On tooling
This article takes a quick look at some of the tools being used to build Fitness Tracker and goes over why I chose to use each of them.
Fitness Tracker
Automatic tracking with things like watches, phones and other devies may work for some people but not for me. And so in December, I started turning a tool that I've been using into a desktop application. It started off in Electron but now it's all Rust and React. Here's a quick update.
The Third Design
I'm still working to get better at designing stuff - my learning path has taken me through a lot of articles, implementing better designers work and even into a new static site generator. Recently, I put all my learning into a new template and pushed it live onto two sites.
A Tale of Three Designs
My name is Greg and I have committed some grave design sins. The website you are on right now shows off many of them, but it's actually decent compared to some other monstrosities that I have created. But several weeks ago, I decided it was time to start learning. Like many beginners, my progress was noteworthy in the beginning. This article is about some of the very basic lesssons I learned and some paths I took to learn them.
Comparing Randomness: Django vs My Javascript Tool
In this article, I compare the randomness of secret keys generated using Django's built-in key generator and my custom JavaScript method. Using statistical tests like Chi-square, KS test, runs test, and entropy calculation, I analyze the randomness and security of the keys. Both methods show high levels of randomness, with Django's keys slightly outperforming in some tests.
Django Secret Key Generator
One of my passions is helping people learn to write code and I know a lot of people who are learning or who have learned Django. I have noticed that a lot of people use web based tools to generate their secret keys and while there's nothing particular wrong with that, I find it worrisome that those tools don't show the algorithm they use to generate keys. So I thought I would create my own secret key generator and use it as a way to start teaching people a bit about how 'random' works in software.
New hluska.ca
Some people spend their Canada Day long weekend camping. Others spend it golfing or having barbecues with their families. I spend mine pushing a redesigned version of my website. After a few small snags, it's up and launched.
Pushing an Update
I just pushed a redesign of hluska.ca. As expected, it works well...except for the part that didn't. So don't be surprised if things are a little strange for the next day or two.
Almost Finished a New Version
I'm a very bad designer so it's been tough, but the latest version of my website is almost complete and ready to launch.
Docker Docker Docker
Several weeks ago, I got to start walking some people who were new to Docker through setting up their first containers. I was really surprised by how hard it is for people to write their first containers and configure them properly for local development, so a friend and I decided to open source some of our local development containers. The process of getting them ready to be open sourced has taught me some very interesting things about Docker and teaching software to the masses.