Xecast Episode 3: The curse of the artist
Published on , 514 words, 2 minutes to read
Xe returns while on vacation where they built a new PC, made a SaaS to check web server headers, and re-evaluated how they think about complexity.
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These show notes were generated using Google Gemini 1.5 Pro. Should this podcast take off, we'll find a better way to do this.
Xe returns while on vacation where they built a new PC, made a SaaS to check web server headers, and re-evaluated how they think about complexity.
Show Notes
- Vacation: Xe discusses how they took a staycation instead of attending a conference, spending time not working and building a new PC.
- Their new PC boasts DDR5 RAM, a Ryzen 9 7950X3D processor, 64GB of RAM, and a beautiful Fractal North case.
hdrwtch: A SaaS Xe built during their time off that lets users monitor web server headers via Telegram DMs.hdrwtchwas built using Go, HTMX, and a SQLite database compiled to WebAssembly.- Xe hasn't implemented paid tiers yet, as there's little demand for monitoring more than 50 server headers at a time.
- Xe plans to add support for expr to allow querying arbitrary headers.
- https://hdrwtch.xeserv.us/
- Homelab: A patron asked Xe about their thoughts on their Kubernetes homelab setup, leading them to realize how it simplified their life.
- In pursuing a more exciting homelab, Xe made it incredibly boring by automating everything, but they appreciate how effortless it has become.
- This experience shifted their view on complexity in site reliability engineering.
- Complexity: A Hacker News commenter inspired Xe to re-evaluate how they view complexity in software engineering.
- The comment argued that the real conflict in SRE isn't simple vs. complex, but unique vs. standard.
- Standard approaches, like Kubernetes, may be more complex to implement initially, but they lead to shared knowledge and transferable skills, ultimately simplifying operations.
- Xe realized that their preference for "simple" solutions often resulted in unique snowflake systems that were harder to maintain in the long run.
- Xe recounted their experience at Heroku, where internal components were deployed using the same standardized process as customer apps, leading to deep platform expertise and efficient support.
- The Curse of the Artist: Xe discusses the challenges of creative work, even after developing significant skill.
- They outline their creative process, which relies heavily on inspiration and "festering" ideas until they demand to be written.
- Xe emphasizes the importance of writing down ideas as they come, even if they seem trivial, to combat inconsistency in output.
- They acknowledge the never-ending cycle of improvement and self-criticism that comes with creative work, dubbing it "The Curse of the Artist."
- Xe encourages creatives to embrace the cringeworthy nature of their early work as proof of their progress and to resist deleting it.
- Tips for Writing: Xe offers advice for aspiring writers:
- Answer three questions: "What is there?" "Why should I care?" and "How did you get there?"
- Focus on the "Why": Integrating the topic into a broader context makes it more engaging and memorable.
- Embrace the Process: Writing will feel frustrating at first, but the cringe is a sign of growth.
- Publish and Preserve: Don't be afraid to share your work, even if it's imperfect, and resist the urge to delete it later.
Facts and circumstances may have changed since publication. Please contact me before jumping to conclusions if something seems wrong or unclear.
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