Paranoia and Consequences

I have been paying a lot more attention to feminism over the last few years. Reading more stories on sexism, sexual assault, etc.

GamerGate in particular has weighed heavily on my mind. It's a nightmarish shitshow of men repeatedly attempting to destroy women, their reputations, and terrorizing them out of 'gamer' spaces and their own homes. Arthur Chu points out some roots in a touching personal essay, that I completely sympathize with. Allow me to be frank here: I can imagine a hypothetical path, in which my life went a little differently, where I could have become an absolute misogynist GamerGator. I hung out in the right communities and was sympathetic to the kinds of arguments that pervade those spaces. 

One of the side effects of this is a paranoia I've developed. I am continuously terrified that I will find out that a friend or a co-worker is a gamer-gate supporter. This is not the justified fear Felicia Day had, but a fear that I will stand silent.  

You see, I like the people I work with. I (obviously) like my friends. Yet, recent history has taught me that the internet allows people to be absolute fuckers on the internet, yet seem to be perfectly reasonable human beings in reality. I have moved halfway across the country recently, and am very hesitant to burn any bridges.  However, I have to stand up for what I believe

Let me say this here and loud: 

If I ever discover that any of you, my friends or co-workers, harass women, attack women, or participate in a movement that implicitly supports these actions, I will do everything in my power to remove you from my life, and see that the consequences you deserve fall upon you. 

I will not be your silent aid. 

Three Months

I am rapidly approaching the three month anniversary of me starting my new job. It has been a very interesting timespan. I've learned a ton about the actual nuts and bolts of large software projects: 

  1. My skills with C++ have dramatically improved, while I've simultaneously been pushing it to its boundaries. I'm regularly confronted with issues solved in C++11 or C++14. My skill with templates has increased to the point that last week I used them to write code only possible with templates (I think). The language's warts and wrinkles are slowly becoming second nature to me, all while I try to prevent them from forcing me down ugly roads. 
  2. Principals of software design that never took in a scholastic setting are starting to have real impact. A more visceral understanding of decoupling provided by factories, the perils of inheritance etc. 
  3. The vital importance of excellent tooling.

I've really been enjoying my time. My team has been fantastic, and our project, [REDACTED], is going quite well. 

Recent Reading

I've been reading quite a bit lately, though not a lot has left a bit enough impression for me to write about... I burned through a bunch of Terry Pratchett, and while I love him, his books are like delicious bon-bons for me.

After I finished my latest book I realized I really should take some notes on what I've been reading to share. 

The Rook - Daniel O'Malley

The book opens with our main character opening her eyes for the first time - her memory haas been wiped - surrounded by corpses, with a letter from the previous-occupant of that body in her pocket. Turns out, she worked for a supernatural spy agency, with a mole. 

I really enjoyed The Rook. The main character is likeable, and the writing is quite good. I have some qualms about the last quarter, but not nearly enough to make me question reading more, when it appears. 

Ancillary Justice, Ancillary Sword - Ann Leckie

I don't want to say too much about these two; I am of the opinion that the more blank you go into the first one, the better the first book plays out. What I will say is that Leckie is building a fantastically interesting science fiction universe, and I enjoyed both books. 

I found the second book to be a smidge weaker, but I think that is because I have a feeling it is really part 1 of a larger book. 

The Golem and the Jini - Helene Wecker

The lives of two magical creatures, a Golem and a Jini, cross in turn of the (20th) century New York. A really satisfying read drawing from two different historical mythologies. I found there was a small section that dragged on too long, but the book was redeemed by the ending. 

Good Omens - Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

I thought I had read this before, but about half-way through I was convinced I'd never seen it before. 

Unfortunately, I seem to be the outlier. I didn't particularly enjoy this book. I have loved much that each author has done individually, but... I don't know. It's hard to summarize simply why this one didn't do it for me, but, at the end of the book I was more relieved that it was over than happy I'd had the ride. Could just be me. 

Take Care

So my wrists decided to chime in yesterday, informing me 'You haven't been taking very good care of yourself!'

Though I actually disagree, I think it's better I listen to my 'money-makers'. So, today I paid more attention to posture, to wrist position. I tried to move and stretch much more. 

Everything helps!

Geometric

Skywards 

Skywards 

It's hard to believe it's late September here. I've been sitting out on the balcony in my pyjamas every chance I get, reading and enjoying the hell out of the warm sun. 

It'll be terribly sad when it gets too cold or too rainy to be outside on the weekends. Working inside all the time I've developed quite the appreciation for any time I can get in the sun. 

Missing Sunrise

This morning I got up well before sunrise -- in fact, it's not scheduled for another couple of minutes. It's too bad, as I really enjoyed mid-August, when the sun rose just before I did. No amount of coffee can beat being woken by sunrise. 

I'm not excited for December. Most days I will be on the bus to work when the sun rises, and still in the office when the sun sets.