I recently created an open source plugin for Jekyll, the Ruby static site generator. Jekyll LilyPond Converter (henceforth JLC; source, RubyGems) converts specified code snippets...more.

Most modern languages that we use today provide tools and documentation for unit tests, which make it simpler to test our code. If unit testing...more.

So. You’re migrating to the cloud. Simple, right? Everything is basically the same. You've got a server with an operating system of your choice. Nothing’s...more.

Last week, I had the honor of passing the ChicagoRuby leadership baton to one of my 8th Light colleagues, Nicole Carpenter. Much can pile up...more.

After 10 years as lead organizer of ChicagoRuby, I have decided to step down. My colleague here at 8th Light, Nicole Carpenter, will be taking...more.

Elm approaches JSON much differently than languages like JavaScript and Ruby. Elm's built-in functions don't offer the immediate convenience of JSON.parse. You'll find built-in Decoders...more.

One of my favorite front-end tools these days is React, and those who've talked with me about front-end work know I'm vocal about it. I...more.

8th Light is committed to diversity and inclusion, and the recent conversations in the tech community have been an important reminder that we need to...more.

I’ve been playing a lot of chess as part of my apprenticeship at 8th Light. It helps me step away when I get bogged down...more.

A discussion came up the other day about if and how the Open/Closed Principle (OCP) was applicable to Elm. The OCP can be stated as...more.

The Problem Working in many different languages across multiple projects means it's often a pain to remember how to build all the different components. How...more.

In my last post I talked about how to manage cloud resources with traditional configuration management tools like Chef, Puppet, Ansible, and SaltStack. Today we're...more.

Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with Jessi Chartier, who is the camp coordinator from App Camp for Girls in Chicago, which we will...more.

Elm approaches JSON much differently than languages like JavaScript and Ruby. Elm's built-in functions don't offer the immediate convenience of JSON.parse. You'll find built-in Decoders...more.

In 1930, a 16-year-old Austrian woman named Hedwig Kiesler got a note from her mother that allowed her to miss one hour of school. Strong-willed...more.