If you had asked me for my opinion on GraphQL in 2019, I would have told you it was the future of working with data. Like many developers, I got caught up in the hype and believed that GraphQL would kill REST and other forms of data endpoint representation. Fast-forwarding to 2022, my opinion has changed on GraphQL. REST is still very much alive and the preferred approach for API design.
After two years of pandemic restrictions and mandates, things finally started opening up in late 2021. By early 2022, most countries with the most aggressive restrictions started to ease things. It felt like we were returning to normality, and there was hope. Some companies allowed their employees to take a hybrid approach of a few days in the office and at home. Then some companies started forcing employees back into the office. And some companies threatened their employees to return.
First, let me preface this with the fact that I am not an economist. I am an avid armchair researcher who delves into topics like monetary policy and other facets of life that may affect or interest me. Around the world, central banks are hiking interest rates. The United States recently saw interest rates increase by .75 basis points. Canada, Australia and New Zealand saw .50 basis point increases. With more increases planned for most countries, things will get worse before they get better.
Update: September 2025 I’m still a member of The Whisky Club and it continues to be excellent. The curation is strong, the monthly bottles regularly introduce interesting and well-priced releases, and the community and member events add real value. I still use it to discover new favourites and to buy standout gifts. The Challenge of Choosing Whisky Unbeknownst to some, I’m an avid brewer and whisky enthusiast in addition to working in programming and music. Finding the right whisky can be a challenge. The world of whisky is intricate and exciting, and it can be intimidating for newcomers.
The buzzword of 2021 was unmistakenly Web 3.0. Facebook, Instagram, Medium, TikTok, Twitter: Web 3.0 dominated the discourse. Investment funds were flocking to invest in any company loosely affiliated with the hottest new trend on the web. Depending on who you spoke to or what you read, Web 3 would kill Facebook, Twitter and every other popular website and application. In its place, Web 3 decentralised alternatives would take their place.
After raising a $4,900,000 seed investment back in March 2021, Deno has just announced quite a substantial round of Series A investment of $21 million. The funding round led by Sequoia brings its total investment to $26 million to date. Deno will mainly use the cash to build their commercial offering Deno Deploy. Admittedly, I shamefully wrote Deno Deploy off as a Deno-specific Heroku. Still, after the announcement, I looked deeper at Deno Deploy, and it’s so much more than that. While the name might sound like a continuous integration tool, it’s a Runtime As A Service (RaaS) platform allowing you to run scalable code.
As much as I love WordPress, there are some fundamental flaws in how it works. For the average user, WordPress out-of-the-box will do everything you want and can be run on affordable hardware. For the project I have been working on, scaling considerations have reached a code level. I needed to speed up some WordPress REST API endpoints in my use case. Between the core heft, plugin weight and size of the database causing some queries to be slower than your average site, I had to look for a solution that functioned like a cache.
Over one month ago, the DJI Mini 3 Pro drone was launched. Those who got on the order bandwagon right away, fortunately, got their units without delay (like I did). However, one thing that DJI has botched about the launch is the availability of accessories. Most notably, the Fly More and Fly More Plus kits. The Fly More Plus kit features the extended-range batteries that many who plan on using the Mini 3 Pro for photography or travel purposes want.
Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are no stranger to meteoric price drops. In the blink of an eye, a coin can increase hundreds of percent and plummet to near zero. Cryptocurrency is an emotional and monetary rollercoaster. Coinbase has just announced it is laying off 18% of its workforce immediately. Although, it is apparent Coinbase executives didn’t seem to have as high hopes as the wider crypto community, selling off $1.2 billion in shares since it was listed.
After seeing the Flipper Zero was finally shipping, I tried to get one. Unfortunately, in Australia, getting the Flipper Zero officially was impossible. There seems to be a lot of demand for this little gadget. Fortunately, there were a few on eBay. The original Kickstarter campaign is here if you want to read about it. As you can see, it was behind schedule, missing its delivery deadline by about a year. But, to the credit of the team, they delivered on every single promise (which is rare).