Roundup: programmer distractions, style arguments, go-pry, programmer falsehoods, and Citymapper

How to Destroy Programmer Productivity - Richard S

https://georgestocker.com/2014/04/15/how-to-destroy-programmer-productivity/

The article is a couple of years old but these distractions haven’t diminished since the article was written. As someone who is very easily distracted, this resonates.

Why we argue style - Elena T

https://www.sandimetz.com/blog/2017/6/1/why-we-argue-style

Sandi Metz quotes Tolstoy in this article to point out how we make ourselves miserable by not agreeing on a general style guide: "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."

go-pry - Charlie

https://github.com/d4l3k/go-pry

Very occasionally I find the time to work on a some tiny Go side projects and I've found myself sometimes reaching for something like Ruby's pry in Go. I haven't tried this but it looks like the real deal.

Databases vs. reality - Murray S

https://gojko.net/2017/05/24/names-make-computers-go-crazy.html

There's plenty of material out there listing the falsehoods that programmers believe (here's a handy curated list of them if you haven't seen any before). Mostly though these are list of things we've got wrong without any context. This article provides a handful of examples of people with names that didn't fit into database schemas and also explains the effects these problems had on their lives. I think it really brings the problems with our false beliefs into sharp focus to have these real world examples. It's sobering to think that something as seemingly simple as the char limit we put on a database field having such complex repercussions.

Citymapper's new nightbuses - Elena T

https://medium.com/@Citymapper/cm2-night-rider-our-first-commercial-bus-route-d9d7918be899

Through analysis of their traffic data, city mapper has found gaps in public transportation for London. It's now launching its first commercial night bus to fill one of these gaps. The article goes on to explain how they picked the route.

Track of the Week - Tim H

Graham Parker and The Rumour - Hey Lord Don't Ask ME Questions

Originally released in 1976 before most Unboxeders were born, this track has the feel of the late 70s and my early teenage years.