Let me save you the time - here's the best of what I learned in 2024.
Programming Languages/Frameworks
Ruby on Rails
If you need to build a REST API and have less than 1/2 a million users, you should use Ruby on Rails. Ruby has been improving, Rails has been improving. You get seeding, database, (the best) ORM, tests, and more for free, right out of the box. If you need a traditional REST API and you don't go with RoR you are either delusional about how successful your app will be or a dogmatist about some other language.
Next.js
Caveat - you only need a couple of lightweight endpoints or to abstract auth for some secondary API calls, Next.js is whatsup here. Even if you're not using many of Next's API-ish features, you get image optimization, server side rendering, granular control over server-rendered components loading states, and routing for FREE. If you're about to reach for React, just do the grownup thing instead and grab Next.
Astro
I rebuilt my blog in Astro this year. It would be a mistake to compare Astro to Next.js even though many do it. Astro is great for static sites. It doesn't compare to the breadth of Next's features for anything significantly more interactive though. Plus the .astro file format requires an additional LSP for your editor. If you're about to reach for Hexo/Hugo/raw CSS/HTML, do yourself a favor and grab Astro.
Haskell
Haskell is the most useless language I learned this year. I will likely never use if for anything real. Why did I list it then? Learning Haskell changed the way I think about software. Haskell is a language that doesn't allow you to "bring your whole self" to the keyboard, it demands that you submit to its customs and traditions. To be fair, it does things the "right" way. Unfortunately though, this rigidity has prevented its widespread adoption. I love Haskell but it's like owning a beautiful classic car, it's a marvel of engineering harkening back to a time when we could actually build worthwhile things and think clearly as a society, but you're probably not going to drive it daily.
Articles
Understanding Team Effectiveness
Google research on teams at Google about what makes teams successful. Shocking conclusions!
Psychological Safety vs. High Standards: A Misunderstood Dynamic
You can have your cake and eat it too. I've worked in "high standards" environments where judgment and negative emotion reigned supreme. I've also worked in high psychological safety environments where the engineers were mediocre. You can have both if you view it and pursue it in the right way.
Books
Red Sky Mourning - Jack Carr
The latest in "The Terminal List" series. These books are essentially smut for men. Great revenge plot, gigapatriotism, lots of realistic combat scenes and of course all of the latest greatest tactical gear. These books aren't profound but they are extremely entertaining reads.
Master of the Senate - Robert Caro
I continued to make progress in Robert Caro's multi book biography series on Lyndon B. Johnson. These books are transformative and have helped me understand myself and other people a lot better. The series isn't about LBJ, it's about America and how we lost trust in the presidency. Nothing I can say has ever convinced someone to begin reading this series so I'll cap it by saying that you will enjoy it if you ever muster the energy to begin with The Path to Power, the first book in the series.
Movies
None. Despite watching many movies this year I didn't see anything really impressive.
Gear
iPad Air 6th Generation and Pencil Pro
I've largely moved away from paper for notetaking and begun using the Pencil with iPad Air. It contains all of my notebooks and reference material for my consulting work. I pair it with my mechanical keyboard when travelling for writing blogs and strategy documents. My only gripe is that I can't easily run Neovim with my full compliment of plugins on it (yet).
iPad Mini
I went full on Apple fanboy this year and also picked up an iPad Mini. This swaps with my large Air as a short notetaking device. What it's ideal for though is reading. The size makes it about the same as a paperback book and I find it very convenient on the go, while waiting during the day, or while on the go (especially in airplanes).
Duer Pants
I hate uncomfortable pants. I bought my first pair of Lululemon ABC (anti ball crushing) pants in 2019. I now refuse to wear pants that look ugly or are uncomfortable for me. Lulu's quality has unfortunately declined, a LOT since the pandemic. Their pants feel like parachute material now. I found Duer pants one day at REI. They have a heavy weight to them with thick fabric. They're extremely stretchy but don't look like it (ideal combo). I've had my first pair for about a year. It's still in good shape but one cuff is starting to frey a bit. The price tag is quite high but considering I've travelled extensively in them and typically wear them 2-3 times a week, I'm happy with the price point.
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