With 14+ years in the game, I help frontend teams ship incrementally, with test coverage confidence, without rewrites. Debug any app, existing or legacy. Collaborate on distributed teams via docs, code review, and mentorship.https://master--john-kurkowski.netlify.app/https://master--john-kurkowski.netlify.app/posts/avoid-git-first-drafts/https://master--john-kurkowski.netlify.app/posts/avoid-git-first-drafts/Here are pages rife with debate on using git pull vs. git pull --rebase. I’ve decided for myself there are times for both, that is, there are times for merge commits and not.techhttps://master--john-kurkowski.netlify.app/posts/accumulating-multiple-failures-in-a-ValidationNEL/https://master--john-kurkowski.netlify.app/posts/accumulating-multiple-failures-in-a-ValidationNEL/This is an adaptation of an internal blog post I made for Gravity engineers. To preface, Gravity likes to use 2 very predictable patterns throughout its Scala codebase, which is very important for a TIMTOWTDI language like Scala: the for-comprehension and ValidationNEL.techhttps://master--john-kurkowski.netlify.app/posts/credo/https://master--john-kurkowski.netlify.app/posts/credo/Here’s a collection of the high-level concepts I’ve adopted over the years. I think they add human value—to customers and teammates alike—and GTD value. All while keeping me happy with my career in the otherwise often bitter IT ecosystem.techhttps://master--john-kurkowski.netlify.app/posts/good-ideas-from-mobile-design-that-are-good-everywhere/https://master--john-kurkowski.netlify.app/posts/good-ideas-from-mobile-design-that-are-good-everywhere/A collection of 9 usability tips from mobile design, yet they benefit desktop users too. 2 birds, 1 stone.techhttps://master--john-kurkowski.netlify.app/posts/dont-learn-to-code-learn-to-program-but-come-back-in-10-years/https://master--john-kurkowski.netlify.app/posts/dont-learn-to-code-learn-to-program-but-come-back-in-10-years/I want to discuss why programming and coding are not the same, and why I can no longer support the Learn to Code movement. I can no longer tell my friends to learn coding. Although I’m passionate about it, it’s too arcane and insular for mainstream practice.techhttps://master--john-kurkowski.netlify.app/posts/ongoing-learning-in-breadth-&-depth/https://master--john-kurkowski.netlify.app/posts/ongoing-learning-in-breadth-&-depth/To those overwhelmed by all the programming languages and tools you can learn, changing daily, I’d like to offer some peace of mind. In my previous article, I questioned the rampant, disconnected proliferation of code. I don’t know why it is stuck the way it is.techhttps://master--john-kurkowski.netlify.app/posts/code-as-craft-as-career/https://master--john-kurkowski.netlify.app/posts/code-as-craft-as-career/As a career programmer, I pursue code mastery. Economics at scale however stamps out the craftsman. How do I stay ahead?techhttps://master--john-kurkowski.netlify.app/posts/paint-by-types/https://master--john-kurkowski.netlify.app/posts/paint-by-types/My introduction to Haskell has shown me the promise of types, enabling type-driven development. The type system self-documents better than any docstring or variable name ever did. It even guides your thinking and program architecture.techhttps://master--john-kurkowski.netlify.app/posts/1st-class-ux-for-web-programmers/https://master--john-kurkowski.netlify.app/posts/1st-class-ux-for-web-programmers/On the web, your users are no longer a secondary engineering concern. A thick-client framework, like Ember.js, makes UX 1st class.techhttps://master--john-kurkowski.netlify.app/posts/still-measuring-devs-with-leetcode/https://master--john-kurkowski.netlify.app/posts/still-measuring-devs-with-leetcode/I'm disappointed to find tech interviews are still asking LeetCode questions. Companies haven't listened to old advice on competitive hiring like DHH's "Hiring programmers with a take-home test" or Matasano Security's "the Hiring Post".techhttps://master--john-kurkowski.netlify.app/posts/procrastination-by-doing/https://master--john-kurkowski.netlify.app/posts/procrastination-by-doing/I suffer from a particular form of procrastination. My problem is not that I instead watch Netflix, unable to get off the couch. I will do productive work. It just won't be the assigned task. I have some tips to fight this procrastination.techhttps://master--john-kurkowski.netlify.app/posts/procrastination-by-perfection/https://master--john-kurkowski.netlify.app/posts/procrastination-by-perfection/I also suffer from a less common form of procrastination than my previous article. I would not attempt something at all if I knew I couldn't do it perfectly. On a hobby of mine, I discovered a decent workaround.techhttps://master--john-kurkowski.netlify.app/posts/hands-on-home-row-for-ai-assisted-coding/https://master--john-kurkowski.netlify.app/posts/hands-on-home-row-for-ai-assisted-coding/AI-assisted coding has fit surprisingly well with the terminal and text-first tools I spent years sharpening. Agent orchestration may be the industry productivity boost I long wanted. While engineering discipline still matters, I feel wistful for hands-on coding.tech