Grainfather - Lessons Learned

This post documents a couple problems I've had with the Grainfather. I also document my attempts to overcome those problems.

This post documents a couple problems I’ve had with the Grainfather. I also document my attempts to overcome those problems. To be clear, the Grainfather is a slick homebrewing appliance that automates away a lot of the mundane work of brewing. I absolutely recommend one if you have some extra cash burning a hole in your wallet. It does come with its own sets of quirks though and these two are the primary quirks causing me most grief.

Back to Homebrewing

I have rekindled my love for homebrewing. I'm once again back in a house with space and I have room for all the toys and necessary equipment.

I have rekindled my love for homebrewing. I’m once again back in a house with space and I have room for all the toys and necessary equipment. In my giddiness I couldn’t help myself and purchased all new brewing equipment. As is common with hobbies I went completely overboard and upon receiving this last month’s credit card bill I felt a tad guilty. However, after a brew day under my belt and my first keg of Founders Breakfast Stout clone kegged and carbonated, I feel vindicated in my irresponsible purchase decisions. This post will simply highlight the new brewing setup. As I learn more about the equipment I’ll go deeper into likes and dislikes.

I Aged Myself Out of Software Development

2021 will mark the year I aged myself out of software engineering roles. About a month ago, on a Sunday, during an on-call shift, I considered a priority I told myself was unacceptable: staying home during an on-call instead of taking my kids to their activities.

2021 will mark the year I aged myself out of software engineering roles. About a month ago, on a Sunday, during an on-call shift, I considered a priority I told myself was unacceptable: staying home during an on-call instead of taking my kids to their activities. Had I stayed home instead of taking my kids out, I would have sent my resignation letter the next day. I told myself I would. Instead, I took my kids to their activities. The experience, however, made it evident that I can no longer work as a software developer with an on-call rotation.

Weekend Ravioli

I recently became addicted to making ravioli. My kids love butternut squash and mushroom ravioli and campaign for both every week. It only recently occurred to me that making ravioli was straight forward and if you ignore most of the disciplines of baking it is similar to making bread. This is my weekend ravioli recipe. I call it my weekend ravioli recipe because it takes a bit of time to make and is a bit of a mess. That said you can get your kids involved and the process itself can be entertaining. This recipe makes about 60 ravioli. Whatever you don’t eat can be frozen for the following week. Do yourself a favor and get a bench knife for this. It makes cutting, moving, and shaping the ravioli a lot easier.

Passive Analytics Collection - Methods

This post is a continuation of my previous post introducing a strategy for passive UI metrics collection.

This post is a continuation of my previous post introducing a strategy for passive UI metrics collection. In that post, I highlighted why metrics collection is hard, how I see metrics collection commonly done in the wild, and outlined a strategy I think is superior from both a technical and business perspective. In this post I will demonstrate this strategy with a live demo and summarize the types of UI metrics commonly helpful when understanding how people use your software.

Our Daily Bread Recipe

My standard bread recipe is simple. It is simple because I make it during the week while juggling work, kids, and dinner. The primary requirement for this bread recipe is that the process is reproducible without maths.

My standard bread recipe is simple. It is simple because I make it during the week while juggling work, kids, and dinner. The primary requirement for this bread recipe is that the process is reproducible without maths. The second requirement is that the flour bill is flexible and the process constant. I want to swap any grain for any other without having to tweak hydration levels and the like. Meaning the hydration levels are high but not too high and specialty flours are low but not too low. Cynically, it is trying to be the crossover SUV of bread recipes. And here it is.

Passive Analytics Collection - A Strategy

I've come to learn that collecting application metrics is tricky to get right. Developer needs, product needs, design needs, and senior management needs differ. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to gathering and organizing those metrics.

I’ve come to learn that collecting application metrics is tricky to get right. Developer needs, product needs, design needs, and senior management needs differ. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to gathering and organizing those metrics. A consistent theme throughout my career has been that while we have the best intentions when collecting UI interaction data, we rarely provide the depth of data sufficient to answer critical business questions from product and design. Furthermore, without a generalized approach to metrics gathering, metrics tend be logged explicitely, in code, for every desired action/click/etc. This post explores a generalized strategy for collecting UI metrics that is both clean and comprehensive.

Standard Preferment

I've been experimenting with preferments lately using a poolish left to sit overnight and have determined that the quality of the bread, in nearly all aspects, is superior to the same bread made without one.

I’ve been experimenting with preferments lately using a poolish left to sit overnight and have determined that the quality of the bread, in nearly all aspects, is superior to the same bread made without one. Starting with the taste, it makes a much more complex flavor. I’m not sure how I would describe the taste difference, but it has a deeper taste than bread that hasn’t had time to develop. Working with the dough is also a lot easier. The dough is much stronger and the gluten structure feels more developed. Finally, the dough seems more predictable; my bulk fermentation times and oven rise have both been more predictable.

Basic Dill Pickles

My favourite purveyor of pickles closed up shop recently. Their product, while expensive, spoiled the very idea of store bought pickles for my family forever.

My favourite purveyor of pickles closed up shop recently. Their product, while expensive, spoiled the very idea of store bought pickles for my family forever. With their shop shuttered and my kids clammering for decent pickles, I was left to go it alone on a grand pickle excursion earlier this year. Turns out pickles are trivial to get right. Thanks to a short turnaround time it is also trivially simple and cost effective to experiment. There is no secret, no tricks, all that is needed are a combination of the right ingredients in the right amounts. Here is what I’ve found to be a popular dill recipe among my family.

Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal Loaf

I've spent years trying to make a decent oatmeal raisin loaf. I've finally succeeded and I couldn't be more pleased.

I’ve spent years trying to make a decent oatmeal raisin loaf. I’ve finally succeeded and I couldn’t be more pleased. This loaf is quite sweet and best for breakfast with jam or butter. I haven’t yet tried french toast with it yet but I imagine it would work well. For this loaf be sure to pay attention to process and refrain from hastening rise times. Soaking the oats and raisins in water is critical to creating the correct texture and ensuring nothing dries out or burns near the surface.