I make software for fine astronomy facilities like @VRubinObs and @astropy. PhD in astrophysics. Available for freelance as J.Sick Codes.

Ontario, Canada
Joined July 2011
For the first time in years, my team at @VRubinObs has an opening for a #DevOps engineer! Apply if you ✅ want to work in a modern and evolving tech stack ✅want to code for SCIENCE ✅ want to work with an awesome team. recruiting2.ultipro.com/SPA1…
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Between going 100% indie with my software company, my MacBook Pro 2019’s fan’s screaming incessantly, and Apple dropping the M2 Mac Studio, it looks like I’m in the computer market again. Oh, and Chris Lawley says they fixed the fan noise. The ... jonathansick.blog/2023/06/12…
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I have visions of coding and taking Zoom calls from the lakeside. Sign me up!
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Did anyone else get the Ulysses app newsletter on May 31st? I hope it’s a prank because yuck! gross! In the meantime, I’ve pulled my App Store renewal for it. If you care, maybe let your friends know about this too. cdn.uploads.micro.blog/907/2… ulysses.app
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I’m writing a technical note with GitHub Copilot enabled for the first time and it’ll suggest a fact about something and I’m like “wait, is that true?” It’s a fascinating interaction. Like pair coding with a teammate that seems confident but you don’t 100% trust yet.
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Thank goodness for Fernando Alonso who might just distract the Formula 1 2023 season from the monotony of another Verstappen / Red Bull sweep.
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GitHub is killing it with the new new code view and search. The confluence of GitHub and VS Code is amazing. Colour me surprised, but Microsoft buying GitHub was such a good thing. docs.github.com/en/repositor…
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I finally used Python’s Walrus := operator to clean up a hacky situation. Maybe I could be more proactively finding uses, but it was fun to have an obvious one appear finally!
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I created a widget with Up Ahead for the latest Rubin Observatory milestones. It’s happening folks!
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I just got into the beta for Reader by the Readwise folks and just a few minutes in I’m already astounded. It’s your read-later, but also your web research notebook, and your RSS feed and newsletter inbox. I also hear they’re thinking about a YouTube ... jonathansick.blog/2022/12/13…
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The timeline isn’t settled. The @-mention isn’t settled. Nothing is settled. It’s 2003 again! Robin Sloan’s A Year of New Avenues speaks to the renewed excitement I have about the web, and working on the web. robinsloan.com/lab/new-avenu…
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Inspired by @rosemaryorchard and @heyscottyj on Unnested Folders #90, I figured out how to create a “Personal Automation” in the Shortcuts app that starts playing Apple’s Indie Christmas playlist once I tap my alarm off. Delightful for the winter blahs! nestedfolderspodcast.com/pod…
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I’m kind of surprised about Amazon Prime’s redesign with black on blue. I’m sure they ran a contrast checker but I feel a white on blue is the friendlier and clearer choice. Even iOS’s notifications automatically choose white text for the brand of blue!
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Finished reading: The Golden Enclaves: A Novel (The Scholomance Book 3) by Naomi Novik 📚 We really enjoyed the series, and I loved how the third book veered into an allegory for human suffering inflicted by the greed and environmental destruction of ... jonathansick.blog/2022/12/05…
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Via Mac Power Users #668 I found out you can follow YouTube channels in most RSS services. I’ve always wanted a distraction-free way to follow channels and sort them into categories and I think this is it. relay.fm/mpu/668
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So why do my colleagues often pray whenever I answer their question on Slack? 🙏
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People who write extensively about note-writing rarely have a serious context of use — Andy Matuschak via Maggie Appleton. 💬 i.e. what works for productivity writers probably needs to be re-engineered for a software developer or woodworker. notes.andymatuschak.org/zUMF…
On the PKM beat, it seems like Apple Books in iOS 16 doesn’t permit exporting a book’s notes and highlights anymore (you can only share one highlight/note at a time). And on top of that, the delightful page turn effect is gone. Time to go to Kindle? 🤷‍♂️
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This new Interactive guide to flexbox by Josh Comeau is so good. Hopefully it’ll click in my head now… I’ve been using flexbox for years and I still look up CSS Tricks' guide every time. joshwcomeau.com/css/interact…