2020-03-31

Malleable Systems Collective

Malleable Software is software that adheres to these principles, according to the Malleable Systems Collective:

  1. Software must be as easy to change as it is to use it
  2. All layers, from the user interface through functionality to the data within, must support arbitrary recombination and reuse in new environments
  3. Tools should strive to be easy to begin working with but still have lots of open-ended potential
  4. People of all experience levels must be able to retain ownership and control
  5. Recombined workflows and experiences must be freely sharable with others
  6. Modifying a system should happen in the context of use, rather than through some separate development toolchain and skill set
  7. Computing should be a thoughtfully crafted, fun, and empowering experience

Their site lists a collection of software that offers some of these aspects.

Khan Academy’s huge traffic spike and a request for donations

This past weekend, Sal Khan posted a video which then made it onto Reddit about the huge surge in traffic we’ve seen at Khan Academy. I was really thankful to see the huge outpouring of support in the Reddit thread and also on Hacker News.

Cognitive Biases in Software Development

Stanislav Myachenkov wrote a fun read that covers how we fall prey to cognitive biases every day as we build software.

No-sew pleated face masks

Just a handkerchief and hair tie for COVID-19 protection.