Despite their best efforts, all weather apps will eventually lie. Weather is often hyper-local. For example, trying to suss out the
temperature this morning: So, in 2013, I set up a Davis Vantage Vue integrated sensor suite
(ISS) and mounted it on a pole attached to my garage. Actual temperature (in my backyard): 47°F
(8°C) In 2013, the DIY weather station route wasn’t for me. A DIY station was: So, over time, I cobbled together an off-the-shelf solution: WeeWX is free
and open-source weather station software written in Python. And it’s
the heart of my system. It has out-of-the-box support for everything I want: Raspberry Pi In 2023, using a Raspberry Pi is a mistake. Any of the cheapo x86 mini-pcs that retail for about $150 would be a
nicer option than a Raspberry Pi. Running WeeWX on a Raspberry Pi has some problems (all of which are
well-document on their wiki): Davis Vantage Vue I’m unreasonably angry about Davis forcing me to buy a USB
data logger. Why is there no USB-out in the $275 console? It feels like punishment
for eschewing open-source hardware. Maybe something like the Meteostick
would obviate the need for the console+data logger combo, but I’ve never
tried it. But the integrated sensor suite has been great: the only maintenance
I do is swapping out the CR123A battery every few years (it’s mostly
solar powered). Now that I own my own weather data: I spew it all over the place. I publish data to: There are weather widgets all over my house: And if eink weather displays in the bathroom are unappealing to you,
I just don’t understand what you’re doing here. To see posts by date, check out the archives
App
Temperature
Accuweather
41°F (5°C)
Carrot
36°F (2°C)
Ventusky
22°F (-5°C)
Garmin Running watch
48°F (8.8°C)
Weather station hardware 🖥️
Weather station software 🌐
Frustrations 🤬
![XKCD 2737 by Randall Monroe (Licensed: (CC-by-NC 2.5)[https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/])](https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/weather_station.png "'Pour one out for precipitation data integrity,' I say, solemnly upending the glass into the rain gauge.")
Weather data everywhere 🚀
To see posts by date, check out the archives
The best part of reading is forgetting.
This is why I struggle with book reviews—it’s hard to know how valuable a book is until later. But sometimes you find yourself declaiming a book’s key point long after you’ve forgotten most of it.
That’s when you know a book is worthwhile.
Here are some books I’ve forgotten most of, mostly from memory:
The Death and Life of Great American Cities
This book explains the life you can feel in some neighborhoods. And the complete sterility of others.
🌠 What I remember: The normalcy of strangers makes a neighborhood safer.
Mixing offices, shops, restaurants, and family housing in a single neighborhood creates a diversity of use, making the place lively. And there will always be eyes on the street, day or night.
Neighborhoods feel sterile when strangers seem out of place. When a stranger is a common sight: you’ve found a community.
Metadata
- Title: The Death and Life of Great American Cities
- Author: Jane Jacobs
- Worldcat
- Open Library
- Bookshop
- Bookwyrm
How to Read a Book
I read every day.
But much of what I read is garbage—pulp sci-fi or book-of-the-month junk I’ll have forgotten I read by year’s end.
🌠 What I remember: There are different levels of reading. And each book demands its own style of reading.
tl;dr: spend less effort (and feel less guilty) reading Malcolm Gladwell vs. Darwin.
Metadata
- Title: How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading
- Author: Mortimer J Adler and Charles Van Doren
- Worldcat
- Open Library
- Bookshop
- Bookwyrm
The Manager’s Path
Almost every page in my dog-eared copy of “The Manager’s Path” is underlined, scribbled in, or marked up.
🌠 What I remember:
- Management is a different skillset vs. development
- Deliver feedback quickly (especially if it’s negative)
- Using manager powers to override technical decisions is a bad idea
- Never surprise your direct reports
Metadata
- Title: The Manager’s Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change
- Author: Camille Fournier
- Worldcat
- Open Library
- Bookshop
- Bookwyrm
The E-Myth Revisited
Few people win medals in the final round of the biggest homebrewing competition on the planet. I’ve won two.
In college, I was certain I’d open a brewery. Then, in senior year, I read “The E-Myth Revisited” and changed my mind.
🌠 What I remember: the technical work of a business has little to do with running the business.
I have zero interest in the operations of a brewery—I’m just a guy who likes beer. Why ruin that by making it my job?
Metadata
- Title: The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It
- Author: Michael Gerber
- Worldcat
- Open Library
- Bookshop
- Bookwyrm
Storytelling with Data
Once you know how to make a good graph, you’ll see bad graphs everywhere.
🌠 What I remember:
- Pie charts are tricky for most people to read (see also Stephen Few’s “Save the Pies for Dessert”)
- Sometimes the best data representation is a table
- Only use colors in a graph if they mean something
My personal pet peve: the default Google Sheets chart colors
(*shudder*)
Metadata
- Title: Storytelling with Data
- Author: Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic
- Worldcat
- Open Library
- Bookshop
- Bookwyrm
The Elements of Style
🌠 What I remember: omit needless words.
But really—how necessary is “needless” in that dictum?
Metadata
- Title: The Elements of Style
- Author: William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White
- Worldcat
- Open Library
- Bookshop
- Bookwyrm