PhilipMat

TIL: Getting VS Code running on (fresh) Linux Mint v22.3

On fresh Linux Mint 22.3, VS Code login fails due to missing libsecret/gnome-keyring; install libsecret packages and create/unlock the 'Login' keyring (restart gnome-keyring or the system if needed)..

TIL: Setting up Claude Code with Azure Foundry models

Store Azure Foundry keys and model names for Claude Code in ~/.claude/settings.json instead of environment variables; copy the Foundry base URL and set exact model names to avoid mismatches..

TIL: Pairing a Logitech K380 keyboard on Linux Mint

Pair a Logitech K380 on Linux Mint by using ValeriaRoyal's script or bluetoothctl — scan for the input-keyboard MAC, trust/pair it, and enter the displayed passkey..

"The machine didn't take your craft. You gave it up." -- David Abram

David Abram argues LLMs shift where problems are solved—typing code is incidental; the real value remains system understanding, judgment, and choosing what should exist..

Removing the menu icons in macOS Tahoe

Run defaults write -g NSMenuEnableActionImages -bool NO and restart to hide most macOS menu icons; some apps (e.g. Finder, Firefox) keep icons and iTerm2 may not yet respect it..

Two macOS tools for sandboxing agents

A brief comparison of two macOS-focused agent sandboxing tools—Agent Safehouse (bash-based) and Nono (Rust, brew-installable, cross-platform)—and pointers to VM/container alternatives..

TIL: Essential Claude Code Skills and Commands

A concise guide to Claude Code’s slash commands vs. skills, and practical uses for built-ins like /simplify, /review, /batch, /loop, /debug, plus handy slash commands such as /compact and /diff..

TIL: Single-executable local LLM

llamafile packages open LLMs into a single self-contained executable that runs locally across architectures and OSes, embedding model weights for easy distribution..

TIL: lnav - a fast log viewer with remote capabilities

lnav is a terminal log viewer that merges, tails, searches, and queries logs with automatic format detection and high performance—no server or setup required..

TIL: PR (anti-) patterns in the world of agentic AI

Don’t dump unreviewed agent-generated code in PRs—ensure it works, keep changes small, add context, and include testing evidence so reviewers’ time isn’t wasted..

How long will my Mac’s SSD last? About 3000 erase-write cycles

Modern Mac SSDs typically endure about 3,000 erase-write cycles; monitor total data written with iostat or smartctl, keep 10–25% free, and avoid VM swap to extend lifespan..

TIL: LLM Pricing Calculator

Estimate LLM costs by entering input, cached, and output token counts and per‑million rates; includes model price comparisons and a GitHub source link..

TIL: How to Audit a Rails Codebase: Legacy App Playbook

A week-one playbook for auditing legacy Rails apps: interview stakeholders, inspect Gemfile/schema/routes, run security scans first, use SimpleCov zero-coverage as a fear map, and deliver a one-page t.

TIL: Jetbrains DataGrip -- Automatically start VPN connection

Learn how to automate VPN connections in DataGrip for Azure-hosted databases on macOS..

TIL: VCR.py -- records and replays HTTP calls for testing

Discover how VCR.py can simplify and speed up your HTTP testing by recording and replaying HTTP interactions..

Automating TIL Posts from GitHub Issues

A GitHub Actions workflow that turns a GitHub issue into a TIL blog post using an LLM to fetch, summarize, and tag the content..

TIL: Building a self-updating profile README for GitHub

Learn how to create a self-updating GitHub profile README using GitHub Actions and a Python script..

Connect From PyODBC to SQL Server in DataBricks Cluster

Cached Claims when Using Windows Authentication in ASP.NET Core

Replicating macOS's say command in Windows

Enumerating Directly to a FileResult

Two Approaches to Searching Users in Active Directory

Loading Claims when Using Windows Authentication in ASP.NET Core 2.x

Thirty_minutes_before_coding

Script of things I found useful to do before I start writing any code at all..

Converting to Base64 in Powershell

Versioning Assemblies with Cake and Git

Touch Command in PowerShell

Replicating the Unix `touch` command in PowerShell.

See Unread Emails in iOS Mail App

How to make available a special folder that dynamically shows unread emails.

PUT and DELETE with HTML Forms in ExpressJS

Making PUT and DELETE work with ExpressJS when submitting from HTML pages..

django-permissivecsrf

More lenient CSRF check for Django when posting from an HTTP page to an HTTPS one..

Miniature Minifier Makefile

Kendo Grid Select Editor

Templates for GoodNotes

Templates for GoodNotes and other notes applications.

Asymmetric Sparkbars

A quick way to create asymmetric sparkbars..

Json.NET and NHibernate Serialization Blues

Keep Json.NET from going too deep on NHibernate proxies.

JSON Entity Converter

Setting up FxCop under CruiseControl.NET

New (Old) Web App Architecture

An new approach to building web apps that has been around for quite some times..

.Net Interfaces Are Not Classes

A brief look at .Net instance and class inheritance through the lens of DataBinding..

Three Ways To Indent JSON

.Net DI Container Speed Redux

.Net DI Container Speed Test

A comparison of performance in object retrieval of six .Net Dependency Injection containers.

Quickly Move Messages In Mail.app

Two Significant New Features In Lion

Word Count Service For OS X

ipy - Completion For Python Interactive

Enabling completion for Python in interactive mode..

Jekyll vs. Hyde - A Comparison Of Two Static Site Generators

A comparison of Jekyll and Hyde when considering a static website generator..