I write code for Humans & text for Robots
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We live in a time of abundance. There are so many free, open-source, and battle-tested tools that can be used to build large-scale projects. But with great choice comes great responsibility.
A few months after I started this blog, I experienced an influx of traffic like never before. I wrote an article that went "viral" on both Hacker News and Reddit.
When I built shotsrv, my solo project for taking screenshots of URLs, I didn’t think much about system design. I spun up a single server, installed PhantomJS, and called it a day. If the server crashed, I’d restart it. If traffic spiked, I’d cross my fingers and hope for the best.
A coworker of mine once mysteriously vanished from work for two days. When he returned he tried to explain how he had this stomach bug. But then we saw the device he was holding in his hand. He sheepishly admitted he was camping outside an AT&T store to snag the new iPhone 4. He even turned down thousands of dollars offered for his spot. We marveled at his shiny gadget… until it started dropping calls. To hold a conversation, he had to grip the phone with both hands, pressing it awkwardly against his ear. We laughed. “You paid for this?”
When I built shotsrv, my solo project for taking screenshots of URLs, I didn’t start with a requirements document. I didn’t even start with a plan. I just opened my editor, installed PhantomJS, and started coding. If I hit a snag—like realizing PhantomJS didn’t support modern JavaScript—I’d Google a workaround or switch to Puppeteer. There were no deadlines, no budgets, and no one to answer to.
Once, I inherited an application so offensive, it felt like a personal insult. It wasn’t just bad code, it was a decade of bad decisions stacked like a Jenga tower. My task was to address a complaint by the internal users on a report that was generated. I looked in the company's git repository for the tool, but it was nowhere to be found. Only after digging through the server it ran on, I found that it was using Concurrent Versioning System or CSV, a version control system older than some interns.
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It was 7am when my phone rang. Instead of an alarm, it was my recruiter disturbing me from a pleasant dream. It was too early for a phone call or to be caught off guard, so I did not answer. I went to take a shower and get ready for the day. On my way to work, I listened to the voice mail she had left.
As a Linux user, I can't help but spend most of my time on the command line. Not that the GUI is not efficient, but there are things that are simply faster to do with the keyboard.
Not too long ago, I made a living working as a contractor where I would hop from project to project. Some were short term where I would work for a week and quickly deliver my service. Others lasted a couple months where I would make enough money to take some time off. I preferred the short ones because they allowed me to charge a much higher rate for a quick job. Not only I felt like my own boss, but I also felt like I didn't have to work too hard to make a decent living. My highest rates were still reasonable, and I always delivered high quality service. That was until I landed a gig with a large company.
a book by Ibrahim Diallo
After the explosive reception of my story, The Machine Fired Me, I set out to write a book to tell the before and after.
I started as a minimum wage laborer in Los Angeles and I set out to reach the top of the echelon in Silicon Valley. Every time I made a step forward, I was greeted with the harsh changing reality of the modern work space.
Getting fired is no longer reserved to those who mess up. Instead, it's a popular company strategy to decrease expenses and increase productivity.
Every little corner has a story. Sometimes a camera tells the story and a picture is worth a thousand words.
There are professional photographers and then there is me who happens to have a camera on my phone. Here's to what came out.
