iDiallo

I write code for Humans & text for Robots

Ibrahim Diallo

Are you Human?

Latest Blog Posts

The most interesting Articles

How Long Do You Think It Will Take?

How Long Do You Think It Will Take?

When a customer finishes pitching the website or service they want you to build, the inevitable question follows: How long do you think it will take?

Automated Agents: A Book About Building Chatbots

Automated Agents: A Book About Building Chatbots

When I joined a tiny startup with big ambitions, I had no idea we’d be building an eCommerce chatbot from scratch. It was my first real-world dive into AI, and I was starting with zero experience beyond a few online courses. As the first engineer on the team and the third employee overall, I had a simple goal: figure it out and make it work.

Functions over comments

Functions over comments

Code reads different than human languages. When we don't understand what the code is doing, we write comments in our code in the form of human languages. But the language we speak and write every day can be bloated or ambiguous. The human brain is just really good at extracting context. When you are trying to understand what a snippet of code does, a story is rarely the best method. However, if the confusing code is wrapped in properly named functions, half of our questions are already answered.

Download a file from the command line in Windows

Download a file from the command line in Windows

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.

100 o'clock

100 o'clock

What if a day was a hundred hours? I often played this scenario in my head and thought it shouldn't be too hard to simulate. But when I finally got to it, I found that a lot of things with time are just arbitrary. There isn't a fundamental constant that defines time as we currently know it. We just had to agree on some values to get the math going.

A dating app that can teach you how to date

A dating app that can teach you how to date

I stumbled upon this dating app with a fresh twist – no profile pictures. I can appreciate the effort to shift the focus away from superficial looks and promote meaningful connections through words. But I couldn't help but feel that it misses the mark when it comes to addressing the real issues in the world of dating apps.

Most Popular

The most read articles

The Machine Fired Me

The Machine Fired Me

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.

Download a file from the command line in Windows

Download a file from the command line in Windows

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.

I charged $18,000 for a Static HTML Page

I charged $18,000 for a Static HTML Page

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.

Just Fired

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.

As seen on

news outlet
news outlet

JavaScript Collection

Learn tips and tricks that will turn you into an Awesome® Javascript Dev.

JavaScript Tips and tricks

Tip of the day

When to run your code

When is the right time to run your JavaScript? When the page has loaded? When the document is ready? You may face this challenge and the solution sometimes is n…

Are you new to JavaScript?

JavaScript can be a little bit challenging at first. There are a few things that once mastered will make your journey smoother. These are the little things that I want to explain to you here. I make the frustrating things as friendly as possible so you don't have to stress over it.

Photography

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.