Friday, July 31, 2015

My first big lesson in Labeling Git Commits improperly

I just want to document,

as someone who's in their first years of programming, I feel like this is a mistake I've been anticipating.

Everyone always says to be diligent with your github commits and messaging.

So, I'm working on a project where I am the main programmer. Meaning, I'm the only programmer. 

I've got a git repo, and i have make a commit each time i realize it's been a while since I made a commit, and since this project is a total mess of learning, 
all my commits are completely multi thought, and all of them are titled "wip"

and now i've hit a bug, something that used to work, no longer does, and I can't think of why. and as i comb through my git commits, make a new branch, roll back and don't keep the changes, i can see, that just two weeks ago, the code that now doesn't work, did.

but shit if i know what I changed in a specific way. I mean, i know i did a lot of stuff under the hood to the model objects. and yeah, probably that should have been a commit that is not coupled with all the work i did on the filtering arrays with NSPredicates... 
and i think to myself, if i had just been running simple tests, i might have caught this... but now..
now it's time to unravel.
and it's just a concrete understanding of the ideas of being diligent about your commits... i wonder if it will actually change my behaviour.
 

Friday, September 13, 2013

updates

hello all,

bike tour has been lovely. Indiana is flat and filled with corn. Rails to trails made riding smooth and tree lined. A very pleasant beginning, get those bike muscles into gear, get into our rhythm.

Riding buddies Darren and Caleb are a treat. Darren's always putting spice into our meals, and being a machine driven by peanut butter and summer sausage, he is constantly reminding us to eat, lots.

Caleb questions everything, Everything! Any predictive statement is met with, "well you never know". It's true Caleb, I don't know whether or not it will rain right now or if those clouds will roll on by, i'm just conjecturing out of my ass. Thank you for pointing it out. Despite his Kierkegaardian despair, he is a constant smile and has the most creative dreams which he loves to tell us about in the morning. Kittens coming out of rolled back grass, black ones in fact. <3

Kentucky is filled with rolling hills and galloping horses, it's just like a post card. We take back roads that ride along the ridges, contemplate climbing cell phone towers and view barns drying tobacco that looks like yellowed hides.

We'll be in nashville in 4 - 5 days depending on how hard we ride and what direction the wind blows. then it's onto the natchez trail. so exciting.

Pictures!!!!
















Friday, June 21, 2013

collectively taking a leap

how do we all know when to jump together? how do we not get so into the momentum that we trample like a stamped anyone who might not be ready?

jumping, a big jump, together, is a messy affair.

i'd like to think that i'm somehow collectively building a bridge, so the leap isn't so hard,

i imagine a herd of buffalo on the side of a crevasse, being urged to leap. if there were a fire or predator, they would leap. but would they get it, if it was only the promise of better land and a happier life, just beyond the ridge? good thing i'm trying to herd smart capable people and not buffalo.

and the promise of the better land, is it just a feeling i've got? i feel as if i've never been more sure about something, except maybe, i was pretty sure about buying the house in portland. I'm pretty sure about bike culture in the US. I feel positive that bike farm should take this leap. I am positive that this space is a good deal.

but i guess the thing i'm worried about is how hard this is going to be, who we might loose, and how long until it starts to feel really good. The house took four years to start to make sense and not be one of the biggest stresses in my life. Looking back at it now, i feel like sure, it was a good decision. i remember saying three years ago that i just wanted to walk away.

anyhow, i've gone over the minutia of details, the spread sheets, and the step by step check list.

it's time to just push forward and leap.







Friday, May 3, 2013

journal april

sometimes i want to go back to a life of having plenty of time and no money.

after rails i suppose

but can i live like i have plenty of time? when in fact i have a job? when i had plenty of time and no money, i would...

after europe right?

yeah, a bit before, really, it was on the road to bradock that i started becoming obsessed with the idea of spending nothing, cause i realized i could,

i had started it really as soon as i stopped working for core, the experiment...

I read through that journal and a few more, I should pack, i've got three hours till dinner.


today was really beautiful, riding in the car, 
the leaves all changing colour, i feel nostalgic and sad thinking about it, i still remember crying into my pillow,

i want wine and to be drunk and writing, i will be home soon, i can not believe that i will be home soon and i will not have to do anything, i will be free.

simple life, life of no money, bike tour life, 
what stops me in portland?

alcohol and breakfast and friendships, 
but i can take a break from drinking, i can become a health nut, 
and i wouldn't stop myself from taking sailing lessons, and learning to program

i guess i'm just really trying to drill in the idea of not drinking as much.

it's neary time for bed, time for flosing for sure


i dream of a world

that has a tool library at every 3 mile block, there would be 20 or so in portland alone. shacks, with basic tools and for purchase, nails, or sand paper, and other consumables. 
if there was space, they'd have other capital collectives as well, things like bike collectives, and car collectives, centers/hubs where people congregate to do stuff, to fix things, to build.  

my questions; would these be government facilities? it'd be great for them to be open all the time, but unlikely, 
unless we could come up with a system, that made it so easy, and simple, safe, enjoyable to volunteer.  average joe should be able to check tools out to people, and accept money, of 

once they are built, how do we keep them from becoming stagenet? out dated, unused like our current library system.  

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

how to start a bike collective


This is from my talk in Oaxaca Mexico about how to start a bike collective:

Hello,
My name is Momoko Saunders.  I live in portland OR and 5 years ago, a group of friends and I started the bike farm. We were just a bunch of idealist mid 20 year olds, realizing there was a need in our city for a bicycle collective. A bicycle collective is a place where you can learn to fix your bike.  

The idea was not new, San Francisco and LA had the bike kitchens and bikerowave, Seattle had the bikery. These bike collectives where in every major cycling city, it only made sense that portland should have one too. So we gathered up a list of interested friends, and we stared to have meetings to talk about how we were going to make one of these in our city. The process was quick. We divvied up responsibilities, some people made a tool list, of all the tools we'd need to run the shop, and other contacted bands they knew and asked if they'd put on benefit shows so we could fund raise. Another group of people set about writing letters to all the bike shops in town, asking for donations of tools or used parts. In a month, we had 3 parties, and raised about $1000. We had about 5 donated bikes, a bucket or two of used parts, and permission to use a friends garage for our shop. We had a work party, painted the walls fresh, and put up our tools. We had our first official meeting on September 7th and by December 1st, we were open and helping people fix their bikes.  

Our beginnings were slow, we helped maybe 20 people in the first month and made all of $97. But every month was better, and now we've been running for 5 years and thousands of people have fixed their bike in our shop.

I tell you this not because I think this is some recipe for creating a collective, but rather to inspire the idea in you that anyone can. I want you to understand that the hardest part about building a collective is showing up. But the reality is, if you show up, and you have tools, you can help people get on bikes. And it's not just helping them fix a flat, it's empowering them, it's saving them money, it's helping your city with it's pollution or crowded streets. It's doing your part to make the world a better place.