What I'm up to - March 2025 - Philip I. Thomas

Here's my monthly newsletter about what I'm up to, which I send in place of social media.

What I did in February

I published "Why Ruby on Rails still matters", and it went a little viral and was read by 36k people. (Ruby Weekly said: "This post doesn’t say a lot[.]") "A mini data center" also became popular and was read by about 10k people. Finally, I published "What worked for finding a software engineering job" and it was read by 162 people.
Been working hard at Chroma. Some of my work gets to be open-source, which is fun: I added OpenAPI support to Chroma's new Rust server, and even got a small PR merged into Next.js.
I spotted a Martin Mars flying boat in WWII livery flying over the Golden Gate Bridge I learned later it was its last flight.
I got an e-bike when I moved to SF, and I've had a lot of exploring the city on it.
Currently watching the new season of Drive to Survive

Articles: How Ozempic is changing the food industry. "Uber with guns" is so American, but also might finally get Manhattan residents to visit Williamsburg. "A strong relationship can increase your likelihood of happiness by 5x, more than wealth and career success combined." How to Be an American Carpenter in Japan. "In an Age of Right-Wing Populism, Why Are Denmark’s Liberals Winning?" -> I think this article foreshadows the near future of US politics.
Books: Standart: 10 years in Coffee is a beautiful book and fun read.
Coffee: Been drinking some coffee from my favorite farm, Finca Deborah, roasted by Rosso. I'm amused to see my favorite restaurant launch Noma Kaffe - an in-house coffee brand. They've always worked with the legendary Tim Wendelboe, so I am skeptical about the project. But, I ordered some and will report back. Coffee Movement has become my favorite cafe in SF.
Tools: "Why This Cult ‘$40 Pencil’ Almost Went Extinct" had me almost buying pencils.