt my brewing skills. I have felt like I've taken a step back in my journey to brewing better coffee.

About a week ago, my cloth Aeropress filter arrived from The Cloth Filter Co. I bought the filter because I was curious about cloth filtration and also because a roaster from whom I was buying coffee, Glen Lyon, happened to sell one. Cloth filtration was on my mind for a while, to the extent that I seriously considered purchasing a Nel dripper, and I thought a cloth Aeropress filter would be the cheapest way to try cloth filtration.

It's a lazy Sunday and I'm sitting at my window thinking about the world. I've spent some time over the last week gradually reading more about speciality coffee. I took a break from following speciality coffee while I was on vacation. I find that sometimes my hobbies can become overwhelming. A break was a good reminder of how fun coffee can be. I don't need to think about coffee much. I just need to put the time in when I am brewing to make a good cup.

A few months ago, in search of a new Aeropress recipe, I came across AeroPrecipe, a directory of curated Aeropress recipes from baristas, enthusiasts, and Aeropress Championship participants. This site illuminates the creativity in the Aeropress community. One recipe even uses a piece of fruit as a filter.

I am writing this post after the fourth aircraft delay I have experienced today. I’m most likely going to reach my destination tomorrow, taking an unplanned evening in Chicago.

This is the sixteenth post in the Advent of Technical Writing series, wherein I will share something I have learned from my experience as a technical writer. My experience is primarily in software technical writing, but what you read may apply to different fields, too. View all posts in the series.

This is the thirteenth post in the Advent of Technical Writing series, wherein I will share something I have learned from my experience as a technical writer. My experience is primarily in software technical writing, but what you read may apply to different fields, too. View all posts in the series.

I am writing a blog post every day from December 1st to December 24th, 2021, about a blogger whose writing or site I follow. My aim for this series is to help you discover new blogs and to help get the word out about content creators whose blogs I appreciate. You can read more about this series in the inaugural Day 1 post.

This is the eleventh post in the Advent of Technical Writing series, wherein I will share something I have learned from my experience as a technical writer. My experience is primarily in software technical writing, but what you read may apply to different fields, too. View all posts in the series.

This is the second post in the Advent of Technical Writing series, wherein I will share something I have learned from my experience as a technical writer. My experience is primarily in software technical writing, but what you read may apply to different fields, too. View all posts in the series.

This is the third post in the Advent of Technical Writing series, wherein I will share something I have learned from my experience as a technical writer. My experience is primarily in software technical writing, but what you read may apply to different fields, too. View all posts in the series.

I am writing a blog post every day from December 1st to December 24th, 2021, about a blogger whose writing or site I follow. My aim for this series is to help you discover new blogs and to help get the word out about content creators whose blogs I appreciate. You can read more about this series in the inaugural post where I chat more about this series. Let's begin!

This is the fifteenth post in the Advent of Technical Writing series, wherein I will share something I have learned from my experience as a technical writer. My experience is primarily in software technical writing, but what you read may apply to different fields, too. View all posts in the series.

This is the fourteenth post in the Advent of Technical Writing series, wherein I will share something I have learned from my experience as a technical writer. My experience is primarily in software technical writing, but what you read may apply to different fields, too. View all posts in the series.

This is the sixth post in the Advent of Technical Writing series, wherein I will share something I have learned from my experience as a technical writer. My experience is primarily in software technical writing, but what you read may apply to different fields, too. View all posts in the series.

This is the twelfth post in the Advent of Technical Writing series, wherein I will share something I have learned from my experience as a technical writer. My experience is primarily in software technical writing, but what you read may apply to different fields, too. View all posts in the series.

For the last week or two, I have been thinking whether there is a December blogging series I could take on, similar to how Advent of Code publishes a new coding challenge every day throughout Advent. I thought that I would just continue with my regular blogging until yesterday when I came up with an idea: write a blog post every day of Advent that talks about a particular blog I like. I am calling this my

I recently launched a search engine for my blog, allowing visitors to find pages on my website. The search engine lets you search through page

This is the ninth post in the Advent of Technical Writing series, wherein I will share something I have learned from my experience as a technical writer. My experience is primarily in software technical writing, but what you read may apply to different fields, too. View all posts in the series.

Toward the end of autumn, leaves start to go yellow; red, brown. Then, what feels to me like all of a sudden, the leaves have fallen off the trees. The moments of transition -- when you first see a leaf turn yellow, when you start to notice the scrunching of leaves under your feet, when you start to see your breath -- are beautiful. Seasons change gradually, then all at once.

I have started watching Yes, Prime Minister, the sequel to the Yes, Minister series where the Minister for the Department of Administrative Affairs moves on to the top job in the UK government. And yes, my last sentence contained the word

There is a special feeling when the sun shines through the window near which you are situated. It is delightful when the sun is not so bright as to cause strain on your eyes, but bright enough to illuminate your space. I am seated next to a green plant; the sunlight makes the plant look more vibrant. That reminds me, I have to water my plants. Adds that task to his TODO list.

There are websites that let you turn a Google Sheet into a complete website. Such tools are great if you have a spreadsheet of content and want to create an online listing for said content without having to go through a lot of hoops (set up a website, figure out how to import your content, import your content, etc.).

The title of this post must be in the running for the longest title for a blog post on this blog thus far. That aside, I just wanted to take a quick moment to say that the thermal printer project was mentioned on the Adafruit blog. For those who are not familiar with Adafruit, they are in the business of manufacturing and selling hardware. They sell a lot of hardware that works with the Raspberry Pi and Arduino, including the thermal printer that I am programming at the moment.

I have gone down a mini rabbit hole. Unlike many rabbit holes, I can map out how I got here. I perused Adactio's blog, saw a link to a blog about writing, and clicked on an article that looked interesting. Then I read a piece of advice about writing more, saw a link to another site, then clicked on another article that looked interesting. I went through three different sites to find the article I found, all the while not seeking any piece of information in particular. Like all things, internet rabbit hole exploration can be fun and teach you a thing or two. Like all things too, moderation is advised.

I discovered Cult Espresso on Instagram near the start of my speciality coffee journey. Their online presence is unique and playful; a reminder to not take yourself too seriously when you are making coffee. Interested in their cafe—and their move to start roasting beans—I decided to reach out with a few questions. Adam, a barista a Cult Espresso, took some time to speak to me over email about what it is like to be a barista and what he does at Cult. Enjoy the interview.

I am writing a blog post every day from December 1st to December 24th, 2021, about a blogger whose writing or site I follow. My aim for this series is to help you discover new blogs and to help get the word out about content creators whose blogs I appreciate. You can read more about this series in the inaugural post where I chat more about this series. Let's begin!