TITLE: Some Things I Read Recently AUTHOR: Eugene Wallingford DATE: February 10, 2020 2:37 PM DESC: ----- BODY: Campaign Security is a Wood Chipper for Your Hopes and Dreams

Practical campaign security is a wood chipper for your hopes and dreams. It sits at the intersection of 19 kinds of status quo, each more odious than the last. You have to accept the fact that computers are broken, software is terrible, campaign finance is evil, the political parties are inept, the DCCC exists, politics is full of parasites, tech companies are run by arrogant man-children, and so on.

This piece from last year has some good advice, plenty of sarcastic humor from Maciej, and one remark that was especially timely for the past week:

You will fare especially badly if you have written an app to fix politics. Put the app away and never speak of it again.

Know the Difference Between Neurosis and Process In a conversation between Tom Waits and Elvis Costello from the late 1980s, Waits talks about tinkering too long with a song:

TOM: "You have to know the difference between neurosis and actual process, 'cause if you're left with it in your hands for too long, you may unravel everything. You may end up with absolutely nothing."

In software, when we keep code in our hands for too long, we usually end up with an over-engineered, over-abstracted boat anchor. Let the tests tell you when you are done, then stop. Sometimes, Work is Work

People say, "if you love what you do you'll never work a day in your life." I think good work can be painful--I think sometimes it feels exactly like work.

Some weeks more than others. Trust me. That's okay. You can still love what you do. -----