Notes on Linux, networking, random thoughts, and whatever I’m building.
Coming Back to Docker
I studied Docker properly once, a few years ago. Then I barely touched it. When I came back to it recently I was lost. Not completely lost, because I recognised the vocabulary and I could still read a Dockerfile. But lost enough that I went looking for a tutorial to get me started again. That’s the second time I’ve done that, and both times I sat through an hour of somebody explaining what a container is when what I actually needed was ten minutes on what had changed since I was last here. ...
I Knew systemd. I Didn't Really Understand the .service File.
When you’ve been working with Linux for a while, systemd isn’t exactly unfamiliar. I’ve used systemctl plenty of times. Start a service, stop a service, restart it, check its status, enable it at boot. Nothing particularly mysterious about any of that. But recently I found myself having to create a systemd service file from scratch for one of my own projects, PulsePoint. That’s when I realised something slightly embarrassing. I knew how to use systemd, but I’d never really stopped to look at what was inside one of those .service files. ...
The never forget app — Ogeka
The story behind Ogeka, an app for recurring tasks that never stay done. Set a cycle and it tracks what’s due, pausing the countdown when your working day ends.
My Time with Firejail: How to Uninstall Without Blowing Up Your System
Firejail’s firecfg sandboxed my whole desktop, screenshots included. How to uninstall it cleanly on Arch-based Linux without leaving broken symlinks behind.
An 8-Year IUD, a President’s Rejection — and the Question of Consent
A viral claim that Namibia rejected an 8-year IUD trial proved false, but the question it raised stands: who consents to, and benefits from, research in Africa?
DEI in African Tech: What’s Real, What’s Not, and Why It Matters
Not every gap in African tech is a DEI issue. How to tell identity-based inequities from language, infrastructure and investor-hub gaps, and why it matters.
Narrators That Changed the Game 🎧
How Travis Baldree, Andrea Parsneau and Heath Miller made The Primal Hunter, The Wandering Inn and He Who Fights With Monsters unforgettable audiobooks.
The Dangers of a Society that No Longer Debates
Echo chambers and engagement-driven algorithms are eroding open debate. What that costs democracy, communities and personal growth, and how we can revive it.
Write Your Own Traceroute Tool
Can’t install traceroute on a locked-down Linux system? Build your own in Bash with ping and increasing TTL values, then test, troubleshoot and extend it.
Manage Download Folder using Python
Tame a cluttered Downloads folder with a short Python script that uses os, shutil and time to move files older than 30 days into a to_delete folder.